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AxiOwl Release And QA Docs

The canonical release checklist is Release Validation Checklist. This page expands it for day-to-day release execution.

Release Principle​

A release is a chain of proof. Compilation proves code can build. MSI provenance proves the artifact contains the code. VM install proves another machine can install it. Provider tests prove the integration works. GitHub upload proves users can retrieve it.

Skipping any link makes later failures harder to explain.

Release Inputs​

Before building:

  • confirm branch is main;
  • confirm folder is the intended single repo workspace;
  • review git status;
  • confirm untracked files are intentional;
  • confirm provider support matrix is current;
  • remove stale local release artifacts that could be installed by mistake.

Build Validation​

Required:

cmake --build apps\windows-desktop\build --config Release
ctest --test-dir apps\windows-desktop\build -C Release --output-on-failure
apps\windows-desktop\installer\build-windows-msi.ps1

The build must produce a fresh MSI and provenance files under release.

Installer Validation​

On the dev machine and clean VM:

  1. Start from a known provider install state.
  2. Run MSI.
  3. Verify checkbox defaults.
  4. Select intended providers.
  5. Finish install.
  6. Read install logs.
  7. Run axiowl status.
  8. Run discovery.
  9. Confirm registry rows.

Provider Response Tests​

Use one fresh/current target per supported provider surface. Ask for a plain response over AxiOwl MCP and include a unique run id.

Required currently supported surfaces:

  • Codex agents;
  • Codex CLI;
  • VS Code/Copilot;
  • VS Code native where available;
  • Cursor agents;
  • Antigravity agents.

Target surfaces should be tested separately but must not be marked supported until they satisfy the current metadata rule.

CLI Provider Tests​

For CLI providers:

  • create or discover a CLI session;
  • send through AxiOwl;
  • require reply through AxiOwl MCP;
  • verify provider-owned sender metadata;
  • record auth failures separately from implementation failures.

Uninstall/Reinstall Validation​

Run:

  1. install selected providers;
  2. test;
  3. uninstall;
  4. verify AxiOwl-owned cleanup;
  5. reinstall;
  6. verify selected-only behavior;
  7. retest.

The reinstall should not depend on stale extension folders, stale registry rows, or old MSI artifacts.

Docs Release​

For docs-only changes:

  • run npm run build;
  • verify GitHub Pages workflow passes;
  • verify the live site responds;
  • confirm source-of-truth docs did not drift from provider pages;
  • avoid publishing historical reports as current product truth.

Release Decision​

Publish only when:

  • build passed;
  • MSI provenance passed;
  • clean VM install passed;
  • provider response tests passed for supported providers;
  • uninstall/reinstall passed;
  • docs match actual status;
  • success-method report exists for new working methods.