Jean-Luc Makiola
6640794721
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Adds a mandatory pre-tag step to the release process: build the R8-shrunk release candidate and smoke-test it on a real device, including a first-run / permission-not-granted state. The v2.7.0 launch crash (calendar observer registered before the permission gate) reached users because it only manifests in the minified release build on a device without the permission already granted — the debug build and an already-permissioned phone both hid it. - New `releaseTest` build type: same R8 shrinking + obfuscation as `release`, but debug-signed with a `.releasetest` applicationId suffix so it installs alongside the production and debug apps. Never published; CI only ever builds the real `release` variant from the tag. - scripts/verify-release.sh: builds + installs `releaseTest` and resets it to a first-run state, with an on-device checklist. - docs/RELEASING.md: formalize the release/vX.Y.Z branch flow and the on-device verification gate before tagging. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
126 lines
6.2 KiB
Markdown
126 lines
6.2 KiB
Markdown
# Releasing Calendula
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Calendula is distributed through a self-hosted F-Droid repository. Every
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release is built, signed, and published automatically by
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`.gitea/workflows/release.yaml` when a version tag is pushed.
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## Versioning — the git tag is the single source of truth
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A release is defined by its tag, `vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH` (e.g. `v2.1.0`). At
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release time the workflow derives both Gradle fields from the tag:
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- `versionName` = the tag without the leading `v` (`2.1.0`)
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- `versionCode` = `MAJOR*10000 + MINOR*100 + PATCH` (`2.1.0` → `20100`)
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So `MINOR` and `PATCH` each have room for 0–99. The values committed in
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`app/build.gradle.kts` are only the dev/local default — CI overwrites them
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from the tag. Keep the committed `versionCode`/`versionName` matching the
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**latest released tag** so local builds are sanely versioned; the published
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value always comes from the tag.
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Published version codes so far: `v0.1.0`→100 … `v1.0.0`→10000 … `v2.0.0`→20000.
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## Cutting a release
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1. **Assemble the release branch.** Create `release/vX.Y.Z` and merge the
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feature/fix branches that make up this release into it. This branch is the
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release candidate — everything below happens on it, before it reaches `main`.
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2. Move the `## [Unreleased]` section of `CHANGELOG.md` under a new
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`## [X.Y.Z] — <date>` heading (Keep a Changelog format). The text between
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that heading and the next `## [` becomes both the Gitea release notes and
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the F-Droid per-version changelog.
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3. Bump the committed `versionCode`/`versionName` in `app/build.gradle.kts` to
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match the new version (keeps local builds tidy; CI overwrites from the tag).
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4. **Verify the release build on a real device** — the mandatory gate. The
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shipped APK is R8-shrunk/obfuscated, and bugs that only appear there, or
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only on first run, never show up in the debug build or on a device that
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already granted the calendar permission (this is how the v2.7.0 launch
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crash slipped through). Run:
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```bash
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scripts/verify-release.sh
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```
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It builds the `releaseTest` variant (same R8 config as `release`, debug-signed
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with a `.releasetest` suffix so it installs alongside the real app) and resets
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it to a first-run state. Then, on the device:
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- launch from a **clean / permission-not-granted** state — the permission
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screen must appear, no crash;
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- grant access — the calendar must load;
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- add both home-screen **widgets** and confirm they render;
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- exercise this release's headline changes.
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Only proceed once all of that passes on-device.
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5. Merge `release/vX.Y.Z` into `main`, then tag and push:
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```bash
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git tag vX.Y.Z
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git push origin vX.Y.Z
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```
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6. The push triggers the release workflow. **Hold UI releases for on-device
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review and explicit go-ahead before tagging.**
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> The `releaseTest` build type exists only for step 4 — it is never published.
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> The pipeline always builds and signs the real `release` variant from the tag.
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## What the pipeline does
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`release.yaml` has three jobs:
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- **ci** — unit tests + a debug assemble (sanity).
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- **build-and-deploy** — derives the version, builds & signs the release APK
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with the app key, copies it into the F-Droid repo, generates the per-version
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changelog, re-signs the F-Droid index with the **repo key**, uploads
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`repo/` + `metadata/` to the box, and attaches the R8 `mapping.txt` to the
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Gitea release (best-effort).
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- **gitea-release** — creates/updates the Gitea release carrying the tag's
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CHANGELOG section as notes. Gated on `ci` only (not the deploy) so notes
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publish even if the F-Droid upload hiccups.
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### Manual re-sign / recovery
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A manual `workflow_dispatch` of the release workflow **from a branch** (not a
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tag) runs a **re-sign-only** path: it skips the APK build and just re-signs
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the existing F-Droid index with the configured repo key and re-uploads. Use
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this for key rotation or repo recovery without publishing a new app version.
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## Secrets (Gitea → repo Settings → Actions → Secrets)
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| Secret | Purpose |
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| --- | --- |
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| `KEYSTORE_BASE64`, `KEY_PASSWORD`, `KEY_ALIAS` | **App** signing key — signs the APK. Losing it means existing installs can't be updated. |
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| `FDROID_KEYSTORE_BASE64` | **F-Droid repo** signing key (`keystore.p12`, base64). Signs the repo index. |
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| `FDROID_CONFIG_BASE64` | F-Droid `config.yml` (base64) — repo metadata + keystore passwords. |
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| `HETZNER_HOST`, `HETZNER_USER`, `HETZNER_PASS` | Upload target for the F-Droid repo. |
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| `GITHUB_TOKEN` | Provided by Gitea Actions; used to create the release + attach assets. |
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The two keys are independent: the **app key** signs APKs; the **repo key**
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signs the index (its fingerprint is what users pin). Neither key nor the
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F-Droid `config.yml` is ever uploaded to the server — they live only in CI
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secrets and are reconstructed in-runner. If `FDROID_KEYSTORE_BASE64` /
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`FDROID_CONFIG_BASE64` are unset the workflow **fails loudly** rather than
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minting a new repo key (which would break every user's pinned fingerprint).
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## Key custody & recovery
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- **Offline backups** of both keys (and passwords) live in a password manager.
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These are the only safe copies — losing them is unrecoverable.
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- **App key lost** → no existing install can be updated again; you'd have to
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ship a new app under a new applicationId.
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- **Repo key lost or compromised** → rotate it, publish the new fingerprint in
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the README, and have users remove + re-add the repo. To rotate: generate a
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new `keystore.p12` + `config.yml`, set them as the `FDROID_*` secrets, update
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the README fingerprint, and run the manual re-sign dispatch above.
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## F-Droid repo
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- URL: `https://apps.dev.jeanlucmakiola.de/dev/fdroid/repo`
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- Fingerprint (current): `C2C0640402BF458FC0ED957AF0B37AA4C14022E72F89CE90B5965B458CF73425`
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- Served from the Hetzner storage box. **nginx serves only `…/fdroid/repo/`** —
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the working dir (key, config, metadata) sits above it and must never be
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web-reachable. After any webserver change, verify `keystore.p12` and
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`config.yml` return 404 while `repo/index-v2.json` returns 200.
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## Crash deobfuscation
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Each release attaches `mapping-<version>.txt.gz` (the R8 mapping) to its Gitea
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release. To deobfuscate a user stacktrace, download the mapping for that
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version and run it through `retrace`.
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