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Release Process

This document outlines the process for creating releases for the web, desktop, and mobile applications.

Release Flows

All platforms share a single version. Running pnpm release bumps package.json, tauri.conf.json, and Cargo.toml together via the version lifecycle hook.

Desktop Release: desktop-v* tag

The desktop release workflow is release-desktop.yml. It creates or updates a draft GitHub Release and uploads the Tauri desktop artifacts for the full desktop matrix.

Platform Architecture Artifacts
macOS arm64 .dmg, updater archive + signature
macOS x64 .dmg, updater archive + signature
Windows x64 .msi, -setup.exe, updater archive + signature
Windows arm64 -setup.exe, updater archive + signature
Linux x64 .AppImage, .deb, .rpm, updater archive + signature
Linux arm64 .deb, .rpm, updater archive + signature

The workflow uses native GitHub-hosted runners for macos-15, macos-15-intel, ubuntu-22.04, ubuntu-22.04-arm, windows-latest, and windows-11-arm. Linux arm64 intentionally publishes Debian and RPM bundles only, because the broader Linux bundle set is not reliable on that ARM runner. Windows arm64 currently publishes the NSIS setup executable rather than MSI so the arm64 path stays aligned with the documented Windows installer support in Tauri.

pnpm release:desktop patch

CI Pipeline

Every push to main and every PR triggers ci.yml:

  • Lint + format checks
  • Unit tests (Vitest)
  • Build
  • E2E tests (Playwright — desktop Chromium, mobile Android, mobile iOS viewports)

Versioning

We use np for version management. It handles version bumping, git tagging, and pushing.

pnpm release

np prompts for patch/minor/major, creates the v* tag, and pushes to trigger the full release flow.

Version Sync

The version lifecycle hook in package.json runs scripts/sync-version.cjs, which updates:

File Field Example
src-tauri/tauri.conf.json version 0.8.2
src-tauri/Cargo.toml version 0.8.2
src-tauri/gen/android/app/tauri.properties versionName + versionCode 0.8.2 / 802

The Android versionCode is derived as major * 10000 + minor * 100 + patch (e.g., 0.8.2 = 802, 1.0.0 = 10000). This ensures it always increments with each semver bump, as required by the Play Store.

Manual Release

Trigger the desktop workflow manually via GitHub Actions:

  1. Open Actions → Release Desktop (Tauri)
  2. Choose Run workflow
  3. Enter a tag such as desktop-v0.7.0

Artifacts

Desktop

Platform Architecture Files
macOS Apple Silicon (arm64) .dmg, .app.tar.gz, .app.tar.gz.sig
macOS Intel (x64) .dmg, .app.tar.gz, .app.tar.gz.sig
Windows x64 .msi, .msi.sig, -setup.exe, -setup.exe.sig
Windows arm64 -setup.exe, -setup.exe.sig
Linux x64 .AppImage, .AppImage.sig, .deb, .deb.sig, .rpm, .rpm.sig
Linux arm64 .deb, .deb.sig, .rpm, .rpm.sig

Android

File Description
forwardemail-mail_<version>_android.apk Signed universal APK for sideloading
forwardemail-mail_<version>_android.aab Signed Android App Bundle for Play Store upload

Built by release-mobile.yml. Requires Android signing secrets in the release environment (see SECRETS.md).

iOS

File Description
forwardemail-mail_<version>_ios.ipa Signed IPA (archival — primary distribution is TestFlight below)

The same IPA is uploaded to App Store Connect → TestFlight via xcrun altool using the App Store Connect API key. Testers install through the TestFlight app rather than downloading from the GitHub Release. See ios-setup.md for the post-release flow (processing wait, inviting testers, beta review).

Code Signing

Signing is automatic when secrets are configured. Without secrets, builds are unsigned but still functional.

Platform Signing Notes
macOS Apple Developer ID + notarization Users won't see Gatekeeper warnings
Windows Authenticode certificate Improves Microsoft Defender and SmartScreen trust, but reputation still builds over time
Linux None needed .deb and .rpm work unsigned; trust is handled by the host package flow
Android Self-managed keystore (.jks) Required for Play Store; optional for APK
iOS Apple Distribution + ASC API key Required for TestFlight — job skips gracefully when secrets aren't set
Auto-updater Ed25519 key Required for .sig files

See SECRETS.md for the full list of required secrets, desktop-ci-secrets.md for desktop signing setup, and ios-setup.md for the iOS signing and TestFlight flow.

Related Documentation