Phase 3 of the improvement plan (PR 8 of the sequence): the apt/X11 packaging
half of Linux support, in separate Linux-specific files. Replaces the old
scripts/package-linux.sh, which the audit flagged as "not production
packaging" (it copied the whole dev node_modules — including vulnerable build
deps — plus docs/prompts/examples/audit files, hardcoded amd64, declared only
xinput, lacked desktop/icon/MIME integration, and could build without
node_modules).
Production builder (packaging/linux/debian/package.sh):
- Stages ONLY runtime files: app code, a fixed Electron runtime, and the
production npm deps (enumerated via npm ls --omit=dev). Never copies the
development node_modules; guards against electron-builder/app-builder-lib
leaking in. Fails if node_modules is absent instead of shipping an unusable
artifact.
- Detects architecture (dpkg --print-architecture, x64/arm64) rather than
hardcoding amd64. Generates DEBIAN/control from control.in with proper
runtime Depends, real maintainer, and homepage.
- Installs a desktop entry, hicolor icons (16–512), .sfgz/.sfglt MIME
registration, the launcher, and the license. postinst makes chrome-sandbox
setuid and refreshes desktop/MIME/icon caches; postrm cleans them.
- Emits a .deb, a portable tarball that now INCLUDES /usr/bin/stepforge (the
old tarball omitted it), and a sha256 sums file.
Launcher (packaging/linux/common/launcher.sh):
- Runs sandboxed; prefers the user-namespace sandbox, accepts a root-owned
setuid helper, and otherwise refuses to launch with an actionable message.
--no-sandbox requires an explicit STEPFORGE_ALLOW_NO_SANDBOX opt-in. Never
installs anything at runtime.
Setup (separate build vs runtime, apt only):
- scripts/linux/apt/install-runtime-deps.sh (Chromium/Electron libs, X11
tools, portal/PipeWire) and install-build-deps.sh (dpkg-dev, fakeroot,
xvfb). Runtime script installs no build tools.
Assets: original StepForge icon — packaging/assets/stepforge.svg plus a
generator (scripts/make-icons.js) that renders the PNG set with the repo's own
rasterizer/PNG writer (no third-party art). npm run icons regenerates them.
Wiring: package.json gains package:linux:deb / package:linux:rpm / icons;
build-release.sh uses the production builder and requires node_modules; README
points at the apt/dnf guides.
Tests: tests/unit/packaging-linux.test.js (structural: files present in their
separate locations, old script gone, valid desktop entry, templated arch +
runtime Depends, launcher gates --no-sandbox, builder requires node_modules
and guards dev-dep leaks, apt build/runtime dep separation, original icon set
generates a valid PNG) runs in the normal suite;
tests/integration/linux/package-deb.test.sh builds a real .deb and asserts the
right files present and the dev tree / build tooling / app docs absent
(honest skip only when dpkg-deb/node_modules are genuinely missing).
Verified locally: 276 unit tests pass; the integration test builds and
validates stepforge_0.3.2_amd64.deb; build-release E2E passes with the new
production package.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <[email protected]>
Phase 0 of the improvement plan (ai_prompts/prompt4.md): make the baseline
reproducible and stop the test runner from masking real failures.
- Pin Node >= 22.12 (engines + .nvmrc + engine-strict); every entry point
fails fast with clear guidance instead of dying late with ERR_REQUIRE_ESM
inside the packaging dependency graph.
- electron-launcher.js is diagnostics-only: all runtime npm install/rebuild/
repair paths are removed. npm ci on the pinned toolchain is the only
supported install path (README + GETTING_STARTED updated).
- Refuse to silently launch unsandboxed on Linux: --no-sandbox now requires
an explicit STEPFORGE_ALLOW_NO_SANDBOX/ELECTRON_DISABLE_SANDBOX opt-in and
is otherwise a hard error with actionable fixes; user-namespace sandboxing
is detected and preferred.
- Click-capture E2E no longer converts startup crashes into "SKIPPED": the
only allowed skip is the upfront absence of a display server. A missing
shared library or crash now fails with the startup log. Same guard added
to the startup smoke check.
- GitHub CI: run on pull_request, pin Node from .nvmrc, drop the macOS matrix
entry (not a support target), and audit production and full dependency
trees as separate signals. Gitea CI: pull_request trigger + pinned Node.
- Refresh package-lock on Node 22/npm 10 and remediate the form-data and
undici advisories (npm audit: 0 vulnerabilities, prod and full tree).
- Stop tracking generated machine-specific build reports
(build/build_report.md, build/artifacts_manifest.json).
Verified: 203 unit tests pass; repo-structure, startup-smoke, unit-workflows,
sample-artifacts, and build-release checks pass locally with a real Electron
launch. The click self-test now truthfully reports the pre-existing Linux
arm/debounce capture failures (also red on Gitea CI main run 177) instead of
hiding behind SKIPPED; that defect is scheduled for the capture-fix PR.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <[email protected]>
- examples/: sample guide store, .sfgz share archive, and exported
output in all nine formats (JSON/MD/HTML×2/PDF/GIF/images/DOCX/PPTX)
- build_report.md now records packaging tool availability, fallback
policy, offline guarantee, and verification entrypoints
- artifacts_manifest.json with sha256 checksums for packages + samples
- CHANGELOG entries for the welcome screen and renderer fixes
Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <[email protected]>
TylerandClaude Fable 5