Releasing & DMG Creation

Relevant source files

The following files were used as context for generating this wiki page:

• RELEASING.md
• scripts/build-dmg.sh
• CHANGELOG.md
• release/latest.json
• release/README.md
• README.md
• package.json

Keynobi employs an automated release pipeline triggered by version bumps on the main branch. This system handles the compilation of the Rust backend, bundling of the SolidJS frontend, and creation of Apple Disk Image (.dmg) installers for various macOS architectures. The process integrates versioning rules, changelog generation, and optional telemetry embedding for crash reporting.

Sources: RELEASING.md:1-5, README.md:111-125

Release Workflow & Automation

Releases are managed through GitHub Actions, which monitor the repository for specific version changes. A standard release takes approximately 15 minutes to complete across parallel builds for different architectures.

Release Execution Steps

The automated process follows a structured sequence initiated by the developer:

1. Version Bumping: Developers use npm run version:bump to increment the version according to Semantic Versioning (SemVer) rules.
2. Validation: Running npm run rust:check ensures the backend code is valid before committing.
3. Commit and Push: Changes to package.json, Cargo.toml, and tauri.conf.json are committed and pushed to the main branch.
4. CI Trigger: GitHub Actions detects the bump, builds the artifacts, creates a git tag (e.g., v0.1.1), and publishes a GitHub Release.
5. Manifest Update: The release/latest.json metadata is automatically updated with the new version and download URLs.

Sources: RELEASING.md:11-30, CHANGELOG.md:118-125

DMG Creation Script (build-dmg.sh)

For local distribution and CI automation, the scripts/build-dmg.sh script serves as the primary utility for generating .dmg bundles. It wraps the Tauri CLI and ensures all environment prerequisites are met.

Script Capabilities

• Architecture Support: Can target Apple Silicon (aarch64), Intel (x86_64), or create a Universal binary.
• Prerequisite Validation: Checks for the presence of rustc, cargo, and node.
• Target Installation: Automatically installs missing Rust targets via rustup if needed.
• Ad-hoc Signing: For unsigned builds, it sets APPLE_SIGNING_IDENTITY="-" to bypass mandatory Developer ID requirements during the build process, allowing for ad-hoc signing.

Sources: scripts/build-dmg.sh:1-60, scripts/build-dmg.sh:88-100

Build Targets and Commands

Command	Architecture Target	Rust Triple
./scripts/build-dmg.sh	Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)	aarch64-apple-darwin
./scripts/build-dmg.sh --intel	Intel Mac	x86_64-apple-darwin
./scripts/build-dmg.sh --universal	Universal Binary	universal-apple-darwin

Sources: scripts/build-dmg.sh:30-48, package.json:28-30

Release Metadata and Artifacts

The project maintains a machine-readable manifest to track the most recent release and provide direct download links.

latest.json Structure

The manifest file located at release/latest.json contains the following fields:

• version: The current semantic version string.
• tag: The corresponding Git tag name.
• releaseDate: ISO date of the release.
• releaseUrl: Link to the GitHub Release page.
• downloads: A nested object containing direct URLs for applesilicon and intel DMG files.

Sources: release/latest.json:1-10, release/README.md:7-22

Deployment Locations

• Binary Artifacts: Hosted on the GitHub Releases page.
• Build Output: Locally, files are placed in src-tauri/target/<arch>/release/bundle/dmg/.
• Naming Convention: Artifacts follow the pattern Keynobi_<version>_<arch>.dmg.

Sources: README.md:119-125, scripts/build-dmg.sh:110-112

Advanced Release Configurations

Sentry Integration (Telemetry)

Releases can be built with embedded Sentry DSNs for crash reporting. This requires the Rust telemetry feature to be enabled.

• Rust Layer: Uses SENTRY_DSN and the telemetry cargo feature.
• Frontend Layer: Uses VITE_SENTRY_DSN for the SolidJS/WebView layer.
• Source Maps: SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN is used by the CI workflow to upload frontend source maps to Sentry.

Sources: RELEASING.md:46-65, src-tauri/Cargo.toml:41-43

Versioning Rules (SemVer)

Bump Type	Usage Scenario	Example
patch	Bug fixes and small improvements	0.1.0 -> 0.1.1
minor	New user-visible features	0.1.0 -> 0.2.0
major	Breaking changes or major milestones	0.1.0 -> 1.0.0

Sources: RELEASING.md:38-44

Security and Distribution Note

As of version 0.x, builds are unsigned. This requires users to bypass macOS Gatekeeper on first launch by right-clicking the application in the /Applications folder and selecting Open. This behavior is explicitly noted in the release documentation and scripts.

Sources: README.md:127-129, release/README.md:28-30, scripts/build-dmg.sh:127-130

Conclusion

The releasing and DMG creation system for Keynobi is a robust, automation-first architecture that leverages Tauri's bundling capabilities. By providing both a script-based local build path and a GitHub Actions-driven CI path, the project ensures consistent delivery of artifacts across both Apple Silicon and Intel platforms while maintaining strict versioning and changelog standards.