# Release Production

> Build, sign, verify, and publish processkit releases with bound host evidence.

---

LLMS index: [llms.txt](/processkit/v1.x/llms.txt)

---

The v1 release path is agent-first, human-operable, and entirely local.
Maintainer-controlled machines invoke the same repository scripts and bind
their native results to one tagged commit. No GitHub Actions or hosted build
service participates.

## One-time key setup

Keep the private key outside the repository. The public key may be copied to
the local trust store of every machine that installs official releases.

```sh
scripts/processkit-keygen-local.sh \
  "$HOME/.config/processkit/keys/release.pem" \
  "$HOME/.config/processkit/trust.d/release.pub.pem"
```

Back up the private key securely. Losing it prevents producing a release under
that identity. Disclosing it requires creating a new key identity and removing
the compromised public key from local trust stores.

## Validate and create a release

```sh
scripts/release-local.sh v1.0.0-alpha.5 \
  "$HOME/.config/processkit/keys/release.pem" \
  "$HOME/.config/processkit/trust.d/release.pub.pem"
```

The command runs the complete local validation suite, builds a reproducible
archive, creates an integrity envelope, signs it with Ed25519, and verifies the
result. It produces the archive, native installer executable, checksum
sidecars, release JSON, and signature under `dist/`. The signed envelope
contains a required `installerAssets` matrix. A local alpha or beta release
contains the current Rust host target. Multi-host production uses local Linux
and macOS machines to build each executable independently, copies their
outputs into one trusted finalization workspace, and then binds the matrix:

```sh
scripts/finalize-release-local.sh v1.0.0-alpha.5 \
  /secure/release.pem \
  /secure/release.pub.pem \
  aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu \
  x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu \
  aarch64-apple-darwin \
  x86_64-apple-darwin
```

Finalization fails if any named asset is absent, duplicated, symlinked, or
unsafe. The resulting signature binds every target, filename, digest, and byte
size. Each local host executes `scripts/build-host-artifact.sh`, verifies tag
and commit provenance, and natively smoke-tests its binary. Merely naming a
target never manufactures or validates it.

## Exact-version bootstrap

The non-root bootstrap installs a native executable only after checking its
checksum, signed-envelope membership, signature, and the canonical Ed25519 key
fingerprint published in `release/processkit-v1-signing-public.pem`:

```sh
scripts/install-processkit.sh v1.0.0-alpha.5
```

It detects Linux x86_64/ARM64 and macOS x86_64/ARM64, installs to
`$HOME/.local/bin` by default, and refuses floating versions. Supplying the
Operators may override the fingerprint only when intentionally selecting a
different trusted release identity.

## Verify after copying

```sh
scripts/verify-release-local.sh \
  dist/processkit-v1.0.0-alpha.5.release.json \
  dist/processkit-v1.0.0-alpha.5.release.sig \
  "$HOME/.config/processkit/trust.d/release.pub.pem"
```

Copying or publishing these files is a separate operation. Any filesystem,
server, removable medium, or artifact host may be used. Publication does not
confer trust; the signature and local public key do.

## Agent operation

Agents should use explicit absolute key paths, capture exit status, retain the
complete stderr log, and report the generated file paths and public-key
fingerprint. They must never print or copy private-key contents. A failed local
gate stops release creation.

## Native consumer verification

The shell verifier remains the human-operable release-side check. The Rust
installer also verifies releases against the versioned JSON trust store:

```sh
processkit verify-release \
  --envelope dist/processkit-v1.0.0-alpha.5.release.json \
  --signature dist/processkit-v1.0.0-alpha.5.release.sig \
  --trust-store "$HOME/.config/processkit/trust-store.json"
```

Both verifiers bind the exact envelope bytes, Ed25519 key identity, semantic
version, archive filename, byte size, SHA-256, and top-level directory. They
also bind every installer target, filename, byte size, and SHA-256, rejecting
duplicate targets or files. The envelope separately binds the release
descriptor and `PROVENANCE.toml` inside the archive; extraction verifies both
digests and requires the provenance tag to match the release version.

Legacy trees can be inspected independently before installation. See
[v0 to v1 compatibility inspection](./v0-compatibility.md).