# Distribution & release mechanics

How the build becomes a file someone installs. **Policy — prices, entitlement, which channels
exist and why — is [`docs/ai/commercial.md`](docs/ai/commercial.md).** This file is the how.

> The previous version of this document was a 736-line Polar/MSIX/obfuscation plan. It was
> superseded on 2026-10-31; the reasoning that still matters lives in `commercial.md` and
> `docs/ai/decisions.md`, and the full text is in `git log -- Distribution.md`.

## 1. The artifact

One self-contained single-file exe plus the bundled ffmpeg folder, zipped. No .NET install on the
target machine, no installer framework, no admin rights.

```bash
dotnet publish ytLive.csproj -c Release -r win-x64 --self-contained true \
  -p:PublishSingleFile=true \
  -p:IncludeNativeLibrariesForSelfExtract=true \
  -p:EnableCompressionInSingleFile=true \
  -p:PublishReadyToRun=true
```

- **`PublishTrimmed` stays OFF.** Trimming breaks WPF's XAML reflection (`Binding`, `DataTemplate`,
  `StaticResource`). The exe is therefore fat — expect ~110–150 MB compressed with the runtime
  inside, and that is the accepted cost of "copy it and run it".
- **ffmpeg stays outside the exe** — `ffmpeg\` beside it (already the app's locator contract, see
  [`output.md`](output.md) → "FFmpeg locator"). Embedding it passes 200 MB and adds an extraction
  step for no benefit.
- **WebView2 is the one machine dependency**: the Evergreen runtime ships with Windows 11 and most
  Windows 10; a genuinely clean machine needs the bootstrapper once. Say so in the download note.
- **`AssemblyName` is still `ytLive`** → the shipped exe is `ytLive.exe` today. The rename to
  `LlamaCasty.exe` is queued (three pack URIs break — see `product.md`), and until it lands every
  release note names the real file.

**Portable mode.** A `portable.txt` marker beside the exe keeps the layout DB, `Assets` and
settings in `.\data\` instead of `%APPDATA%\ytLlive` (hung off `LayoutPathOverride`). Same binary,
USB-stick behaviour, nothing to uninstall.

## 2. Release

```
publish → zip → SHA-256 → GitHub Release → winget manifest PR → update notice
```

1. **Tag and publish.** `v<major>.<minor>.<patch>` tag; attach `LlamaCasty-<version>-win-x64.zip`
   to the **GitHub Release**. Binaries live there, never on the droplet — free CDN, durable URLs,
   release notes in the same place, and `wingetcreate` reads `releases/latest` natively.
2. **Record the hash.** `sha256sum` the zip; it goes in the winget manifest and in the release
   notes. This is the anti-tamper wall: the official channel delivers exactly this artifact or
   fails.
3. **winget.** `wingetcreate update LlamaCasty.LlamaCasty --version <v> --urls <release-url>
   --submit` — it opens the PR against `microsoft/winget-pkgs`. Manifest shape:
   `InstallerType: portable`, `InstallerSha256`, `NestedInstallerType` where the zip nests the exe.
   First submission is `wingetcreate new`; the identifier is `LlamaCasty.LlamaCasty`.
4. **Update notice.** Write the current version into a small version file on the site (or read
   `releases/latest` from the GitHub API). The app shows one line — *"v1.4 is out — `winget upgrade
   LlamaCasty.LlamaCasty`"*. **Nothing downloads or executes**: that is Store policy 10.2.2 and a
   permanent no (see `product.md`).
5. **Optional mirrors.** Scoop (a small JSON manifest hosted in a bucket) and Chocolatey (a nupkg
   with a checksum) — ten minutes each, same audience.
6. **MSIX** stays buildable for the parked Store channel: `scripts/package-msix.sh` →
   `artifacts/LlamaCasty.msix`, submitted nowhere until the Individual account exists.

## 3. Signing

**Azure Trusted Signing, ~$9.99/month** — Microsoft-issued, individuals eligible after identity
verification, and it accrues SmartScreen reputation without buying a certificate.

```powershell
signtool sign /v /fd SHA256 /tr http://timestamp.acs.microsoft.com /td SHA256 `
  /dlib "Azure.CodeSigning.Dlib.dll" /dmdf "metadata.json" LlamaCasty.exe
```

- **⛔ No EV certificate.** Microsoft removed the EV SmartScreen instant-bypass in March 2024, so
  EV ($400+/yr) buys exactly what OV (~$150–300/yr) buys — and a bought cert is a 460-day recurring
  line item whose key must live on an HSM or hardware token.
- **No certificate at all** is the interim state: ship unsigned and accept the "unknown publisher"
  line. winget spares the browser prompt, not the publisher line, so signing is what makes the
  channel feel legitimate — the reason it is in the year-one budget.
- **Signing never clears the warning on day one** — only download volume does. Plan for weeks.
- Secrets: the Trusted Signing profile lives in CI secrets; **never commit** a `.pfx` or
  `metadata.json` with credentials. `MSIX_PFX`/`MSIX_PFX_PASSWORD` are for local test installs only.
- Verify every release: `signtool verify /pa /v <file>`, and confirm the hash in the manifest
  matches the uploaded zip.

## 4. Release checklist

- Build clean, 0 warnings (`./scripts/verify.sh`), full test suite green.
- `signtool verify /pa` passes on the shipped exe.
- Launch on a clean Windows profile: first-run works, recording writes where it claims, ffmpeg is
  found beside the exe, WebView2-loaded UI renders.
- Fresh install through `winget install LlamaCasty.LlamaCasty` on a second machine, then
  `winget upgrade` over the previous version.
- ZIP hash published; manifest PR merged; version notice updated.
- Portable mode: `portable.txt` present → data lands in `.\data\`, deleting the folder deletes the
  app's footprint.

## 5. Legal and takedown

- **`LICENSE`** (EULA) forbids redistribution, resale, reverse-engineering and circumvention, and
  disclaims warranty. It is what makes a mirror site a licence breach rather than a grey area.
- **`PRIVACY.md`** must name any third party the app contacts — today that is Google/YouTube,
  ffmpeg is local, and **Polar** is added the day licence validation ships.
- **`THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.txt`** stays shipped and shown in About; the ffmpeg pin stays
  `lgpl-shared`, and no GPL component may be linked (see `product.md` → "Licensing").
- **DMCA**: statutory damages need a registration ($65), and a takedown needs only the notice —
  host, link, good-faith statement, signature. Worth doing once there is something to pirate.
- **What actually protects the product** is in `commercial.md` → "Anti-piracy posture": signed
  hash-pinned delivery, short leases, a free tier good enough that a crack buys nothing, and a
  licence ID in About. **Not obfuscation, not a native DLL, not hardware locking.**

## 6. Effort, once

| Step | Effort |
|---|---|
| Publish profile + portable mode | 0.5 day |
| GitHub Release + hash + version notice | 0.5 day |
| First winget manifest (`wingetcreate new`) | 0.5 day, then ~15 min per release |
| Azure Trusted Signing profile + CI step | 0.5 day |
| Clean-machine + `winget` smoke test | 0.5 day |