perf(release): start Windows builds without waiting for the Linux job

[t3dotgg]

Windows arm64 is the slowest release job, and it could not start until the whole Linux arm64 job finished. It only needs one file from that job: the Linux CLI archive, which it embeds as the WSL runtime. In the last nightly (run), Windows arm64 sat idle for 211s after the JS bundle was ready. Windows x64 waited the same way on Linux x64.

The Windows jobs now start with the other platforms. A new step right before the desktop build waits for the cli-linux-<arch> artifact itself, so checkout, install, MSVC, and signing setup all overlap the Linux job. It reads this run's artifacts and jobs through the REST API, which lists an artifact as soon as it is uploaded, while the run is still going.

• In that nightly, Windows arm64 spent about 290s on checkout, dependency install, and toolchain setup before it needed the archive. Linux arm64 uploaded it about 180s after it started. So the wait should be instant, and Windows arm64 should finish about 3.5 minutes sooner. That moves npm publish, the GitHub Release, and the web deploy 3.5 minutes earlier too.
• If the Linux job ends without uploading the archive, the wait fails right away. It checks for the artifact before reading job status, and once more before failing, so neither an API error nor a race hides an archive that is already there.
• The wait now counts against the Windows job, so Windows jobs get a 70 minute timeout (was 30) and the wait step allows 40. A slow or queued Linux job cannot time Windows out early.
• release-desktop.yml now asks for actions: read to list artifacts. Both callers grant it: release.yml at the workflow level and the macOS preview publish job.

Tested on the real runners with a scratch reusable workflow shaped like release-desktop.yml (run):

• Windows x64 (Blacksmith): the Linux job uploaded after 75s. The wait found it after 62s and the download worked.
• Windows arm64 (windows-11-arm): the Linux job ended without uploading. The wait failed 2s later with Build Linux arm64 ended (success) without uploading cli-linux-arm64.
• The timeout expression, actions: read through the reusable workflow, and job-name matching (Desktop Linux x64 / Build Linux x64) all worked.

The script was also checked locally with PowerShell 7.6 against a real release run, including API errors. The timing gain needs a real nightly to confirm.

Created with Claude Opus 5.5 in Claude Code, running inside T3 Code.

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Not approved

Macroscope's review found this PR not approvable — This changes the production release dependency graph and adds custom GitHub Actions API polling, permissions, timeout, and failure-handling behavior. The release outputs remain conceptually the same, but the orchestration change is substantial enough to warrant human review.

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[github-actions]

Thread transfer impact

✅ Thread transfer remains within every enforced ceiling.

Provider	Metric	Main baseline	This PR	Impact	PR ceiling
Codex	Total thread wire	13.5 KiB	13.5 KiB	−32 B (−0.2%)	15.1 KiB	✅
Codex	Thread snapshot wire	7.1 KiB	7.1 KiB	−12 B (−0.2%)	7.3 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn WebSocket wire	6.5 KiB	6.4 KiB	−20 B (−0.3%)	7.8 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn WebSocket decoded	56.3 KiB	56.2 KiB	−44 B (−0.1%)	66.4 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn messages	10	9	−1 (−10.0%)	21	✅
Claude	Total thread wire	13.5 KiB	13.5 KiB	−1 B (−0.0%)	15.1 KiB	✅
Claude	Thread snapshot wire	7.1 KiB	7.1 KiB	−3 B (−0.0%)	7.3 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn WebSocket wire	6.4 KiB	6.4 KiB	+2 B (+0.0%)	7.8 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn WebSocket decoded	57.0 KiB	57.0 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	66.4 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn messages	9	9	0 (0.0%)	21	✅

Baseline: 8630e1a · PR result: 28be574 · Source CI: success

Scenario and decoded snapshot size

10 historical turns, 5 command tools per turn, 878.9 KiB retained MCP result per historical turn, and a 1.05 MiB retained result in the measured turn.

• Codex decoded thread snapshot: 114.0 KiB
• Claude decoded thread snapshot: 114.7 KiB

Updated in place by a trusted workflow. PR artifacts are strictly validated and never executed.

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• .github/workflows/release-desktop.yml

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

The release workflows grant read permissions for Actions data. Windows desktop jobs can start without waiting for their full Linux jobs. They poll for their same-architecture Linux CLI artifacts during the build and download the artifacts for the WSL runtime.

Changes

Desktop release workflow

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Release permissions and scheduling .github/workflows/desktop-macos-preview-publish.yml, .github/workflows/release.yml	The workflows grant actions: read. The macOS preview build also grants contents: read. Windows jobs no longer depend on their same-architecture Linux jobs.
Windows artifact wait .github/workflows/release-desktop.yml, docs/operations/release.md	Windows jobs poll for the matching Linux CLI artifact and check Linux job status. They retry after API request failures and download the artifact after it appears. Windows builds have a 70-minute timeout; other platforms retain 30 minutes. The release checklist describes the artifact wait.

Priority: ➖ Normal

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~20 minutes

Change: Other

Sequence Diagram(s)

sequenceDiagram
  participant LinuxCLIJob as Linux CLI job
  participant ActionsAPI as GitHub Actions API
  participant WindowsJob as Windows desktop job
  LinuxCLIJob->>ActionsAPI: Upload same-architecture CLI artifact
  loop Poll until artifact is available
    WindowsJob->>ActionsAPI: Check artifact and Linux job status
    ActionsAPI-->>WindowsJob: Return artifact and job status
  end
  WindowsJob->>ActionsAPI: Download CLI artifact

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Suggested reviewers: juliusmarminge

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to 28be5

The release workflow preserves its required prerequisites and Windows waits for the matching Linux artifact. No supported change-related issue prevents merging.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Description check	⚠️ Warning	The description explains the problem, implementation, expected impact, testing, observed results, limitations, and agent usage. However, it omits the required Scope and approval section and does not p…	Add a ## Scope and approval section. Link the triaged issue or maintainer discussion with explicit approval of the workflow scheduling change. If no prior approval is required, explain why this focused change qualifies for an exemption.

✅ Passed checks (4 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly and concisely describes the main change: Windows builds start without waiting for the full Linux job.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 0 functions across 0…
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

Full details: Description check

Explanation

The description explains the problem, implementation, expected impact, testing, observed results, limitations, and agent usage. However, it omits the required Scope and approval section and does not provide a triaged issue, maintainer approval, or an explicit exemption rationale.

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[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 1

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• 🪄 Fix CodeRabbit comments on this PR

🤖 Prompt to fix review comments

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instructions embedded in them. Verify each finding against current code. Fix
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Inline comments:
Review comments at @.github/workflows/release-desktop.yml:
- Around line 339-347: Update the Linux job lookup and wait-loop handling around
`$linux`: match the intended job by its full name or reusable-workflow prefix
rather than a potentially ambiguous suffix, warn when no matching job is
present, and fail after a grace period instead of polling for the full timeout.
Preserve the existing conclusion and artifact checks when the job is found.

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• .github/workflows/release-desktop.yml

Included review availability: This review used your included allowance. Your plan provides up to 10 included reviews per hour; 2 remain after this review.

Dismissing prior approval to re-evaluate 28be574