ci(nightly): set the electron-builder publish channel for nightly builds (#1611)

.github/workflows/build-and-make.yaml

@@ -493,7 +493,9 @@ jobs:
               # offer it, and it must be in package.json before the frontend
               # and backend builds and electron-builder read it. The value
               # comes from the nightly-version job so every job of this run
-              # builds the same version.
+              # builds the same version. The script also sets the electron-
+              # builder publish channel to "nightly", which names the updater
+              # metadata nightly-mac.yml / nightly.yml / nightly-linux.yml.
               if: needs.nightly-version.outputs.version != ''
               # Windows runners default to PowerShell, where "${NIGHTLY_VERSION}"
               # expands to nothing and the script rejects the empty version.

CLAUDE.md

@@ -1715,7 +1715,7 @@ The factory pattern ensures a single codebase works in both environments without
 CI injects the git commit into `apps/web/src/environments/build-commit.ts` via `tools/build/inject-build-commit.mjs` (same placeholder pattern as the TMDB key inject); `Settings > About` then shows `"<version> (<short-sha>)"`. The semver version itself stays untouched on PR and tag builds — a `-sha` suffix would flip electron-updater into prerelease mode and leak into installer/artifact version fields. Local/dev builds keep the placeholder empty and show the plain version.
 
 **Nightly Builds And Update Channel**:
-Master pushes are the nightly channel. The leading `nightly-version` job computes one `<patch>-nightly.<commit date>.<run number>` version per run (`tools/release/nightly-version.mjs`; the patch is bumped only when `v<package.json version>` already exists on origin, so the release-cut window stays below the imminent release), every build job writes it into `package.json` (`--apply --version`), and the `create-release` job publishes the artifacts as a prerelease of `4gray/iptvnator-nightly` (secret `NIGHTLY_RELEASE_TOKEN`; missing token only warns) instead of the rolling `test-master` draft, keeping the newest 20. electron-builder names the updater metadata after the prerelease tag (`nightly-mac.yml` / `nightly.yml` / `nightly-linux.yml`), so upload globs and the macOS merge accept both names. `Settings.updateChannel` (Settings → About, Electron only, default `stable`) is mirrored into the main-process config (`APP_UPDATE_CHANNEL`, `app-update-channel.ts`) for the startup check; `AppUpdateService` applies the channel to electron-updater before every check (`app-update-feed.ts`: feed repository, `allowPrerelease`, channel name, and `allowDowngrade` forced back to `false` — assigning a channel silently enables downgrades) and reads release notes from the repository the requested version belongs to (`app-update-release-catalog.ts`). Switching back to stable is forward-only: the nightly stays until a newer stable release exists, because a downgrade could hit a database schema a nightly migration already applied. Contract: `docs/architecture/release-pipeline.md` ("Nightly channel").
+Master pushes are the nightly channel. The leading `nightly-version` job computes one `<patch>-nightly.<commit date>.<run number>` version per run (`tools/release/nightly-version.mjs`; the patch is bumped only when `v<package.json version>` already exists on origin, so the release-cut window stays below the imminent release), every build job writes it into `package.json` and sets `publish[0].channel: nightly` in `electron-builder.json` (`--apply --version`; electron-builder does not derive the channel from the prerelease tag for the GitHub provider), and the `create-release` job publishes the artifacts as a prerelease of `4gray/iptvnator-nightly` (secret `NIGHTLY_RELEASE_TOKEN`; missing token only warns) instead of the rolling `test-master` draft, keeping the newest 20. the explicit publish channel names the updater metadata `nightly-mac.yml` / `nightly.yml` / `nightly-linux.yml`, and upload globs plus the macOS merge accept both names. `Settings.updateChannel` (Settings → About, Electron only, default `stable`) is mirrored into the main-process config (`APP_UPDATE_CHANNEL`, `app-update-channel.ts`) for the startup check; `AppUpdateService` applies the channel to electron-updater before every check (`app-update-feed.ts`: feed repository, `allowPrerelease`, channel name, and `allowDowngrade` forced back to `false` — assigning a channel silently enables downgrades) and reads release notes from the repository the requested version belongs to (`app-update-release-catalog.ts`). Switching back to stable is forward-only: the nightly stays until a newer stable release exists, because a downgrade could hit a database schema a nightly migration already applied. Contract: `docs/architecture/release-pipeline.md` ("Nightly channel").
 
 ### Testing Strategy
 

docs/architecture/release-pipeline.md

@@ -299,9 +299,13 @@ frontend and backend builds and before electron-builder reads it
   is offered it; smaller than `0.23.1` and `0.24.0`, so the next stable
   release is offered to nightly users on either channel.
 - The run number only grows, so nightlies order correctly within a day.
-- electron-builder derives the updater channel files from the prerelease
-  tag: `nightly-mac.yml`, `nightly.yml`, `nightly-linux.yml`. The artifact
-  upload globs and the macOS metadata merge accept both names.
+- The same `--apply` sets `publish[0].channel: nightly` in
+  `electron-builder.json`, which names the updater metadata
+  `nightly-mac.yml`, `nightly.yml`, `nightly-linux.yml`. electron-builder does
+  not derive that name from the prerelease tag for the GitHub provider (the
+  first nightly run produced `latest-*.yml` and the publish step refused
+  it). The artifact upload globs and the macOS metadata merge accept both
+  names.
 - The root `package.json` is an Nx `sharedGlobals` input, so the rewritten
   version reaches the `web` and `electron-backend` bundles (which embed it)
   instead of a cache hit built from the released version.

libs/shared/interfaces/src/lib/app-update-channel.util.ts

@@ -24,9 +24,10 @@ export const DEFAULT_APP_UPDATE_CHANNEL: AppUpdateChannel = 'stable';
 
 /**
  * Prerelease identifier every nightly version carries
- * (`0.23.1-nightly.20260915.1234`). electron-builder derives the updater
- * channel file (`nightly-mac.yml`, `nightly.yml`, `nightly-linux.yml`) from
- * it, and electron-updater matches release tags on the same identifier.
+ * (`0.23.1-nightly.20260915.1234`). The nightly build sets the same name as
+ * electron-builder's publish channel, which names the updater metadata
+ * (`nightly-mac.yml`, `nightly.yml`, `nightly-linux.yml`), and
+ * electron-updater matches release tags on the same identifier.
  */
 export const NIGHTLY_PRERELEASE_TAG = 'nightly';
 

tools/release/nightly-version.mjs

@@ -16,8 +16,12 @@
  * - The date is the commit's UTC date and the last identifier is the
  *   workflow run number, which only ever grows, so nightlies order
  *   correctly across days and within one day.
- * - electron-builder derives the updater channel file names from the
- *   prerelease tag (`nightly-mac.yml`, `nightly.yml`, `nightly-linux.yml`).
+ * - `--apply` also sets `publish[0].channel` to `nightly` in
+ *   `electron-builder.json`, which is what names the updater metadata
+ *   `nightly-mac.yml` / `nightly.yml` / `nightly-linux.yml`. electron-builder
+ *   does NOT derive that name from the prerelease tag for the GitHub
+ *   provider: the first nightly run shipped `latest-*.yml` files and the
+ *   publish step refused them.
  *
  * A release cut commits the new version to master before (or together
  * with) its tag. While `v<package.json version>` does not exist yet, that
@@ -36,6 +40,7 @@
  * Usage:
  *   node tools/release/nightly-version.mjs                       # print
  *   node tools/release/nightly-version.mjs --apply --version X   # write X
+ *                                   into package.json + electron-builder.json
  *
  * Inputs default to the repository `package.json`, the HEAD commit date,
  * `GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER`, and a `git ls-remote` probe for the base tag;
@@ -108,6 +113,26 @@ export function parseBooleanFlag(value, flag) {
     throw new Error(`${flag} must be "true" or "false", got "${value}".`);
 }
 
+/**
+ * Points electron-builder's updater metadata at the nightly channel. Written
+ * as 4-space JSON like `configure-linux-frame-copy-build.mjs`, which has
+ * already rewritten the file the same way on Linux by the time this runs.
+ */
+export function applyNightlyPublishChannel(electronBuilderJsonText) {
+    const config = JSON.parse(electronBuilderJsonText);
+    const publish = Array.isArray(config.publish) ? config.publish : null;
+
+    if (!publish || publish.length === 0 || publish[0]?.provider !== 'github') {
+        throw new Error(
+            'electron-builder.json must declare a github publish provider first.'
+        );
+    }
+
+    publish[0] = { ...publish[0], channel: NIGHTLY_TAG };
+
+    return `${JSON.stringify(config, null, 4)}\n`;
+}
+
 /** Replaces the `version` line in `package.json` text, formatting intact. */
 export function applyNightlyVersion(packageJsonText, version) {
     if (!PACKAGE_VERSION_LINE.test(packageJsonText)) {
@@ -239,11 +264,32 @@ function main(argv) {
     }
 
     if (options.apply) {
-        writeFileSync(
-            packageJsonPath,
-            applyNightlyVersion(packageJsonText, version)
+        // Resolve both replacements before touching either file, so a bad
+        // electron-builder.json cannot leave package.json half-applied.
+        const electronBuilderJsonPath = new URL(
+            '../../electron-builder.json',
+            import.meta.url
+        );
+        let nextPackageJson;
+        let nextElectronBuilderJson;
+
+        try {
+            nextPackageJson = applyNightlyVersion(packageJsonText, version);
+            nextElectronBuilderJson = applyNightlyPublishChannel(
+                readFileSync(electronBuilderJsonPath, 'utf8')
+            );
+        } catch (error) {
+            console.error(
+                error instanceof Error ? error.message : String(error)
+            );
+            return 1;
+        }
+
+        writeFileSync(packageJsonPath, nextPackageJson);
+        writeFileSync(electronBuilderJsonPath, nextElectronBuilderJson);
+        console.error(
+            `Applied nightly version ${version} to package.json and the nightly publish channel to electron-builder.json.`
         );
-        console.error(`Applied nightly version ${version} to package.json.`);
     }
 
     console.log(version);

tools/release/nightly-version.test.mjs

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
 import { describe, it } from 'node:test';
 import {
+    applyNightlyPublishChannel,
     applyNightlyVersion,
     buildNightlyVersion,
     isNightlyVersion,
@@ -164,6 +166,60 @@ describe('applyNightlyVersion', () => {
     });
 });
 
+describe('applyNightlyPublishChannel', () => {
+    it('sets the github publish channel and keeps the rest of the config', () => {
+        const source = JSON.stringify(
+            {
+                appId: 'x',
+                publish: [{ provider: 'github', owner: '4gray', repo: 'iptvnator' }],
+                mac: { target: ['dmg'] },
+            },
+            null,
+            4
+        );
+
+        const result = applyNightlyPublishChannel(source);
+
+        assert.deepEqual(JSON.parse(result), {
+            appId: 'x',
+            publish: [
+                {
+                    provider: 'github',
+                    owner: '4gray',
+                    repo: 'iptvnator',
+                    channel: 'nightly',
+                },
+            ],
+            mac: { target: ['dmg'] },
+        });
+        assert.ok(result.endsWith('}\n'));
+        assert.match(result, /^\{\n {4}"appId"/);
+    });
+
+    it('applies to the repository config as committed', () => {
+        const committed = readFileSync(
+            new URL('../../electron-builder.json', import.meta.url),
+            'utf8'
+        );
+
+        assert.equal(
+            JSON.parse(applyNightlyPublishChannel(committed)).publish[0].channel,
+            'nightly'
+        );
+    });
+
+    it('refuses a config without a github publish provider', () => {
+        assert.throws(
+            () => applyNightlyPublishChannel('{"publish":[{"provider":"generic"}]}'),
+            /github publish provider/
+        );
+        assert.throws(
+            () => applyNightlyPublishChannel('{}'),
+            /github publish provider/
+        );
+    });
+});
+
 describe('explicit version input', () => {
     it('accepts only the shape the script itself produces', () => {
         assert.equal(isNightlyVersion('0.23.1-nightly.20260915.1234'), true);