docs(dist): make the Microsoft Store the recommended Windows route - #285
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EtienneLescot wants to merge 1 commit into
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docs(dist): make the Microsoft Store the recommended Windows route#285EtienneLescot wants to merge 1 commit into
EtienneLescot wants to merge 1 commit into
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Both Windows artifacts leave CI unsigned — verified with Get-AuthenticodeSignature on the 1.8.0 build, the .exe and the .appx alike. Microsoft signs Store submissions during certification and that signed copy lives only in the Store, so it cannot be redistributed. That makes the Store the only Windows route that installs without a SmartScreen interstitial, and it costs nothing beyond the developer account already paid for. The README now recommends it first, with winget --source msstore as the terminal equivalent, and keeps the .exe as an explicitly documented fallback for people who cannot reach the Store. The fallback carries an explanation rather than an apology: reputation attaches to the file hash while an installer is unsigned, so every release starts untrusted however popular the last one was, and there is no signature for a cautious user to check. Saying so is more useful than letting people guess whether the download is safe. Also records two things that were true but written down nowhere: that no Windows signing exists in the repo at all, and that publish-winget.yml has reported "skipped" on every release because WINGET_IDENTIFIER was never set. Turning it on would publish the unsigned .exe to the community source alongside the signed Store package, which is a decision rather than a variable, so the note says as much instead of just listing the secret. Buying a certificate stays open and is not foreclosed here; it now smooths a secondary path rather than the only one.
📝 WalkthroughWalkthroughThe documentation now recommends Microsoft Store installation on Windows, documents standalone installer limitations, records unsigned NSIS and AppX artifacts, and explains the disabled WinGet publishing configuration. ChangesWindows distribution documentation
Estimated code review effort: 2 (Simple) | ~10 minutes Possibly related PRs
🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 4 | ❌ 1❌ Failed checks (1 warning)
✅ Passed checks (4 passed)
✨ Finishing Touches 💡 1🛠️ Fix failing CI checks 💡
🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)
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Actionable comments posted: 1
🤖 Prompt for all review comments with AI agents
Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.
Inline comments:
In `@README.md`:
- Line 98: Remove the Microsoft Store link from the README’s OpenScreen
installation instructions until the final 1.9.0 AppX package is live; retain the
terminal installation option and restore the link only once the Store listing
contains that package.
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Fix all unresolved CodeRabbit comments on this PR:
- Push a commit to this branch (recommended)
- Create a new PR with the fixes
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README.mdtechnical-documentation/engineering/build-and-packaging.mdtechnical-documentation/engineering/release-and-secrets.md
| Download the `.exe` installer directly from the [Releases page](https://github.com/EtienneLescot/openscreen/releases). | ||
| **Recommended — Microsoft Store** | ||
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| [Get OpenScreen from the Microsoft Store](https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9MXQ1HQJL5G5), or from a terminal: |
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🎯 Functional Correctness | 🟠 Major | ⚡ Quick win
Do not publish the Store link before the final package is live.
The PR objective states that this link must not be used until the final 1.9.0 AppX is live. Remove or defer this link until the Store listing contains that package. Otherwise, users can install an incomplete or incorrect Store release.
🤖 Prompt for AI Agents
Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.
In `@README.md` at line 98, Remove the Microsoft Store link from the README’s
OpenScreen installation instructions until the final 1.9.0 AppX package is live;
retain the terminal installation option and restore the link only once the Store
listing contains that package.
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Replaces #283, which tried to buy the problem away by signing the
.exe.What I verified first
Both Windows artifacts leave CI unsigned. Checked with
Get-AuthenticodeSignatureagainst the actual 1.8.0 build artifacts:The AppX being unsigned is not a defect: Microsoft signs Store submissions during certification, and that signed copy exists only in the Store. It is never handed back, so it cannot be redistributed.
Two consequences that decided the approach:
.appxinstead of the.exewould be worse, not better. Windows runs an unsigned.exeafter a SmartScreen prompt; it refuses outright to install an unsigned MSIX/AppX, because sideloading needs a signature the machine already trusts. We would trade a file that warns for a file that will not install.What changes
The README recommends the Store first, with
winget install --source msstore OpenScreenas the terminal equivalent, and keeps the.exeas an explicitly documented fallback for people who cannot reach the Store (LTSC, managed machines, offline installs, older versions).The fallback gets an explanation rather than an apology. SmartScreen attaches reputation to the file hash while an installer is unsigned, so every release starts untrusted no matter how popular the previous one was, and there is no signature for a cautious user to verify. Users hitting that dialog deserve to know which of those it is; guessing is worse for them than being told.
What I did not build
publish-winget.ymlalready exists and does exactly what a winget CI job should. It has simply never run: it gates onvars.WINGET_IDENTIFIER != '', and neither that variable norWINGET_ACC_TOKENis set, so every release has reportedskipped— stable ones included.I left it dormant on purpose rather than switching it on in passing.
winget-releasersubmits the NSIS.exeto the community repository, and that installer is unsigned — so turning it on adds a second, unsigned route next to the signed Store one. That is a distribution decision, not a variable to flip, so the docs now say so.Docs
build-and-packaging.mdrecords that no Windows signing exists in the repo at all, with the signature table above and the AppX-is-not-a-substitute reasoning, so the next person to have this idea finds the answer instead of re-deriving it.release-and-secrets.mdrecords the dormant winget state and what turning it on would actually publish.Sequencing — do not merge before the Store listing is live
The README will link to
apps.microsoft.com/detail/9MXQ1HQJL5G5, and the submission is still a draft, waiting on the 1.9.0 final AppX. Merging earlier advertises a dead link and awingetcommand that resolves to nothing. Worth confirming the URL against Partner Center's product-identity page at that point too.Buying a certificate is not foreclosed by any of this — it now smooths a secondary path rather than the only one, which makes it a comfort call once install traffic shows how much the fallback is actually used.
Summary by CodeRabbit
winget, including automatic updates and signing details.