Release Mac App

Mac App Release

Use for BlackBar, RepoBar, CodexBar, Trimmy, and similar Sparkle-updated macOS apps.

Rules

• Work from the app repo.
• Read .mac-release.env; it is the repo-owned release manifest.
• Use scripts/mac-release from this skill for shared release/appcast/verify work.
• Execute mac-release directly so its privileged Bash shebang ignores startup hooks; if an explicit interpreter is unavoidable, use /bin/bash -p, never plain bash mac-release.
• Keep app-specific build/package/sign behavior in repo scripts unless it is already manifest-driven.
• Never print private key material.
• Prefer MAC_RELEASE_SPARKLE_OP_REF for headless release signing when the key is in 1Password; otherwise prefer Keychain Sparkle signing. SPARKLE_PRIVATE_KEY_FILE is an explicit local override only.

Commands

/Users/steipete/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/release-mac-app/scripts/mac-release status
/Users/steipete/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/release-mac-app/scripts/mac-release notes [version] [output.md]
/Users/steipete/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/release-mac-app/scripts/mac-release changelog-html <version> [CHANGELOG.md]
/Users/steipete/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/release-mac-app/scripts/mac-release make-appcast <zip> [feed-url]
/Users/steipete/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/release-mac-app/scripts/mac-release verify-appcast [version]
/Users/steipete/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/release-mac-app/scripts/mac-release check-assets [tag]
/Users/steipete/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/release-mac-app/scripts/mac-release release
/Users/steipete/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/release-mac-app/scripts/mac-release codesign-run [--with-package-secrets] -- <command> [args...]
/Users/steipete/Projects/agent-scripts/skills/release-mac-app/scripts/mac-release package-run -- <command> [args...]

Manifest

Each repo owns .mac-release.env. It must contain no secrets.

Required:

• MAC_RELEASE_APP_NAME
• MAC_RELEASE_REPO
• MAC_RELEASE_BUNDLE_ID
• MAC_RELEASE_VERSION_FILE
• MAC_RELEASE_APPCAST
• MAC_RELEASE_FEED_URL
• MAC_RELEASE_DOWNLOAD_URL_PREFIX
• MAC_RELEASE_APP_ZIP
• either MAC_RELEASE_INFO_PLIST or MAC_RELEASE_SUPUBLIC_ED_KEY
• MAC_RELEASE_PACKAGE_CMD

Common optional:

• MAC_RELEASE_PRECHECK
• MAC_RELEASE_SOURCE_FILES (space-separated app helper files to source before expanding artifact names)
• MAC_RELEASE_DSYM_ZIP
• MAC_RELEASE_REQUIRE_DSYM=0 for app-only releases
• MAC_RELEASE_ARTIFACT_PREFIX
• MAC_RELEASE_TAG_SIGNED
• MAC_RELEASE_TAG_FORCE
• MAC_RELEASE_RELEASE_BRANCH
• MAC_RELEASE_SPARKLE_ACCOUNT
• MAC_RELEASE_SPARKLE_CHANNEL
• MAC_RELEASE_GENERATE_APPCAST_ARGS
• MAC_RELEASE_RUN_SPARKLE_UPDATE_TEST
• MAC_RELEASE_SPARKLE_OP_REF — exact op://Vault/Item/field reference for the Sparkle EdDSA private key. The helper resolves it inside the shared op-work tmux session, writes only a mode-0600 temporary key file, validates its public key against SUPublicEDKey, and removes it on success or failure.
• MAC_RELEASE_SPARKLE_OP_ACCOUNT and MAC_RELEASE_SPARKLE_OP_USE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT override the primary 1Password account/service-account mode for the Sparkle reference. Service-account-backed refs should set service-account mode to 1.
• MAC_RELEASE_SIGNING_KEY_FILE (local fallback path only; Keychain is used when the file is absent)
• MAC_RELEASE_EXTRA_ASSET_PATTERNS
• MAC_RELEASE_EXTRA_ASSET_WAIT_SECONDS
• MAC_RELEASE_EXTRA_ASSET_WAIT_INTERVAL
• MAC_RELEASE_OP_ENV_REFS — ';'-separated NAME=op://Vault/Item/field entries resolved in the same credential pass and exported for the package command (item names may contain spaces, hence ';'). Already-exported names are preferred; refs only trigger an op read when missing. Example: NPM_TOKEN=op://Molty/npm Registry - steipete - Release Automation/registry_token.
• MAC_RELEASE_OP_ITEM + MAC_RELEASE_OP_FIELDS for required packaging secrets. The release helper reads the known item once via op inside one persistent tmux session, then exports the requested fields for the package command.
• MAC_RELEASE_OP_ACCOUNT defaults to my.1password.com; MAC_RELEASE_OP_VAULT, MAC_RELEASE_OP_TMUX_SESSION, MAC_RELEASE_OP_WAIT_SECONDS are optional. Without a vault, service-account token env is unset for that single op read so the personal desktop account handles it.
• MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_IDENTITY + MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_OP_ITEM + MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_KEYCHAIN_MANAGED=1 enable non-interactive Developer ID signing. The keychain must be replaceable, dedicated to release automation, separate from the default keychain, not shared with interactive use, and contain exactly one signing private key. The helper owns and may permanently normalize that key's partition ACL to apple-tool:,apple:,codesign:. After precheck, the same tmux credential pass reads keychain_path and normally keychain_password, takes a per-user release lock, prepends the keychain without hiding existing keychains, verifies a Developer ID Application canary, scopes package signing through a temporary codesign --keychain shim, then restores transient state and releases the lock. Set MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_PASSWORDLESS=1 only for the canonical passwordless, never-locking release keychain; this omits the password field, preserves its unlocked state, and disables timeout/lock-on-sleep settings.
• MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_OP_ACCOUNT, MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_OP_VAULT, MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_OP_USE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT, MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_OP_PATH_FIELD, and MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_OP_PASSWORD_FIELD override the codesign credential item defaults; account, vault, and service-account mode otherwise inherit the primary item settings. Set vault empty and service-account mode 0 for a personal desktop-account item. MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_KEYCHAIN + MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_KEYCHAIN_PASSWORD may be supplied directly instead.
• MAC_RELEASE_RUN_LOGIN_SHELL=1 opts command hooks back into bash -lc; default hooks use env -u BASH_ENV bash -c so shell startup files cannot override exported release secrets.

1Password rules:

• Prefer already-exported env vars first; no op call if all MAC_RELEASE_OP_FIELDS are present.
• If fields are missing, read configured package and codesign items in one tmux command for the whole release.
• Provider stderr and parser exceptions are discarded; failed reads stop with fixed provider-read, JSON/schema, missing-field, or parser-failure diagnostics, without values or field labels.
• Direct env-reference handoffs use Bash %q to preserve captured values safely on Bash 3.2; command substitution still strips terminal newlines from op read output.
• Resolve MAC_RELEASE_SPARKLE_OP_REF without exposing the private key in the generated environment file or logs; only the temporary file path crosses the helper boundary.
• Use service-account mode only with an explicit vault or MAC_RELEASE_OP_USE_SERVICE_ACCOUNT=1.
• Do not retry op reads in a fresh shell; rerun only from the same tmux session after explicit user direction.
• Never allow a release to reach app packaging with an unprepared Developer ID keychain. No SecurityAgent password windows during release; fail the signing canary first.
• For non-app release scripts, use codesign-run instead of copying keychain setup into the repository. Supply the codesign manifest fields through .mac-release.env or explicit MAC_RELEASE_CODESIGN_* environment configuration. It loads only codesign credentials by default; pass --with-package-secrets when the wrapped release script also needs the configured package/notary fields in the same 1Password pass. It runs the bounded signing canary, scopes codesign through the managed-keychain shim, and restores/relocks before returning.
• Use package-run for notarization/package credentials when no signing operation is required. It never resolves, prepares, or unlocks the Developer ID keychain and strips signing and Sparkle authority from the child.
• Disable shell xtrace and verbose mode before loading release secrets. Arm cleanup before keychain/search-list mutations, restore the dedicated keychain's original lock policy and user search list, and relock it after packaging.

Done

• appcast entry has URL, length, Sparkle signature.
• downloaded enclosure verifies with Sparkle.
• extracted app passes codesign, spctl, and stapler validate.
• GitHub release has app zip, dSYM zip when configured, plus app-specific extra assets.
• release notes match the changelog section.
• after verified release, bump changelog to next patch Unreleased in the app repo.