fix(updater): base dev builds on published tags, not main's package.json (#12376)

main's version only moves on `release:` commits, and stable patches are cut
from release branches that never merge back. On 2026-08-03 main read
1.4.165-rc.0 for twenty hours while 1.4.165, 1.4.166 and 1.4.167 all shipped,
so every hourly built in that window was stamped 1.4.165-hourly.* while
carrying code newer than 1.4.167 — and sorted below the stable its user was
already running.

Resolve the base from the main repo's published tags instead, taking the patch
above the highest shipped stable. package.json stays a floor for the case where
main leads the tags.

Co-authored-by: Orca <help@stably.ai>

.github/workflows/adhoc-mac-build.yml

@@ -146,17 +146,26 @@ jobs:
         env:
           REF: ${{ inputs.ref || github.ref_name }}
           LABEL: ${{ inputs.label }}
+          MAIN_REPO_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
-          # Why this check: the version script is read from the branch being built,
+          # Why this check: the version scripts are read from the branch being built,
           # not from main, so a branch cut before the adhoc channel landed has no
-          # copy of it. Say that plainly instead of failing with a module-not-found.
-          if [[ ! -f config/scripts/adhoc-build-version.mjs ]]; then
-            echo "::error::$REF has no config/scripts/adhoc-build-version.mjs; rebase it onto a main that has the adhoc channel."
-            exit 1
-          fi
+          # copy of them. Say that plainly instead of failing with a module-not-found.
+          for script in adhoc-build-version dev-channel-base-version; do
+            if [[ ! -f "config/scripts/$script.mjs" ]]; then
+              echo "::error::$REF has no config/scripts/$script.mjs; rebase it onto a main that has the adhoc channel."
+              exit 1
+            fi
+          done
           echo "head_sha=$(git rev-parse HEAD)" >>"$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-          ORCA_ADHOC_LABEL="${LABEL:-$REF}" node config/scripts/adhoc-build-version.mjs \
+          # Why the main repo's tags: package.json on a branch is as stale as the
+          # main it forked from, and stable patches never merge back into it.
+          published="$(GH_TOKEN="$MAIN_REPO_TOKEN" gh release list \
+            --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --limit 100 --exclude-drafts \
+            --json tagName --jq '.[].tagName' || true)"
+          ORCA_PUBLISHED_VERSIONS="$published" ORCA_ADHOC_LABEL="${LABEL:-$REF}" \
+            node config/scripts/adhoc-build-version.mjs \
             >"$RUNNER_TEMP/adhoc-identity.txt"
           if ! grep -q '^name=' "$RUNNER_TEMP/adhoc-identity.txt"; then
             echo "::error::adhoc-build-version.mjs emitted no release name; $REF's copy of the script is out of sync with this workflow."

.github/workflows/hourly-mac-build.yml

@@ -179,6 +179,7 @@ jobs:
         shell: bash
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.app_token.outputs.token }}
+          MAIN_REPO_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           # Why read the highest number off existing titles rather than counting
@@ -195,7 +196,19 @@ jobs:
             --jq '[.[] | (.name // "") | capture(" • (?<n>[0-9]+) • ")? | .n | tonumber] | max // 0')"
           build_number=$(( last_number + 1 ))
           echo "Hourly build number $build_number (previous high: $last_number)"
-          ORCA_HOURLY_BUILD_NUMBER="$build_number" node config/scripts/hourly-build-version.mjs \
+          # Why the main repo's tags decide the base version rather than
+          # package.json: main's version only moves on `release:` commits, and
+          # stable patches are cut from release branches that never merge back, so
+          # package.json can sit several patches behind what users are running. A
+          # separate token because GH_TOKEN above is the App's, scoped to the
+          # hourly repo. Empty on failure — the script then falls back to
+          # package.json, which is stale but never wrong enough to fail a build.
+          published="$(GH_TOKEN="$MAIN_REPO_TOKEN" gh release list \
+            --repo "$GITHUB_REPOSITORY" --limit 100 --exclude-drafts \
+            --json tagName --jq '.[].tagName' || true)"
+          echo "Highest published tag seen: $(head -1 <<<"$published")"
+          ORCA_PUBLISHED_VERSIONS="$published" \
+            ORCA_HOURLY_BUILD_NUMBER="$build_number" node config/scripts/hourly-build-version.mjs \
             >"$RUNNER_TEMP/hourly-identity.txt"
           # Why check rather than trust: the checkout above pins `ref: main`, but a
           # workflow_dispatch runs this file from whatever branch was dispatched. A

config/scripts/adhoc-build-version.mjs

@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'
 import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { resolve } from 'node:path'
 import { formatReleaseTitleTimestamp } from './release-title-timestamp.mjs'
+import {
+  readPublishedVersionsFromEnv,
+  resolveDevChannelBaseVersion
+} from './dev-channel-base-version.mjs'
 
 /** Long enough to name a feature, short enough that a picker row stays readable. */
 export const ADHOC_LABEL_MAX_LENGTH = 32
@@ -83,12 +87,13 @@ export function formatAdhocReleaseName(version, label, commit, date) {
   ].join(' • ')
 }
 
-export function getAdhocBuildIdentity(now = new Date(), label = '') {
+export function getAdhocBuildIdentity(now = new Date(), label = '', publishedVersions = []) {
   const packageJson = JSON.parse(readFileSync(resolve('package.json'), 'utf8'))
   const commit = execFileSync('git', ['rev-parse', '--short=12', 'HEAD'], {
     encoding: 'utf8'
   }).trim()
-  const version = createAdhocBuildVersion(packageJson.version, now)
+  const base = resolveDevChannelBaseVersion(packageJson.version, publishedVersions)
+  const version = createAdhocBuildVersion(base, now)
   return {
     commit,
     version,
@@ -98,7 +103,11 @@ export function getAdhocBuildIdentity(now = new Date(), label = '') {
 }
 
 if (process.argv[1] && resolve(process.argv[1]) === resolve(import.meta.filename)) {
-  const identity = getAdhocBuildIdentity(new Date(), process.env.ORCA_ADHOC_LABEL ?? '')
+  const identity = getAdhocBuildIdentity(
+    new Date(),
+    process.env.ORCA_ADHOC_LABEL ?? '',
+    readPublishedVersionsFromEnv()
+  )
   // Consumed by the workflow via $GITHUB_OUTPUT.
   process.stdout.write(
     `version=${identity.version}\ncommit=${identity.commit}\nlabel=${identity.label}\nname=${identity.name}\n`

config/scripts/dev-channel-base-version.mjs

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+const SEMVER = /^v?(\d+)\.(\d+)\.(\d+)(?:-([0-9A-Za-z.-]+))?$/
+
+function parseVersionTriple(value) {
+  const match = SEMVER.exec(String(value ?? '').trim())
+  if (!match) {
+    return null
+  }
+  return {
+    major: Number(match[1]),
+    minor: Number(match[2]),
+    patch: Number(match[3]),
+    prerelease: match[4] ?? null
+  }
+}
+
+function compareTriples(a, b) {
+  return a.major - b.major || a.minor - b.minor || a.patch - b.patch
+}
+
+/**
+ * The base `X.Y.Z` an hourly or adhoc build should carry.
+ *
+ * Why not package.json alone: main's version only moves on `release:` commits, and
+ * stable patches are cut from release branches that never merge back. On
+ * 2026-08-03 main read `1.4.165-rc.0` for twenty hours while 1.4.165, 1.4.166 and
+ * 1.4.167 all shipped — so hourlies built from that main claimed 1.4.165 while
+ * carrying code newer than 1.4.167, and sorted *below* the stable their user was
+ * already running. Published tags are the only honest answer to "what number is
+ * taken"; package.json is a floor, not a source of truth.
+ */
+export function resolveDevChannelBaseVersion(packageVersion, publishedVersions = []) {
+  const fromPackage = parseVersionTriple(packageVersion)
+  if (!fromPackage) {
+    throw new Error(`Package version is not valid semver: ${packageVersion}`)
+  }
+
+  // Unparseable tags are skipped rather than fatal: the main repo carries old tags
+  // that predate the current scheme, and one of them must not fail every build.
+  const published = publishedVersions.map(parseVersionTriple).filter(Boolean)
+
+  let base = fromPackage
+  if (published.length > 0) {
+    const highest = published.reduce((best, entry) =>
+      compareTriples(entry, best) > 0 ? entry : best
+    )
+    // A shipped stable owns its number, so the next dev build belongs on the patch
+    // above it. A bare prerelease does not — rc.1 of 1.4.168 means 1.4.168 is still
+    // the version being worked toward, which is exactly what main is building.
+    const shipped = published.some(
+      (entry) => !entry.prerelease && compareTriples(entry, highest) === 0
+    )
+    const next = shipped ? { ...highest, patch: highest.patch + 1 } : highest
+    if (compareTriples(next, base) > 0) {
+      base = next
+    }
+  }
+
+  return `${base.major}.${base.minor}.${base.patch}`
+}
+
+/** Tag list the workflow reads out of the main repo, newline separated. */
+export function readPublishedVersionsFromEnv(value = process.env.ORCA_PUBLISHED_VERSIONS) {
+  return String(value ?? '')
+    .split(/\s+/)
+    .filter(Boolean)
+}

config/scripts/dev-channel-base-version.test.mjs

@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import {
+  readPublishedVersionsFromEnv,
+  resolveDevChannelBaseVersion
+} from './dev-channel-base-version.mjs'
+
+describe('dev channel base version', () => {
+  it('falls back to package.json when no tags are supplied', () => {
+    expect(resolveDevChannelBaseVersion('1.4.168-rc.1')).toBe('1.4.168')
+    expect(resolveDevChannelBaseVersion('1.4.168', [])).toBe('1.4.168')
+  })
+
+  // The bug this exists for: main sat at 1.4.165-rc.0 for twenty hours while three
+  // stables shipped, so hourlies claimed a version their users had already passed.
+  it('climbs past stables that shipped while main stood still', () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveDevChannelBaseVersion('1.4.165-rc.0', [
+        'v1.4.165',
+        'v1.4.166',
+        'v1.4.167',
+        'v1.4.165-rc.0'
+      ])
+    ).toBe('1.4.168')
+  })
+
+  // Why +1 on a stable but not on a prerelease: 1.4.167 is spent, so the next dev
+  // build is 1.4.168. But 1.4.168-rc.1 means 1.4.168 is still being built toward,
+  // which is what main holds — claiming 1.4.169 would jump a release nobody cut.
+  it('takes the patch above a shipped stable and holds at an open prerelease', () => {
+    expect(resolveDevChannelBaseVersion('1.4.167', ['v1.4.167'])).toBe('1.4.168')
+    expect(resolveDevChannelBaseVersion('1.4.168-rc.1', ['v1.4.168-rc.1'])).toBe('1.4.168')
+  })
+
+  // Why max and not most-recent: a hotfix on an old line published today would
+  // otherwise drag every subsequent hourly backwards.
+  it('reads the highest tag, not the last one listed', () => {
+    expect(resolveDevChannelBaseVersion('1.4.160', ['v1.4.167', 'v1.3.99', 'v1.4.120'])).toBe(
+      '1.4.168'
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('treats package.json as a floor when it leads the tags', () => {
+    expect(resolveDevChannelBaseVersion('1.5.0-rc.0', ['v1.4.167'])).toBe('1.5.0')
+  })
+
+  // Why skipped rather than fatal: the main repo carries legacy tags, and one
+  // unparseable entry must not fail every hourly build.
+  it('ignores tags it cannot parse', () => {
+    expect(resolveDevChannelBaseVersion('1.4.160', ['nightly', '', 'v1.4.167', 'latest'])).toBe(
+      '1.4.168'
+    )
+  })
+
+  it('rejects a package version that is not semver', () => {
+    expect(() => resolveDevChannelBaseVersion('not-a-version')).toThrow(/not valid semver/)
+  })
+
+  it('carries major and minor rollovers through the bump', () => {
+    expect(resolveDevChannelBaseVersion('1.4.0', ['v2.0.0'])).toBe('2.0.1')
+  })
+
+  it('splits an env tag list on any whitespace', () => {
+    expect(readPublishedVersionsFromEnv('v1.4.167\nv1.4.166\n')).toEqual(['v1.4.167', 'v1.4.166'])
+    expect(readPublishedVersionsFromEnv('')).toEqual([])
+    expect(readPublishedVersionsFromEnv(undefined)).toEqual([])
+  })
+})

config/scripts/hourly-build-version.mjs

@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ import { execFileSync } from 'node:child_process'
 import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs'
 import { resolve } from 'node:path'
 import { formatReleaseTitleTimestamp } from './release-title-timestamp.mjs'
+import {
+  readPublishedVersionsFromEnv,
+  resolveDevChannelBaseVersion
+} from './dev-channel-base-version.mjs'
 
 /** `1.4.160-hourly.202607281400` — UTC to the minute, so tags sort chronologically
  *  by semver and every build is uniquely versioned. */
@@ -45,18 +49,19 @@ export function formatHourlyReleaseName(version, buildNumber, commit, date) {
   ].join(' • ')
 }
 
-export function getHourlyBuildIdentity(now = new Date(), buildNumber = 1) {
+export function getHourlyBuildIdentity(now = new Date(), buildNumber = 1, publishedVersions = []) {
   const packageJson = JSON.parse(readFileSync(resolve('package.json'), 'utf8'))
   const commit = execFileSync('git', ['rev-parse', '--short=12', 'HEAD'], {
     encoding: 'utf8'
   }).trim()
-  const version = createHourlyBuildVersion(packageJson.version, now)
+  const base = resolveDevChannelBaseVersion(packageJson.version, publishedVersions)
+  const version = createHourlyBuildVersion(base, now)
   return { commit, version, name: formatHourlyReleaseName(version, buildNumber, commit, now) }
 }
 
 if (process.argv[1] && resolve(process.argv[1]) === resolve(import.meta.filename)) {
   const buildNumber = Number(process.env.ORCA_HOURLY_BUILD_NUMBER ?? '1')
-  const identity = getHourlyBuildIdentity(new Date(), buildNumber)
+  const identity = getHourlyBuildIdentity(new Date(), buildNumber, readPublishedVersionsFromEnv())
   // Consumed by the workflow via $GITHUB_OUTPUT.
   process.stdout.write(
     `version=${identity.version}\ncommit=${identity.commit}\nname=${identity.name}\n`