🚀 Release 0.1.6

🔀 Merge chore/docs-restructure into main
📝 Check off the docs restructure and note it in the changelog
2026-09-15 21:53:19 +00:00 · 2026-09-15 21:51:33 +00:00 · 2026-09-15 21:51:21 +00:00 · 2026-09-15 21:46:41 +00:00 · 2026-09-15 13:56:49 +00:00 · 2026-09-15 13:47:01 +00:00
33 changed files with 2641 additions and 701 deletions
@@ -0,0 +1,208 @@
+name: CI
+
+on:
+    push:
+        branches: [main]
+        # Releases are tag pushes (`scripts/release.sh` tags bare `x.y.z`). A
+        # `branches` filter alone matches no tag ref, so without this both the
+        # tag-gated `publish` job and the coverage publish step never fire.
+        tags: ["*"]
+    pull_request:
+        branches: [main]
+    workflow_dispatch: {}
+
+jobs:
+    # Cheap gate that collapses the release double-run. `scripts/release.sh`
+    # pushes `main` and the tag seconds apart, and the tag points at exactly
+    # the HEAD commit that push delivers — so the branch run would verify the
+    # identical tree the tag run verifies anyway (plus `publish`). When a push
+    # to `main` is headed by a release commit (`:rocket: Release x.y.z`, the
+    # single commit release.sh creates), the full CI is skipped here and the
+    # tag run becomes the authoritative one for that SHA. All other pushes —
+    # PRs, tags, ordinary `main` merges — see `skip=false` and run as before.
+    #
+    # Coupling: the pattern below MUST stay in sync with the release commit
+    # message in `scripts/release.sh`. Failure mode if the tag push ever fails
+    # after `main` accepted the release commit: no CI fires; fix by re-running
+    # `git push --tags`.
+    release-gate:
+        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+        outputs:
+            skip: ${{ steps.decide.outputs.skip }}
+        steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+            - id: decide
+              env:
+                  REF: ${{ gitea.ref }}
+              run: |
+                  # Keyed on the ref, not just the message: a tag run checks out
+                  # the same release commit, and `publish` needs its `build`.
+                  if [ "${REF}" = "refs/heads/main" ] &&
+                      git log -1 --format=%s | grep -qE '^:rocket: Release [0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$'; then
+                      echo 'Release commit on main — the tag run covers this SHA; skipping full CI.'
+                      echo 'skip=true' >>"${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+                  else
+                      echo 'skip=false' >>"${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
+                  fi
+
+    build:
+        needs: release-gate
+        if: needs.release-gate.outputs.skip != 'true'
+        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+        # `image` extends the runner's default job image (catthehacker/act)
+        # with Node 26 pre-planted in the tool cache layout, so setup-node's
+        # version probe hits and never downloads (see docker/Dockerfile). The
+        # tag MUST equal the exact version pinned in `.node-version`; the bump
+        # ritual is documented in CONTRIBUTING.md § CI runner image. The volume
+        # bind-mounts the shared pages tree so the
+        # coverage step below can write into it; the runner whitelists this
+        # path via `container.valid_volumes` (docker-space `setup/gitea.sh`).
+        container:
+            image: gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/act-ci:26.8.2
+            volumes:
+                - /data/gitea-pages:/data/gitea-pages
+        steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+            # Fail fast when the job container is not the baked image: a stale
+            # tag on the runner (`forcePull=false` in its pull log) silently
+            # reintroduces the per-job download. Cheap, and it names the
+            # invariant.
+            - name: Assert the baked tool cache is present
+              run: |
+                  test -f "/opt/hostedtoolcache/node/$(tr -d '[:space:]' < .node-version)/x64.complete"
+            - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+              with:
+                  node-version-file: .node-version
+                  cache: "npm"
+            - run: npm ci
+            - run: npm run build
+            - run: npm run check
+            - run: npm run test:ci
+            # Publish this tag's coverage to the self-hosted pages server,
+            # served read-only at
+            # https://pages.e1nsnull.de/<owner>/<repo>/<tag>/coverage/. Wipe only
+            # this tag's `coverage/`, so sibling docs/landing trees and older
+            # tags survive; pruning stale tags is a manual chore. The
+            # precompress pass emits `.br` / `.gz` / `.zst` sidecars next to
+            # every text asset, so `static-web-server` can serve the precompressed
+            # variant and keep the original as fallback.
+            - name: Publish coverage to the pages server
+              if: startsWith(gitea.ref, 'refs/tags/')
+              env:
+                  REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+                  REF: ${{ gitea.ref }}
+              run: |
+                  TAG="${REF#refs/tags/}"
+                  DEST="/data/gitea-pages/${REPO}/${TAG}/coverage"
+                  rm -rf "${DEST}"
+                  mkdir -p "${DEST}"
+                  cp -R coverage/. "${DEST}/"
+                  node --strip-types scripts/precompress.ts "${DEST}"
+                  echo "Coverage: https://pages.e1nsnull.de/${REPO}/${TAG}/coverage/"
+            # Fast, offline packaging gate. `attw` stays in `publish` (it needs
+            # a pack + full resolution matrix); `publint` packs too but is cheap
+            # enough to run on every push so a packaging break fails here, not
+            # at release time.
+            - run: npm run publish:publint
+            # Persist the exact dist/ that `check`, `test:ci` and `publint` were
+            # run against, so `publish` ships those bytes instead of rebuilding
+            # (which could in principle differ and would pay the build twice).
+            - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+              with:
+                  name: dist
+                  path: dist/
+
+    # Advisory scans (dead code, dependency freshness). Non-blocking: surfaced in
+    # the Actions tab for visibility, but must never gate a merge — so
+    # continue-on-error and intentionally NOT in `publish`'s `needs`.
+    maintain:
+        needs: release-gate
+        if: needs.release-gate.outputs.skip != 'true'
+        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+        continue-on-error: true
+        # Same baked image as `build` — without it this job re-downloads Node
+        # per run (see docker/Dockerfile).
+        container:
+            image: gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/act-ci:26.8.2
+        steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+            - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+              with:
+                  node-version-file: .node-version
+                  cache: "npm"
+            - run: npm ci
+            - run: npm run maintain
+
+    publish:
+        if: startsWith(gitea.ref, 'refs/tags/')
+        needs: build
+        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+        # Same baked image as `build` — setup-node still owns the registry-url
+        # `.npmrc` rewrite here; only the Node download is skipped.
+        container:
+            image: gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/act-ci:26.8.2
+        # The release page is created with the run's automatic Gitea token
+        # (`github.token`), so it needs `contents: write`.
+        permissions:
+            contents: write
+        # The npm token is optional: `secrets` is not an allowed context in a
+        # step `if` (see GitHub's context-availability table), so it is lifted
+        # into job-level `env`, where an unset secret arrives as the empty
+        # string and skips the publish rather than attempting an unauthenticated
+        # one. Set NPM_TOKEN in the Gitea repo: Settings → Actions → Secrets.
+        env:
+            NPM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
+        steps:
+            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+            - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+              with:
+                  node-version-file: .node-version
+                  # Same lockfile/key as `build`, and tag runs can read caches
+                  # saved on `main` — without this, every release pays a cold
+                  # `npm ci` despite the warm shared npm cache.
+                  cache: "npm"
+                  registry-url: "https://registry.npmjs.org/"
+            - run: npm ci
+            # Consume the dist/ that `build` produced and gated, instead of
+            # rebuilding here — `publish` must ship the tested artifact.
+            - uses: actions/download-artifact@v4
+              with:
+                  name: dist
+                  path: dist/
+            - run: npm run publish:publint
+            - run: npm run publish:attw
+            # The Gitea release page is created *before* `npm publish` on
+            # purpose: a broken page then fails CI without burning an npm
+            # version. The page is cheap to retry, a published version is not.
+            # The body is the matching Keep-a-Changelog section; an unknown tag
+            # makes the extractor exit non-zero, so the page can never go up
+            # empty.
+            - name: Extract release notes from CHANGELOG.md
+              env:
+                  TAG_REF: ${{ gitea.ref }}
+              run: ./scripts/release-notes.sh "${TAG_REF#refs/tags/}" > release-notes.md
+            - name: Create the Gitea release
+              id: gitea_release
+              uses: https://gitea.com/actions/gitea-release-action@v1
+              with:
+                  body_path: release-notes.md
+            - name: Publish to npm
+              id: npm_publish
+              if: env.NPM_TOKEN != ''
+              run: npm publish --access public
+              env:
+                  NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ env.NPM_TOKEN }}
+            # All-or-nothing: the tag is only released once *both* the release
+            # page and the npm package are up. A skipped npm publish (NPM_TOKEN
+            # unset) has no `success` outcome, so `always()` reaches this check
+            # even after a failure and turns the skipped half into an explicit
+            # red job instead of a silently green one.
+            - name: Require both releases
+              if: always()
+              run: |
+                  GITEA="${{ steps.gitea_release.outcome }}"
+                  NPM="${{ steps.npm_publish.outcome }}"
+                  if [ "${GITEA}" != success ] || [ "${NPM}" != success ]; then
+                      echo "::error::incomplete release — gitea=${GITEA:-skipped} npm=${NPM:-skipped}"
+                      exit 1
+                  fi
@@ -1,60 +0,0 @@
-name: CI
-
-on:
-    push:
-        branches: [main]
-    pull_request:
-        branches: [main]
-    workflow_dispatch: {}
-
-jobs:
-    build:
-        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-        steps:
-            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-            - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-              with:
-                  node-version-file: .node-version
-                  cache: "npm"
-            - run: npm ci
-            - run: npm run build
-            - run: npm run check
-            - run: npm run test:ci
-            - name: Upload coverage
-              uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
-              with:
-                  name: coverage
-                  path: coverage
-
-    # Advisory scans (dead code, dependency freshness). Non-blocking: surfaced on
-    # the PR for visibility, but must never gate a merge — so continue-on-error and
-    # intentionally NOT in `publish`'s `needs`.
-    maintain:
-        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-        continue-on-error: true
-        steps:
-            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-            - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-              with:
-                  node-version-file: .node-version
-                  cache: "npm"
-            - run: npm ci
-            - run: npm run maintain
-
-    publish:
-        if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')
-        needs: build
-        runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-        steps:
-            - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-            - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
-              with:
-                  node-version-file: .node-version
-                  registry-url: "https://registry.npmjs.org/"
-            - run: npm ci
-            - run: npm run build
-            - run: npm run publish:publint
-            - run: npm run publish:attw
-            - run: npm publish --access public
-              env:
-                  NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
@@ -1 +1 @@
-26
+26.8.2
@@ -33,6 +33,12 @@
                "import/no-nodejs-modules": "off",
                "eslint/no-magic-numbers": "off"
            }
+        },
+        {
+            "files": ["scripts/**/*.ts"],
+            "rules": {
+                "import/no-nodejs-modules": "off"
+            }
        }
    ],
    "ignorePatterns": ["dist", "node_modules", "coverage"]
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+*
+!.gitignore
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+    "packages": ["npm:@spences10/pi-lsp@0.0.46"]
+}
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
    "recommendations": [
        "oxc.oxc-vscode",
        "streetsidesoftware.code-spell-checker",
-        "typescriptteam.native-preview"
+        "typescriptteam.native-preview",
+        "sandy081.todotasks",
+        "EditorConfig.EditorConfig"
    ]
 }
@@ -3,10 +3,18 @@
        "editor.defaultFormatter": "oxc.oxc-vscode",
        "editor.formatOnSave": true
    },
+    "[typescriptreact]": {
+        "editor.defaultFormatter": "oxc.oxc-vscode",
+        "editor.formatOnSave": true
+    },
    "[javascript]": {
        "editor.defaultFormatter": "oxc.oxc-vscode",
        "editor.formatOnSave": true
    },
+    "[javascriptreact]": {
+        "editor.defaultFormatter": "oxc.oxc-vscode",
+        "editor.formatOnSave": true
+    },
    "[json]": {
        "editor.defaultFormatter": "oxc.oxc-vscode",
        "editor.formatOnSave": true
@@ -9,8 +9,10 @@ first-action facts. Do not restate evolving prose here — it will drift.

 - Project: F#-style pattern matching for TypeScript/ESM. Node `>=26` (pinned via `.node-version`), ESM-only (no CommonJS shim).
 - **While iterating:** `npm run test` (`check:tsc` + the unit suite) for fast feedback on the files you changed.
+- **Optional code intelligence:** this repo installs `@spences10/pi-lsp` (pinned in `.pi/settings.json`) as a project-local pi extension. It talks to the repo's own TypeScript 7 via `tsc --lsp --stdio` and exposes **read-only** tools — `lsp_hover`, `lsp_definition`, `lsp_references`, `lsp_find_symbol`, `lsp_document_symbols`, `lsp_diagnostics(_many)`. Prefer `lsp_references` over `grep -w` for widely-colliding identifiers (`matches`, `type`, …); use `lsp_hover` to read inferred types on generic-heavy code. It has no rename / code-action / apply-edit surface — the write side is pi's `edit` tool + `check:tsc`. Treat empty LSP output as _inconclusive_, not success: **`npm run test` / `npm run verify` remain the sole authoritative gate** (see the next bullet). The server keeps running across that gate with a ~5 min idle timeout and registers no file watchers, so if you change `tsconfig.json` / `package.json` mid-session its diagnostics can be stale — when LSP output disagrees with `check:tsc`, trust `check:tsc` and restart pi (or wait out the idle timeout) before concluding the LSP is wrong.
 - **Definition of done — run this before you call the work finished:** `npm run verify`. If all green, commit. If red, look at the output, fix the root cause, and re-run.
 - **On commit:** write a good message (see [CONTRIBUTING.md § Commit messages](./CONTRIBUTING.md#commit-messages)). Lefthook's pre-commit hook already runs the fast, offline, staged-file checks — don't run them by hand. If the hook fails on style, `npm run fix`, restage, recommit.
+- **Document decisions where the next maintainer will look:** rationale, rejected alternatives and known issues go in `development/<category>.md` (see [development/README.md](./development/README.md)); the actionable rule stays in [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md) and links to it. Write each fact once — never copy the rule into `development/` or the reason into `CONTRIBUTING.md` — and change both in the same commit when a rule changes.
 - **`npm run maintain` is NOT part of the feature loop.** Its scans are advisory, never a gate; run them only on an explicit maintenance / update-deps branch.

    ```sh
@@ -26,12 +28,36 @@ Don't silence the type system to force a green run. As an agent these are forbid
 - `// oxlint-disable` / `// oxlint-disable-next-line`
 - `as` casts used to push an expression through (type-aware oxlint already flags unsafe assertions)

-Fix the root cause with the type system instead — narrowing, generics, `satisfies`, conditional / mapped types, utility types (`NonNullable`, `Exclude`, …). TypeScript can express it; that's the intended tool. The `oxlint-disable`-location rule in [CONTRIBUTING.md § Rules the tools don't enforce](./CONTRIBUTING.md#rules-the-tools-dont-enforce) is a **human** last-resort convention (so a reviewer can spot a deliberate suppression) — it is not permission for you to add one. If the types genuinely cannot express something, stop and surface the conflict (commit message / MR) rather than suppress it.
+Fix the root cause with the type system instead — narrowing, generics, `satisfies`, conditional / mapped types, utility types (`NonNullable`, `Exclude`, …). TypeScript can express it; that's the intended tool. The `oxlint-disable`-location rule in [CONTRIBUTING.md § Rules the tools don't enforce](./CONTRIBUTING.md#rules-the-tools-dont-enforce) is a **human** last-resort convention (so a reviewer can spot a deliberate suppression) — it is not permission for you to add one. If the types genuinely cannot express something, stop and surface the conflict (commit message / handover) rather than suppress it.

 The same applies to the checks themselves: **never `git commit --no-verify`** (or otherwise skip a pre-commit / pre-push hook). The checks are fast and offline, so a redundant run is fine — bypassing a hook to get green is the identical anti-pattern. If a commit already skipped a hook, redo it through one: `git reset --soft HEAD~1 && git commit -C <skipped-sha>`.

 Never start a long-lived / blocking process such as `npm run watch`. It runs until a human stops it with Ctrl-C, so in an agent turn it hangs forever and floods the context with continuous output. Reach for a one-shot command instead — `npm run test` (or `npm run check`) — to get feedback.

+## Backlog
+
+`backlog.tasks` uses the vscode-todotasks format (not Markdown). A line ending in `:` is a project; every other line is a task. Status glyphs: `☐` open, `✔` done, `✘` cancelled; subtasks nest by indentation. Inline `@tags` carry metadata — `@done` / `@cancelled` mark completion, `@critical` / `@high` / `@low` / `@today` set priority. The `(…)` timestamp after `@done` is editor-generated: omit it when checking off by hand.
+
+**Required coupling:** a `✔` line _must_ also carry `@done`, and a `✘` line _must_ carry `@cancelled`. The `sandy081.todotasks` extension treats the glyph as the completion signal, then unconditionally searches for the matching tag to decorate; a bare `✔`/`✘` with no tag makes it compute an illegal `Range` (negative character offset) that throws and kills all highlighting/decoration for the document. A `☐` may stand alone. So check off by hand as `✔ … @done` (optionally `@done (timestamp)`), never a lone `✔`.
+
+### Working on tasks
+
+- **Task with subtasks** (a task that has indented children): create the branch with `npm run create:branch -- <prefix>/<desc>`, inferring the prefix from the task content (`feature/…` / `fix/…` / `chore/…`) — do not hand-write `git switch -c`, the command enforces the clean-tree / current-`main` / green-baseline precondition. Work on each subtask with commits, then present a concise handover for the user to review. Use this fixed shape:
+
+    ```md
+    ## Handover — <branch>
+
+    **Implemented:** <what was built, and how>
+    **Judgement calls:** <where the task was unclear, and what you assumed>
+    **Known problems:** <open issues, caveats, follow-ups>
+    ```
+
+    Once the user has no further objections, merge back: `npm run create:finish` (on the branch — it merges `--no-ff`, runs `npm run verify`, and deletes the branch). The branching model is documented in [CONTRIBUTING.md § Branching model](./CONTRIBUTING.md#branching-model).
+
+- **Leaf task** (no indented children): implement on the current branch and commit.
+
+In both cases, follow [CONTRIBUTING.md § Testing discipline (type-driven)](./CONTRIBUTING.md#testing-discipline-type-driven). Each subtask gets one or more commits.
+
 ## Read these

 - [CONTRIBUTING.md § Rules the tools don't enforce](./CONTRIBUTING.md#rules-the-tools-dont-enforce) — the constraints the linters don't catch; CI/review bounce these. **The most important section.**
@@ -39,5 +65,6 @@ Never start a long-lived / blocking process such as `npm run watch`. It runs unt
 - [CONTRIBUTING.md § Script prefix convention](./CONTRIBUTING.md#script-prefix-convention) — adding an `npm run` script? reuse an existing prefix or it doesn't belong.
 - [CONTRIBUTING.md § Commit messages](./CONTRIBUTING.md#commit-messages) — gitmoji + imperative + 50/72.
 - [CONTRIBUTING.md § Feedback tiers](./CONTRIBUTING.md#feedback-tiers) — what runs when and at what cost (`watch` / pre-commit / pre-push / `check` / `verify` / `fix` / `maintain` / CI).
- [README.md § Tooling decisions](./README.md#tooling-decisions) — the rationale behind each tool choice; read before changing tooling.
+- [development/](./development/README.md) — the decisions, rejected alternatives and known issues behind the rules; the “why” that CONTRIBUTING.md links to. Read the relevant file before changing an area.
+- [development/tooling.md](./development/tooling.md) — the rationale behind each tool choice; read before changing tooling.
 - [package.json `#scripts`](./package.json) — the source of truth for every command (the `LEFTHOOK_FILES` convention scopes them to staged files vs. the whole project).
@@ -7,4 +7,41 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0

 ## [Unreleased]

-[Unreleased]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts
+## [0.1.6] - 2026-09-15
+
+- restructure the documentation: README.md for users, CONTRIBUTING.md for contributors, and development/ for the decisions, rejected alternatives and known issues
+- document the decisions and known issues for CI, tooling, testing, publishing and the workflow
+
+## [0.1.5] - 2026-09-15
+
+- improve CI configuration
+
+## [0.1.4] - 2026-09-14
+
+- fix CI to node from custom image
+- upgrade dependencies
+
+## [0.1.3] - 2026-09-14
+
+- change to custom image for CI
+
+## [0.1.2] - 2026-09-14
+
+- upgrade dependencies
+
+## [0.1.1] - 2026-09-14
+
+- upgrade dependencies
+
+## [0.1.0] - 2026-09-14
+
+- basic setup
+
+[Unreleased]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts/compare/0.1.6...main
+[0.1.6]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts/compare/0.1.5...0.1.6
+[0.1.5]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts/compare/0.1.4...0.1.5
+[0.1.4]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts/compare/0.1.3...0.1.4
+[0.1.3]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts/compare/0.1.2...0.1.3
+[0.1.2]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts/compare/0.1.1...0.1.2
+[0.1.1]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts/compare/0.1.0...0.1.1
+[0.1.0]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts/compare/20308c5a6d8cccfb09b02ac2ebebd8055e91cd11...0.1.0
@@ -1,88 +1,218 @@
 # Contributing

-This document is for maintainers and contributors working on the project itself. End-user documentation is in [README.md](./README.md). The machine entry point for AI coding agents is [AGENTS.md](./AGENTS.md); keep this file as the prose home for the rules below so agents and humans don't diverge.
+This document is for maintainers and contributors working on the project
+itself. End-user documentation is in [README.md](./README.md). The reasons
+behind the rules here — the decisions, rejected alternatives, and known issues —
+live in [development/](./development/README.md). The machine entry point for AI
+coding agents is [AGENTS.md](./AGENTS.md); keep this file as the prose home for
+the rules so agents and humans don't diverge.

-## Rules the tools don't enforce
+## Setup

-CI and review will bounce these even though `npm run check` and the linters don't catch them. They're the high-frequency things a contributor (or an agent) reaches for by default:
+1. Clone the repository.
+2. Install Node.js >= 26 — see [.node-version](./.node-version); the exact pinned
+   version is what CI and the runner image use.
+3. `npm ci`.
+4. `npm run setup` — the one-time clone configuration (currently registers the
+   commit-message template).

- **Source imports use `.ts` extensions, never `.js`.** `node --strip-types` resolves the `.ts` form at test time; `rewriteRelativeImportExtensions` emits `.js` in `dist/`. "Pre-fixing" an import to `.js` breaks the inner loop. (rationale: README § Tooling decisions)
- **A new `npm run` script must reuse an existing prefix** (`check:` / `fix:` / `test:` / `watch:` / `maintain:` / `publish:`). If none fits, that's a signal the script doesn't belong in the pipeline — not a reason to invent a new prefix. (see [Script prefix convention](#script-prefix-convention))
- **`oxlint-disable` directives live in source, not `.oxlintrc.json`.** The trade-off must sit next to the code it silences. This is a _human_ last-resort convention; agents must not add these — see [AGENTS.md § Never do](./AGENTS.md#never-do). (rationale: README § Tooling decisions)
- **Don't put slow / network / whole-project scans in `check` or pre-commit.** Advisory scans are not correctness gates; they belong under `maintain:`. (see [Feedback tiers](#feedback-tiers) and [Script prefix convention](#script-prefix-convention))
- **There is no local `npm run publish`, and `publish:publint` / `publish:attw` don't go in `check`.** (see [Publishing workflow](#publishing-workflow))
+## Development commands

-## Commit messages
-
-Gitmoji subject, imperative mood, 50/72 wrapping. The template is `commit-message-template`; run `npm run use:git-commit-message` once after cloning to register it as git's `commit.template`.
-
-Examples from history: `:sparkles: Add watch tier with watch:test child`, `:recycle: Move type-aware config to .oxlintrc.json; use source-level disable directives`, `:memo: Restore unique maintainer content as CONTRIBUTING.md`. The body explains _what and why_, not _how_; link issues with `Resolves #...`.
-
-## Script prefix convention
-
-Script names in `package.json` use a prefix that signals _when_ the script is intended to run. A `<prefix>:<name>` script is implicitly aggregated by a `<prefix>` script (if one exists) and run by the corresponding lefthook hook or CI step. Picking the right prefix documents the script's intended lifecycle:
-
- `check:*` — read-only verification; never modifies files. Aggregated by `npm run check`.
- `fix:*` — mutating counterpart of a `check:*` script. Aggregated by `npm run fix`; the diff is the review surface.
- `test:*` — test scripts. `test` is the canonical entry point (`check:tsc` + unit tests); `test:unit` skips the typecheck for fast local iteration; `test:ci` adds c8 coverage.
- `watch:*` — long-running watchers for the manual inner dev loop. Aggregated by `watch`; currently a single child (`watch:test`), and a future `watch:oxlint` / `watch:tsc` would run concurrently under that umbrella.
- `maintain:*` — advisory repo-maintenance scans: read-only, but whole-project and/or network-bound, so never a correctness gate. Aggregated by `npm run maintain`.
- `publish:*` — validates the _publishable artifact_ (e.g. `dist/`) rather than the source, so it needs a fresh build. (see [Rules the tools don't enforce](#rules-the-tools-dont-enforce) and [Publishing workflow](#publishing-workflow))
-
-A new script should pick the prefix that matches its lifecycle, not invent a new one. If no existing prefix fits, that's a signal the script doesn't belong in the standard pipeline.
-
-Separately, some top-level scripts are **bare** (no prefix): the entry points that either run a single tool (`build`, `clean`) or aggregate a `prefix:*` family (`check`, `fix`, `test`, `watch`, `maintain`), plus `verify` — a cross-cutting convenience composing `check` + `test:unit` into one whole-project correctness gate. It deliberately uses `test:unit` rather than `test` because `check` already runs `check:tsc`, so the type checker runs exactly once. Bare commands are how you invoke a tier; the `prefix:*` scripts are what those tiers are made of.
+- **Build:** `npm run build`
+- **Test:** `npm run test`, `npm run test:ci`
+- **Watch:** `npm run watch` - re-runs tests on file save, humans only
+- **Checks:** `npm run check`, `npm run fix`
+- **Verify:** `npm run verify` — the definition of done
+- **Maintenance:** `npm run maintain` — advisory only
+- **Individual fixes:** `npm run fix:oxfmt`, `npm run fix:oxlint`

 ## Feedback tiers

-The tools are organized into a feedback ladder. Each tier catches different things at different costs; the rule of thumb is "earlier tiers fire more often, faster tiers catch less, slower tiers are more thorough":
+The tools are organized into a feedback ladder. Each tier catches different
+things at different costs; the rule of thumb is "earlier tiers fire more often,
+faster tiers catch less, slower tiers are more thorough":

-| Tier                             | When                   | What it runs                                                          | Time  |
-| -------------------------------- | ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- |
-| `npm run watch`                  | manual                 | `watch:test` — re-runs tests on file save                             | ~0.1s |
-| Pre-commit (auto)                | on stage               | tsc + oxlint + oxfmt + cspell (staged files only)                     | ~1.3s |
-| Pre-push (auto)                  | on push                | `npm test` (full tsc + unit tests)                                    | ~3.5s |
-| `npm run check`                  | manual                 | Correctness gates: tsc + oxlint + oxfmt + cspell (whole project)      | ~3s   |
-| `npm run verify`                 | manual                 | Definition of done: `npm run check` + unit tests, one shot            | ~6s   |
-| `npm run fix`                    | manual                 | Auto-resolve fixable issues (lint, format)                            | ~3s   |
-| `npm run maintain`               | manual / CI (advisory) | `maintain:knip` + `maintain:outdated` (whole-project + network scans) | ~10s  |
-| CI build (auto)                  | on push/PR             | `npm run check` + `npm run test:ci`                                   | ~30s+ |
-| CI maintain (auto, non-blocking) | on push/PR             | `npm run maintain` — reports, never fails the build                   | ~10s  |
-| CI publish (auto)                | on tag                 | `publish:publint` + `publish:attw`, then `npm publish`                | ~10s  |
+| Tier                             | When                    | What it runs                                                                                                                                            | Time  |
+| -------------------------------- | ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----- |
+| `npm run watch`                  | manual                  | `watch:test` — re-runs tests on file save                                                                                                               | ~0.1s |
+| Pre-commit (auto)                | on stage                | tsc + oxlint + oxfmt + cspell (staged files only)                                                                                                       | ~1.3s |
+| Pre-push (auto)                  | on push                 | `npm test` (full tsc + unit tests)                                                                                                                      | ~3.5s |
+| `npm run check`                  | manual                  | Correctness gates: tsc + oxlint + oxfmt + cspell (whole project)                                                                                        | ~3s   |
+| `npm run verify`                 | manual                  | Definition of done: `npm run check` + unit tests, one shot                                                                                              | ~6s   |
+| `npm run fix`                    | manual                  | Auto-resolve fixable issues (lint, format)                                                                                                              | ~3s   |
+| `npm run maintain`               | manual / CI (advisory)  | `maintain:knip` + `maintain:outdated` (whole-project + network scans)                                                                                   | ~10s  |
+| CI build (auto)                  | on push to `main` / tag | `build` job (build + correctness + packaging) — see [.gitea/workflows/ci.yml](./.gitea/workflows/ci.yml)                                                | ~30s+ |
+| CI maintain (auto, non-blocking) | on push to `main`       | `npm run maintain` — reports, never fails the build                                                                                                     | ~10s  |
+| CI publish (auto)                | on tag                  | packaging checks + `publish:publint` / `publish:attw`, then the Gitea release page and `npm publish` (skipped, and the job failed, without `NPM_TOKEN`) | ~15s  |

-### Why these splits?
-
- **`watch:*` is a manual tier, not a hook.** The developer starts it on demand (it has to be killed with Ctrl-C) and it runs in a dedicated terminal pane. It sits as the earliest tier in the feedback ladder, catching failures the moment a file is saved — before staging, before commit.
- **`check:tsc`, `check:oxlint`, `check:oxfmt`, `check:cspell`** are in pre-commit because they are fast (~0.2–0.5s each), fully offline, and naturally scope to staged files via the `LEFTHOOK_FILES` env var convention. They give instant feedback on what you typed.
- **`test` (and the `tsc` it includes) is in pre-push** because it runs the whole test suite across the whole project. The pre-commit `LEFTHOOK_FILES` convention doesn't apply to the test runner, so pre-commit isn't the right home. Pre-push runs after all commits are made but before the push leaves the machine, catching regressions that span multiple commits.
-
-### Before pushing
-
-Run `npm run verify` — the one-shot correctness gate in the table above. Run `npm run maintain` only on a maintenance / update-deps branch.
+Before pushing, run `npm run verify` — the one-shot correctness gate. Run
+`npm run maintain` only on a maintenance / update-deps branch. Why the splits
+are where they are: [development/workflow.md § Feedback tiers](./development/workflow.md#feedback-tiers).

 ## Testing discipline (type-driven)

-For this library the types _are_ the feature — narrowing, `exhaustive()` returns, the `Matcher<T>` contract — so a runtime-only test loop would verify the wrong thing. New behavior follows **type-driven development** (in Edwin Brady's sense): _treat the type as the plan for a program, and use the compiler and type checker as your assistant, guiding you to a complete program that satisfies the type_ ([idris-lang.org](https://www.idris-lang.org/)). Here that plan is the `expectTypeOf` assertion, written first. The loop is **type → red → green → refactor**:
+For this library the types _are_ the feature, so development is **type-driven**:
+the compile-time expectation is written before the runtime assertion, and both
+before the implementation. The loop is **type → red → green → refactor**:

-1. **Type** — write the compile-time expectation first (`expectTypeOf(...).toEqualTypeOf<…>()`) and let `npm run check:tsc` fail on the _type_. The type error is the spec you want to hit before the runtime logic exists.
-2. **Red** — add the matching runtime assertion (`assert.*`) so `npm run test:unit` now fails on behavior.
-3. **Green** — implement in `src/*.ts` until both the type check and the test pass.
-4. **Refactor** — with the type system and the tests as the safety net, then `npm run verify` as the definition-of-done gate.
+1. **Type** — write the compile-time expectation first
+   (`expectTypeOf(...).toEqualTypeOf<…>()`) and let `npm run check:tsc` fail on
+   the _type_. The type error is the spec you want to hit before the runtime
+   logic exists.
+2. **Red** — add the matching runtime assertion (`assert.*`) so
+   `npm run test:unit` now fails on behavior.
+3. **Green** — implement in `src/*.ts` until both the type check and the test
+   pass.
+4. **Refactor** — with the type system and the tests as the safety net, then
+   `npm run verify` as the definition-of-done gate.

-This is why every test in the suite pairs an `expectTypeOf(...)` with an `assert.*` — keep them together. Type-first is also enforced structurally: `npm test` runs `check:tsc` before the test runner, so a wrong type can never be papered over by a passing assertion. Per [AGENTS.md § Never do](./AGENTS.md#never-do), reach green honestly — fix the types so both the type check and the runtime assertion pass, never suppress the ones you can't make pass.
+Every test pairs an `expectTypeOf(...)` with an `assert.*`; keep them together.
+Type-first is enforced structurally: `npm test` runs `check:tsc` before the
+test runner, so a wrong type can never be papered over by a passing assertion.
+Per [AGENTS.md § Never do](./AGENTS.md#never-do), reach green honestly — fix the
+types, never suppress the checks you can't make pass. Full rationale:
+[development/testing.md](./development/testing.md).

-## Publishing workflow
+## Code style and formatting

-Publishing is CI-only by policy. Local `npm publish` is not supported.
+`oxfmt` is the formatter and `oxlint` is the linter (with type-aware rules).
+`npm run fix` resolves the fixable issues; `npm run check` verifies without
+writing. Suppressions must be fixed at the root — do not add `oxlint-disable`
+directives or `as` casts to force a green run (see
+[AGENTS.md § Never do](./AGENTS.md#never-do)).

-1. Develop and merge PRs to `main`.
-2. CI runs `npm run check` + `npm run test:ci` on every push and PR — this is the authoritative gate.
-3. After all intended changes are on `main`, bump the version locally:
-    ```sh
-    npm version <patch|minor|major>
-    ```
-4. Push the tag to the forge (Gitea):
-    ```sh
-    git push --follow-tags origin main
-    ```
-5. The `publish` CI job runs on the tag: `build` → `publish:publint` → `publish:attw` → `npm publish --access public`. The publish-tier checks must pass before the artifact is published.
+Suggested VSCode extensions are in
+[.vscode/extensions.json](./.vscode/extensions.json); the project's formatter
+and linter are wired up there. Toolchain decisions:
+[development/tooling.md](./development/tooling.md).
+
+## Commit messages
+
+Gitmoji subject, imperative mood, 50/72 wrapping. The template is
+[commit-message-template](./commit-message-template); `npm run setup`
+(or `npm run setup:git-commit-message`) registers it as git's
+`commit.template`. Examples and rationale:
+[development/workflow.md § Commit messages](./development/workflow.md#commit-messages).
+
+## Script prefix convention
+
+Script names in `package.json` use a prefix that signals _when_ the script is
+intended to run. A `<prefix>:<name>` script is implicitly aggregated by a
+`<prefix>` script (if one exists) and run by the corresponding lefthook hook or
+CI step. Pick the prefix that matches the script's lifecycle:
+
+- `create:*` — front doors of the repo's own workflow; these mutate git state
+  rather than the source. `create:branch` opens a unit of work, `create:finish`
+  closes the branch half, `create:release` closes the release half
+  (maintainer-only). No bare `create` aggregator on purpose.
+- `check:*` — read-only verification; never modifies files. Aggregated by
+  `npm run check`.
+- `fix:*` — mutating counterpart of a `check:*` script. Aggregated by
+  `npm run fix`; the diff is the review surface.
+- `test:*` — test scripts. `test` is the canonical entry point (`check:tsc` +
+  unit tests); `test:unit` skips the typecheck for fast local iteration;
+  `test:ci` adds c8 coverage.
+- `watch:*` — long-running watchers for the manual inner dev loop. Aggregated by
+  `watch`.
+- `maintain:*` — advisory repo-maintenance scans: read-only, but whole-project
+  and/or network-bound, so never a correctness gate. Aggregated by
+  `npm run maintain`.
+- `publish:*` — validates the _publishable artifact_ (e.g. `dist/`) rather than
+  the source, so it needs a fresh build.
+- `setup:*` — one-time configuration of a fresh clone; mutates the local
+  environment rather than the repo source, so it is never part of a hook or CI
+  step. Aggregated by `npm run setup`, run once after cloning.
+
+A new script must reuse an existing prefix. If none fits, that's a signal the
+script doesn't belong in the pipeline — not a reason to invent a new prefix. If
+it genuinely does belong, add the prefix to this list in the same commit as its
+first member; an undocumented prefix becomes invisible and quietly accrues
+members. Why `create:` exists, the rejected names, and the design of the bare
+scripts: [development/workflow.md § Script prefix convention](./development/workflow.md#script-prefix-convention).
+
+## Rules the tools don't enforce
+
+CI and review will bounce these even though `npm run check` and the linters
+don't catch them. They're the high-frequency things a contributor (or an agent)
+reaches for by default:
+
+- **Source imports use `.ts` extensions, never `.js`.** `node --strip-types`
+  only resolves the `.ts` form at test time; "pre-fixing" an import to `.js`
+  breaks the inner loop. (why:
+  [development/tooling.md](./development/tooling.md#source-imports-use-ts-extensions))
+- **A new `npm run` script must reuse an existing prefix.** See
+  [Script prefix convention](#script-prefix-convention).
+- **`oxlint-disable` directives live in source, not `.oxlintrc.json`.** The
+  trade-off must sit next to the code it silences. This is a _human_ last-resort
+  convention; agents must not add these — see
+  [AGENTS.md § Never do](./AGENTS.md#never-do). (why:
+  [development/tooling.md](./development/tooling.md#oxlint-disable-directives-live-next-to-the-code))
+- **Don't put slow / network / whole-project scans in `check` or pre-commit.**
+  Advisory scans are not correctness gates; they belong under `maintain:`. (why:
+  [development/workflow.md](./development/workflow.md#feedback-tiers))
+- **New work starts with `npm run create:branch`, never a hand-written
+  `git switch -c` / `git checkout -b`.** The command carries the branch
+  precondition; branching around it skips the clean-tree, current-`main` and
+  green-baseline checks, and the skip is invisible until a failure can no longer
+  be attributed. (why:
+  [development/workflow.md](./development/workflow.md#branching-model))
+- **Work is merged back with `npm run create:finish`, never a hand-written
+  `git merge`.** The command carries the merge-side preconditions (clean tree,
+  current `main`, a `feature/`/`fix/`/`chore/` branch) and runs `npm run verify`
+  after the merge, so a merge cannot land unverified. (why:
+  [development/workflow.md](./development/workflow.md#branching-model))
+- **There is no local `npm run publish`, and `publish:publint` / `publish:attw`
+  don't go in `check`.** (why:
+  [development/publishing.md](./development/publishing.md#ci-only-publishing))
+- **A decision or its rationale belongs in `development/`, not here.** This file
+  holds the actionable rule; `development/<category>.md` holds why, the rejected
+  alternatives and the known issues. When you change a rule, update its category
+  file in the same commit and cross-link the two. (why:
+  [development/README.md](./development/README.md))
+
+## Branching model
+
+**GitHub Flow (single-developer).** Every change — feature, fix, refactor —
+branches off `main` and is merged back via a local commit. There is no pull
+request workflow on Gitea yet.
+
+- **Base branch:** `main`
+- **Branch naming:** `feature/<desc>` / `fix/<desc>` / `chore/<desc>`
+- **Starting work:** `npm run create:branch -- <prefix>/<desc>`. It refuses,
+  without changing anything, unless the working tree is clean, no
+  merge/rebase/cherry-pick is in progress, `main` matches its upstream, and
+  `npm run test` is green on `main`. The prefix is _your_ call, inferred from the
+  task; the script validates it rather than guessing it.
+- **Merging:** `npm run create:finish` (on the branch). It re-asserts the same
+  preconditions, merges `--no-ff`, runs `npm run verify`, and deletes the branch
+  only after the merge is green. The push is left to `create:release`, so the
+  merge stays local and reviewable.
+- CI runs on every push to `main` — see [Feedback tiers](#feedback-tiers) and
+  [.gitea/workflows/ci.yml](./.gitea/workflows/ci.yml).
+- **Releases are NOT triggered by pushes.** Only the maintainer triggers a
+  release; see [Publishing](#publishing).
+
+Full rationale, including the front-door decisions and a known issue about
+`main` being ahead of its upstream between a merge and the next push:
+[development/workflow.md § Branching model](./development/workflow.md#branching-model).
+
+## Submitting changes
+
+There is no pull request workflow on Gitea yet, so a contribution is submitted
+as a branch that is merged locally:
+
+1. `npm run create:branch -- <prefix>/<desc>`.
+2. Commit your work (one or more commits, per the tests and style rules above).
+3. `npm run verify` — the definition of done.
+4. `npm run create:finish` to merge the branch into `main` and verify the
+   result.
+5. Present a handover for review. Once there are no further objections, the
+   maintainer pushes.
+
+When the project is promoted to GitHub, this step becomes a normal pull request
+against `main`.
+
+## Publishing
+
+Publishing is maintainer-only and CI-only. See
+[development/publishing.md](./development/publishing.md).
@@ -2,64 +2,172 @@

 Pattern matching for TypeScript/ESM environments (F#-style, not regex).

-## Development
+## Synopsis

- **Build:** `npm run build`
- **Test:** `npm run test`, `npm run test:ci`
- **Watch:** `npm run watch`
- **Checks:** `npm run check`, `npm run fix`
- **Verify:** `npm run verify` — the definition of done
- **Maintenance:** `npm run maintain` — advisory only
- **Individual fixes:** `npm run fix:oxfmt`, `npm run fix:oxlint`
+```ts
+import { match, P } from "tiny-pattern-ts";

-What each tier runs, when it fires and what it costs:
-[CONTRIBUTING.md § Feedback tiers](./CONTRIBUTING.md#feedback-tiers). How the
-`prefix:` in a script name is chosen:
-[§ Script prefix convention](./CONTRIBUTING.md#script-prefix-convention).
+const reply = (answer: "yes" | "no") =>
+    match(answer)
+        .with(P.literal("yes"), (): "agreed" => "agreed")
+        .with(P.literal("no"), (): "declined" => "declined")
+        .exhaustive();

-### Tooling
+reply("yes"); // "agreed"
+```

- **TypeScript 7** — type checker and build (`tsc`).
- **node --test** + `--experimental-strip-types` — test runner (Node 22.6+, flag dropped on Node 24).
- **c8** — code coverage for `test:ci`.
- **oxlint** — Rust-based linter, with type-aware rules powered by **oxlint-tsgolint** (typescript-go).
- **oxfmt** — Rust-based formatter (Prettier-compatible). Formats JS/TS, JSON/JSONC, YAML, Markdown, MDX, and more; built-in `package.json` key sorting replaces `sort-package-json`.
- **cspell** — spell checking.
- **knip** — finds unused dependencies, exports, and files.
- **check-outdated** — reports dependencies behind the registry; it exits non-zero whenever _any_ dependency is outdated.
- **publint** — validates `package.json` for ESM publishing correctness.
- **@arethetypeswrong/cli** (`attw`) — validates `.d.ts` declarations against multiple module-resolution scenarios.
- **lefthook** — git hooks.
+## Description

-Each tool's configuration trade-off is recorded in [Tooling decisions](#tooling-decisions); when it runs is in [CONTRIBUTING.md § Feedback tiers](./CONTRIBUTING.md#feedback-tiers).
+`tiny-pattern-ts` gives TypeScript the shape of F#-style pattern matching:
+a value flows through a chain of patterns, the first one that matches runs its
+handler, and the handler receives the value narrowed to that pattern's type. The
+"patterns" are ordinary objects whose `matches` method is a TypeScript type
+guard, so narrowing composes the way any other guard does.

-### Tooling decisions
+It is deliberately not a regex engine and not a macro. There is no transpiler
+and no DSL to learn: `match(value)` returns a builder, `.with(pattern, handler)`
+adds a case, and the chain ends in either `.exhaustive()` or `.otherwise(...)`.
+The type-level contract is the feature — see
+[development/library.md](./development/library.md) for the design decisions and
+the known limitations.

-The choice and configuration of each tool above is the result of deliberate trade-offs, not defaults. The non-obvious ones:
+## Requirements

- **`tsconfig.json` extends `@tsconfig/strictest` + `@tsconfig/node26`**; `tsconfig.build.json` extends it to add the emit-only options (`declaration`, `sourceMap`, `outDir`, `target: es2024`, `rewriteRelativeImportExtensions: true`) and to exclude test files. This separation lets the editor and CI type-check from one config while the build emits from the other.
- **Source imports use `.ts` extensions** so `node --strip-types` resolves them at test time. `rewriteRelativeImportExtensions: true` in `tsconfig.build.json` rewrites them to `.js` in the emitted `dist/*` output, so consumers see conventional ESM imports.
- **Type-aware oxlint is enabled declaratively** via `options.typeAware: true` in `.oxlintrc.json` (powered by `oxlint-tsgolint`). The script commands stay clean — no CLI flag — and type-aware mode is a property of the config, not the invocation.
- **Source-level `oxlint-disable` directives** are used for known type-aware false positives (see `src/pattern.ts`, `src/match.ts`, `src/index.test.ts`). The disable lives next to the code it silences, not in `.oxlintrc.json`, so the trade-off is visible to anyone reading the source.
- **`knip --include dependencies,exports,files`** intentionally omits the `types` category, which produces systematic false positives for libraries whose exported types are part of the public API. The targeted scope keeps the signal high without config-file boilerplate.
- **`attw --profile esm-only`** is semantically correct: this package is intentionally ESM-only (no CommonJS shim), so CJS resolution scenarios are out of scope by design, not a bug.
- **`check:tsc` runs first** in the `npm run check` chain so a type error short-circuits the rest (faster feedback than letting oxlint/oxfmt run and then failing on tsc at the end).
- **The pre-commit hook sets the `LEFTHOOK_FILES` env var** to the staged-files list, and the affected scripts use `${LEFTHOOK_FILES:-<default>}` to default to the whole project when invoked manually. This keeps `package.json#scripts` as the single source of truth for the underlying commands — `lefthook.yml` only describes _what to run on which files_.
- **`tslib` and `type-fest` are deliberately not used.** `tslib` is a runtime helper for old ES3/ES5 targets (the project targets ES2024); `type-fest` was never imported. knip caught both.
+- **Node.js >= 26** (`engines` field; pinned via `.node-version`).
+- **TypeScript >= 5.0** to consume the published declarations. The emitted `.d.ts`
+  use `const` type parameters (TS 5.0) and keep their relative `.ts` specifiers;
+  both resolve on TS >= 5.0 in `node10` / `node16` / `nodenext` / `bundler`.
+- The package is **ESM-only** (no CommonJS shim).

-### Requirements
+## Examples

- Node.js >= 26 (engines field; pinned via `.node-version`).
+### Literal matching and `exhaustive()`

-## VSCode integration
+`.exhaustive()` returns the union of the handler return types and throws if no
+case matched. Annotate handler returns when you want literal types rather than
+`string`:

- Recommended extensions: see `.vscode/extensions.json` (oxc, cspell).
- TypeScript 7 is used via the `typescriptteam.native-preview` extension.
- oxc extension provides oxlint squiggles and oxfmt format-on-save.
+```ts
+type Answer = "yes" | "no";
+
+const reply = (answer: Answer): "agreed" | "declined" =>
+    match(answer)
+        .with(P.literal("yes"), (): "agreed" => "agreed")
+        .with(P.literal("no"), (): "declined" => "declined")
+        .exhaustive();
+
+reply("yes"); // "agreed"
+```
+
+`exhaustive()` checks at runtime, not at compile time — TypeScript does not force
+every union member to have a case (see
+[development/library.md](./development/library.md#exhaustive-is-a-runtime-check)).
+Use `.otherwise(...)` when a fallback is wanted:
+
+```ts
+const label = (answer: Answer): string =>
+    match(answer)
+        .with(P.literal("yes"), () => "agreed")
+        .otherwise(() => "not agreed");
+```
+
+### Matching by `typeof`
+
+`P.type<T>(name)` pairs an explicit type `T` with the runtime `typeof` name it
+should test for:
+
+```ts
+const describe = (value: unknown): string =>
+    match(value)
+        .with(P.type<string>("string"), (s) => `string of length ${s.length}`)
+        .with(P.type<number>("number"), (n) => `number ${n.toFixed(2)}`)
+        .otherwise(() => "something else");
+```
+
+The supported names are `string`, `number`, `boolean`, `bigint`, `symbol`,
+`undefined`, `object`, and `function`. `"object"` matches non-null objects and
+functions; `"undefined"` compares against `undefined` directly.
+
+### Structural matching and discriminated unions
+
+`P.shape(shape, refine?)` checks that every key in `shape` exists on the value.
+A value that is itself a matcher is applied, otherwise it is compared with
+strict equality. To narrow to a concrete type, pass a `refine` type guard:
+
+```ts
+interface Circle {
+    readonly kind: "circle";
+    readonly radius: number;
+}
+
+interface Square {
+    readonly kind: "square";
+    readonly side: number;
+}
+
+type Shape = Circle | Square;
+
+const area = (shape: Shape): number =>
+    match(shape)
+        .with(
+            P.shape({ kind: "circle" }, (v): v is Circle => "radius" in v),
+            (c) => Math.PI * c.radius ** 2,
+        )
+        .with(
+            P.shape({ kind: "square" }, (v): v is Square => "side" in v),
+            (s) => s.side ** 2,
+        )
+        .exhaustive();
+```
+
+Without `refine`, `P.shape` returns a matcher for the shape's own type, not the
+narrowed one. Nested matchers can be used in the shape object, for example
+`P.shape({ name: P.type<string>("string") })`.
+
+### Custom guards with `when`
+
+`P.when` takes a type guard and infers the narrowed type from it:
+
+```ts
+const toNumber = (value: unknown): number =>
+    match(value)
+        .with(
+            P.when((v): v is string => typeof v === "string"),
+            (s) => Number.parseInt(s, 10),
+        )
+        .otherwise(() => 0);
+```
+
+### Widening with `any`
+
+`P.any<T>(predicate)` takes a plain boolean predicate and a declared type `T`,
+for cases where the predicate cannot be written as a type guard:
+
+```ts
+const firstNumber = (items: readonly unknown[]): number | undefined =>
+    match(items)
+        .with(
+            P.any<readonly number[]>(
+                (v) =>
+                    Array.isArray(v) &&
+                    v.every((item) => typeof item === "number"),
+            ),
+            (xs) => xs[0],
+        )
+        .otherwise(() => undefined);
+```
+
+## API
+
+Yet to be implemented
+
+## License
+
+MIT © 2025 tmu. See [LICENSE](./LICENSE).

 ## Contributing

-For maintainer and contributor docs — the script prefix convention, the feedback-tier system, the rules the tools don't enforce, and the publishing workflow — see [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md). AI coding agents: your entry point is [AGENTS.md](./AGENTS.md), which points back to CONTRIBUTING.md.
-
- Commit signing (GPG).
- Type-only tests use `expect-type`'s `expectTypeOf(...)` inside `node --test` cases.
+Contributions are documented in [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md); the
+reasons behind the project's decisions, rejected alternatives, and known issues
+live in [development/](./development/README.md). AI coding agents start at
+[AGENTS.md](./AGENTS.md).
@@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
+Tasks
+
+Backlog and tracking for tiny-pattern-ts. Managed in vscode-todotasks format.
+
+---
+
+Setup:
+✔ Add gitea release page in CI @high @done
+✔ Manually verify the Gitea release page on a real tag push (needs main) @high @done (9/15/2026, 1:18:15 PM)
+☐ Split off template into separate package => pi --session 01a07dde-7050-7054-bb36-1606d7eb2bc3 @high
+
+v1.0:
+☐ API surface is stable and fully typed
+    ☐ Finalize public exports in `src/index.ts`
+    ☐ Document all exported types and functions
+    ☐ Add JSDoc for public APIs
+☐ Test coverage meets threshold
+    ☐ Achieve 100% branch coverage on `src/pattern.ts`
+    ☐ Achieve 100% branch coverage on `src/match.ts`
+    ☐ Achieve 100% branch coverage on `src/index.ts`
+
+Bugs:
+
+Enhancements:
+
+Documentation:
+✔ Clean up CONTRIBUTING.md and README.md, create docs @done
+    ✔ Review existing documentation for accuracy and completeness @done
+    ✔ README.md should be the main entry point for users, and CONTRIBUTING.md should be the main entry point for contributors @done
+    ✔ Move the decisions, shortcomings and known issues out of README.md and CONTRIBUTING.md @done
+        ✔ Decided: category files under development/ (one per area), not ADRs. Each decision is a block with #### Decision (YYYY-MM) / #### Why / #### Rejected / #### Known issue; rationale in development/README.md @done
+        ✔ have a look at other well known repositories for inspiration on how to structure the docs @done
+        ✔ often times a docs folder is used, but this usually contains further user of the library documentation, that is deployed to a website. Deployment is out of scope for now @done
+        ✔ make sure to preserve that information in the new docs @done
+        ✔ development/README.md - index and decision-block convention @done
+        ✔ development/workflow.md - branching, script prefixes, feedback tiers, commits @done
+        ✔ development/tooling.md - toolchain decisions and editor setup @done
+        ✔ development/testing.md - type-driven testing @done
+        ✔ development/ci.md - pipeline, runner image, coverage serving @done
+        ✔ development/publishing.md - release and npm publishing @done
+        ✔ development/library.md - public API design and its limitations @done
+    ✔ README.md @done
+        ✔ I really like the order perl documentation does it: name with a single line description, version, Synopsis, Description, examples, API reference, license @done
+            (example: https://metacpan.org/pod/Scalar::Util)
+        ✔ should include a clear description of the library, its purpose, and how to use it @done
+        ✔ Add usage examples to README.md @done
+        ✔ version needs to be kept in sync with package.json in release.sh @done
+        ✔ Not every section in current README fits in the above order, so put them in another file @done
+    ✔ CONTRIBUTING.md @done
+        ✔ should include instructions for how to contribute to the project, including how to set up a development environment, run tests, and submit pull requests @done
+        ✔ should include guidelines for code style and formatting and a hint, that vscode extensions are suggested from .vscode/extensions.json @done
+        ✔ Not every section in current CONTRIBUTING.md fits in, so put them in another file @done
+
+
+
+☐ Create `examples/` directory with runnable snippets
+☐ Add comparison section vs. other TS pattern-matching libs in Readme.md
+☐ Write migration guide for users coming from discriminated unions
+☐ Create backlog tasks for implementation
+☐ Validate code fences in Markdown (start with README.md) — compile the TypeScript examples against `src/` so the docs cannot drift from the API
+
+Workflow:
+☐ Resolve the finish/push tension: `create:finish` leaves `main` ahead of its upstream while `create:branch` refuses until `main` matches upstream — decide whether `finish` should push or `branch` should compare only `BEHIND` (see development/workflow.md)
+
+Maintenance:
+☐ Serve CI coverage over a tiny self-hosted webserver (replace the zip artifact) @low
+    ✔ Add a minimal dir-listing webserver to the gitea docker setup (e.g. caddy `file_server browse` reusing the existing reverse proxy, or any single-binary static server, lipanski/docker-static-website) @done (9/13/2026, 9:02:37 PM)
+    ✔ drop the `actions/upload-artifact` coverage step in favour of the shared-dir layout @done (9/13/2026, 10:37:22 PM)
+    ☐ Explore serving coverage for non-tag pushes (e.g. `main/coverage`, PR previews) @low
+    ✔ Manually verify the coverage was created on a real tag push (needs main) @low @done (9/14/2026, 1:55:03 PM)
+    → design: no deploy step in CI; the webserver just exposes the shared directory (decided over Gitea Pages / Codecov — neither confirmed available/ wanted)
+☐ serve docs over self hosted server @low
+    ☐ Add a minimal dir-listing webserver to the gitea docker setup for serving docs (reuse existing reverse proxy)
+    ☐ CI writes docs to a shared volume keyed by project + tag (e.g. `/docs/tiny-pattern-ts/<tag>/`)
+    ☐ Browse to `…/docs/<repo>/<tag>/index.html` in the browser
+☐ serve landing page over self hosted server @low
+    ☐ Add a minimal dir-listing webserver to the gitea docker setup for serving landing page (reuse existing reverse proxy)
+    ☐ CI writes landing page to a shared volume keyed by project + tag (e.g. `/landing/tiny-pattern-ts/<tag>/`)
+    ☐ Browse to `…/tiny-pattern-ts/index.html` in the browser
+✔ Stop Gitea CI re-downloading Node on every job @done
+    ✔ Share the warm npm cache with the publish job @done
+    ✔ Bake Node into the CI job image (docker/Dockerfile, container.image in ci.yml) @done
+    ✔ Build/push gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/act-ci:26.8.2 and confirm setup-node skips the download @done
+    ✔ Write the `<version>/x64.complete` marker — actions/tool-cache ignores a bare directory, so the probe missed and the download continued @done
+    ✔ Log tool-cache state from the job container to find it (temporary, removed once understood) @done
+    ✔ Guard the invariant in CI (`Assert the baked tool cache is present`) @done
+✘ Enable force-pull for the runner so a changed act-ci image is never missed @low @cancelled
+    → decided against: it is acceptable to miss a runner-side image change, and the image is only rebuilt on a Node bump, which changes the tag anyway. A Dockerfile-only change re-pushed under an unchanged tag is a known issue with a manual `docker rmi` workaround (see development/ci.md).
+✔ Improve CI publish @done
+    ✔ Check whether publish job is only run on tags, if not, guard it @done
+    ✔ Gate only single steps @done
+        ✔ Do not publish to npm, if NPM_TOKEN is not set (e.g. PRs from forks) @done
+        ✔ Do not publish to Gitea — uses the run's automatic `github.token`, so no secret gate is needed @done
+        ✔ Otherwise run the steps @done
+        ✔ Fail the job unless both the Gitea release and npm publish succeeded @done
@@ -19,17 +19,30 @@
        "arethetypeswrong",
        "knip",
        "tsgolint",
+        "tsgo",
+        "tsserver",
        "gitea",
+        "lipanski",
        "pubv",
        "knope",
        "runwisp",
        "glab",
+        "hostedtoolcache",
+        "nodebase",
+        "frontends",
+        "catthehacker",
+        "nsnull",
+        "dedup",
+        "dedupe",
+        "repoint",
        "postversion",
+        "prebuild",
        "Zilla",
        "kacl",
        "bestikk",
        "silverwind",
-        "idris"
+        "idris",
+        "todotasks"
    ],
    "ignorePaths": ["dist", "node_modules", "coverage", "*.svg", ".gitignore"]
 }
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+# Development documentation
+
+Why this project works the way it does: the decisions, what was rejected, and
+the shortcomings and known issues we carry. Written for maintainers and
+contributors.
+
+The actionable rules — setup, running, testing, submitting — live in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md). **Each fact is written once**: the rule
+there, the reason here; neither restates the other, and where a fact is useful
+in both they link. Read the relevant file before changing an area, and when a
+rule changes update its rationale here in the same commit.
+
+User-facing documentation is [README.md](../README.md). `docs/` is deliberately
+unused: that name is reserved for the future user documentation site, and
+deploying it is out of scope. These files are not part of that site.
+
+## Layout
+
+One file per category:
+
+| File                             | Covers                                                                  |
+| -------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| [library.md](./library.md)       | Public API design, the type-level contract, and its limitations         |
+| [workflow.md](./workflow.md)     | Branching and merging, script prefixes, feedback tiers, commit messages |
+| [tooling.md](./tooling.md)       | Toolchain choices and configuration, editor setup                       |
+| [testing.md](./testing.md)       | Test strategy and type-driven development                               |
+| [ci.md](./ci.md)                 | CI pipeline, runner image, coverage serving                             |
+| [publishing.md](./publishing.md) | Release and npm publishing                                              |
+
+We start with one file per category so each area stays small enough to hold in
+mind; a category that outgrows it becomes a folder with an index, and the links
+in CONTRIBUTING.md and README.md point at the category, not a single decision.
+
+## Decision blocks
+
+Record every non-obvious choice as a block in the relevant category file:
+
+```md
+## Runner image
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Bake Node into the CI job image at the setup-node tool-cache layout instead
+of downloading per job.
+
+#### Why
+
+- ...
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- Gitea Pages / per-job download
+- force-pull
+
+#### Known issue
+
+- a Dockerfile-only change re-pushed under an unchanged tag is invisible to the runner
+    - recover with `docker rmi <image>`
+```
+
+- The date is the month the decision was made, not when the file was edited —
+  the anchor for "current" versus "was current once".
+- `Rejected` stops the project re-litigating the same alternatives; an empty one
+  usually means they were never written down.
+- `Known issue` is where shortcomings live. A caveat not tied to one decision
+  goes under a `## Known issues` section at the end of the file.
+- Replace a superseded decision in place rather than archiving it; git history
+  is the archive.
+
+## Adding to these docs
+
+1. Pick the category: `library`, `workflow`, `tooling`, `testing`, `ci`,
+   `publishing`.
+2. Add or update a decision block; keep existing text unless the decision
+   changed.
+3. If an actionable rule changes, update
+   [CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md) in the same commit and cross-link.
+   Never change a rule there without updating its rationale here.
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+# CI
+
+[.gitea/workflows/ci.yml](../.gitea/workflows/ci.yml) is the source of truth for
+the job graph; this file records why it is shaped the way it is.
+
+## Pipeline
+
+- **`build`** (push to `main` / tag) — build + correctness + packaging.
+- **`maintain`** (push to `main`, non-blocking) — `npm run maintain`; reports,
+  never fails the build.
+- **`publish`** (tag) — packaging checks + `publish:publint` / `publish:attw`,
+  then the Gitea release page and `npm publish` (see
+  [publishing.md](./publishing.md)).
+- **`release-gate`** — on a `:rocket: Release x.y.z` commit it skips
+  `build`/`maintain`, because `create:release` pushes the tag for the same commit
+  right after and the tag run is authoritative. It uses no Node and stays on the
+  default image.
+
+## Runner image
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`build` / `maintain` / `publish` run in `gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/act-ci:<version>`
+([docker/Dockerfile](../docker/Dockerfile)): the default act image with Node
+overlaid at the exact `/opt/hostedtoolcache` layout `actions/setup-node` probes.
+
+#### Why
+
+- No job pays the ~50 MB Node fetch, because the probe hits the baked entry.
+- The tag must equal the exact [.node-version](../.node-version) pin, and the
+  image is rebuilt only as part of a Node bump — there is no other trigger.
+- Building needs a docker daemon and registry credentials, so it belongs to no
+  feedback tier. That is why it is **not** an `npm run` script: no
+  [prefix](./workflow.md#script-prefix-convention) fits, and that is the signal.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- Downloading Node in every job — the ~50 MB fetch was the original problem.
+- Caching Proxy (Squid or similar) — adds complexity to global setup
+- Mounting the tool cache - No invalidation will fill the cache with stale versions
+
+## Bumping Node
+
+Bumping Node is one coordinated change, committed as a unit:
+
+1. Edit [.node-version](../.node-version) to the exact `x.y.z` — floats like `26`
+   resolve to the latest patch at runtime and bust the baked entry, so
+   [scripts/runner-image.sh](../scripts/runner-image.sh) refuses them.
+2. `docker login gitea.e1nsnull.de` (user + package/access token), then
+   `./scripts/runner-image.sh --push`, which reads the version and pushes
+   `<IMAGE_REPO>:<version>`.
+3. Repoint the three `container.image` tags in
+   [.gitea/workflows/ci.yml](../.gitea/workflows/ci.yml) to that version.
+
+Skipping step 2 fails CI at image pull; skipping step 3 silently reverts to the
+per-job download.
+
+## Image invariants
+
+For the `setup-node` probe to hit, two things must hold — both easy to break:
+
+### The `x64.complete` marker
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Bake a `<version>/<arch>.complete` marker next to the Node directory.
+
+#### Why
+
+- `actions/tool-cache` accepts a cached tool only when
+  `<version>/<arch>.complete` exists beside it (`tc.find()` checks). A bare
+  `node/<version>/x64/` is ignored and the download happens anyway. See the
+  comment in [docker/Dockerfile](../docker/Dockerfile).
+
+### Tag freshness, with force-pull deliberately off
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Leave `act_runner`'s `force_pull` disabled.
+
+#### Why
+
+- The tag encodes only the Node version, and the image is rebuilt only when that
+  changes — so the normal flow always yields a new tag and the runner pulls it.
+- Forcing a pull re-pulls the image on every job for no benefit.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- Enabling `force_pull`: it is acceptable to miss a runner-side image change,
+  and a `Dockerfile`-only change is not worth a per-job pull.
+
+#### Known issue
+
+- A `Dockerfile`-only change (like the marker above) re-pushed under an
+  unchanged tag is invisible to the runner, which keeps the old image while the
+  registry shows the new digest. Remove the stale tag on the runner host
+  (`docker rmi gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/act-ci:<version>`); do not reach for
+  force-pull.
+
+## Coverage serving
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Serve CI coverage from a shared directory on the runner, with no deploy step in
+CI.
+
+#### Why
+
+- The webserver exposes the shared directory and the Gitea docker setup reuses
+  the existing reverse proxy — no upload artifact, no external service.
+- Coverage is written to a shared volume keyed by project and tag (for example
+  `/docs/tiny-pattern-ts/<tag>/`).
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- Gitea Pages and Codecov: neither was confirmed available or wanted.
+
+#### Known issue
+
+- Coverage is served for tag pushes only; non-tag pushes (for example
+  `main/coverage`) are tracked separately.
+
+[scripts/precompress.ts](../scripts/precompress.ts) emits `.br` / `.gz` / `.zst`
+sidecars next to text assets. The Gitea pages service (`static-web-server` with
+`SERVER_COMPRESSION_STATIC=true`) serves the sidecar matching `Accept-Encoding`
+and falls back to the original.
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Precompress into sidecars rather than per request.
+
+#### Why
+
+- The assets are static and change only on deploy, so the work is paid once.
+- Images, fonts and archives are already compressed; a sidecar would only grow
+  them, so only text extensions are emitted.
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Library design
+
+The type-level design of the public API and the limitations it carries. The
+user-facing reference is [README § API](../README.md#api).
+
+Currently the library is placeholder code.
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+# Publishing
+
+Publishing is CI-only: local `npm publish` is not supported, and the maintainer
+triggers releases from `main`. The mechanics are in
+[scripts/release.sh](../scripts/release.sh) and
+[scripts/release-notes.sh](../scripts/release-notes.sh); the job graph is
+[.gitea/workflows/ci.yml](../.gitea/workflows/ci.yml).
+
+## Release steps
+
+1. All intended changes are merged to `main` and passing CI.
+2. The maintainer runs `npm run create:release`. VS Code opens
+   [CHANGELOG.md](../CHANGELOG.md) to finalize the `[Unreleased]` notes; because
+   pubv refuses a dirty tree, the edit is committed first (then folded into the
+   release commit), and pubv suggests a version from those notes to confirm or
+   edit.
+3. `scripts/release.sh` creates one release commit (graduated changelog +
+   `package.json` bump, amended together), tags it, and pushes.
+4. CI fires on both pushes. `publish` runs on the tag (build + publish checks +
+   release page + `npm publish`), while `release-gate` recognizes the release
+   commit and skips `build`/`maintain`: the tag verifies the identical SHA, so no
+   work is duplicated. The publish checks pass before the artifact is published,
+   and the release page is created from the matching Keep-a-Changelog section
+   _before_ `npm publish`, so a broken page fails CI without consuming a version
+   and `npm publish` stays the last step.
+
+## CI-only publishing
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Releases are cut by CI from `main`; there is no local `npm publish` and no
+`publish:*` script in the `check` chain.
+
+#### Why
+
+- The tag is the artifact marker: CI verifies the exact commit it points at, so
+  a local publish could ship something the tag does not describe.
+- `publish:publint` / `publish:attw` validate the _publishable artifact_, which
+  needs a fresh build; they are not source-correctness checks and do not belong
+  in `check`.
+
+## The release commit is assembled from two tools
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`create:release` uses `pubv` for the changelog graduation and bump heuristic,
+then `npm version` for the `package.json` + lockfile bump, amended into a single
+release commit.
+
+#### Why
+
+- We want hand-written Keep-a-Changelog notes, an `[Unreleased]` ->
+  `## [x.y.z] - DATE` graduation, and a tag on the exact commit that gets
+  published — and no single tool did both the graduation and the `package.json`
+  bump.
+- Split by strength: `pubv` (tiny, changelog-driven) owns preflight, the
+  interactive major/minor/patch heuristic, and graduating and committing
+  `CHANGELOG.md` (no tag, no push); `npm version` syncs `package.json` + the
+  lockfile; `--amend` folds them into one commit; the tag is created _after_ the
+  amend so it is never orphaned.
+- The notes are finalized _before_ pubv because its bump heuristic reads the
+  `[Unreleased]` body — editing afterwards would inform the changelog only, not
+  the version. The staging commit that satisfies pubv's clean-tree check is
+  folded back into the single release commit.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- The conventional-commits family: the history is gitmoji, not Conventional, and
+  the notes are hand-written (see
+  [workflow.md § Commit messages](./workflow.md#commit-messages)).
+- `changesets` / `rtk`: config plus a heavier flow that fights the CI-only
+  publish.
+- `knope` / `kacl` / `bestikk`: changelog-only (no `package.json` bump) and
+  5-year / 2-year / brand-new maintenance.
+- `pubv` alone: it never writes `package.json`.
+- `versions` (silverwind): good Gitea support, but pairing it with a hand-rolled
+  promote became a ~180-line script, which this ~30-line version replaces.
+
+## The version has one source of truth
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+The version is derived from the graduated `## [x.y.z]` heading in
+[CHANGELOG.md](../CHANGELOG.md) and written to `package.json` +
+`package-lock.json` by `npm version`.
+
+#### Why
+
+- `release.sh` reads the version from the changelog, so the changelog is the
+  input and `package.json` the derived copy — one direction, no drift.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- A `## Version` line in the README: it makes `release.sh` responsible for a
+  third file.
+- Linking `package.json` from the README: it invites a hand-maintained duplicate
+  the link does not keep in sync.
+
+## Release notes are extracted from the changelog
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`scripts/release-notes.sh <tag>` prints the Keep-a-Changelog section for the tag
+and exits non-zero when it is missing.
+
+#### Why
+
+- CI reuses the release body from the same file that drove the version, so the
+  page and the changelog cannot disagree.
+- Failing on a missing section means a release can never publish an empty body.
+  A leading `v` is tolerated so both `v1.2.3` and `1.2.3` match `## [1.2.3]`.
+
+## Token gates
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+The Gitea release page uses the run's automatic token (`github.token`).
+`npm publish` is gated on `NPM_TOKEN`, lifted into job-level `env`. A final
+`always()` step fails the job unless both halves reported `success`.
+
+#### Why
+
+- The automatic token needs only `contents: write`, so the release page needs no
+  secret gate.
+- `secrets` is not allowed in a step `if`, so `NPM_TOKEN` must be lifted into
+  job-level `env`; an unset secret then skips the publish instead of attempting
+  an unauthenticated one.
+- A tag is all-or-nothing: without the `always()` guard a skipped or failed npm
+  half would leave the job silently green. The guard turns it red.
+
+Set `NPM_TOKEN` (npm publish rights) under Settings -> Actions -> Secrets.
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# Testing
+
+For this library the types _are_ the feature, so a runtime-only test loop would
+verify the wrong thing. The commands are in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md); this file records why the loop is shaped
+the way it is.
+
+## Type-driven development
+
+The rules — the loop and the pairing rule — are in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md § Testing discipline (type-driven)](../CONTRIBUTING.md#testing-discipline-type-driven).
+What follows is why and what was rejected.
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+The compile-time expectation is written before the runtime assertion, and both
+before the implementation.
+
+#### Why
+
+- A runtime-only test can pass while the type is wrong, so a type-level library
+  would ship a broken feature its tests bless.
+- The type error is a more precise spec than a failing assertion, because it
+  states the exact expected type before the logic exists.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- Runtime-first (classic red/green): it verifies the value, not the contract,
+  and the contract is the product.
+- Testing the type only: it would not catch handler wiring, `exhaustive()`
+  throwing, or the `otherwise` fallback (see `src/index.test.ts`).
+
+The runner is `node --test --strip-types "src/**/*.test.ts"` and the tiers are in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md § Development commands](../CONTRIBUTING.md#development-commands).
+`c8` uses V8 coverage, so the `--strip-types` source is instrumented without a
+build step, and the runner relies on the `.ts` import-extension convention (see
+[tooling.md](./tooling.md#source-imports-use-ts-extensions)).
+
+## Known issues
+
+- The type-aware linter misidentifies `expectTypeOf()` as a floating promise, so
+  `src/index.test.ts` carries a file-level `oxlint-disable
+typescript/no-floating-promises` with an explanatory comment. It is a known
+  false positive, not a rule worth disabling project-wide (see
+  [tooling.md § oxlint-disable directives live next to the code](./tooling.md#oxlint-disable-directives-live-next-to-the-code)).
@@ -0,0 +1,236 @@
+# Tooling
+
+Every tool below was chosen and configured deliberately. The commands a
+contributor runs are in [CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md) and the versions
+in [package.json](../package.json).
+
+## Tool inventory
+
+- **TypeScript 7** — type checker and build (`tsc`).
+- **node --test** + `--strip-types` — test runner.
+- **c8** — coverage for `test:ci`.
+- **oxlint** — Rust linter, type-aware via **oxlint-tsgolint** (typescript-go).
+- **oxfmt** — Rust formatter (Prettier-compatible) for JS/TS, JSON/JSONC, YAML,
+  Markdown, MDX, and more; its `package.json` key sorting replaces
+  `sort-package-json`.
+- **cspell** — spell checking.
+- **knip** — unused dependencies, exports, and files.
+- **check-outdated** — dependencies behind the registry; exits non-zero when any
+  is outdated.
+- **publint** — validates `package.json` for ESM publishing.
+- **@arethetypeswrong/cli** (`attw`) — validates `.d.ts` against module-resolution
+  scenarios.
+- **lefthook** — git hooks.
+- **@spences10/pi-lsp** — read-only LSP code intelligence for AI agents
+  (project-local `.pi/settings.json`); talks to this repo's TypeScript 7 via
+  `tsc --lsp --stdio`.
+
+When each runs is in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md § Feedback tiers](../CONTRIBUTING.md#feedback-tiers).
+
+## TypeScript and build
+
+### One type-check config, one emit config
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`tsconfig.json` extends `@tsconfig/strictest` + `@tsconfig/node26`.
+`tsconfig.build.json` adds the emit-only options (`declaration`, `sourceMap`,
+`inlineSources`, `outDir`, `target: es2024`,
+`rewriteRelativeImportExtensions: true`) and excludes test files.
+
+#### Why
+
+- The editor and CI type-check from one config while the build emits from the
+  other, so a test file cannot leak into `dist/`.
+- `inlineSources` embeds the original TypeScript in `dist/*.js.map`, so
+  debuggers map into `src/` without it being shipped.
+- `declarationMap` stays off: a `.d.ts.map` cannot embed source and would
+  dangle.
+
+### The build starts from an empty `dist/`
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`npm run build` runs a `prebuild` hook that empties `dist/`.
+
+#### Why
+
+- `tsc` does not prune orphaned emit output — dropping `declarationMap` left
+  stale `*.d.ts.map` files — so reproducibility needs an empty `dist/`.
+- `prebuild` removes only `dist`; the manual `clean` resets `dist` + `coverage`,
+  so a local coverage report survives a build.
+
+### Source imports use `.ts` extensions
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Source imports use `.ts`, never `.js`.
+
+#### Why
+
+- `node --strip-types` resolves the `.ts` form at test time.
+- `rewriteRelativeImportExtensions` rewrites them to `.js` in the emitted
+  JavaScript.
+- The emitted `.d.ts` keep the `.ts` specifier, which TypeScript >= 5.0 resolves
+  (see [README § Requirements](../README.md#requirements)), so no
+  post-processing step is needed.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- "Pre-fixing" an import to `.js`: it breaks the inner `node --strip-types`
+  loop.
+
+## Linting and formatting
+
+### Type-aware oxlint is a config property
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Type-aware oxlint is enabled via `options.typeAware: true` in `.oxlintrc.json`
+(powered by `oxlint-tsgolint`).
+
+#### Why
+
+- The script commands stay clean — no CLI flag.
+- A config property cannot be forgotten on one call site.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- A CLI flag in the `check:oxlint` / `fix:oxlint` scripts: it puts the mode in
+  two places and invites them to drift.
+
+### `oxlint-disable` directives live next to the code
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Known type-aware false positives are silenced with source-level `oxlint-disable`
+directives (see `src/pattern.ts`, `src/match.ts`, `src/index.test.ts`), not with
+rules disabled in `.oxlintrc.json`.
+
+#### Why
+
+- The disable sits next to the code it silences, visible to anyone reading the
+  source.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- A project-wide disable in `.oxlintrc.json`: it hides the suppression from the
+  reader of the affected code.
+
+#### Known issue
+
+- A source-level disable is a _human_ last resort. AI agents must not add one;
+  they fix the type at its root (see [AGENTS.md § Never do](../AGENTS.md#never-do)).
+
+### `check:tsc` runs first
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`check:tsc` runs first in the `npm run check` chain.
+
+#### Why
+
+- A type error short-circuits the rest, which is faster than running
+  oxlint/oxfmt and failing on `tsc` at the end.
+
+### `.editorconfig` is a fallback, not a gate
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`.editorconfig` exists for editor compatibility; where both apply,
+`.oxfmtrc.json` is authoritative.
+
+#### Why
+
+- `.editorconfig` covers the files oxfmt does not format: shell scripts,
+  dotfiles, `LICENSE`, the commit-message template, and git's `COMMIT_EDITMSG`
+  buffer.
+- oxfmt is the formatter; the overlapping keys only keep non-oxfmt editors close
+  to the formatted result, so they cannot disagree with the checker.
+
+## Static analysis and packaging
+
+### `knip` omits the `types` category
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`knip --include dependencies,exports,files` omits the `types` category.
+
+#### Why
+
+- `types` produces systematic false positives for libraries whose exported types
+  are part of the public API.
+- The narrower scope keeps the signal high without config-file boilerplate.
+
+### `attw` targets ESM-only
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`attw --profile esm-only` is used.
+
+#### Why
+
+- The package is intentionally ESM-only (no CommonJS shim), so CJS resolution
+  scenarios are out of scope by design, not a bug.
+
+### `tslib` is deliberately not used
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`tslib` is not a dependency.
+
+#### Why
+
+- `tslib` is a runtime helper for old ES3/ES5 targets; this project targets
+  ES2024.
+
+## Git hooks and script wiring
+
+### `LEFTHOOK_FILES` scopes commands to staged files
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+The pre-commit hook sets `LEFTHOOK_FILES` to the staged-files list, and the
+affected scripts use `${LEFTHOOK_FILES:-<default>}` to default to the whole
+project.
+
+#### Why
+
+- It keeps `package.json#scripts` the single source of truth; `lefthook.yml`
+  only says what to run on which files.
+- The same script works by hand (whole project) and staged (scoped), so there is
+  no second command to maintain.
+
+## Editor and agent tooling
+
+### VSCode integration
+
+- Recommended extensions are in
+  [.vscode/extensions.json](../.vscode/extensions.json) (oxc, cspell, TypeScript
+  native-preview, EditorConfig, todo-tasks).
+- TypeScript 7 runs via the `typescriptteam.native-preview` extension.
+- The oxc extension provides oxlint squiggles and oxfmt format-on-save;
+  `.vscode/settings.json` pins it per language so a local `[language]` formatter
+  setting cannot override the project's choice.
+
+### `@spences10/pi-lsp` is pinned and read-only
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`@spences10/pi-lsp` is pinned to `0.0.46` and used read-only.
+
+#### Why
+
+- It inspects `node_modules/typescript`, sees major >= 7 with no
+  `lib/tsserver.js` (true of the `typescript-go` / `tsgo` port), and spawns the
+  repo's own `tsc --lsp --stdio` — no `typescript-language-server` dependency is
+  needed.
+- Earlier releases (`<= 0.0.10`) hard-wire to `typescript-language-server
+--stdio` and are TS6-only.
+- It is _intermediate_ agent feedback (hover, references, definition, symbols,
+  diagnostics), with no rename / code-action / apply-edit surface, and is never a
+  gate — `npm run check` / `verify` are.
+- `.pi/settings.json` is the committed declaration; `.pi/npm/` is a gitignored
+  install cache that pi recreates on a trusted startup (running `npm install`
+  for any missing project package), so it is deliberately not tracked.
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+# Workflow
+
+How work moves through the repository. The rules are in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md); this file records why they are shaped the
+way they are.
+
+## Branching model
+
+The model is GitHub Flow (single-developer); the steps are in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md § Branching model](../CONTRIBUTING.md#branching-model). Context
+behind it: Gitea has no collaborative review UI in use, so it is the lab, and
+the project moves to GitHub once it is tested and ready.
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Work is opened and closed by `create:branch` / `create:finish`, not by prose
+plus hand-written `git`.
+
+#### Why
+
+- The preconditions were prose, and prose rots: a rule nobody checks is a
+  suggestion. A script asserts, then acts, so the branch or merge only exists if
+  the assertions passed.
+- Type-driven work is only trustworthy if the baseline was green before the
+  first edit. Cheap checks run first and `npm run test` last, so the expensive
+  gate is not paid on an ineligible tree.
+- The merge half owns the post-merge `npm run verify`, so a merge cannot land
+  unverified. The push stays with `create:release` so the merge is reviewed
+  locally first.
+- Every failure is non-mutating except the baseline test, which runs on `main`
+  after switching there: a red `main` restores the branch you started on, and a
+  merge conflict aborts back to the feature branch rather than stranding a
+  half-merged `main`.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- Hand-written `git switch -c` / `git merge`: same rules, no enforcement.
+- Reusing `pubv`'s preflight for `create:branch`: release-shaped, third-party,
+  and it would pay for a build and pack a new branch has no use for.
+- Leaving the merge to reviewer judgment: that judgment moved earlier, to the
+  handover review before `create:finish`, rather than living in a command anyone
+  can run from a dirty tree.
+- Fast-forward instead of `--no-ff`: `--no-ff` keeps each unit of work visible
+  in `git log`.
+
+#### Known issue
+
+- `create:finish` does not push, so `main` is ahead of `origin/main` between a
+  merge and the next push. `create:branch` requires `main` to match its upstream
+  and refuses until it is pushed; push `main` before starting the next branch.
+
+## Script prefix convention
+
+The prefix taxonomy is the rule, and it lives in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md § Script prefix convention](../CONTRIBUTING.md#script-prefix-convention).
+The design behind it: bare scripts are the tier entry points — a single tool
+(`build`, `clean`) or an aggregator of a `prefix:*` family (`check`, `fix`,
+`test`, `watch`, `maintain`, `setup`) — while `verify` composes `check` +
+`test:unit` into the whole-project gate (it uses `test:unit`, not `test`,
+because `check` already runs `check:tsc`).
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+`create:` is the prefix for workflow front doors, with no bare `create`
+aggregator.
+
+#### Why
+
+- Both members create something real: a branch, a release.
+- It joined both lists in [CONTRIBUTING.md](../CONTRIBUTING.md) alongside its
+  first members, so it could not go invisible the way the retired `use:` prefix
+  did.
+- `publish:*` already set the precedent for a prefix without an aggregator.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- `run:` / `perform:`: they mean only "do the named thing", so every script fits
+  and the taxonomy collapses.
+- `git:`: names the tool, not the lifecycle moment, and implies passthrough
+  aliases.
+- `start:`: describes the branch half, not the release.
+- `cut:`: idiomatic but needs VCS slang to decode.
+- `flow:`: overloaded in a type-level matching library.
+- The existing families: `check:*` is read-only (CI would run a state-mutating
+  command), `fix:*` reviews as a diff not a branch, `maintain:*` is advisory and
+  never a gate.
+
+## Feedback tiers
+
+The table and invocation rules are in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md § Feedback tiers](../CONTRIBUTING.md#feedback-tiers); this
+section explains the split.
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Fast, offline, staged-file checks sit in pre-commit; whole-project test runs in
+pre-push and `verify`; slow or network-bound scans under `maintain`.
+
+#### Why
+
+- `watch:*` runs until killed, in its own pane, so it is the earliest tier,
+  firing on save before staging or commit.
+- `check:tsc` / `check:oxlint` / `check:oxfmt` / `check:cspell` are fast
+  (~0.2–0.5s each), offline, and scope to staged files via `LEFTHOOK_FILES`, so
+  pre-commit gives instant feedback on what you typed.
+- `test` (and its `tsc`) runs the whole suite over the whole project, and the
+  staged-file convention does not apply to the test runner, so it belongs in
+  pre-push, after the commits exist but before the push leaves the machine.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- `maintain:*` in `check` or pre-commit: advisory, whole-project and
+  network-bound scans are not correctness gates and would slow the fast tier.
+- Treating a green pre-commit as the definition of done: it sees only staged
+  files, hence `npm run verify`.
+- A separate `git push` hook for `verify`: the pre-push test tier already covers
+  it.
+
+## Commit messages
+
+The convention is in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md § Commit messages](../CONTRIBUTING.md#commit-messages).
+Examples: `:sparkles: Add watch tier with watch:test child`,
+`:recycle: Move type-aware config to .oxlintrc.json; use source-level disable
+directives`, `:memo: Restore unique maintainer content as CONTRIBUTING.md`. The
+body explains what and why, not how; link issues with `Resolves #...`.
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Gitmoji subjects, imperative mood, wrapped 50/72, not Conventional Commits.
+
+#### Why
+
+- The history is gitmoji and predates any commit-lint tooling; switching would
+  rewrite the convention for no gain.
+- The body carries the reasoning a reviewer needs; the subject is a signpost,
+  not a semantic key.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- Conventional Commits: the release flow uses hand-written Keep-a-Changelog
+  notes, not generated ones, so the prefix has no automation value here (see
+  [publishing.md](./publishing.md)).
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# CI job image for the Gitea act_runner: the runner's default job image with
+# Node pre-planted where actions/setup-node looks first.
+#
+# Why this layout: setup-node ignores `node` on PATH; its only fast path is a
+# probe of /opt/hostedtoolcache/node/<version>/<arch>. Without an entry there
+# it downloads the ~50 MB distribution on EVERY job (the runner's job
+# containers are ephemeral, so its tool cache never survives a job). The
+# official node images keep exactly the layout setup-node expects under
+# /usr/local, so this layer is a pure file overlay — no scripts, no env.
+#
+# Why not a host bind of /opt/hostedtoolcache: binds never self-prune. Docker
+# images are content-addressed: the base layers dedupe against the act image
+# the host already has, and `docker image prune` / re-pulls are the cleanup
+# story.
+#
+# NODE_VERSION must match `.node-version` exactly. setup-node resolves a float
+# like `26` to the latest known patch at runtime, so a bump silently busts the
+# baked entry; `.node-version` is pinned to x.y.z and scripts/runner-image.sh
+# guards the coupling. Rebuild + repoint `container.image` in
+# .gitea/workflows/ci.yml on every bump.
+#
+# The extra `nodebase` stage is load-bearing: `COPY --from=` resolves its value
+# as a *stage name* at parse time, before build args exist, so
+# `COPY --from=node:${NODE_VERSION}` collapses to the invalid `node:` on
+# frontends that do not expand args there. ARGs declared before the first FROM
+# *are* expanded in FROM, so routing through a named stage works everywhere.
+
+# Global scope: only visible to FROM lines, but that is exactly where we need it.
+ARG NODE_VERSION=26.8.2
+FROM node:${NODE_VERSION} AS nodebase
+
+FROM catthehacker/ubuntu:act-latest
+
+# ARGs do not cross stage boundaries; redeclare (with the same default, so a
+# bare `docker build -f docker/Dockerfile .` still works) for the paths below.
+# Keep this default in sync with the global one above.
+ARG NODE_VERSION=26.8.2
+
+# node image: bin/ + lib/ under /usr/local → tool cache: bin/ + lib/ under <ver>/x64.
+COPY --from=nodebase /usr/local /opt/hostedtoolcache/node/${NODE_VERSION}/x64
+
+# actions/tool-cache only accepts a cached tool when the sibling marker file
+# "<version>/<arch>.complete" exists — tc.find() checks it and falls back to
+# downloading otherwise, however complete the directory is. The marker is what
+# tc.cacheDir() writes after *it* installs a tool, so a pre-baked entry has to
+# reproduce it explicitly.
+RUN touch "/opt/hostedtoolcache/node/${NODE_VERSION}/x64.complete"
+
+# Fail the build (not CI) if the overlay or the version arg were wrong.
+# Shell form on purpose: exec form (`RUN [...]`) does not expand ARG values.
+RUN "/opt/hostedtoolcache/node/${NODE_VERSION}/x64/bin/node" --version
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+{
+    "$schema": "./node_modules/knip/schema.json",
+    "entry": ["scripts/*.ts"],
+    "ignoreDependencies": ["@runwisp/pubv"]
+}
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
    "name": "tiny-pattern-ts",
-    "version": "0.0.0",
+    "version": "0.1.6",
    "description": "Pattern matching for TypeScript/ESM environments (F#-style, not regex)",
    "keywords": [
        "adt",
@@ -27,8 +27,6 @@
    ],
    "type": "module",
    "sideEffects": false,
-    "main": "./dist/index.js",
-    "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
    "exports": {
        ".": {
            "types": "./dist/index.d.ts",
@@ -40,16 +38,19 @@
    },
    "scripts": {
        "build": "tsc -p tsconfig.build.json",
+        "prebuild": "rm -rf dist",
        "check": "npm run check:tsc && npm run check:oxlint && npm run check:oxfmt && npm run check:cspell",
        "check:cspell": "cspell lint ${LEFTHOOK_FILES:-.}",
        "check:oxfmt": "oxfmt --check ${LEFTHOOK_FILES:-.}",
-        "check:oxlint": "oxlint ${LEFTHOOK_FILES:-src}",
+        "check:oxlint": "oxlint ${LEFTHOOK_FILES:-src scripts}",
        "check:tsc": "tsc",
-        "clean": "node -e \"fs.rmSync('dist', { recursive: true, force: true })\"",
+        "clean": "rm -rf dist coverage",
        "fix": "npm run fix:oxlint && npm run fix:oxfmt",
        "fix:oxfmt": "oxfmt ${LEFTHOOK_FILES:-.}",
-        "fix:oxlint": "oxlint --fix src",
-        "release": "./scripts/release.sh",
+        "fix:oxlint": "oxlint --fix src scripts",
+        "create:branch": "./scripts/branch.sh",
+        "create:finish": "./scripts/finish.sh",
+        "create:release": "./scripts/release.sh",
        "maintain": "npm run maintain:knip; npm run maintain:outdated",
        "maintain:knip": "knip --include dependencies,exports,files",
        "maintain:outdated": "check-outdated --ignore-pre-releases",
@@ -61,7 +62,8 @@
        "watch:test": "node --test --watch --strip-types \"src/**/*.test.ts\"",
        "publish:attw": "attw . --pack --profile esm-only",
        "publish:publint": "publint",
-        "use:git-commit-message": "git config commit.template commit-message-template"
+        "setup": "npm run setup:git-commit-message",
+        "setup:git-commit-message": "git config commit.template commit-message-template"
    },
    "devDependencies": {
        "@arethetypeswrong/cli": "^0.18.5",
@@ -75,8 +77,8 @@
        "expect-type": "1.4.0",
        "knip": "^6.34.0",
        "lefthook": "^2.1.12",
-        "oxfmt": "^0.66.0",
-        "oxlint": "^1.81.0",
+        "oxfmt": "^0.68.0",
+        "oxlint": "^1.83.0",
        "oxlint-tsgolint": "^7.0.2001",
        "publint": "^0.3.24",
        "typescript": "^7.0.2"
@@ -85,6 +87,6 @@
        "node": ">=26"
    },
    "allowScripts": {
-        "lefthook@2.1.12": true
+        "lefthook@2.1.14": true
    }
 }
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -eu
+
+# Branch front-door. Run as `npm run create:branch -- <prefix>/<desc>`.
+#
+# Asserts the branch preconditions — clean tree, no in-progress operation,
+# current `main`, green baseline — and only then creates the branch, so the
+# expensive `npm run test` is not paid on a tree that was never eligible.
+#
+# Why the front door exists, the rejected prefix names, and the `create:`
+# decision: development/workflow.md § Branching model and § Script prefix
+# convention.
+
+BASE="main"
+PREFIXES="feature fix chore"
+NAME="${1:-}"
+
+if [ -z "${NAME}" ]; then
+    echo "usage: npm run create:branch -- <prefix>/<desc>    (prefix: ${PREFIXES})" >&2
+    exit 2
+fi
+
+git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree >/dev/null 2>&1 || {
+    echo "error: not inside a git work tree." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+MATCH=0
+for p in ${PREFIXES}; do
+    case "${NAME}" in
+    "${p}/"*) MATCH=1 ;;
+    esac
+done
+if [ "${MATCH}" -ne 1 ]; then
+    echo "error: '${NAME}' must start with one of: ${PREFIXES}." >&2
+    echo "       the prefix is inferred from the task, not defaulted here." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+git check-ref-format --branch "${NAME}" >/dev/null 2>&1 || {
+    echo "error: '${NAME}' is not a valid branch name." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+git show-ref --verify --quiet "refs/heads/${NAME}" && {
+    echo "error: branch '${NAME}' already exists; switch to it instead." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+START_REF=$(git symbolic-ref --quiet --short HEAD || true)
+if [ -z "${START_REF}" ]; then
+    echo "error: detached HEAD; switch to a branch first." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+STATE_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --absolute-git-dir)
+for state in MERGE_HEAD rebase-merge rebase-apply CHERRY_PICK_HEAD BISECT_LOG; do
+    [ -e "${STATE_ROOT}/${state}" ] && {
+        echo "error: a '${state}' operation is in progress; finish or abort it first." >&2
+        exit 1
+    }
+done
+# `--porcelain` is deliberately stricter than `git diff --quiet`: it also reports
+# untracked files, which would otherwise ride silently onto the new branch.
+DIRTY=$(git status --porcelain)
+if [ -n "${DIRTY}" ]; then
+    echo "error: working tree is not clean:" >&2
+    echo "${DIRTY}" | sed 's/^/         /' >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+git show-ref --verify --quiet "refs/heads/${BASE}" || {
+    echo "error: no local '${BASE}' to branch from." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Derive the remote rather than hardcoding it: this repo has `origin` (ssh) and
+# `origin_https`, and `main` tracks the latter — `git fetch origin main` would
+# check currency against a ref that is never updated here.
+# `--quiet` echoes the unresolved `main@{upstream}` literal to stdout on
+# failure, so it cannot be paired with a `$(...) || fallback`; the non-quiet
+# form prints nothing on failure and the fallback runs.
+UPSTREAM=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref --symbolic-full-name "${BASE}@{upstream}" 2>/dev/null) || UPSTREAM=""
+if [ -n "${UPSTREAM}" ]; then
+    git fetch --quiet "${UPSTREAM%/*}" "${UPSTREAM#*/}" || {
+        echo "error: '${UPSTREAM}' check failed: could not reach '${UPSTREAM%/*}'." >&2
+        echo "       refusing to branch on a possibly stale '${BASE}'." >&2
+        exit 1
+    }
+    BEHIND=$(git rev-list --count "${BASE}..${UPSTREAM}")
+    AHEAD=$(git rev-list --count "${UPSTREAM}..${BASE}")
+    if [ "${BEHIND}" -ne 0 ] || [ "${AHEAD}" -ne 0 ]; then
+        echo "error: '${BASE}' has diverged from '${UPSTREAM}' (ahead ${AHEAD}, behind ${BEHIND})." >&2
+        [ "${AHEAD}" -ne 0 ] && echo "       not yet pushed commits on '${BASE}': push them, or rebase this work onto them." >&2
+        [ "${BEHIND}" -ne 0 ] && echo "       update it: git switch ${BASE} && git pull --ff-only" >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+else
+    echo "warning: '${BASE}' has no upstream; freshness against the remote is unchecked." >&2
+fi
+
+restore() {
+    git switch --quiet "${START_REF}" 2>/dev/null || true
+}
+trap 'restore' EXIT HUP INT TERM
+
+if [ "${START_REF}" != "${BASE}" ]; then
+    git switch --quiet "${BASE}"
+fi
+
+echo "Baseline: npm run test"
+if ! npm run --silent test; then
+    echo "error: baseline is red on '${BASE}'; fix that first so later failures stay attributable." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+git switch --quiet --no-track -c "${NAME}"
+trap - EXIT HUP INT TERM
+
+# push.default=upstream is set here, so an inherited upstream would make a bare
+# `git push` target main. Branching local-from-local does not set one anyway;
+# --no-track says so out loud.
+echo "Created ${NAME} from ${BASE} $(git rev-parse --short "${BASE}")."
@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -eu
+
+# Feature-finish front door. Run as `npm run create:finish`.
+#
+# Mirror image of `create:branch`: asserts the merge-side preconditions, merges
+# the current `feature/`/`fix/`/`chore/` branch into `main` with `--no-ff`,
+# proves the result with `npm run verify`, and only then deletes the branch. The
+# push is owned by `create:release`, so the merge stays local and reviewable.
+# On a conflict it aborts and returns to the feature branch.
+#
+# Rationale and the rejected alternatives: development/workflow.md § Branching
+# model.
+
+BASE="main"
+PREFIXES="feature fix chore"
+
+git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree >/dev/null 2>&1 || {
+    echo "error: not inside a git work tree." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+STATE_ROOT=$(git rev-parse --absolute-git-dir)
+for state in MERGE_HEAD rebase-merge rebase-apply CHERRY_PICK_HEAD BISECT_LOG; do
+    [ -e "${STATE_ROOT}/${state}" ] && {
+        echo "error: a '${state}' operation is in progress; finish or abort it first." >&2
+        exit 1
+    }
+done
+
+# `--porcelain` is deliberately stricter than `git diff --quiet`: it also
+# reports untracked files, which would otherwise not be part of the merge and
+# silently outlive the branch deletion.
+DIRTY=$(git status --porcelain)
+if [ -n "${DIRTY}" ]; then
+    echo "error: working tree is not clean:" >&2
+    echo "${DIRTY}" | sed 's/^/         /' >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+START_REF=$(git symbolic-ref --quiet --short HEAD || true)
+if [ -z "${START_REF}" ]; then
+    echo "error: detached HEAD; switch to the branch you want to finish." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ "${START_REF}" = "${BASE}" ]; then
+    echo "error: already on '${BASE}'; switch to the branch to finish." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+MATCH=0
+for p in ${PREFIXES}; do
+    case "${START_REF}" in
+    "${p}/"*) MATCH=1 ;;
+    esac
+done
+if [ "${MATCH}" -ne 1 ]; then
+    echo "error: '${START_REF}' must start with one of: ${PREFIXES}." >&2
+    echo "       refusing to merge a branch that is not a unit of work." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+git show-ref --verify --quiet "refs/heads/${BASE}" || {
+    echo "error: no local '${BASE}' to merge into." >&2
+    exit 1
+}
+
+# Derive the remote rather than hardcoding it: this repo has `origin` (ssh) and
+# `origin_https`, and `main` tracks the latter — `git fetch origin main` would
+# check currency against a ref that is never updated here.
+# `--quiet` echoes the unresolved `main@{upstream}` literal to stdout on
+# failure, so it cannot be paired with a `$(...) || fallback`; the non-quiet
+# form prints nothing on failure and the fallback runs.
+UPSTREAM=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref --symbolic-full-name "${BASE}@{upstream}" 2>/dev/null) || UPSTREAM=""
+BEHIND=0
+if [ -n "${UPSTREAM}" ]; then
+    git fetch --quiet "${UPSTREAM%/*}" "${UPSTREAM#*/}" || {
+        echo "error: '${UPSTREAM}' check failed: could not reach '${UPSTREAM%/*}'." >&2
+        echo "       refusing to merge onto a possibly stale '${BASE}'." >&2
+        exit 1
+    }
+    BEHIND=$(git rev-list --count "${BASE}..${UPSTREAM}")
+    AHEAD=$(git rev-list --count "${UPSTREAM}..${BASE}")
+    if [ "${AHEAD}" -ne 0 ] && [ "${BEHIND}" -ne 0 ]; then
+        echo "error: '${BASE}' has diverged from '${UPSTREAM}' (ahead ${AHEAD}, behind ${BEHIND})." >&2
+        echo "       reconcile '${BASE}' with '${UPSTREAM}' before finishing." >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+else
+    echo "warning: '${BASE}' has no upstream; freshness against the remote is unchecked." >&2
+fi
+
+echo "Finishing into ${BASE}:"
+git --no-pager log --oneline --no-decorate "${BASE}..${START_REF}" | sed 's/^/  /'
+
+git switch --quiet "${BASE}"
+if [ "${BEHIND}" -ne 0 ]; then
+    echo "Fast-forwarding ${BASE} to ${UPSTREAM} (${BEHIND} commit(s))."
+    git merge --quiet --ff-only "${UPSTREAM}"
+fi
+
+if ! git merge --quiet --no-ff -m ":twisted_rightwards_arrows: Merge ${START_REF} into ${BASE}" "${START_REF}"; then
+    echo "error: merge of '${START_REF}' failed; aborting and returning to it." >&2
+    git merge --abort 2>/dev/null || true
+    git switch --quiet "${START_REF}"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "Verify: npm run verify"
+if ! npm run --silent verify; then
+    echo "error: 'npm run verify' is red after the merge." >&2
+    echo "       the merge is local and not yet pushed; fix it on '${BASE}' and commit," >&2
+    echo "       then drop the now-merged branch with 'git branch -d ${START_REF}'." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+git branch --delete "${START_REF}" >/dev/null
+echo "Merged ${START_REF} into ${BASE} and deleted the branch."
+echo "Next: npm run create:release (or git push, for a merge with no release)."
@@ -0,0 +1,147 @@
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import zlib from "node:zlib";
+
+/**
+ * Emit precompressed `.br` / `.gz` / `.zst` sidecars next to every text asset
+ * under the given directories, keeping the originals. The Gitea pages service
+ * (`static-web-server` with `SERVER_COMPRESSION_STATIC=true`) serves the sidecar
+ * matching `Accept-Encoding` and falls back to the original for the rest.
+ *
+ * Usage: node --strip-types scripts/precompress.ts <dir> [<dir>...]
+ *
+ * Why sidecars rather than per-request compression: development/ci.md § Coverage
+ * serving.
+ */
+
+/**
+ * Only extensions worth compressing. Images, fonts and archives are already
+ * compressed, so a sidecar would only make them bigger.
+ */
+const TEXT_EXTENSIONS: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set([
+    ".css",
+    ".htm",
+    ".html",
+    ".info",
+    ".js",
+    ".json",
+    ".map",
+    ".md",
+    ".mjs",
+    ".svg",
+    ".txt",
+    ".xml",
+    ".yaml",
+    ".yml",
+]);
+
+const GZIP_LEVEL = 9;
+const ZSTD_LEVEL = 19;
+const INITIAL_COUNT = 0;
+/** `process.argv` is `[node, script, ...args]`; drop the first two entries. */
+const ARGV_PREFIX_LENGTH = 2;
+const FAILURE_EXIT_CODE = 1;
+
+interface Encoder {
+    readonly suffix: string;
+    readonly encode: (input: Buffer) => Buffer;
+}
+
+const ENCODERS: readonly Encoder[] = [
+    {
+        suffix: ".br",
+        encode: (input) =>
+            zlib.brotliCompressSync(input, {
+                params: {
+                    [zlib.constants.BROTLI_PARAM_QUALITY]:
+                        zlib.constants.BROTLI_MAX_QUALITY,
+                },
+            }),
+    },
+    {
+        suffix: ".gz",
+        encode: (input) => zlib.gzipSync(input, { level: GZIP_LEVEL }),
+    },
+    {
+        suffix: ".zst",
+        encode: (input) =>
+            zlib.zstdCompressSync(input, {
+                params: {
+                    [zlib.constants.ZSTD_c_compressionLevel]: ZSTD_LEVEL,
+                },
+            }),
+    },
+];
+
+interface Totals {
+    assets: number;
+    sidecars: number;
+    savedBytes: number;
+}
+
+/** Depth-first list of every regular file under `directory`, recursively. */
+const listFiles = (directory: string): string[] => {
+    const files: string[] = [];
+    for (const entry of fs.readdirSync(directory, { withFileTypes: true })) {
+        const entryPath = path.join(directory, entry.name);
+        if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+            files.push(...listFiles(entryPath));
+        } else if (entry.isFile()) {
+            files.push(entryPath);
+        }
+    }
+    return files;
+};
+
+const writeSidecar = (
+    target: string,
+    input: Buffer,
+    encoder: Encoder,
+): number => {
+    const compressed = encoder.encode(input);
+    if (compressed.byteLength < input.byteLength) {
+        fs.writeFileSync(target, compressed);
+        return input.byteLength - compressed.byteLength;
+    }
+    // Drop a stale sidecar: it would still win at the server.
+    fs.rmSync(target, { force: true });
+    return INITIAL_COUNT;
+};
+
+const precompress = (file: string, totals: Totals): void => {
+    if (!TEXT_EXTENSIONS.has(path.extname(file).toLowerCase())) {
+        return;
+    }
+    totals.assets += 1;
+    const input = fs.readFileSync(file);
+    for (const encoder of ENCODERS) {
+        const saved = writeSidecar(`${file}${encoder.suffix}`, input, encoder);
+        if (saved > INITIAL_COUNT) {
+            totals.sidecars += 1;
+            totals.savedBytes += saved;
+        }
+    }
+};
+
+const main = (directories: readonly string[]): void => {
+    if (directories.length === INITIAL_COUNT) {
+        process.stderr.write("usage: precompress.ts <dir> [<dir>...]\n");
+        process.exitCode = FAILURE_EXIT_CODE;
+        return;
+    }
+    const totals: Totals = {
+        assets: INITIAL_COUNT,
+        sidecars: INITIAL_COUNT,
+        savedBytes: INITIAL_COUNT,
+    };
+    for (const directory of directories) {
+        for (const file of listFiles(directory)) {
+            precompress(file, totals);
+        }
+    }
+    process.stdout.write(
+        `precompressed ${totals.assets} text assets into ${totals.sidecars} sidecars (saved ${totals.savedBytes} bytes)\n`,
+    );
+};
+
+main(process.argv.slice(ARGV_PREFIX_LENGTH));
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+set -eu
+
+# Print the Keep-a-Changelog section for a release tag, so CI can use it as the
+# body of the Gitea release page without re-implementing CHANGELOG parsing.
+#
+# Run as `scripts/release-notes.sh <tag>`. A leading `v` is tolerated so both
+# `v1.2.3` and `1.2.3` match the `## [1.2.3]` heading. Prints to stdout and
+# exits non-zero when the tag has no section, so a release can never publish
+# with an empty body.
+#
+# Why: development/publishing.md § Release notes are extracted from the changelog.
+
+TAG="${1:-}"
+CHANGELOG="${CHANGELOG:-CHANGELOG.md}"
+
+if [ -z "${TAG}" ]; then
+    echo "Error: usage: $0 <tag>" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+if [ ! -f "${CHANGELOG}" ]; then
+    echo "Error: ${CHANGELOG} not found." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# `v1.2.3` and `1.2.3` are the same release; the heading only ever uses the
+# bare version.
+VERSION="${TAG#v}"
+
+awk -v version="${VERSION}" '
+    # A new section ends the one we are printing (or is the one we want).
+    /^## \[/ {
+        if (found) exit
+        heading = $0
+        sub(/^## \[/, "", heading)
+        sub(/\].*$/, "", heading)
+        if (heading == version) found = 1
+        next
+    }
+
+    # Link-reference definitions live at the bottom of the file and are never
+    # part of the section body. Stopping here keeps the last release notes
+    # from picking them up (there is no following heading to stop at).
+    /^\[[^]]+\]:/ { exit }
+
+    found {
+        if ($0 ~ /^[[:space:]]*$/) {
+            # Buffer blank lines so trailing ones at the end of the section
+            # are dropped instead of leaking into the release body.
+            if (started) pending = pending $0 "\n"
+        } else {
+            printf "%s%s\n", pending, $0
+            pending = ""
+            started = 1
+        }
+    }
+
+    END {
+        if (!found) {
+            printf "Error: no CHANGELOG section for [%s].\n", version > "/dev/stderr"
+            exit 1
+        }
+    }
+' "${CHANGELOG}"
@@ -2,39 +2,63 @@

 set -eu

-# Release front-door. Run as `npm run release`.
+# Release front-door. Run as `npm run create:release`.
 #
-# How we got here (short): we want hand-written Keep-a-Changelog notes, an
-# [Unreleased] -> "## [x.y.z] - DATE" graduation, and a tag that marks the exact
-# commit on main that gets published. No single tool did BOTH the [Unreleased]
-# graduation AND the package.json bump. So split by strength: `pubv` (tiny,
-# changelog-driven) owns preflight + the interactive major/minor/patch heuristic
-# + graduating/committing CHANGELOG.md (no tag, no push); `npm version` syncs
-# package.json + the lockfile; `--amend` folds them into pubv's single commit;
-# tag AFTER the amend (so the tag is never orphaned) and push.
+# Graduates the [Unreleased] changelog notes, bumps package.json + the lockfile,
+# and commits then tags the exact SHA that CI publishes. The notes are finalized
+# in VS Code before pubv because pubv's bump heuristic reads the [Unreleased]
+# body.
 #
-# Rejected: the conventional-commits family (our history is gitmoji, not
-# Conventional; and we want hand-written notes); changesets/rtk (config + a
-# heavier version/publish flow that fights our CI-only publish); knope/kacl/
-# bestikk (changelog-only — don't bump package.json; plus 5yr/2yr/brand-new
-# maintenance); pubv alone (verified it never writes package.json). We also
-# tried `versions` (silverwind) — great Gitea support — but pairing it with a
-# hand-rolled promote became a ~180-line script we'd have to maintain, which is
-# exactly what this ~30-line version replaces.
+# Tooling rationale, the rejected alternatives, and the version source of truth:
+# development/publishing.md.

 CHANGELOG="CHANGELOG.md"
+BASE="main"

 if ! command -v code >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    echo "Error: 'code' (VS Code CLI) not found; install it or remove the editor step." >&2
    exit 1
 fi

+# Releases are cut from `main` (see CONTRIBUTING § Publishing workflow). Make
+# that explicit rather than relying on pubv's default-branch check, so the
+# error names `main` even when the remote's default is configured differently.
+CURRENT=$(git symbolic-ref --quiet --short HEAD || true)
+if [ "${CURRENT}" != "${BASE}" ]; then
+    echo "Error: releases are cut from '${BASE}', but HEAD is '${CURRENT:-detached}'." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# pubv decides the "default branch" by reading the *local*
+# `refs/remotes/origin/HEAD`, not by asking the remote, and `git fetch` never
+# updates that ref. After a default-branch change — or a clone from when the
+# default was different — it goes stale and pubv warns/fails because the
+# current branch (main) does not match it, even though main *is* the remote
+# default. Refresh it from the remote first, so pubv's branch preflight
+# compares against reality. (Without a network this fails, but so would the
+# push pubv is about to do, so it is a real error rather than one to swallow.)
+if ! git remote set-head origin --auto >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo "Error: could not refresh origin/HEAD; check connectivity to origin." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# The [Unreleased] body drives pubv's bump heuristic, so finalize it first.
+echo "Opening ${CHANGELOG} in VS Code to finalize the release notes..."
+code --wait "${CHANGELOG}"
+
+# pubv refuses a dirty tree (its "continue with a dirty tree?" prompt defaults
+# to No), so a changed changelog must be committed before it runs. That commit
+# is staging only — the fold below rewrites it into the single release commit.
+NOTES_MSG=":memo: Finalize release notes"
+if [ -n "$(git status --porcelain -- "${CHANGELOG}")" ]; then
+    echo "Committing finalized release notes..."
+    git add "${CHANGELOG}"
+    git commit -m "${NOTES_MSG}"
+fi
+
 echo "Running pubv..."
 pubv --no-tag --no-push --tag-prefix=none

-echo "Opening ${CHANGELOG} in VS Code..."
-code --wait "${CHANGELOG}"
-
 echo "Reading version from ${CHANGELOG}..."

 VERSION=$(
@@ -52,9 +76,21 @@ echo "Release version: ${VERSION}"
 echo "Updating package.json and package-lock.json..."
 npm version "${VERSION}" --no-git-tag-version

+# If pubv's graduation commit sits on top of our staging notes commit, drop it
+# back into the index so the amend below rewrites the notes commit into the one
+# release commit. A message check, not a flag, so a re-run after pubv aborted
+# still folds a notes commit left behind by the earlier attempt.
+if [ "$(git log -1 --format=%s HEAD~1 2>/dev/null || true)" = "${NOTES_MSG}" ]; then
+    git reset --soft HEAD~1
+fi
+
 echo "Amending release commit..."
 git add package.json package-lock.json "${CHANGELOG}"
-git commit --amend -m ":bookmark: Release ${VERSION}"
+# The exact message format is load-bearing: the `release-gate` job in
+# .gitea/workflows/ci.yml recognizes `:rocket: Release x.y.z` on main and
+# skips the full CI run, since the tag push immediately after verifies the
+# identical SHA (and publishes). Keep the two in sync.
+git commit --amend -m ":rocket: Release ${VERSION}"

 echo "Creating tag ${VERSION}..."
 git tag "${VERSION}"
@@ -0,0 +1,36 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Build (and optionally push) the CI job image from docker/Dockerfile.
+# Run wherever docker + registry credentials live (the runner host, or any
+# machine that can reach the registry). The registry/repo below MUST match
+# the `container.image` references in .gitea/workflows/ci.yml — the runner
+# pulls the image by name.
+#
+# Usage: scripts/runner-image.sh [--push]
+#
+# Why the image is baked, its two invariants, and the coordinated Node-bump
+# steps: development/ci.md.
+
+IMAGE_REPO="gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/act-ci"
+
+NODE_VERSION="$(tr -d '[:space:]' < .node-version)"
+if [[ ! "${NODE_VERSION}" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]]; then
+    echo "error: .node-version must be pinned to an exact x.y.z, got '${NODE_VERSION}'." >&2
+    echo "       setup-node resolves floats like '26' to the latest patch at runtime," >&2
+    echo "       which silently busts the tool-cache entry baked into the image." >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+IMAGE="${IMAGE_REPO}:${NODE_VERSION}"
+
+# --pull: refresh the act base layer so the derivative does not float on an
+# aging default image forever (layer dedup keeps this cheap).
+docker build --pull --build-arg "NODE_VERSION=${NODE_VERSION}" -t "${IMAGE}" -f docker/Dockerfile .
+
+if [[ "${1:-}" == "--push" ]]; then
+    docker push "${IMAGE}"
+fi
+
+echo "built ${IMAGE}"
+echo "reminder: bump container.image in .gitea/workflows/ci.yml to this tag"
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
        "noEmit": false,
        "target": "es2024",
        "declaration": true,
-        "declarationMap": true,
        "sourceMap": true,
+        "inlineSources": true,
        "outDir": "dist",
        "rewriteRelativeImportExtensions": true,
        "rootDir": "src"
@@ -8,5 +8,5 @@
        "allowImportingTsExtensions": true,
        "verbatimModuleSyntax": true
    },
-    "include": ["src"]
+    "include": ["src", "scripts"]
 }
@@ -1 +1 @@
 
 .8.2