🚀 Release 0.1.8

🔀 Merge chore/upgrade-deps into main
📝 Require concise prose in development/
2026-09-16 09:01:49 +00:00 · 2026-09-16 08:56:32 +00:00 · 2026-09-16 08:00:36 +00:00 · 2026-09-16 07:55:25 +00:00 · 2026-09-16 07:31:49 +00:00 · 2026-09-16 07:23:24 +00:00
24 changed files with 1999 additions and 742 deletions
@@ -12,17 +12,64 @@ on:
    workflow_dispatch: {}

 jobs:
-    build:
+    # 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
-        # Bind-mount 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`); `image` is omitted on purpose so the
-        # runner keeps using its default job image.
+        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
@@ -69,8 +116,14 @@ jobs:
    # 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
@@ -84,24 +137,30 @@ jobs:
        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`), not `NPM_TOKEN`, so it needs `contents: write`.
+        # (`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: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
        steps:
-            # Double-gate: publish only runs on a tag *and* aborts here if NPM_TOKEN
-            # is unset, so a tag push never silently no-ops (or half-publishes). Set
-            # NPM_TOKEN in the Gitea repo: Settings → Actions → Secrets.
-            - name: Assert NPM_TOKEN is configured
-              run: |
-                  if [ -z "${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}" ]; then
-                      echo "::error::NPM_TOKEN secret is not set — refusing to publish."
-                      exit 1
-                  fi
            - 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
@@ -122,9 +181,28 @@ jobs:
              env:
                  TAG_REF: ${{ gitea.ref }}
              run: ./scripts/release-notes.sh "${TAG_REF#refs/tags/}" > release-notes.md
-            - uses: https://gitea.com/actions/gitea-release-action@v1
+            - name: Create the Gitea release
+              id: gitea_release
+              uses: https://gitea.com/actions/gitea-release-action@v1
              with:
                  body_path: release-notes.md
-            - run: npm publish --access public
+            - name: Publish to npm
+              id: npm_publish
+              if: env.NPM_TOKEN != ''
+              run: npm publish --access public
              env:
-                  NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
+                  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 +1 @@
-26
+26.8.2
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ first-action facts. Do not restate evolving prose here — it will drift.
 - **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
@@ -64,5 +65,6 @@ In both cases, follow [CONTRIBUTING.md § Testing discipline (type-driven)](./CO
 - [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 +7,54 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0

 ## [Unreleased]

-[Unreleased]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts
+## [0.1.8] - 2026-09-16
+
+- upgrade dependencies
+- ignore `@types/node` in `maintain:outdated` (misleading `latest` dist-tag)
+- require extremely concise prose in `development/`
+
+## [0.1.7] - 2026-09-16
+
+- require a short summary under `[Unreleased]` in the changelog before a branch is finished
+- let `create:branch` start from a `main` that is ahead of its upstream, so a finished merge no longer blocks the next branch until it is pushed
+
+## [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/0.1.8...main
+[0.1.8]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts/compare/0.1.7...0.1.8
+[0.1.7]: https://gitea.e1nsnull.de/tmu/tiny-pattern-ts/compare/0.1.6...0.1.7
+[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
@@ -1,100 +1,227 @@
 # 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` only resolves the `.ts` form at test time; "Pre-fixing" an import to `.js` breaks the inner loop. (rationale: README § Tooling decisions)
- **A new `npm run` script must reuse an existing prefix** (`create:` / `check:` / `fix:` / `test:` / `watch:` / `maintain:` / `publish:` / `setup:`). 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 both lists here in the same commit; an undocumented prefix becomes invisible and quietly accrues members. (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))
- **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. (see [Branching model](#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. (see [Branching model](#branching-model))
- **There is no local `npm run publish`, and `publish:publint` / `publish:attw` don't go in `check`.** (see [Publishing workflow](#publishing-workflow))
+## Development commands

-## Editor configuration
-
-`.editorconfig` is for editor compatibility, not a gate — it is a sane fallback for the files oxfmt does not format (shell scripts, dotfiles, `LICENSE`, the commit-message template, and git's `COMMIT_EDITMSG` buffer). Where both apply, `.oxfmtrc.json` is authoritative: oxfmt is the formatter, and the overlapping `.editorconfig` keys only keep non-oxfmt editors close to the formatted result.
-
-## Commit messages
-
-Gitmoji subject, imperative mood, 50/72 wrapping. The template is `commit-message-template`; run `npm run setup:git-commit-message` once after cloning to register it as git's `commit.template` (or `npm run setup` to run every one-time clone step).
-
-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:
-
- `create:*` — front doors of the repo's own workflow; these mutate git state rather than the source. `create:branch` opens a unit of work (asserts a clean tree, a current `main` and a green baseline before it branches), `create:finish` closes the branch half (merges the current unit of work into `main` and verifies the result), `create:release` closes the release half (maintainer-only). No bare `create` aggregator on purpose — see `publish:*` for the precedent.
- `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))
- `setup:*` — one-time configuration of a fresh clone; mutates the local environment (git config, editor settings) rather than the repo source, so it is never part of a hook or CI step. Aggregated by `npm run setup` (the umbrella), run once after cloning.
-
-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. When it genuinely does belong, a new prefix is allowed — but it enters both lists in this file in the same commit as its first member, otherwise the rule "reuse an existing prefix" silently develops an exception (the old `use:` prefix was exactly that; it is now retired into `setup:`).
-
-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`, `setup`), plus one convenience that composes across tiers: `verify` — 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 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                  | Gitea release page (body from CHANGELOG) + `publish:publint` + `publish:attw`, then `npm publish`        | ~15s  |
+| 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).
+
+## Code style and formatting
+
+`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)).
+
+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 branch ends with a changelog note:** before `npm run create:finish`,
+  summarize the work under `[Unreleased]` in [CHANGELOG.md](./CHANGELOG.md).
+  (why:
+  [development/workflow.md](./development/workflow.md#changelog-notes))
+- **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))
+- **Prose in `development/` is extremely concise.** When adding or changing a
+  decision, write fragments if needed — sacrifice grammar for concision. (why:
+  [development/README.md § Decision blocks](./development/README.md#decision-blocks))

 ## Branching model

-**GitHub Flow (single-developer).** Every change — feature, fix, refactor — branches off `main` and is merged back via a local commit (no PR workflow on Gitea yet). Collaborative review via Gitea UI is not in place — Gitea is the lab; when something is tested and ready for production it will be promoted to GitHub.
+**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 (untracked files included), no merge/rebase/cherry-pick is in progress, `main` matches its upstream, and `npm run test` is green on `main` — so a later failure is always attributable to your edits. The prefix is still _your_ call, inferred from the task; the script validates it rather than guessing it.
- **Merging:** `npm run create:finish` (on the branch). It asserts the same clean-tree / no-operation / current-`main` preconditions, fast-forwards a stale `main` (a true divergence is refused), merges the branch `--no-ff`, runs `npm run verify`, and deletes the branch only after the merge is green. The push is deliberately left to `create:release`, so the merge stays local and reviewable — read the diff yourself before finishing.
- CI runs `npm run check` + `npm run test:ci` on every push to `main` — this is the authoritative gate.
- **Releases are NOT triggered by pushes.** Only the maintainer triggers a release (see [Publishing workflow](#publishing-workflow)).
+- **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` is not behind its upstream
+  (a local merge not yet pushed is fine — the push belongs to `create:release`),
+  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).

-## Publishing workflow
+Full rationale, including the front-door decisions:
+[development/workflow.md § Branching model](./development/workflow.md#branching-model).

-Publishing is CI-only by policy. Local `npm publish` is not supported. The maintainer triggers releases from `main`:
+## Submitting changes

-1. All intended changes are merged to `main` and passing CI.
-2. The maintainer runs `npm run create:release` — an interactive prompt suggests a version (based on the latest CHANGELOG entry); the maintainer confirms or edits it.
-3. `scripts/release.sh` creates a single release commit (changelog + package.json bump, amended into one commit), tags it, and pushes everything to Gitea.
-4. CI runs on the push (the `build` and `maintain` jobs); the `publish` job then fires on the tag, consuming the `dist/` artifact the `build` job produced. The job graph lives in [.gitea/workflows/ci.yml](./.gitea/workflows/ci.yml) — keep that file, not this list, as the source of truth. The publish-tier checks must pass before the artifact is published. The `publish` job also creates the Gitea release page from the matching Keep-a-Changelog section (`scripts/release-notes.sh`); it runs _before_ `npm publish` so a broken page fails CI without consuming a version, and `npm publish` stays the last step.
+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. Add a changelog note under `[Unreleased]` (see
+   [Rules the tools don't enforce](#rules-the-tools-dont-enforce)).
+5. `npm run create:finish` to merge the branch into `main` and verify the
+   result.
+6. 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).
@@ -2,68 +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** + `--strip-types` — test runner.
- **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.
- **@spences10/pi-lsp** — read-only LSP code intelligence for AI coding agents (project-local `.pi/settings.json`). Talks to this repo's TypeScript 7 via `tsc --lsp --stdio`.
+## 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`, `inlineSources`, `outDir`, `target: es2024`, `rewriteRelativeImportExtensions: true`) and to exclude test files. `inlineSources` embeds the original TypeScript in `dist/*.js.map`, so debuggers can map into `src/` without it being shipped; `declarationMap` is intentionally off because a `.d.ts.map` cannot embed source and would dangle. This separation lets the editor and CI type-check from one config while the build emits from the other.
- **`npm run build` first runs a `prebuild` hook that empties `dist/`.** `tsc` does not prune orphaned emit output — dropping `declarationMap`, for example, left stale `*.d.ts.map` files behind — so the build must start from an empty `dist/` to be reproducible. `prebuild` removes only `dist`; the manual `clean` still resets `dist` + `coverage`, so a local coverage report survives a build.
- **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 JavaScript; the emitted `.d.ts` keep the `.ts` specifier, which TypeScript >= 5.0 resolves (see [Requirements](#requirements)), so no post-processing step is needed.
- **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.
- **`@spences10/pi-lsp` is pinned to `0.0.46` and is read-only by design.** The package 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` binary — no `typescript-language-server` dependency is required. Earlier releases (`≤ 0.0.10`) hard-wire to `typescript-language-server --stdio` and are TS6-only. The tool is _intermediate_ agent feedback (hover, references, definition, symbols, diagnostics); it has no rename / code-action / apply-edit surface, and never a correctness gate — `npm run check` / `verify` remain that. `.pi/settings.json` is the shared, committed declaration; `.pi/npm/` is a gitignored install cache that pi recreates automatically on a trusted startup (it runs `npm install` for any missing project package), so the cache is deliberately not tracked.
+- **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`).
- 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`.
+### 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 native-preview, EditorConfig, todo-tasks).
- TypeScript 7 is used via the `typescriptteam.native-preview` extension.
- oxc extension provides oxlint squiggles and oxfmt format-on-save; `.vscode/settings.json` pins it per language so a user's local `[language]` formatter settings cannot override the project's choice.
+```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).
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@ 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
 ☐ Split off template into separate package => pi --session 01a07dde-7050-7054-bb36-1606d7eb2bc3 @high

 v1.0:
@@ -24,18 +22,18 @@ Bugs:
 Enhancements:

 Documentation:
-☐ Add usage examples to README.md
 ☐ Create `examples/` directory with runnable snippets
-☐ Add comparison section vs. other TS pattern-matching libs
+☐ 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) @done

 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
    → 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)
@@ -27,6 +27,14 @@
        "knope",
        "runwisp",
        "glab",
+        "hostedtoolcache",
+        "nodebase",
+        "frontends",
+        "catthehacker",
+        "nsnull",
+        "dedup",
+        "dedupe",
+        "repoint",
        "postversion",
        "prebuild",
        "Zilla",
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+# 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.
+- Terse is the point: humans skim and agents imitate the style already in the
+  file, so verbosity compounds edit over edit. Grammar loses to density here on
+  purpose.
+
+## 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 +1,258 @@
+# 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.
+
+### `maintain:outdated` ignores `@types/node`
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+Pass `--ignore-packages @types/node`.
+
+#### Why
+
+- DT pins `@types/node`'s `latest` dist-tag to LTS (22.x); current-line types
+  ride other tags. Scan sees latest < installed — permanent "reverted", exit
+  1, zero signal. `--ignore-pre-releases` no help: 22.20.3 is stable.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- `--types major,minor,patch`: hides real reverted reports elsewhere.
+- `@types/node@26.*`: tag stays wrong across majors; un-pin per bump = ritual.
+
+#### Known issue
+
+- A genuinely behind `@types/node` goes unreported; match it to
+  `.node-version` by hand.
+
+### `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 +1,173 @@
+# 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; `main` is therefore routinely ahead of its upstream between a
+  merge and the release that ships it. `create:branch` requires only that `main`
+  is not _behind_ — matching `create:finish`, which tolerates the local merge and
+  fast-forwards over a remote one — rather than an exact match.
+- 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`.
+- Pushing from `create:finish` to keep `main` level with its upstream: it would
+  trade the local review the push waits for for a network side effect, and a
+  failed push would leave the merge landed but unpublished.
+
+## Changelog notes
+
+The rule is in
+[CONTRIBUTING.md § Rules the tools don't enforce](../CONTRIBUTING.md#rules-the-tools-dont-enforce).
+
+#### Decision (2026-09)
+
+A merged branch carries its own summary under `[Unreleased]` in
+[CHANGELOG.md](../CHANGELOG.md), added before `create:finish`;
+`create:release` graduates it into the tagged section (see
+[publishing.md](./publishing.md)).
+
+#### Why
+
+- `create:release` derives the bump heuristic from the `[Unreleased]` body, so
+  the notes must exist before release day.
+- The contributor has fresh context; at release day the intent of a branch is
+  only its diff.
+- Gitmoji subjects are signposts, not semantic keys, so notes cannot be derived
+  from the history.
+
+#### Rejected
+
+- Generating notes from subjects at release time: subjects carry no parseable
+  type/scope (see § Commit messages).
+- The maintainer writing one summary during `create:release`: reconstruction
+  after the fact.
+- Enforcing it in `create:finish`: the front doors assert git state, not
+  content — and _notable_ is exactly the judgment a tool cannot make.
+
+## 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
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
    "name": "tiny-pattern-ts",
-    "version": "0.0.0",
+    "version": "0.1.8",
    "description": "Pattern matching for TypeScript/ESM environments (F#-style, not regex)",
    "keywords": [
        "adt",
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
        "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",
+        "maintain:outdated": "check-outdated --ignore-pre-releases --ignore-packages @types/node",
        "test": "npm run check:tsc && node --test --strip-types \"src/**/*.test.ts\"",
        "test:ci": "c8 --reporter=text --reporter=lcov --reporter=html node --test --strip-types \"src/**/*.test.ts\"",
        "test:unit": "node --test --strip-types \"src/**/*.test.ts\"",
@@ -70,15 +70,15 @@
        "@runwisp/pubv": "^1.5.1",
        "@tsconfig/node26": "^26.0.1",
        "@tsconfig/strictest": "^2.0.8",
-        "@types/node": "^26.4.1",
+        "@types/node": "^26.6.1",
        "c8": "^12.0.0",
        "check-outdated": "^3.0.0",
-        "cspell": "^10.2.2",
+        "cspell": "^10.3.2",
        "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"
@@ -87,6 +87,6 @@
        "node": ">=26"
    },
    "allowScripts": {
-        "lefthook@2.1.12": true
+        "lefthook@2.1.14": true
    }
 }
@@ -4,43 +4,13 @@ set -eu

 # Branch front-door. Run as `npm run create:branch -- <prefix>/<desc>`.
 #
-# How we got here (short): the branching model says every change starts from a
-# clean, current `main`, and the type-driven loop only produces trustworthy
-# results if the baseline was green *before* the first edit. Both facts were
-# prose. Prose rots silently — a rule nobody checks is a suggestion — so the
-# precondition became this script: it asserts, then branches, and the branch
-# only appears if the assertions passed. Cheap checks run first, `npm run test`
-# runs last: the expensive gate is not paid on a tree that was never eligible.
+# 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.
 #
-# Rejected for the prefix name: `run:` / `perform:` (both mean only "do the
-# thing named after them", so every script in the repo would fit under them and
-# the taxonomy collapses); `git:` (names the tool, not the lifecycle moment, and
-# advertises passthrough aliases); `start:` (describes this half, not the
-# release); `cut:` (idiomatic for both, but it needs VCS slang to decode, and a
-# signpost that has to be explained is not one); `flow:` (overloaded in a library
-# about type-level matching); and the existing families — `check:*` is read-only
-# and aggregated by `check`, so CI would run a command that mutates repo state;
-# `fix:*`'s review surface is a file diff, not a branch; `maintain:*` is advisory
-# and explicitly never a gate.
-#
-# `create:` was kept because both members really do create something: a branch,
-# a release. It was added to both prefix lists in CONTRIBUTING.md in the same
-# commit as its first members, because a prefix missing from those lists is
-# invisible — which was the `use:` mistake this repo carried in backlog.tasks (since retired into `setup:`).
-# There is deliberately no bare `create` aggregator: "run all the workflows"
-# describes nothing anyone wants, and `publish:*` already sets the precedent for
-# a prefix without one.
-#
-# Also rejected here: reusing `pubv`'s preflight (release-shaped, third-party,
-# and it would make branch start pay a build + pack it has no use for). The
-# merge half was originally rejected too ("review the diff yourself" is
-# judgment), but it now has its own front door — `create:finish` — which owns
-# the merge-side preconditions and the post-merge `verify`, so the start half
-# does not have to carry that burden.
-#
-# Every refusal is non-mutating except the baseline test, which runs on `main`
-# after we switch there — so a red `main` restores the branch you started on
-# rather than stranding you on it.
+# 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"
@@ -106,19 +76,24 @@ git show-ref --verify --quiet "refs/heads/${BASE}" || {
 # Derive the remote rather than hardcoding it: this repo has `origin` (ssh) and
 # `origin_https`, and `main` tracks the latter — `git fetch origin main` would
 # check currency against a ref that is never updated here.
-UPSTREAM=$(git rev-parse --quiet --abbrev-ref --symbolic-full-name "${BASE}@{upstream}" 2>/dev/null || true)
+# `--quiet` echoes the unresolved `main@{upstream}` literal to stdout on
+# failure, so it cannot be paired with a `$(...) || 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
    }
+    # Only *behind* is a problem. `create:finish` deliberately leaves the local
+    # merge on '${BASE}' until `create:release` pushes it, so being ahead is the
+    # normal state between a merge and the release that ships it; branching from
+    # those commits is intended. Missing remote commits is not.
    BEHIND=$(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 ${BASE} && git pull --ff-only" >&2
+    if [ "${BEHIND}" -ne 0 ]; then
+        echo "error: '${BASE}' is behind '${UPSTREAM}' (by ${BEHIND})." >&2
+        echo "       update it: git switch ${BASE} && git pull --ff-only" >&2
        exit 1
    fi
 else
@@ -4,29 +4,14 @@ set -eu

 # Feature-finish front door. Run as `npm run create:finish`.
 #
-# Why this exists: `create:branch` opens a unit of work, but the close half
-# (`git checkout main && git merge --no-ff <branch>`) stayed prose in the
-# branching model, so it drifted per contributor and per session. This is the
-# mirror image of `create:branch`: it asserts the same preconditions (clean
-# tree, no in-progress operation, `main` matching its upstream), merges the
-# current `feature/`/`fix/`/`chore/` branch into `main`, proves the result with
-# `npm run verify`, and only then deletes the branch.
+# 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.
 #
-# `create:branch`'s comment argued against wrapping the merge as "judgment —
-# review the diff yourself". That judgment still lives here, just moved: the
-# maintainer reviews the handover *before* invoking this, and the script only
-# commits the merge, never the push. The push is owned by `create:release`, so
-# the release commit and its tag leave together and a local merge stays
-# reviewable (and can be reverted with `git revert -m 1`) until then. `--no-ff`
-# keeps the unit of work visible in `git log`.
-#
-# Unlike `create:branch` a stale `main` is fast-forwarded instead of refused:
-# the tree is clean (checked above) and `main` is not the checked-out branch
-# yet, so there is no local state to lose. True divergence (local commits *and*
-# upstream commits) is still refused — that needs a human.
-#
-# On a merge conflict we abort and return to the feature branch, so a failed
-# finish never strands you on a half-merged `main`.
+# Rationale and the rejected alternatives: development/workflow.md § Branching
+# model.

 BASE="main"
 PREFIXES="feature fix chore"
@@ -85,7 +70,10 @@ git show-ref --verify --quiet "refs/heads/${BASE}" || {
 # Derive the remote rather than hardcoding it: this repo has `origin` (ssh) and
 # `origin_https`, and `main` tracks the latter — `git fetch origin main` would
 # check currency against a ref that is never updated here.
-UPSTREAM=$(git rev-parse --quiet --abbrev-ref --symbolic-full-name "${BASE}@{upstream}" 2>/dev/null || true)
+# `--quiet` echoes the unresolved `main@{upstream}` literal to stdout on
+# failure, so it cannot be paired with a `$(...) || 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%/*}" "${UPSTREAM#*/}" || {
@@ -113,7 +101,7 @@ if [ "${BEHIND}" -ne 0 ]; then
    git merge --quiet --ff-only "${UPSTREAM}"
 fi

-if ! git merge --quiet --no-ff --no-edit "${START_REF}"; then
+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}"
@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ import zlib from "node:zlib";
 * 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.
 */

 /**
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ set -eu
 # `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}"
@@ -4,23 +4,13 @@ set -eu

 # 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"
@@ -52,12 +42,23 @@ if ! git remote set-head origin --auto >/dev/null 2>&1; then
    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=$(
@@ -75,9 +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"
@@ -1 +1 @@
 
 .8.2