Release checklist — Toolkit

The manual, interactive gate CI can’t cover. Copy this file per release (e.g. into the release notes or a scratch tracker) and tick each box as you run it. CI covers static validation, unit execution, and the cross-version behavioral matrix; this sheet covers the export-safety regressions, concurrent human+MCP editing, and the macOS GUI-launch smoke that need a real editor, a real export, or a real Mac.

Each item is runnable from a clone of this repo. Use $GODOT_BIN for the console editor of the version under test (e.g. Godot_v<ver>-stable_win64_console.exe), and install that version’s export templates first (Editor → Manage Export Templates → Download and Install). Where a Plan/… path is cited it is the full methodology in the planning repo — a secondary reference; the steps here are self-contained.

1. Export-safety regression (EX5–EX7) — BLOCKING

The toolkit must be invisible in exported games and must not error when shipped disabled. Mandatory whenever a change touches the runtime autoload, export_strip, the dependency graph, or the addon’s shipped file set. Uses the committed CLI Test Build Windows preset in export_presets.cfg (dogfood-only — not shipped in the addon). Export to a temp dir outside the repo so artifacts are never committed.

Methodology gotcha (do not skip). Judge what actually shipped by counting Storing File: lines in the export log, NOT a raw grep -a of the .pck: global_script_class_cache.cfg embeds every addon script path as plaintext and produces false “leaked” readings. In binary modes the addon/extension .gdc are expected to ship; assert the warning fires, non-script files + .mcp.json strip, and the launched build is inert. Full procedure: Plan/ExecutionPlan/41l-untricies-export-strip-binary-tokens.md and …-bis-runtime-autoload-export-safety.md (planning repo).

  • EX5 — Disabled-addon dangling-autoload export. Edit project.godot: empty the [editor_plugins] enabled=PackedStringArray() line but leave the [autoload] MCPRuntimeServer=... line so it dangles. Export debug, launch headless, then restore: 
    "$GODOT_BIN" --headless --path . --export-debug "CLI Test Build Windows" /tmp/out/game.exe
/tmp/out/game.exe --headless 2>&1 | grep -c "SCRIPT ERROR: Parse Error"   # expect 0 (was 9 pre-fix)
git restore project.godot

    **PASS:** zero `Parse Error` lines, runtime server inert, process exits 0.

  • EX6 — Binary-token script-leak warning (script_export_mode=2, Godot 4.3+ default). Export and read the export log. PASS: export_strip warns, naming the addon + each leaked extension’s exact .gd path; .mcp.json + non-script addon files are stripped; the launched build is inert (no [MCPTools] output, port 6570 not listening). The preset exclude-filter guard suppresses the warning when the addon is already excluded.

  • EX6b — Text-mode strip-clean (script_export_mode=0, symmetric to EX6). Flip the mode in export_presets.cfg, export. PASS: zero addon/extension .gd packed (the GDScript plugin emits text scripts and export_strip’s skip() removes them); .mcp.json + non-script files also stripped; no warning fires (nothing leaked).

  • EX7 — Cross-version × two-mode. Re-run EX5–EX6b on each installed version in both script_export_mode=0 (Text) and =2 (Binary tokens). 4.2 is text-only (binary tokenization is 4.3+, so EX6 is N/A there). Use debug/release where templates exist, pack-only (--export-pack) where they don’t — log the launch gap, never silently skip. Anchors 4.2 / 4.5 / 4.7 (floor / reference / ceiling) must each pass in every applicable mode; 4.3 / 4.4.1 / 4.6.2 are spot-checks, expanded only if an anchor surfaces a fault.
    • 4.2 — Text only
    • 4.5 — Text + Binary
    • 4.7 — Text + Binary

Project-version caveat: a build exported by an older editor of a project last saved by a newer one fails to load newer-format scenes (independent of the toolkit). The parse-error assertion still holds (autoloads load before the main scene), but use a per-version-native project for a clean exit-0 launch.

2. Concurrent human+MCP editing (HE1–HE5) — BEST-EFFORT

No other MCP tool tests this — validating it is a differentiator. With the editor open, a connected client, and the plugin active, drive each MCP call while a human edits. A failure is dispositioned as a documented known-limitation, not a release blocker. Record which scenarios passed cleanly and which needed turn-taking (for the README note).

  • HE1 — Script edit + script_write. User is editing a script in the built-in editor; fire script_write on the same file. Expected: user sees updated content, cursor position reasonable, no data loss.
  • HE2 — Scene edit + scene_create_node. User is moving nodes in the scene tree; fire scene_create_node to add a sibling. Expected: tree updates cleanly, selection preserved or clearly reset.
  • HE3 — Undo interleave. User moves a node, MCP moves the same node, user presses Ctrl+Z. Expected: Ctrl+Z undoes the MCP change first (most recent), then the user’s.
  • HE4 — Inspector + MCP delete. User has the inspector open on a node; MCP deletes that node. Expected: inspector clears / shows an appropriate state — no crash, no stale data.
  • HE5 — Mid-drag + MCP reparent. User is mid-drag in the 2D/3D viewport; MCP reparents the node being dragged. Expected: no crash; the drag either completes or cancels cleanly.

Full methodology: Plan/ExecutionPlan/41o-stability-sanity-check.md → Part G-pre-2 (planning repo).

3. macOS GUI-launch smoke — CONDITIONALLY BLOCKING

BLOCKING if a Mac is available (Intel or Apple Silicon). If no Mac is available, record it as a documented coverage gap for this release — never a silent skip. CI is headless and never exercises a desktop client spawned from Finder/Dock, so this is the only cross-check that a GUI-launched client resolves the bare-npx config and connects.

  • macOS GUI-launch round-trip. Run the full procedure in macos-gui-launch-validation.md: enable the plugin, GUI-launch an MCP client (Claude Desktop primary) from Finder/Dock, verify a clean connect (no spawn npx ENOENT), discover_tools + a read tool round-trip, and that opening the editor does not mutate .mcp.json.
  • No third-party runtime deps — verify no vendored code ships. The addon under addons/ is GDScript only; confirm no bundled third-party runtime code is present.
  • If no Mac: documented coverage gap recorded for this release (not skipped silently).
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