Ci/environments cleanups, new envs and master to release naming (#7511)

# Description of Changes Ci/environments cleanups, new envs and master to release naming --- ## Checklist ### General - [ ] I have read the [Contribution Guidelines](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) - [ ] I have read the [Stirling-PDF Developer Guide](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/DeveloperGuide.md) (if applicable) - [ ] I have read the [How to add new languages to Stirling-PDF](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/devGuide/HowToAddNewLanguage.md) (if applicable) - [ ] I have performed a self-review of my own code - [ ] My changes generate no new warnings ### Documentation - [ ] I have updated relevant docs on [Stirling-PDF's doc repo](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-Tools.github.io/blob/main/docs/) (if functionality has heavily changed) - [ ] I have read the section [Add New Translation Tags](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/devGuide/HowToAddNewLanguage.md#add-new-translation-tags) (for new translation tags only) ### Translations (if applicable) - [ ] I ran [`scripts/counter_translation.py`](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/docs/counter_translation.md) ### UI Changes (if applicable) - [ ] Screenshots or videos demonstrating the UI changes are attached (e.g., as comments or direct attachments in the PR) ### Testing (if applicable) - [ ] I have run `task check` to verify linters, typechecks, and tests pass - [ ] I have tested my changes locally. Refer to the [Testing Guide](https://github.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/blob/main/DeveloperGuide.md#7-testing) for more details.
2026-09-02 21:03:34 +03:00 · 2026-08-17 17:49:13 +00:00
parent 526bb85e17
commit 89d8ffec5d
23 changed files with 95 additions and 805 deletions
@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@ project: &project
 frontend: &frontend
  - *ci
  - frontend/**
-  - .github/workflows/testdriver.yml
  - testing/**
  - docker/**
  - scripts/translations/*.py
@@ -7,10 +7,6 @@ on:
 permissions:
  contents: read

-env:
-  SERVER_IP: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_IP }} # Add this to your GitHub secrets
-  CLEANUP_PERFORMED: "false" # Add flag to track if cleanup occurred
-
 jobs:
  cleanup:
    environment: pr-preview
@@ -1,221 +0,0 @@
-name: AI - PR Title Review
-
-on:
-  pull_request:
-    types: [opened, edited]
-    branches: [main]
-
-permissions: # required for secure-repo hardening
-  contents: read
-
-jobs:
-  ai-title-review:
-    # GITHUB_TOKEN obeys this block, so it must cover every API call made below.
-    permissions:
-      contents: read # actions/checkout, git fetch/diff
-      issues: write # issues.listComments / createComment / updateComment on the PR
-      pull-requests: write # same endpoints when the target is a pull request
-      models: read # actions/ai-inference
-
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
-        with:
-          egress-policy: audit
-
-      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-        with:
-          fetch-depth: 0
-
-      - name: Configure Git to suppress detached HEAD warning
-        run: git config --global advice.detachedHead false
-
-      - name: Check if actor is repo developer
-        id: actor
-        run: |
-          if [[ "${{ github.actor }}" == *"[bot]" ]]; then
-            echo "PR opened by a bot – skipping AI title review."
-            echo "is_repo_dev=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-            exit 0
-          fi
-          if [ ! -f .github/config/repo_devs.json ]; then
-            echo "Error: .github/config/repo_devs.json not found" >&2
-            exit 1
-          fi
-          # Validate JSON and extract repo_devs
-          REPO_DEVS=$(jq -r '.repo_devs[]' .github/config/repo_devs.json 2>/dev/null || { echo "Error: Invalid JSON in repo_devs.json" >&2; exit 1; })
-          # Convert developer list into Bash array
-          mapfile -t DEVS_ARRAY <<< "$REPO_DEVS"
-          if [[ " ${DEVS_ARRAY[*]} " == *" ${{ github.actor }} "* ]]; then
-            echo "is_repo_dev=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          else
-            echo "is_repo_dev=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          fi
-
-      - name: Get PR diff
-        if: steps.actor.outputs.is_repo_dev == 'true'
-        id: get_diff
-        run: |
-          git fetch origin ${{ github.base_ref }}
-          git diff origin/${{ github.base_ref }}...HEAD | head -n 10000 | grep -vP '[\x00-\x08\x0B\x0C\x0E-\x1F\x7F\x{202E}\x{200B}]' > pr.diff
-          echo "diff<<EOF" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          cat pr.diff >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          echo "EOF" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-      - name: Check and sanitize PR title
-        if: steps.actor.outputs.is_repo_dev == 'true'
-        id: sanitize_pr_title
-        env:
-          PR_TITLE_RAW: ${{ github.event.pull_request.title }}
-        run: |
-          # Sanitize PR title: max 72 characters, only printable characters
-          PR_TITLE=$(echo "$PR_TITLE_RAW" | tr -d '\n\r' | head -c 72 | sed 's/[^[:print:]]//g')
-          if [[ ${#PR_TITLE} -lt 5 ]]; then
-            echo "PR title is too short. Must be at least 5 characters." >&2
-          fi
-          echo "pr_title=$PR_TITLE" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-      - name: AI PR Title Analysis
-        if: steps.actor.outputs.is_repo_dev == 'true'
-        id: ai-title-analysis
-        uses: actions/ai-inference@a7805884c80886efc241e94a5351df715968a0ad # v2.1.1
-        with:
-          model: openai/gpt-4o
-          system-prompt-file: ".github/config/system-prompt.txt"
-          prompt: |
-            Based on the following input data:
-
-            {
-              "diff": "${{ steps.get_diff.outputs.diff }}",
-              "pr_title": "${{ steps.sanitize_pr_title.outputs.pr_title }}"
-            }
-
-            Respond ONLY with valid JSON in the format:
-            {
-              "improved_rating": <0-10>,
-              "improved_ai_title_rating": <0-10>,
-              "improved_title": "<ai generated title>"
-            }
-
-      - name: Validate and set SCRIPT_OUTPUT
-        if: steps.actor.outputs.is_repo_dev == 'true'
-        run: |
-          cat <<EOF > ai_response.json
-          ${{ steps.ai-title-analysis.outputs.response }}
-          EOF
-
-          # Validate JSON structure
-          jq -e '
-            (keys | sort) == ["improved_ai_title_rating", "improved_rating", "improved_title"] and
-            (.improved_rating | type == "number" and . >= 0 and . <= 10) and
-            (.improved_ai_title_rating | type == "number" and . >= 0 and . <= 10) and
-            (.improved_title | type == "string")
-          ' ai_response.json
-          if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
-            echo "Invalid AI response format" >&2
-            cat ai_response.json >&2
-            exit 1
-          fi
-          # Parse JSON fields
-          IMPROVED_RATING=$(jq -r '.improved_rating' ai_response.json)
-          IMPROVED_TITLE=$(jq -r '.improved_title' ai_response.json)
-          # Limit comment length to 1000 characters
-          COMMENT=$(cat <<EOF
-          ## 🤖 AI PR Title Suggestion
-
-          **PR-Title Rating**: $IMPROVED_RATING/10
-
-          ### ⬇️ Suggested Title (copy & paste):
-
-          \`\`\`
-          $IMPROVED_TITLE
-          \`\`\`
-
-          ---
-          *Generated by GitHub Models AI*
-          EOF
-          )
-          echo "$COMMENT" > /tmp/ai-title-comment.md
-          # Log input and output to the GitHub Step Summary
-          echo "### 🤖 AI PR Title Analysis" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "### Input PR Title" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo '```bash' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "${{ steps.sanitize_pr_title.outputs.pr_title }}" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo '```' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo '### AI Response (raw JSON)' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo '```json' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          cat ai_response.json >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo '```' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-
-      - name: Post comment on PR if needed
-        if: steps.actor.outputs.is_repo_dev == 'true'
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        continue-on-error: true
-        with:
-          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
-          script: |
-            const fs = require('fs');
-            const body = fs.readFileSync('/tmp/ai-title-comment.md', 'utf8');
-            const { GITHUB_REPOSITORY } = process.env;
-            const [owner, repo] = GITHUB_REPOSITORY.split('/');
-            const issue_number = context.issue.number;
-
-            const ratingMatch = body.match(/\*\*PR-Title Rating\*\*: (\d+)\/10/);
-            const rating = ratingMatch ? parseInt(ratingMatch[1], 10) : null;
-
-            const expectedActor = "github-actions[bot]";
-            const comments = await github.rest.issues.listComments({ owner, repo, issue_number });
-
-            const existing = comments.data.find(c =>
-              c.user?.login === expectedActor &&
-              c.body.includes("## 🤖 AI PR Title Suggestion")
-            );
-
-            if (rating === null) {
-              console.log("No rating found in AI response – skipping.");
-              return;
-            }
-
-            if (rating <= 5) {
-              if (existing) {
-                await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
-                  owner, repo,
-                  comment_id: existing.id,
-                  body
-                });
-                console.log("Updated existing suggestion comment.");
-              } else {
-                await github.rest.issues.createComment({
-                  owner, repo, issue_number,
-                  body
-                });
-                console.log("Created new suggestion comment.");
-              }
-            } else {
-              const praise = `## 🤖 AI PR Title Suggestion\n\nGreat job! The current PR title is clear and well-structured.\n\n✅ No suggestions needed.\n\n---\n*Generated by GitHub Models AI*`;
-
-              if (existing) {
-                await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
-                  owner, repo,
-                  comment_id: existing.id,
-                  body: praise
-                });
-                console.log("Replaced suggestion with praise.");
-              } else {
-                console.log("Rating > 5 and no existing comment – skipping comment.");
-              }
-            }
-
-      - name: is not repo dev
-        if: steps.actor.outputs.is_repo_dev != 'true'
-        run: |
-          exit 0 # Skip the AI title review for non-repo developers
-
-      - name: Clean up
-        if: always()
-        run: |
-          rm -f pr.diff ai_response.json /tmp/ai-title-comment.md
-          echo "Cleaned up temporary files."
-        continue-on-error: true # Ensure cleanup runs even if previous steps fail
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  build:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ jobs:
    uses: ./.github/workflows/_runner-pick.yml

  playwright-e2e-enterprise:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    needs: pick
    # Skip on fork PRs / untrusted authors: they have no PREMIUM_KEY_ENTERPRISE,
    # so the suite can't boot premium and would fail. See the header comment.
@@ -309,6 +310,7 @@ jobs:
  # Multi-node regression: builds + seeds the clustered stack (testing/compose/docker-compose-multinode.yml)
  # and runs behave features/multinode. Licence-gated, so it runs after the Playwright job (not in parallel).
  multinode-e2e:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    needs: [pick, playwright-e2e-enterprise]
    # Nightly cron + manual dispatch only (heavy build), fork-gated for the licence secret.
    if: >-
@@ -61,6 +61,7 @@ jobs:
          filters: .github/config/.files.yaml

  gradle-cache-prime:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    name: Prime shared Gradle cache
    needs: [files-changed]
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  check-licence:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  check-generate-openapi-docs:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  migration-test:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 30
    steps:
@@ -1,209 +0,0 @@
-name: Auto V2 Deploy on Push
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - V2
-      - deploy-on-v2-commit
-
-permissions:
-  contents: read
-
-jobs:
-  deploy-v2-on-push:
-    environment: pr-preview
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      packages: write
-    concurrency:
-      group: deploy-v2-push-V2
-      cancel-in-progress: true
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
-        with:
-          egress-policy: audit
-
-      - name: Checkout code
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-
-      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@bb05f3f5519dd87d3ba754cc423b652a5edd6d2c # v4.2.0
-
-      - name: Get commit hashes for frontend and backend
-        id: commit-hashes
-        run: |
-          # Get last commit that touched the frontend folder, docker/frontend, or docker/compose
-          FRONTEND_HASH=$(git log -1 --format="%H" -- frontend/ docker/frontend/ docker/compose/ 2>/dev/null || echo "")
-          if [ -z "$FRONTEND_HASH" ]; then
-            FRONTEND_HASH="no-frontend-changes"
-          fi
-
-          # Get last commit that touched backend code, docker/backend, or docker/compose
-          BACKEND_HASH=$(git log -1 --format="%H" -- app/ docker/backend/ docker/compose/ 2>/dev/null || echo "")
-          if [ -z "$BACKEND_HASH" ]; then
-            BACKEND_HASH="no-backend-changes"
-          fi
-
-          echo "Frontend hash: $FRONTEND_HASH"
-          echo "Backend hash: $BACKEND_HASH"
-
-          echo "frontend_hash=$FRONTEND_HASH" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          echo "backend_hash=$BACKEND_HASH" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-          # Short hashes for tags
-          if [ "$FRONTEND_HASH" = "no-frontend-changes" ]; then
-            echo "frontend_short=no-frontend" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          else
-            echo "frontend_short=${FRONTEND_HASH:0:8}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          fi
-
-          if [ "$BACKEND_HASH" = "no-backend-changes" ]; then
-            echo "backend_short=no-backend" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          else
-            echo "backend_short=${BACKEND_HASH:0:8}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          fi
-
-      - name: Convert repository owner to lowercase
-        id: repoowner
-        run: echo "lowercase=$(echo ${{ github.repository_owner }} | awk '{print tolower($0)}')" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-      - name: Login to GitHub Container Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@dbcb813823bdd20940b903addbd779551569679f # v4.6.0
-        with:
-          registry: ghcr.io
-          username: ${{ github.actor }}
-          password: ${{ github.token }}
-
-      - name: Check if frontend image exists
-        id: check-frontend
-        run: |
-          if docker manifest inspect ${IMAGE_BASE}:v2-frontend-${{ steps.commit-hashes.outputs.frontend_short }} >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            echo "exists=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-            echo "Frontend image already exists, skipping build"
-          else
-            echo "exists=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-            echo "Frontend image needs to be built"
-          fi
-
-        env:
-          IMAGE_BASE: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test
-      - name: Check if backend image exists
-        id: check-backend
-        run: |
-          if docker manifest inspect ${IMAGE_BASE}:v2-backend-${{ steps.commit-hashes.outputs.backend_short }} >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-            echo "exists=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-            echo "Backend image already exists, skipping build"
-          else
-            echo "exists=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-            echo "Backend image needs to be built"
-          fi
-
-        env:
-          IMAGE_BASE: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test
-
-      - name: Build and push frontend image
-        if: steps.check-frontend.outputs.exists == 'false'
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@53b7df96c91f9c12dcc8a07bcb9ccacbed38856a # v7.3.0
-        with:
-          context: .
-          file: ./docker/frontend/Dockerfile
-          push: true
-          cache-from: type=gha,scope=stirling-v2-frontend
-          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=stirling-v2-frontend
-          tags: |
-            ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test:v2-frontend-${{ steps.commit-hashes.outputs.frontend_short }}
-            ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test:v2-frontend-latest
-          build-args: VERSION_TAG=v2-alpha
-          platforms: linux/amd64
-
-      - name: Build and push backend image
-        if: steps.check-backend.outputs.exists == 'false'
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@53b7df96c91f9c12dcc8a07bcb9ccacbed38856a # v7.3.0
-        with:
-          context: .
-          file: ./docker/backend/Dockerfile
-          push: true
-          cache-from: type=gha,scope=stirling-v2-backend
-          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=stirling-v2-backend
-          tags: |
-            ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test:v2-backend-${{ steps.commit-hashes.outputs.backend_short }}
-            ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test:v2-backend-latest
-          build-args: VERSION_TAG=v2-alpha
-          platforms: linux/amd64
-
-      - name: Set up SSH
-        run: |
-          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
-          echo "${NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY}" > ../private.key
-          chmod 600 ../private.key
-
-        env:
-          NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}
-      - name: Deploy to VPS on port 3000
-        run: |
-          export UNIQUE_NAME=docker-compose-v2-$GITHUB_RUN_ID.yml
-
-          cat > $UNIQUE_NAME << EOF
-          version: '3.3'
-          services:
-            backend:
-              container_name: stirling-v2-backend
-              image: ${IMAGE_BASE}:v2-backend-${{ steps.commit-hashes.outputs.backend_short }}
-              ports:
-                - "13000:8080"
-              volumes:
-                - /stirling/V2/data:/usr/share/tessdata:rw
-                - /stirling/V2/config:/configs:rw
-                - /stirling/V2/logs:/logs:rw
-              environment:
-                DISABLE_ADDITIONAL_FEATURES: "true"
-                SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN: "false"
-                SYSTEM_DEFAULTLOCALE: en-US
-                UI_APPNAME: "Stirling-PDF V2"
-                UI_HOMEDESCRIPTION: "V2 Frontend/Backend Split"
-                UI_APPNAMENAVBAR: "V2 Deployment"
-                SYSTEM_MAXFILESIZE: "100"
-                METRICS_ENABLED: "true"
-                SYSTEM_GOOGLEVISIBILITY: "false"
-                SWAGGER_SERVER_URL: "https://demo.stirlingpdf.cloud"
-                baseUrl: "https://demo.stirlingpdf.cloud"
-              restart: on-failure:5
-
-            frontend:
-              container_name: stirling-v2-frontend
-              image: ${IMAGE_BASE}:v2-frontend-${{ steps.commit-hashes.outputs.frontend_short }}
-              ports:
-                - "3000:80"
-              environment:
-                VITE_API_BASE_URL: "http://${NEW_VPS_HOST}:13000"
-              depends_on:
-                - backend
-              restart: on-failure:5
-          EOF
-
-          # Copy to remote with unique name
-          scp -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no $UNIQUE_NAME ${NEW_VPS_USERNAME}@${NEW_VPS_HOST}:/tmp/$UNIQUE_NAME
-
-          # SSH and rename/move atomically to avoid interference
-          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no ${NEW_VPS_USERNAME}@${NEW_VPS_HOST} << ENDSSH
-            mkdir -p /stirling/V2/{data,config,logs}
-            mv /tmp/$UNIQUE_NAME /stirling/V2/docker-compose.yml
-            cd /stirling/V2
-            docker-compose down || true
-            docker-compose pull
-            docker-compose up -d
-            docker system prune -af --volumes || true
-            docker image prune -af --filter "until=336h" --filter "label!=keep=true" || true
-          ENDSSH
-
-        env:
-          IMAGE_BASE: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test
-          NEW_VPS_HOST: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}
-          NEW_VPS_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}
-      - name: Cleanup temporary files
-        if: always()
-        run: |
-          rm -f ../private.key
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  docker-compose-tests:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      actions: write
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  playwright-e2e-live:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 30
    steps:
@@ -42,6 +42,8 @@ jobs:
          filters: .github/config/.files.yaml

  generate-frontend-license-report:
+    # ci-bot, not bot-identity: this job runs on PRs too, and bot-identity is main-only.
+    environment: ci-bot
    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.licenses-frontend == 'true'
    name: Generate Frontend License Report
    needs: files-changed
@@ -316,6 +318,8 @@ jobs:
          GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}

  generate-backend-license-report:
+    # ci-bot, not bot-identity: this job runs on PRs too, and bot-identity is main-only.
+    environment: ci-bot
    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.licenses-backend == 'true'
    needs: files-changed
    name: Generate Backend License Report
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  determine-matrix:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    if: ${{ vars.CI_PROFILE != 'lite' }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
@@ -118,6 +119,7 @@ jobs:
        env:
          INPUT_PLATFORM: ${{ github.event.inputs.platform }}
  build-jars:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    needs: determine-matrix
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
@@ -204,7 +206,6 @@ jobs:
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.platform }}
    env:
      SM_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.SM_API_KEY }}
-      WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE: ${{ secrets.WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE }}
      RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
@@ -295,7 +296,7 @@ jobs:
      # DigiCert KeyLocker Setup (Cloud HSM)
      - name: Setup DigiCert KeyLocker
        id: digicert-setup
-        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master') }}
+        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release') }}
        uses: digicert/ssm-code-signing@1d820463733701cf1484c7eb5d7d24a15ca2c454 # v1.2.1
        env:
          SM_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.SM_API_KEY }}
@@ -305,7 +306,7 @@ jobs:
          SM_HOST: ${{ secrets.SM_HOST }}

      - name: Setup DigiCert KeyLocker Certificate
-        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master') }}
+        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release') }}
        shell: pwsh
        run: |
          Write-Host "Setting up DigiCert KeyLocker environment..."
@@ -344,40 +345,8 @@ jobs:
          SM_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.SM_API_KEY }}
          SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD }}
          SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS }}
-      # Traditional PFX Certificate Import (fallback if KeyLocker not configured)
-      - name: Import Windows Code Signing Certificate
-        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY == '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master') }}
-        env:
-          WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE: ${{ secrets.WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE }}
-          WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD }}
-        shell: powershell
-        run: |
-          if ($env:WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE) {
-            Write-Host "Importing Windows Code Signing Certificate..."
-
-            # Decode base64 certificate and save to file
-            $certBytes = [Convert]::FromBase64String($env:WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE)
-            $certPath = Join-Path $env:RUNNER_TEMP "certificate.pfx"
-            [IO.File]::WriteAllBytes($certPath, $certBytes)
-
-            # Import certificate to CurrentUser\My store
-            $cert = Import-PfxCertificate -FilePath $certPath -CertStoreLocation Cert:\CurrentUser\My -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString -String $env:WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD -AsPlainText -Force)
-
-            # Extract and set thumbprint as environment variable
-            $thumbprint = $cert.Thumbprint
-            Write-Host "Certificate imported with thumbprint: $thumbprint"
-            echo "WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_THUMBPRINT=$thumbprint" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
-
-            # Clean up certificate file
-            Remove-Item $certPath
-
-            Write-Host "Windows certificate import completed."
-          } else {
-            Write-Host "⚠️ WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE secret not set - building unsigned binary"
-          }
-
      - name: Import Apple Developer Certificate
-        if: matrix.platform == 'macos-15' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master')
+        if: matrix.platform == 'macos-15' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release')
        env:
          APPLE_CERTIFICATE: ${{ secrets.APPLE_CERTIFICATE }}
          APPLE_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.APPLE_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD }}
@@ -398,7 +367,7 @@ jobs:
          rm certificate.p12

      - name: Verify Certificate
-        if: matrix.platform == 'macos-15' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master')
+        if: matrix.platform == 'macos-15' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release')
        run: |
          echo "Verifying Apple Developer Certificate..."
          KEYCHAIN_PATH=$RUNNER_TEMP/app-signing.keychain-db
@@ -414,7 +383,7 @@ jobs:
      # Without this, signCommand failures are opaque (Tauri captures but drops
      # smctl's stderr) - running these loudly surfaces auth/env/keypair issues.
      - name: Preflight smctl
-        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master') }}
+        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release') }}
        shell: pwsh
        env:
          KEYPAIR_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS }}
@@ -445,7 +414,7 @@ jobs:
      # smctl reads SM_HOST, SM_API_KEY, SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE, SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD
      # from env (set by prior DigiCert setup step). No --config-file needed.
      - name: Configure Windows code signing
-        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master') }}
+        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release') }}
        shell: bash
        env:
          KEYPAIR_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS }}
@@ -466,7 +435,7 @@ jobs:
          sed "s/${KEYPAIR_ALIAS}/***/g" ./frontend/editor/src-tauri/tauri.windows.conf.json

      - name: Import release GPG signing key (Linux)
-        if: matrix.platform == 'ubuntu-22.04' && env.RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master')
+        if: matrix.platform == 'ubuntu-22.04' && env.RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release')
        run: |
          echo "$RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY" | gpg --batch --import
          gpg --list-secret-keys --keyid-format=long
@@ -498,8 +467,8 @@ jobs:
          #   APPIMAGETOOL_SIGN_PASSPHRASE  appimagetool uses this to unlock the GPG key non-interactively
          #   SIGN_KEY                      appimagetool picks the key matching this fingerprint
          # Without SIGN=1, the other two are ignored and the AppImage is built unsigned even if a key is present.
-          # Mirror the Windows/macOS gate: only sign on a real release/dispatch+sign or V2-master, when secret is present.
-          SIGN: ${{ (env.RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master')) && '1' || '0' }}
+          # Mirror the Windows/macOS gate: only sign on a real release/dispatch+sign or the release branch, when secret is present.
+          SIGN: ${{ (env.RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release')) && '1' || '0' }}
          APPIMAGETOOL_SIGN_PASSPHRASE: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_GPG_PASSPHRASE }}
          SIGN_KEY: ${{ vars.RELEASE_GPG_FINGERPRINT }}
          TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY }}
@@ -525,7 +494,7 @@ jobs:
        env:
          TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY }}
          TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD }}
-          GPG_SIGN: ${{ (env.RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master')) && '1' || '0' }}
+          GPG_SIGN: ${{ (env.RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release')) && '1' || '0' }}
          SIGN_KEY: ${{ vars.RELEASE_GPG_FINGERPRINT }}
          APPIMAGETOOL_SIGN_PASSPHRASE: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_GPG_PASSPHRASE }}
        run: |
@@ -564,7 +533,7 @@ jobs:
          echo "Stripped bundled libwayland from $(basename "$AI")"

      - name: Clear release GPG key from runner keyring (Linux)
-        if: always() && matrix.platform == 'ubuntu-22.04' && env.RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master')
+        if: always() && matrix.platform == 'ubuntu-22.04' && env.RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release')
        env:
          RELEASE_GPG_FINGERPRINT: ${{ vars.RELEASE_GPG_FINGERPRINT }}
        run: |
@@ -579,7 +548,7 @@ jobs:
      # artifact. Tauri signs a COPY when bundling into the MSI and leaves the raw
      # cargo output unsigned, so checking it produces false negatives.
      - name: Verify Windows Code Signature
-        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master') }}
+        if: ${{ startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && (github.event_name == 'release' || (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.sign != 'false') || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release') }}
        timeout-minutes: 15
        shell: pwsh
        run: |
@@ -911,11 +880,11 @@ jobs:
      # workflow_dispatch path requires platform=='all' so a single-platform
      # dispatch can't overwrite an existing release's full latest.json with a
      # partial one (action-gh-release defaults overwrite_files:true).
-      # release / V2-master always build the full matrix so no extra guard needed.
+      # release event / release branch always build the full matrix so no extra guard needed.
      # fail_on_unmatched_files makes a missing latest.json or installer fail loudly
      # instead of silently shipping a broken auto-update.
      - name: Upload binaries to Release
-        if: (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.test_mode != 'true' && github.event.inputs.platform == 'all') || github.event_name == 'release' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master'
+        if: (github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && github.event.inputs.test_mode != 'true' && github.event.inputs.platform == 'all') || github.event_name == 'release' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/release'
        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@3d0d9888cb7fd7b750713d6e236d1fcb99157228 # v3.0.2
        with:
          tag_name: v${{ needs.determine-matrix.outputs.version }}
@@ -127,6 +127,7 @@ jobs:
  # Runs the @nightly tag (conversion scenarios) plus a 10-shard concurrency run
  # of every other feature.
  cucumber-nightly:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    name: Cucumber (nightly scenarios + full concurrency)
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    # Fork pull requests get no MAVEN_* secrets, so the image build cannot work.
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  push-base:
+    # Own environment: docker-publish is branch-locked to release/main,
+    # which excludes the baseDockerImage/accessIssueFix branches this runs on.
+    environment: docker-base-publish
    if: ${{ vars.CI_PROFILE != 'lite' && github.actor == 'Frooodle' }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-8core
    permissions:
@@ -20,9 +20,8 @@ on:
        default: false
  push:
    branches:
-      - master
+      - release
      - main
-      - V2-master

 # cancel in-progress jobs if a new job is triggered
 # This is useful to avoid running multiple builds for the same branch if a new commit is pushed
@@ -91,13 +90,13 @@ jobs:
          MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL }}

      - name: Install cosign
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master'
+        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/release'
        uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@6f9f17788090df1f26f669e9d70d6ae9567deba6 # v4.1.2
        with:
          cosign-release: "v2.4.1"

      - name: Install cosign
-        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master'
+        if: github.ref == 'refs/heads/release'
        uses: sigstore/cosign-installer@6f9f17788090df1f26f669e9d70d6ae9567deba6 # v4.1.2
        with:
          cosign-release: "v2.4.1"
@@ -133,8 +132,8 @@ jobs:
            ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf
            ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_ORG_USERNAME }}/stirling-pdf
          tags: |
-            type=raw,value=${{ steps.versionNumber.outputs.versionNumber }},enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master' }}
-            type=raw,value=latest,enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master' }}
+            type=raw,value=${{ steps.versionNumber.outputs.versionNumber }},enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/release' }}
+            type=raw,value=latest,enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/release' }}

      - name: Build and push Unified Dockerfile (latest variant)
        id: build-push-latest
@@ -158,7 +157,7 @@ jobs:
          sbom: true

      - name: Sign regular images
-        if: env.RUN_MAIN_APP == 'true' && (github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master') && steps.build-push-latest.outputs.digest != ''
+        if: env.RUN_MAIN_APP == 'true' && (github.ref == 'refs/heads/release') && steps.build-push-latest.outputs.digest != ''
        env:
          DIGEST: ${{ steps.build-push-latest.outputs.digest }}
          TAGS: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
@@ -182,8 +181,8 @@ jobs:
            ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf
            ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_ORG_USERNAME }}/stirling-pdf
          tags: |
-            type=raw,value=${{ steps.versionNumber.outputs.versionNumber }}-fat,enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master' }}
-            type=raw,value=latest-fat,enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master' }}
+            type=raw,value=${{ steps.versionNumber.outputs.versionNumber }}-fat,enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/release' }}
+            type=raw,value=latest-fat,enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/release' }}

      - name: Build and push Unified Dockerfile (fat variant)
        id: build-push-fat
@@ -204,7 +203,7 @@ jobs:
          sbom: true

      - name: Sign fat images
-        if: env.RUN_MAIN_APP == 'true' && (github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master') && steps.build-push-fat.outputs.digest != ''
+        if: env.RUN_MAIN_APP == 'true' && (github.ref == 'refs/heads/release') && steps.build-push-fat.outputs.digest != ''
        env:
          DIGEST: ${{ steps.build-push-fat.outputs.digest }}
          TAGS: ${{ steps.meta-fat.outputs.tags }}
@@ -226,8 +225,8 @@ jobs:
            ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf
            ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_ORG_USERNAME }}/stirling-pdf
          tags: |
-            type=raw,value=${{ steps.versionNumber.outputs.versionNumber }}-ultra-lite,enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master' }}
-            type=raw,value=latest-ultra-lite,enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master' }}
+            type=raw,value=${{ steps.versionNumber.outputs.versionNumber }}-ultra-lite,enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/release' }}
+            type=raw,value=latest-ultra-lite,enable=${{ github.ref == 'refs/heads/release' }}

      - name: Build and push Unified Dockerfile (ultra-lite variant)
        id: build-push-lite
@@ -248,7 +247,7 @@ jobs:
          sbom: true

      - name: Sign ultra-lite images
-        if: env.RUN_MAIN_APP == 'true' && (github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/V2-master') && steps.build-push-lite.outputs.digest != ''
+        if: env.RUN_MAIN_APP == 'true' && (github.ref == 'refs/heads/release') && steps.build-push-lite.outputs.digest != ''
        env:
          DIGEST: ${{ steps.build-push-lite.outputs.digest }}
          TAGS: ${{ steps.meta-lite.outputs.tags }}
@@ -260,7 +259,7 @@ jobs:
          done

      # Standalone unoserver image — versioned independently via
-      # docker/unoserver/VERSION. master/V2-master: publish <version>+latest
+      # docker/unoserver/VERSION. release: publish <version>+latest
      # only when the version is new. main/testMain: republish :alpha only
      # when the source hash differs from the published image's annotation.
      - name: Read unoserver image version
@@ -319,7 +318,7 @@ jobs:
          fi

          case "$EFFECTIVE_REF" in
-            refs/heads/master|refs/heads/V2-master)
+            refs/heads/release)
              if [ "${FORCE_REBUILD}" = "true" ]; then
                echo "force_unoserver_rebuild=true — building stable regardless"
                mode="stable"
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ on:
  workflow_dispatch:
  push:
    branches:
-      - master
+      - release

 # cancel in-progress jobs if a new job is triggered
 # This is useful to avoid running multiple builds for the same branch if a new commit is pushed
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  push:
+    # package-publish holds SWAGGERHUB_API_KEY. It requires reviewer approval and
+    # is limited to main / release / v* tags, so every push to release waits on one.
+    environment: package-publish
    if: ${{ vars.CI_PROFILE != 'lite' }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
@@ -57,6 +57,9 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  determine-matrix:
+    # Only probes APPLE_CERTIFICATE for presence, so it stays on the unrestricted
+    # signing environment - release-signing would block every PR run.
+    environment: ci-signing
    if: ${{ vars.CI_PROFILE != 'lite' }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
@@ -103,6 +106,12 @@ jobs:
          echo "matrix={\"include\":[$JOINED]}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

  build:
+    # Windows/GPG signing only runs on main (see the per-step gates below), so only
+    # that path needs the reviewer-gated release-signing environment. Everything else
+    # (PRs, merge queue, nightly) signs macOS only and uses ci-signing, which has no
+    # approval or branch restriction.
+    environment:
+      name: ${{ (inputs.sign && (github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' || startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/v'))) && 'release-signing' || 'ci-signing' }}
    needs: determine-matrix
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
@@ -110,7 +119,6 @@ jobs:
    runs-on: ${{ matrix.platform }}
    env:
      SM_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.SM_API_KEY }}
-      WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE: ${{ secrets.WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE }}
      APPLE_CERTIFICATE: ${{ secrets.APPLE_CERTIFICATE }}
      RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.RELEASE_GPG_PRIVATE_KEY }}
      # Per-platform sign gate. macOS signs on any run with the cert available,
@@ -264,38 +272,6 @@ jobs:
            }
          }

-      # Traditional PFX Certificate Import (fallback if KeyLocker not configured)
-      - name: Import Windows Code Signing Certificate
-        if: ${{ inputs.sign && startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY == '' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' }}
-        env:
-          WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE: ${{ secrets.WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE }}
-          WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD }}
-        shell: powershell
-        run: |
-          if ($env:WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE) {
-            Write-Host "Importing Windows Code Signing Certificate..."
-
-            # Decode base64 certificate and save to file
-            $certBytes = [Convert]::FromBase64String($env:WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE)
-            $certPath = Join-Path $env:RUNNER_TEMP "certificate.pfx"
-            [IO.File]::WriteAllBytes($certPath, $certBytes)
-
-            # Import certificate to CurrentUser\My store
-            $cert = Import-PfxCertificate -FilePath $certPath -CertStoreLocation Cert:\CurrentUser\My -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString -String $env:WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD -AsPlainText -Force)
-
-            # Extract and set thumbprint as environment variable
-            $thumbprint = $cert.Thumbprint
-            Write-Host "Certificate imported with thumbprint: $thumbprint"
-            echo "WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_THUMBPRINT=$thumbprint" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
-
-            # Clean up certificate file
-            Remove-Item $certPath
-
-            Write-Host "Windows certificate import completed."
-          } else {
-            Write-Host "⚠️ WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE secret not set - building unsigned binary"
-          }
-
      - name: Import Apple Developer Certificate
        if: env.SIGN_BUNDLE == 'true' && matrix.platform == 'macos-15'
        env:
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ jobs:
  # spring-security=true matrix entry if `task backend:build` and
  # `task backend:build:ci` produce equivalent JARs (verify before wiring).
  test-build-docker-images:
+    environment: ci-unsigned
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
@@ -1,235 +0,0 @@
-name: UI test with TestDriverAI
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches: ["master", "UITest", "testdriver"]
-
-# cancel in-progress jobs if a new job is triggered
-# This is useful to avoid running multiple builds for the same branch if a new commit is pushed
-# or a pull request is updated.
-# It helps to save resources and time by ensuring that only the latest commit is built and tested
-# This is particularly useful for long-running jobs that may take a while to complete.
-# The `group` is set to a combination of the workflow name, event name, and branch name.
-# This ensures that jobs are grouped by the workflow and branch, allowing for cancellation of
-# in-progress jobs when a new commit is pushed to the same branch or a new pull request is opened.
-concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event_name }}-${{ github.ref_name || github.ref }}
-  cancel-in-progress: true
-
-permissions:
-  contents: read
-
-jobs:
-  deploy:
-    environment: pr-preview
-    if: ${{ vars.CI_PROFILE != 'lite' }}
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      packages: write
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
-        with:
-          egress-policy: audit
-
-      - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-
-      - name: Set up JDK 25
-        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
-        with:
-          java-version: "25"
-          distribution: "temurin"
-
-      - name: Cache Gradle User Home
-        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
-        with:
-          path: |
-            ~/.gradle/caches
-            ~/.gradle/wrapper
-          key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
-      - name: Build with Gradle
-        run: ./gradlew build
-        env:
-          MAVEN_USER: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_USER }}
-          MAVEN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PASSWORD }}
-          MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL }}
-          DISABLE_ADDITIONAL_FEATURES: true
-
-      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
-        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@bb05f3f5519dd87d3ba754cc423b652a5edd6d2c # v4.2.0
-
-      - name: Get version number
-        id: versionNumber
-        run: |
-          VERSION=$(grep "^version =" build.gradle | awk -F'"' '{print $2}')
-          echo "versionNumber=$VERSION" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-      - name: Convert repository owner to lowercase
-        id: repoowner
-        run: echo "lowercase=$(echo ${{ github.repository_owner }} | awk '{print tolower($0)}')" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-
-      - name: Login to GitHub Container Registry
-        uses: docker/login-action@dbcb813823bdd20940b903addbd779551569679f # v4.6.0
-        with:
-          registry: ghcr.io
-          username: ${{ github.actor }}
-          password: ${{ github.token }}
-
-      - name: Build and push test image
-        uses: docker/build-push-action@53b7df96c91f9c12dcc8a07bcb9ccacbed38856a # v7.3.0
-        with:
-          context: .
-          file: ./docker/embedded/Dockerfile
-          push: true
-          cache-from: type=gha,scope=stirling-pdf-latest
-          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=stirling-pdf-latest
-          tags: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test:test-${{ github.sha }}
-          build-args: VERSION_TAG=${{ steps.versionNumber.outputs.versionNumber }}
-          platforms: linux/amd64
-
-      - name: Set up SSH
-        run: |
-          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
-          echo "${NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY}" > ../private.key
-          sudo chmod 600 ../private.key
-
-        env:
-          NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}
-      - name: Deploy to VPS
-        run: |
-          cat > docker-compose.yml << EOF
-          version: '3.3'
-          services:
-            stirling-pdf:
-              container_name: stirling-pdf-test-${{ github.sha }}
-              image: ${IMAGE_BASE}:test-${{ github.sha }}
-              ports:
-                - "1337:8080"
-              volumes:
-                - /stirling/test-${{ github.sha }}/data:/usr/share/tessdata:rw
-                - /stirling/test-${{ github.sha }}/config:/configs:rw
-                - /stirling/test-${{ github.sha }}/logs:/logs:rw
-              environment:
-                DISABLE_ADDITIONAL_FEATURES: "true"
-                SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN: "false"
-                SYSTEM_DEFAULTLOCALE: en-US
-                UI_APPNAME: "Stirling-PDF Test"
-                UI_HOMEDESCRIPTION: "Test Deployment"
-                UI_APPNAMENAVBAR: "Test"
-                SYSTEM_MAXFILESIZE: "100"
-                METRICS_ENABLED: "true"
-                SYSTEM_GOOGLEVISIBILITY: "false"
-                SYSTEM_ENABLEANALYTICS: "false"
-              restart: on-failure:5
-          EOF
-
-          scp -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null docker-compose.yml ${NEW_VPS_USERNAME}@${NEW_VPS_HOST}:/tmp/docker-compose.yml
-
-          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null ${NEW_VPS_USERNAME}@${NEW_VPS_HOST} << EOF
-            mkdir -p /stirling/test-${{ github.sha }}/{data,config,logs}
-            mv /tmp/docker-compose.yml /stirling/test-${{ github.sha }}/docker-compose.yml
-            cd /stirling/test-${{ github.sha }}
-            docker-compose pull
-            docker-compose up -d
-          EOF
-
-        env:
-          IMAGE_BASE: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test
-          NEW_VPS_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}
-          NEW_VPS_HOST: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}
-  files-changed:
-    if: always()
-    name: detect what files changed
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 3
-    outputs:
-      frontend: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.frontend }}
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
-        with:
-          egress-policy: audit
-
-      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-
-      - name: Check for file changes
-        uses: dorny/paths-filter@ceb8a2b8f2d89434be7ff52d3de7ec3738c5cc9d # v4.0.3
-        id: changes
-        with:
-          filters: ".github/config/.files.yaml"
-
-  test:
-    environment: pr-preview
-    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.frontend == 'true'
-    needs: [deploy, files-changed]
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
-        with:
-          egress-policy: audit
-
-      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-
-      - name: Set up Node
-        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7.0.0
-        with:
-          cache: "npm"
-          cache-dependency-path: frontend/package-lock.json
-
-      - name: Run TestDriver.ai
-        uses: testdriverai/action@f0d0f45fdd684db628baa843fe9313f3ca3a8aa8 #1.1.3
-        with:
-          key: ${{secrets.TESTDRIVER_API_KEY}}
-          prerun: |
-            choco install go-task -y
-            task frontend:build
-            cd frontend
-            npm install dashcam-chrome --save
-            Start-Process "C:/Program Files/Google/Chrome/Application/chrome.exe" -ArgumentList "--start-maximized", "--load-extension=$(pwd)/node_modules/dashcam-chrome/build", "http://${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}:1337"
-            Start-Sleep -Seconds 20
-          prompt: |
-            1. /run testing/testdriver/test.yml
-        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          FORCE_COLOR: "3"
-
-  cleanup:
-    environment: pr-preview
-    needs: [deploy, test]
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    if: always()
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
-        with:
-          egress-policy: audit
-
-      - name: Set up SSH
-        run: |
-          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
-          echo "${NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY}" > ../private.key
-          sudo chmod 600 ../private.key
-
-        env:
-          NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}
-      - name: Cleanup deployment
-        if: always()
-        run: |
-          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null ${NEW_VPS_USERNAME}@${NEW_VPS_HOST} << EOF
-            cd /stirling/test-${{ github.sha }}
-            docker-compose down
-            cd /stirling
-            rm -rf test-${{ github.sha }}
-          EOF
-        env:
-          NEW_VPS_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}
-          NEW_VPS_HOST: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}
-        continue-on-error: true # Ensure cleanup runs even if previous steps fail
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ This guide explains how to set up Windows code signing for Stirling-PDF desktop

 ## Overview

+Releases are signed with **DigiCert KeyLocker**, a cloud HSM: the private key never
+leaves DigiCert, and the runner signs through a PKCS#11 provider. The older approach
+of uploading a base64 `.pfx` to a repository secret has been removed from the
+workflows - the sections below describe KeyLocker, which is what actually runs.
+
 Windows code signing is essential for:
 - Preventing Windows SmartScreen warnings
 - Building trust with users
@@ -49,29 +54,19 @@ openssl pkcs12 -export -out certificate.pfx -inkey private-key.key -in certifica

 ### Required Secrets

-Navigate to your GitHub repository → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
+Navigate to your GitHub repository → Settings → Environments → `release-signing`.

-Add the following secrets:
+These live in the `release-signing` environment, not at repository scope. That
+environment requires reviewer approval and is limited to `main`, `release`,
+`hotfix/*` and `v*` tags. All five come from the DigiCert ONE console.

-#### 1. `WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE`
- **Description**: Base64-encoded .pfx certificate file
- **How to create**:
-
-**On macOS/Linux:**
-```bash
-base64 -i certificate.pfx | pbcopy  # Copies to clipboard
-```
-
-**On Windows (PowerShell):**
-```powershell
-[Convert]::ToBase64String([IO.File]::ReadAllBytes("certificate.pfx")) | Set-Clipboard
-```
-
-Paste the entire base64 string into the GitHub secret.
-
-#### 2. `WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD`
- **Description**: Password for the .pfx certificate
- **Value**: The password you set when creating/exporting the .pfx file
+| Secret | Description |
+| --- | --- |
+| `SM_API_KEY` | KeyLocker API key. Also acts as the on/off switch: signing steps are gated on it being non-empty. |
+| `SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64` | Base64-encoded PKCS#12 client authentication certificate. |
+| `SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD` | Password for that client certificate. |
+| `SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS` | Alias of the signing keypair to use. |
+| `SM_HOST` | DigiCert ONE host, e.g. `https://clientauth.one.digicert.com`. |

 ### Optional Secrets for Tauri Updater

@@ -110,23 +105,23 @@ The Windows signing configuration is already set up:

 ### 2. GitHub Workflow (.github/workflows/tauri-build.yml)

-The workflow includes three Windows signing steps:
+The workflow includes four Windows signing steps, all gated on `SM_API_KEY` being
+set and the ref being the release branch:

-1. **Import Certificate**: Decodes and imports the .pfx certificate into Windows certificate store
-2. **Build Tauri App**: Builds and signs the application using the imported certificate
-3. **Verify Signature**: Validates that both .exe and .msi files are properly signed
+1. **Setup DigiCert KeyLocker**: Installs the DigiCert signing tools via `digicert/ssm-code-signing`
+2. **Setup DigiCert KeyLocker Certificate**: Writes the client cert and exports the PKCS#11 config
+3. **Configure Windows code signing / Build Tauri app**: Signs through the PKCS#11 provider
+4. **Verify Windows Code Signature**: Validates that the .exe and .msi are properly signed

 ## Testing the Setup

 ### 1. Local Testing (Windows Only)

-Before pushing to GitHub, test locally:
+KeyLocker is CI-only. To check signing locally, install your own certificate into
+the Windows store and point Tauri at it; the build no longer reads any certificate
+from an environment variable.

 ```powershell
-# Set environment variables
-$env:WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE = [Convert]::ToBase64String([IO.File]::ReadAllBytes("certificate.pfx"))
-$env:WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD = "your-certificate-password"
-
 # Build the application
 cd frontend
 npm run tauri build
@@ -191,9 +186,10 @@ Look for:
 - Consider EV certificate for immediate reputation

 ### Certificate Not Found During Build
- Verify `WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE` secret is set
- Check base64 encoding is correct (no extra whitespace)
- Ensure password is correct
+- Verify `SM_API_KEY` is present in the `release-signing` environment. If it is empty
+  the signing steps skip silently and the build succeeds unsigned.
+- Check `SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64` base64 encoding is correct (no extra whitespace)
+- Ensure `SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD` and `SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS` match the DigiCert keypair

 ## Security Best Practices

@@ -220,11 +216,10 @@ Look for:
 ## Certificate Lifecycle

 ### Before Expiration
-1. Obtain new certificate from CA (typically annual renewal)
-2. Convert to .pfx format if needed
-3. Update `WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE` secret with new base64-encoded certificate
-4. Update `WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD` if password changed
-5. Test build to verify new certificate works
+1. Renew the certificate in the DigiCert ONE console (typically annual)
+2. If the keypair alias changed, update `SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS` in the `release-signing` environment
+3. If the client authentication certificate was reissued, update `SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64` and `SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD`
+4. Test build to verify the new certificate works

 ### Expired Certificates
 - Signed binaries remain valid (timestamp proves signing time)
@@ -185,7 +185,7 @@ export class UpdateService {
   */
  async getCurrentVersionFromGitHub(): Promise<string> {
    const url =
-      "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/V2-master/build.gradle";
+      "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Stirling-Tools/Stirling-PDF/release/build.gradle";

    try {
      const response = await fetch(url);