Merge branch 'main' into move_pr_check

build(deps): bump logback from 1.6.1 to 1.6.3 (#7622 )
Bumps `logback` from 1.6.1 to 1.6.3. Updates `ch.qos.logback:logback-core` from 1.6.1 to 1.6.3 <details> <summary>Release notes</summary> <p><em>Sourced from <a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/releases">ch.qos.logback:logback-core's releases</a>.</em></p> <blockquote> <h2>Logback 1.6.3</h2> <h1>2026-08-14 Release of logback version 1.6.3</h1> <ul> <li> <p>In response <a href="https://www.cve.org/cverecord?id=CVE-2026-19880">CVE-2026-19880</a>, <code>MDCBasedDiscriminator</code> (used by <code>SiftingAppender</code>) now strips forward and backward slashes (<code>/</code>, <code>\</code>) from MDC values before they are used as discriminating keys. This prevents path segments from escaping into destinations controlled by an attacker. When sanitisation actually changes a value, a warning is emitted; the warning is rate-limited (a small batch, then a lull of about ten minutes).</p> </li> <li> <p>Colour console support is split out into a dedicated <a href="https://logback.qos.ch/manual/appenders.html#JansiConsoleAppender"><code>JansiConsoleAppender</code></a>. It wraps stdout or stderr with Jansi so ANSI escape sequences (for example coloured patterns) render correctly on terminals that need it, notably Windows. Prefer this class over the older path described next. See the <a href="https://logback.qos.ch/manual/appenders.html#JansiConsoleAppender">appenders documentation</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>The <code>withJansi</code> property on <code>ConsoleAppender</code> is <strong>deprecated</strong>. Existing configurations that still set <code><withJansi>true</withJansi></code> continue to work for compatibility, but new setups should use <code>JansiConsoleAppender</code> instead.</p> </li> <li> <p><code>ConsoleAppender</code> no longer treats the process console as an exclusive resource: stopping it does not close <code>System.out</code> / <code>System.err</code>. <code>JansiConsoleAppender</code> pairs each <code>AnsiConsole.systemInstall()</code> with <code>systemUninstall()</code> on stop, so repeated start/stop cycles do not leave Jansi installed or tear down streams shared with the rest of the JVM. Related behavior is covered by tests for <a href="https://redirect.github.com/qos-ch/logback/issues/1063">issues/1063</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>Invocation throttling helpers were reworked: <code>SimpleInvocationGate</code> is renamed <code>FixedIntervalInvocationGate</code>, and <code>BatchedFixedIntervalInvocationGate</code> allows a short burst of invocations before applying a fixed lull. The sanitisation warning above uses the batched gate.</p> </li> <li> <p>The JPMS <code>module-info</code> for logback-core now exports the <code>ch.qos.logback.core.property</code> package, which had been missing from the module descriptor.</p> </li> <li> <p>A bit-wise identical binary of this version can be reproduced by building from <a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback">source code</a> at commit <code>e8e824dede022a6d7208b36cfa875b0d1b7772f3</code> associated with the tag <code>v_1.6.3</code>. The release was built using Java "21" 2023-10-17 LTS build 21.0.1.+12-LTS-29 under Linux Debian 11.6.</p> </li> </ul> <p>-- Sponsoring SLF4J/logback/reload4j at <a href="https://github.com/sponsors/qos-ch">https://github.com/sponsors/qos-ch</a></p> <h2>Logback 1.6.2</h2> <p><a href="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9ceaf157-b758-4188-815d-edfe4e1b4edd">https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9ceaf157-b758-4188-815d-edfe4e1b4edd</a></p> <h1>2026-08-10 Release of logback version 1.6.2</h1> <ul> <li> <p>Configuration analysis now detects <em>contradictory caller-data inclusion instructions</em>. For example, an <code>AsyncAppender</code>, <code>SocketAppender</code> or <code>SMTPAppender</code> with <code>includeCallerData</code> left at the default <code>false</code> is incompatible with a layout or encoder pattern that uses a caller-data converter such as <code>%C</code>, <code>%M</code>, <code>%L</code>, <code>%F</code>, <code>%l</code> or <code>%caller</code>. At runtime those converters would print question marks and still incur extraction cost on a worker thread. Logback now emits a configuration-time warning when such instructions disagree. See <a href="https://logback.qos.ch/codes.html#callerContradiction">codes.html#callerContradiction</a> for details. This issue was reported in <a href="https://redirect.github.com/qos-ch/logback/issues/1059">issues/1059</a> by <a href="https://github.com/leeychee">leeychee</a>. The initial analysis was contributed by <a href="https://github.com/seonwooj0810">seonwoo_jung</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>Caller-contradiction analysis can be turned off by setting the <code>logback.skipCallerContradictionAnalysis</code> variable to <code>true</code>, either as a system property (<code>-Dlogback.skipCallerContradictionAnalysis=true</code>) or as a property in the configuration file:</p> <pre lang="xml"><code><property name="logback.skipCallerContradictionAnalysis" value="true"/> </code></pre> </li> <li> <p><code>SimpleSocketServer</code> and <code>SimpleSSLSocketServer</code> now require an explicit client IP whitelist. On the command line, pass one or more allowed addresses (single IPs or CIDR ranges) after the configuration file. An empty whitelist means no clients are accepted. When embedding the server programmatically, register allowed addresses with <code>addAllowedClientAddress(String)</code> or <code>setAllowedClientAddresses(Collection)</code> before clients connect. See the documentation on <a href="https://logback.qos.ch/manual/appenders.html#simpleSocketServerClientAccess">restricting client access</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>Added <code>ThrowableProxyVOBuilder</code> for assembling a <code>ThrowableProxyVO</code> field by field, with a corresponding <code>ThrowableProxyVO.builder()</code> entry point.</p> </li> <li> <p>Dependency analysis handlers now run their <code>postHandle</code> method after child models have been processed, so checks that depend on nested appenders (such as caller-contradiction analysis) see a complete picture.</p> </li> <li> <p>Updated several dependencies, including Angus Mail to 2.0.4 and Jetty (test) to 12.1.12.</p> </li> <li> <p>A bit-wise identical binary of this version can be reproduced by building from <a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback">source code</a> at commit e3d78330ad1ba024fd987fd00c3ffb9cfcdb07dc associated with the tag <code>v_1.6.2</code>. The release was built using Java "21" 2023-10-17 LTS build 21.0.1.+12-LTS-29 under Linux Debian 11.6.</p> </li> </ul> </blockquote> </details> <details> <summary>Commits</summary> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/e8e824dede022a6d7208b36cfa875b0d1b7772f3"><code>e8e824d</code></a> prepare release 1.6.3</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/761821bfaacac3a0ad44fa546cfc814429bf9312"><code>761821b</code></a> MDCBasedDiscriminator has a gated warning mechanism</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/53ed1229008d8b1902f5c234deaa07d742890879"><code>53ed122</code></a> update copyright year</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/c7e2db244671ffa916182b5da8c89579eb54a645"><code>c7e2db2</code></a> rename SimpleInvocationGate as FixedIntervalInvocationGate</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/b5aa931b096a4b0b6a9e140b74fabe7da152cbf0"><code>b5aa931</code></a> added BatchedSimpleInvocationGate</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/1f22af7686aadd25c08b4bd1e6943a906a743ad4"><code>1f22af7</code></a> add javadocs to SimpleInvocationGate</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/638ffa7e7852478b605a91b3e91238ff26f8158c"><code>638ffa7</code></a> prevent forward and backward slashes to escape to other directories</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/7d6b9a4f8c8996834c0a694f6c141705a003d7bb"><code>7d6b9a4</code></a> add missing ch.qos.logback.core.property package</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/fa25930346f35636fb6a077c1f66ebb06edd3b6f"><code>fa25930</code></a> add an extension path in ConsoleAppender for JansiConsoleAppender</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/c73b43f2011f9d4545abc7ea461172276a0a43b3"><code>c73b43f</code></a> deprecate the withJansi path</li> <li>Additional commits viewable in <a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/compare/v_1.6.1...v_1.6.3">compare view</a></li> </ul> </details> <br /> Updates `ch.qos.logback:logback-classic` from 1.6.1 to 1.6.3 <details> <summary>Release notes</summary> <p><em>Sourced from <a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/releases">ch.qos.logback:logback-classic's releases</a>.</em></p> <blockquote> <h2>Logback 1.6.3</h2> <h1>2026-08-14 Release of logback version 1.6.3</h1> <ul> <li> <p>In response <a href="https://www.cve.org/cverecord?id=CVE-2026-19880">CVE-2026-19880</a>, <code>MDCBasedDiscriminator</code> (used by <code>SiftingAppender</code>) now strips forward and backward slashes (<code>/</code>, <code>\</code>) from MDC values before they are used as discriminating keys. This prevents path segments from escaping into destinations controlled by an attacker. When sanitisation actually changes a value, a warning is emitted; the warning is rate-limited (a small batch, then a lull of about ten minutes).</p> </li> <li> <p>Colour console support is split out into a dedicated <a href="https://logback.qos.ch/manual/appenders.html#JansiConsoleAppender"><code>JansiConsoleAppender</code></a>. It wraps stdout or stderr with Jansi so ANSI escape sequences (for example coloured patterns) render correctly on terminals that need it, notably Windows. Prefer this class over the older path described next. See the <a href="https://logback.qos.ch/manual/appenders.html#JansiConsoleAppender">appenders documentation</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>The <code>withJansi</code> property on <code>ConsoleAppender</code> is <strong>deprecated</strong>. Existing configurations that still set <code><withJansi>true</withJansi></code> continue to work for compatibility, but new setups should use <code>JansiConsoleAppender</code> instead.</p> </li> <li> <p><code>ConsoleAppender</code> no longer treats the process console as an exclusive resource: stopping it does not close <code>System.out</code> / <code>System.err</code>. <code>JansiConsoleAppender</code> pairs each <code>AnsiConsole.systemInstall()</code> with <code>systemUninstall()</code> on stop, so repeated start/stop cycles do not leave Jansi installed or tear down streams shared with the rest of the JVM. Related behavior is covered by tests for <a href="https://redirect.github.com/qos-ch/logback/issues/1063">issues/1063</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>Invocation throttling helpers were reworked: <code>SimpleInvocationGate</code> is renamed <code>FixedIntervalInvocationGate</code>, and <code>BatchedFixedIntervalInvocationGate</code> allows a short burst of invocations before applying a fixed lull. The sanitisation warning above uses the batched gate.</p> </li> <li> <p>The JPMS <code>module-info</code> for logback-core now exports the <code>ch.qos.logback.core.property</code> package, which had been missing from the module descriptor.</p> </li> <li> <p>A bit-wise identical binary of this version can be reproduced by building from <a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback">source code</a> at commit <code>e8e824dede022a6d7208b36cfa875b0d1b7772f3</code> associated with the tag <code>v_1.6.3</code>. The release was built using Java "21" 2023-10-17 LTS build 21.0.1.+12-LTS-29 under Linux Debian 11.6.</p> </li> </ul> <p>-- Sponsoring SLF4J/logback/reload4j at <a href="https://github.com/sponsors/qos-ch">https://github.com/sponsors/qos-ch</a></p> <h2>Logback 1.6.2</h2> <p><a href="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9ceaf157-b758-4188-815d-edfe4e1b4edd">https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9ceaf157-b758-4188-815d-edfe4e1b4edd</a></p> <h1>2026-08-10 Release of logback version 1.6.2</h1> <ul> <li> <p>Configuration analysis now detects <em>contradictory caller-data inclusion instructions</em>. For example, an <code>AsyncAppender</code>, <code>SocketAppender</code> or <code>SMTPAppender</code> with <code>includeCallerData</code> left at the default <code>false</code> is incompatible with a layout or encoder pattern that uses a caller-data converter such as <code>%C</code>, <code>%M</code>, <code>%L</code>, <code>%F</code>, <code>%l</code> or <code>%caller</code>. At runtime those converters would print question marks and still incur extraction cost on a worker thread. Logback now emits a configuration-time warning when such instructions disagree. See <a href="https://logback.qos.ch/codes.html#callerContradiction">codes.html#callerContradiction</a> for details. This issue was reported in <a href="https://redirect.github.com/qos-ch/logback/issues/1059">issues/1059</a> by <a href="https://github.com/leeychee">leeychee</a>. The initial analysis was contributed by <a href="https://github.com/seonwooj0810">seonwoo_jung</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>Caller-contradiction analysis can be turned off by setting the <code>logback.skipCallerContradictionAnalysis</code> variable to <code>true</code>, either as a system property (<code>-Dlogback.skipCallerContradictionAnalysis=true</code>) or as a property in the configuration file:</p> <pre lang="xml"><code><property name="logback.skipCallerContradictionAnalysis" value="true"/> </code></pre> </li> <li> <p><code>SimpleSocketServer</code> and <code>SimpleSSLSocketServer</code> now require an explicit client IP whitelist. On the command line, pass one or more allowed addresses (single IPs or CIDR ranges) after the configuration file. An empty whitelist means no clients are accepted. When embedding the server programmatically, register allowed addresses with <code>addAllowedClientAddress(String)</code> or <code>setAllowedClientAddresses(Collection)</code> before clients connect. See the documentation on <a href="https://logback.qos.ch/manual/appenders.html#simpleSocketServerClientAccess">restricting client access</a>.</p> </li> <li> <p>Added <code>ThrowableProxyVOBuilder</code> for assembling a <code>ThrowableProxyVO</code> field by field, with a corresponding <code>ThrowableProxyVO.builder()</code> entry point.</p> </li> <li> <p>Dependency analysis handlers now run their <code>postHandle</code> method after child models have been processed, so checks that depend on nested appenders (such as caller-contradiction analysis) see a complete picture.</p> </li> <li> <p>Updated several dependencies, including Angus Mail to 2.0.4 and Jetty (test) to 12.1.12.</p> </li> <li> <p>A bit-wise identical binary of this version can be reproduced by building from <a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback">source code</a> at commit e3d78330ad1ba024fd987fd00c3ffb9cfcdb07dc associated with the tag <code>v_1.6.2</code>. The release was built using Java "21" 2023-10-17 LTS build 21.0.1.+12-LTS-29 under Linux Debian 11.6.</p> </li> </ul> </blockquote> </details> <details> <summary>Commits</summary> <ul> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/e8e824dede022a6d7208b36cfa875b0d1b7772f3"><code>e8e824d</code></a> prepare release 1.6.3</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/761821bfaacac3a0ad44fa546cfc814429bf9312"><code>761821b</code></a> MDCBasedDiscriminator has a gated warning mechanism</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/53ed1229008d8b1902f5c234deaa07d742890879"><code>53ed122</code></a> update copyright year</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/c7e2db244671ffa916182b5da8c89579eb54a645"><code>c7e2db2</code></a> rename SimpleInvocationGate as FixedIntervalInvocationGate</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/b5aa931b096a4b0b6a9e140b74fabe7da152cbf0"><code>b5aa931</code></a> added BatchedSimpleInvocationGate</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/1f22af7686aadd25c08b4bd1e6943a906a743ad4"><code>1f22af7</code></a> add javadocs to SimpleInvocationGate</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/638ffa7e7852478b605a91b3e91238ff26f8158c"><code>638ffa7</code></a> prevent forward and backward slashes to escape to other directories</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/7d6b9a4f8c8996834c0a694f6c141705a003d7bb"><code>7d6b9a4</code></a> add missing ch.qos.logback.core.property package</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/fa25930346f35636fb6a077c1f66ebb06edd3b6f"><code>fa25930</code></a> add an extension path in ConsoleAppender for JansiConsoleAppender</li> <li><a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/commit/c73b43f2011f9d4545abc7ea461172276a0a43b3"><code>c73b43f</code></a> deprecate the withJansi path</li> <li>Additional commits viewable in <a href="https://github.com/qos-ch/logback/compare/v_1.6.1...v_1.6.3">compare view</a></li> </ul> </details> <br /> Dependabot will resolve any conflicts with this PR as long as you don't alter it yourself. You can also trigger a rebase manually by commenting `@dependabot rebase`. [//]: # (dependabot-automerge-start) [//]: # (dependabot-automerge-end) --- <details> <summary>Dependabot commands and options</summary> <br /> You can trigger Dependabot actions by commenting on this PR: - `@dependabot rebase` will rebase this PR - `@dependabot recreate` will recreate this PR, overwriting any edits that have been made to it - `@dependabot show <dependency name> ignore conditions` will show all of the ignore conditions of the specified dependency - `@dependabot ignore this major version` will close this PR and stop Dependabot creating any more for this major version (unless you reopen the PR or upgrade to it yourself) - `@dependabot ignore this minor version` will close this PR and stop Dependabot creating any more for this minor version (unless you reopen the PR or upgrade to it yourself) - `@dependabot ignore this dependency` will close this PR and stop Dependabot creating any more for this dependency (unless you reopen the PR or upgrade to it yourself) </details> Signed-off-by: dependabot[bot] <support@github.com> Co-authored-by: dependabot[bot] <49699333+dependabot[bot]@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-09-03 05:10:16 +03:00 · 2026-08-23 15:21:17 +02:00 · 2026-08-23 12:41:05 +00:00 · 2026-08-23 13:55:43 +02:00 · 2026-08-23 13:21:01 +02:00 · 2026-08-23 10:35:29 +00:00
980 changed files with 58161 additions and 29361 deletions
@@ -98,6 +98,13 @@ body:
      description: |
        If you have any additional information that might help us understand and resolve the issue, provide it here.

+  - type: textarea
+    id: sample-files
+    attributes:
+      label: Sample Files
+      description: |
+        If possible, attach the PDF or other input files needed to reproduce the issue. Remove any sensitive information before sharing.
+
  - type: markdown
    attributes:
      value: |
@@ -67,6 +67,13 @@ body:
      description: |
        If you have any additional information, comments, or resources you think would support or be relevant to your feature request, include them here.

+  - type: textarea
+    id: sample-files
+    attributes:
+      label: Example Files
+      description: |
+        If the feature request depends on specific PDFs or other example files, attach them here when available. Remove any sensitive information before sharing.
+
  - type: checkboxes
    id: search-confirmation
    attributes:
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Maintainer: Stirling PDF Inc <contact@stirlingpdf.com>
 pkgname=stirling-pdf-desktop
-pkgver=2.14.2
+pkgver=2.14.3
 pkgrel=1
 pkgdesc="Locally hosted, web-based PDF manipulation tool (Tauri desktop app, official Stirling PDF Inc build)"
 arch=('x86_64')
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # Maintainer: Stirling PDF Inc <contact@stirlingpdf.com>
 pkgname=stirling-pdf-server-bin
-pkgver=2.14.2
+pkgver=2.14.3
 pkgrel=1
 pkgdesc="Locally hosted, web-based PDF manipulation tool (server JAR, prebuilt)"
 arch=('any')
@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
-# CI routing infra. Editing the top-level router (build.yml) or this filter
-# config re-runs every area's jobs, so every job-gating filter below includes
-# *ci. That makes a change to how jobs are dispatched actually exercise those
-# jobs (self-testing), instead of a router edit only matching the project filter.
+# CI routing infrastructure. Changes to the top-level router (build.yml) or
+# this filter configuration rerun every area's jobs. Every job-gating filter
+# therefore includes *ci, so routing changes exercise the jobs they affect
+# instead of matching only the project filter.
 ci: &ci
  - .github/workflows/build.yml
+  - .github/workflows/gradle-cache-prime.yml
  - .github/config/.files.yaml

 build: &build
  - *ci
+  - buildSrc/**
  - build.gradle
  - gradle/spotless.gradle
  - app/(common|core|proprietary|saas)/build.gradle
@@ -15,6 +17,22 @@ build: &build
  - .taskfiles/backend.yml
  - .github/workflows/check-licence.yml

+# Backend build inputs. This is intentionally broader than `build`: Java and
+# backend resource changes must exercise the backend matrix even when Gradle
+# build scripts themselves are unchanged.
+backend: &backend
+  - *ci
+  - *build
+  - gradle/**
+  - gradle.properties
+  - gradlew
+  - gradlew.bat
+  - settings.gradle
+  - app/(common|core|proprietary|saas)/src/(main|test)/java/**
+  - "app/(common|core|proprietary|saas)/src/(main|test)/resources/**/!(messages_*.properties|*.md)*"
+  - scripts/db-migration/**
+  - .github/workflows/backend-build.yml
+
 openapi: &openapi
  - *ci
  - *build
@@ -24,9 +42,9 @@ openapi: &openapi
 docker-base: &docker-base
  - docker/base/Dockerfile

-# Dockerfiles only (base + embedded + unoserver). Gates the slow multi-arch
-# (arm64) leg of the PR docker test build: arm64 is only rebuilt when a
-# Dockerfile itself changes, not on every code PR.
+# Dockerfiles only (base, embedded, and unoserver). The slow multi-architecture
+# (arm64) leg of the PR Docker test build runs only when a Dockerfile changes,
+# rather than for every code PR.
 dockerfiles: &dockerfiles
  - docker/**/Dockerfile*

@@ -68,7 +86,6 @@ project: &project
 frontend: &frontend
  - *ci
  - frontend/**
-  - .github/workflows/testdriver.yml
  - testing/**
  - docker/**
  - scripts/translations/*.py
@@ -88,8 +105,14 @@ frontend: &frontend
  - .github/workflows/e2e-stubbed.yml
  - .github/workflows/e2e-live.yml

-# Files that affect the Tauri desktop bundle. Gate the multi-OS Tauri build
-# job on changes to any of these.
+toml: &toml
+  - *ci
+  - frontend/editor/public/locales/*/translation.toml
+  - .github/scripts/check_language_toml.py
+  - .github/workflows/check_toml.yml
+
+# Files that affect the Tauri desktop bundle. Changes to any of these files
+# trigger the multi-OS Tauri build job.
 tauri: &tauri
  - *ci
  - frontend/editor/src-tauri/**
@@ -102,9 +125,9 @@ tauri: &tauri
  - Taskfile.yml
  - .taskfiles/desktop.yml

-# Files that affect the AI engine (Python tool models, fixers, tests). Gate
-# the engine validation job on changes to engine sources or to the Java
-# tool surfaces it generates models from.
+# Files that affect the AI engine, including its Python tool models, fixers,
+# and tests. The engine validation job also runs when the Java tool surfaces
+# used to generate those models change.
 engine: &engine
  - *ci
  - engine/**
@@ -114,10 +137,10 @@ engine: &engine
  - .taskfiles/engine.yml

 # Files that can make the committed generated API models (frontend tool API
-# types + engine tool models) go stale: the Java tool surfaces they derive from,
-# the generators, the generated files themselves (to catch a hand-edit), and the
-# tasks that drive generation. Deliberately excludes the broad frontend/docker/
-# testing globs, so a CSS-only PR does not boot the backend to rebuild the spec.
+# types and engine tool models) stale: their Java sources, generators,
+# generated outputs (to catch hand edits), and generation tasks. Broad
+# frontend, Docker, and testing globs are intentionally excluded, so a CSS-only
+# PR does not start the backend to rebuild the specification.
 generated-models: &generated-models
  - *ci
  - *openapi
@@ -141,8 +164,8 @@ licenses-backend: &licenses-backend
  - ".github/workflows/frontend-backend-licenses-update.yml"
  - *build

-# Files that can affect premium / enterprise behaviour. Gate the enterprise
-# Playwright job on changes to any of these on PRs.
+# Files that can affect premium or enterprise behaviour. Changes to any of
+# these files trigger the enterprise Playwright job for pull requests.
 proprietary: &proprietary
  - *ci
  - app/proprietary/**
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ updates:
      - "/app/common"
      - "/app/core"
      - "/app/proprietary"
+      - "/app/saas"
+      - "/buildSrc"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
    cooldown:
@@ -37,6 +39,19 @@ updates:
    cooldown:
      default-days: 7
    rebase-strategy: "auto"
+    groups:
+      ubuntu:
+        patterns:
+          - "ubuntu"
+      eclipse-temurin:
+        patterns:
+          - "eclipse-temurin"
+      uv:
+        patterns:
+          - "ghcr.io/astral-sh/uv"
+      gradle:
+        patterns:
+          - "gradle"

  - package-ecosystem: github-actions
    directory: /
@@ -50,6 +65,7 @@ updates:
    directories:
      - /devTools
      - /frontend
+      - /testing/compose/mcp-client-check
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
    cooldown:
@@ -78,6 +94,13 @@ updates:
          - "react-dom"
          - "@types/react"
          - "@types/react-dom"
+      tanstack:
+        patterns:
+          - "@tanstack/*"
+      typescript:
+        patterns:
+          - "typescript"
+          - "@typescript/*"
      vite:
        patterns:
          - "vite"
@@ -106,6 +129,10 @@ updates:
        patterns:
          - "@posthog/*"
          - "posthog-js"
+      storybook:
+        patterns:
+          - "storybook"
+          - "@storybook/*"
      supabase:
        patterns:
          - "@supabase/*"
@@ -152,8 +179,8 @@ updates:
          - "tokio"
          - "tokio-*"

-  - package-ecosystem: pip
-    directory: /testing/cucumber
+  - package-ecosystem: "uv"
+    directory: "/engine"
    schedule:
      interval: "weekly"
    cooldown:
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@ jobs:
  check-pr:
    if: (github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.action != 'closed') || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # Only reads the PR via pulls.get with the default GITHUB_TOKEN.
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      pull-requests: read
    outputs:
      should_deploy: ${{ steps.decide.outputs.should_deploy }}
      is_fork: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.is_fork }}
@@ -35,7 +39,7 @@ jobs:
      pr_ref: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.ref }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -97,6 +101,7 @@ jobs:
          echo "allow_fork=${allow_fork:-false}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

  deploy-v2-pr:
+    environment: pr-preview
    needs: check-pr
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    if: needs.check-pr.outputs.should_deploy == 'true' && (needs.check-pr.outputs.is_fork == 'false' || needs.check-pr.outputs.allow_fork == 'true')
@@ -107,6 +112,7 @@ jobs:
    permissions:
      contents: read
      issues: write
+      packages: write
      pull-requests: write
    env:
      # Single source of truth for whether this preview embeds the admin portal:
@@ -115,7 +121,7 @@ jobs:

    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -125,20 +131,11 @@ jobs:
          repository: ${{ github.repository }}
          ref: main

-      - name: Setup GitHub App Bot
-        if: github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
-        id: setup-bot
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-bot
-        continue-on-error: true
-        with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
-          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-
      - name: Add deployment started comment
        id: deployment-started
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
            const prNumber = ${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }};
@@ -180,7 +177,8 @@ jobs:
        with:
          repository: ${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_repository }}
          ref: ${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_ref }}
-          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          # untrusted tree is built below - never leave credentials in .git/config
+          persist-credentials: false
          fetch-depth: 0 # Fetch full history for commit hash detection

      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
@@ -192,11 +190,16 @@ jobs:
          VERSION=$(grep "^version =" build.gradle | awk -F'"' '{print $2}')
          echo "versionNumber=$VERSION" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

-      - name: Login to Docker Hub
+      - name: Login to GitHub Container Registry
        uses: docker/login-action@dbcb813823bdd20940b903addbd779551569679f # v4.6.0
        with:
-          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}
-          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_API }}
+          registry: ghcr.io
+          username: ${{ github.actor }}
+          password: ${{ github.token }}
+
+      - name: Convert repository owner to lowercase
+        id: repoowner
+        run: echo "lowercase=$(echo ${{ github.repository_owner }} | awk '{print tolower($0)}')" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

      - name: Get commit hash for app
        id: commit-hash
@@ -220,7 +223,7 @@ jobs:
      - name: Check if image exists
        id: check-image
        run: |
-          if docker manifest inspect ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:v2-${{ steps.commit-hash.outputs.app_short }} >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+          if docker manifest inspect ${IMAGE_BASE}:v2-${{ steps.commit-hash.outputs.app_short }} >/dev/null 2>&1; then
            echo "exists=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
            echo "Image already exists, skipping build"
          else
@@ -228,6 +231,8 @@ jobs:
            echo "Image needs to be built"
          fi

+        env:
+          IMAGE_BASE: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test
      - name: Build and push V2 image
        if: steps.check-image.outputs.exists == 'false'
        uses: docker/build-push-action@53b7df96c91f9c12dcc8a07bcb9ccacbed38856a # v7.3.0
@@ -237,7 +242,7 @@ jobs:
          push: true
          cache-from: type=gha,scope=stirling-pdf-latest
          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=stirling-pdf-latest
-          tags: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:v2-${{ steps.commit-hash.outputs.app_short }}
+          tags: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test:v2-${{ steps.commit-hash.outputs.app_short }}
          build-args: |
            VERSION_TAG=v2-alpha
            BUILD_PORTAL=${{ env.BUILD_PORTAL }}
@@ -246,9 +251,11 @@ jobs:
      - name: Set up SSH
        run: |
          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
-          echo "${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}" > ../private.key
+          echo "${NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY}" > ../private.key
          sudo chmod 600 ../private.key

+        env:
+          NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}
      - name: Deploy V2 to VPS
        id: deploy
        run: |
@@ -261,7 +268,7 @@ jobs:
          services:
            stirling-pdf-v2:
              container_name: stirling-pdf-v2-pr-${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }}
-              image: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:v2-${{ steps.commit-hash.outputs.app_short }}
+              image: ${IMAGE_BASE}:v2-${{ steps.commit-hash.outputs.app_short }}
              ports:
                - "${V2_PORT}:8080"
              volumes:
@@ -273,8 +280,8 @@ jobs:
                DISABLE_ADDITIONAL_FEATURES: "false"
                STIRLING_BILLING_ACCOUNT_LINK_ENABLED: "true"
                SECURITY_ENABLELOGIN: "true"
-                SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_USERNAME: "${{ secrets.TEST_LOGIN_USERNAME }}"
-                SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_PASSWORD: "${{ secrets.TEST_LOGIN_PASSWORD }}"
+                SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_USERNAME: "${TEST_LOGIN_USERNAME}"
+                SECURITY_INITIALLOGIN_PASSWORD: "${TEST_LOGIN_PASSWORD}"
                SYSTEM_DEFAULTLOCALE: en-US
                UI_APPNAME: "Stirling-PDF V2 PR#${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }}"
                UI_HOMEDESCRIPTION: "V2 PR#${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }} - Embedded Architecture"
@@ -288,9 +295,9 @@ jobs:
          EOF

          # Deploy to VPS
-          scp -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null docker-compose.yml ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}:/tmp/docker-compose-v2.yml
+          scp -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null docker-compose.yml ${NEW_VPS_USERNAME}@${NEW_VPS_HOST}:/tmp/docker-compose-v2.yml

-          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -T ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }} << ENDSSH
+          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -T ${NEW_VPS_USERNAME}@${NEW_VPS_HOST} << ENDSSH
            # Create V2 PR-specific directories
            mkdir -p /stirling/V2-PR-${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }}/{data,config,logs,storage}

@@ -315,12 +322,19 @@ jobs:
          # Set port for output
          echo "v2_port=${V2_PORT}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

+        env:
+          IMAGE_BASE: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test
+          TEST_LOGIN_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.TEST_LOGIN_USERNAME }}
+          TEST_LOGIN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.TEST_LOGIN_PASSWORD }}
+          NEW_VPS_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}
+          NEW_VPS_HOST: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}
+
      # ---- Storybook preview (only when this PR touches stories/.storybook) ----
      # Runs inside the same approved-contributor-gated deploy job, so it deploys
      # under the exact same access rules as the app preview.
      - name: Detect Storybook changes
        id: sb-changes
-        uses: dorny/paths-filter@7b450fff21473bca461d4b92ce414b9d0420d706 # v4.0.2
+        uses: dorny/paths-filter@ceb8a2b8f2d89434be7ff52d3de7ec3738c5cc9d # v4.0.3
        with:
          list-files: json
          filters: |
@@ -379,8 +393,9 @@ jobs:
        env:
          SB_URL: ${{ steps.storybook.outputs.url }}
          SB_FILES: ${{ steps.sb-changes.outputs.storybook_files }}
+          NEW_VPS_HOST: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
            const prNumber = ${{ needs.check-pr.outputs.pr_number }};
@@ -401,7 +416,7 @@ jobs:
              }
            }

-            const deploymentUrl = `http://${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}:${v2Port}`;
+            const deploymentUrl = `http://${process.env.NEW_VPS_HOST}:${v2Port}`;

            // Only mention the portal when this image actually embeds it.
            // Use the direct IP URL - the SSL hostname isn't supported yet.
@@ -447,6 +462,10 @@ jobs:
            });

  cleanup-v2-deployment:
+    # Tearing a preview down is not a deployment - no deployment object.
+    environment:
+      name: pr-preview
+      deployment: false
    if: github.event.action == 'closed'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
@@ -456,26 +475,17 @@ jobs:

    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

-      - name: Setup GitHub App Bot
-        if: github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
-        id: setup-bot
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-bot
-        continue-on-error: true
-        with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
-          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-
      - name: Clean up V2 deployment comments
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
            const prNumber = ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }};
@@ -504,12 +514,14 @@ jobs:
      - name: Set up SSH
        run: |
          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
-          echo "${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}" > ../private.key
+          echo "${NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY}" > ../private.key
          sudo chmod 600 ../private.key

+        env:
+          NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}
      - name: Cleanup V2 deployment
        run: |
-          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -T ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }} << 'ENDSSH'
+          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -T ${NEW_VPS_USERNAME}@${NEW_VPS_HOST} << 'ENDSSH'
            if [ -d "/stirling/V2-PR-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}" ]; then
              echo "Found V2 PR directory, proceeding with cleanup..."

@@ -542,8 +554,11 @@ jobs:
            # Only remove PR-specific containers and directories
          ENDSSH

+        env:
+          NEW_VPS_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}
+          NEW_VPS_HOST: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}
      - name: Cleanup temporary files
        if: always()
        run: |
-          rm -f ../private.key
+          rm -f ../private.key docker-compose.yml storybook.tgz
        continue-on-error: true
@@ -37,7 +37,8 @@ jobs:
  check-comment:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
-      issues: write
+      contents: read # actions/checkout
+      issues: write # add reaction to the triggering issue comment
    if: |
      vars.CI_PROFILE != 'lite' && (
        github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' ||
@@ -69,22 +70,13 @@ jobs:
      enable_prototypes: ${{ steps.check-prototypes-flag.outputs.enable_prototypes }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: Checkout PR
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

-      - name: Setup GitHub App Bot
-        if: github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
-        id: setup-bot
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-bot
-        continue-on-error: true
-        with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
-          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-
      - name: Get PR data
        id: get-pr
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
@@ -155,7 +147,7 @@ jobs:
        id: add-eyes-reaction
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            console.log(`Adding eyes reaction to comment ID: ${context.payload.comment.id}`);
            try {
@@ -174,35 +166,38 @@ jobs:
            }

  deploy-pr:
+    environment: pr-preview
    needs: check-comment
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
-      issues: write
+      contents: read # actions/checkout, incl. the PR merge ref
+      issues: write # reactions, 'pr-deployed' label, deployment URL comment
      pull-requests: write
+      packages: write # push PR image to ghcr.io

    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: Checkout PR
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

-      - name: Setup GitHub App Bot
-        if: github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
-        id: setup-bot
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-bot
-        continue-on-error: true
-        with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
-          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-
      - name: Checkout PR
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
        with:
          ref: refs/pull/${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.pr_number }}/merge
-          token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          # untrusted tree gets built below - never leave credentials in .git/config
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Cache Gradle
+        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-deploy-pr-v1-${{ 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') }}

      - name: Set up JDK 25
        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
@@ -210,17 +205,6 @@ jobs:
          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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Install Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0
      - name: Run Gradle Command
@@ -240,11 +224,16 @@ jobs:
      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@bb05f3f5519dd87d3ba754cc423b652a5edd6d2c # v4.2.0

-      - name: Login to Docker Hub
+      - name: Login to GitHub Container Registry
        uses: docker/login-action@dbcb813823bdd20940b903addbd779551569679f # v4.6.0
        with:
-          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}
-          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_API }}
+          registry: ghcr.io
+          username: ${{ github.actor }}
+          password: ${{ github.token }}
+
+      - name: Convert repository owner to lowercase
+        id: repoowner
+        run: echo "lowercase=$(echo ${{ github.repository_owner }} | awk '{print tolower($0)}')" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

      - name: Build and push PR-specific image
        uses: docker/build-push-action@53b7df96c91f9c12dcc8a07bcb9ccacbed38856a # v7.3.0
@@ -254,7 +243,7 @@ jobs:
          push: true
          cache-from: type=gha,scope=stirling-pdf-latest
          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=stirling-pdf-latest
-          tags: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:pr-${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.pr_number }}
+          tags: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test:pr-${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.pr_number }}
          build-args: |
            VERSION_TAG=alpha
            PROTOTYPES_BUILD=${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.enable_prototypes }}
@@ -269,15 +258,17 @@ jobs:
          push: true
          cache-from: type=gha,scope=stirling-pdf-engine
          cache-to: type=gha,mode=max,scope=stirling-pdf-engine
-          tags: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:engine-pr-${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.pr_number }}
+          tags: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test:engine-pr-${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.pr_number }}
          platforms: linux/amd64

      - name: Set up SSH
        run: |
          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
-          echo "${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}" > ../private.key
+          echo "${NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY}" > ../private.key
          sudo chmod 600 ../private.key

+        env:
+          NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}
      - name: Deploy to VPS
        id: deploy
        run: |
@@ -295,11 +286,11 @@ jobs:
          # Set pro/enterprise settings (enterprise implies pro)
          if [ "${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.enable_enterprise }}" == "true" ]; then
            PREMIUM_ENABLED="true"
-            PREMIUM_KEY="${{ secrets.ENTERPRISE_KEY }}"
+            PREMIUM_KEY="${ENTERPRISE_KEY}"
            PREMIUM_PROFEATURES_AUDIT_ENABLED="true"
          elif [ "${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.enable_pro }}" == "true" ]; then
            PREMIUM_ENABLED="true"
-            PREMIUM_KEY="${{ secrets.PREMIUM_KEY }}"
+            PREMIUM_KEY="${PRO_KEY}"
            PREMIUM_PROFEATURES_AUDIT_ENABLED="true"
          else
            PREMIUM_ENABLED="false"
@@ -309,7 +300,6 @@ jobs:

          ENABLE_PROTOTYPES="${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.enable_prototypes }}"
          PR_NUMBER="${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.pr_number }}"
-          DOCKER_USER="${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}"

          # Build engine env vars for backend (only set when prototypes enabled)
          if [ "$ENABLE_PROTOTYPES" == "true" ]; then
@@ -319,9 +309,9 @@ jobs:
            ENGINE_SERVICE="
            stirling-pdf-engine:
              container_name: stirling-pdf-engine-pr-${PR_NUMBER}
-              image: ${DOCKER_USER}/test:engine-pr-${PR_NUMBER}
+              image: ${IMAGE_BASE}:engine-pr-${PR_NUMBER}
              environment:
-                ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: \"${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}\"
+                ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: \"${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY}\"
              networks:
                - pr-network
              restart: on-failure:5"
@@ -344,7 +334,7 @@ jobs:
          services:
            stirling-pdf:
              container_name: stirling-pdf-pr-${PR_NUMBER}
-              image: ${DOCKER_USER}/test:pr-${PR_NUMBER}
+              image: ${IMAGE_BASE}:pr-${PR_NUMBER}
              ports:
                - "${PR_NUMBER}:8080"
              volumes:
@@ -368,9 +358,9 @@ jobs:
          EOF

          # Then copy the file and execute commands
-          scp -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null docker-compose.yml ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}:/tmp/docker-compose.yml
+          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 -T ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }} << ENDSSH
+          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -T ${NEW_VPS_USERNAME}@${NEW_VPS_HOST} << ENDSSH
            # Create PR-specific directories
            mkdir -p /stirling/PR-${PR_NUMBER}/{data,config,logs}

@@ -386,11 +376,19 @@ jobs:
          # Set output for use in PR comment
          echo "security_status=${SECURITY_STATUS}" >> $GITHUB_ENV

+        env:
+          ENTERPRISE_KEY: ${{ secrets.ENTERPRISE_KEY }}
+          # named PRO_KEY, not PREMIUM_KEY, so the shell var it feeds is not self-referential
+          PRO_KEY: ${{ secrets.PREMIUM_KEY }}
+          ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY }}
+          IMAGE_BASE: ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test
+          NEW_VPS_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}
+          NEW_VPS_HOST: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}
      - name: Add success reaction to comment
        if: success() && github.event_name == 'issue_comment'
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            console.log(`Adding rocket reaction to comment ID: ${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.comment_id }}`);
            try {
@@ -425,7 +423,7 @@ jobs:
        if: failure() && github.event_name == 'issue_comment'
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            console.log(`Adding -1 reaction to comment ID: ${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.comment_id }}`);
            try {
@@ -444,15 +442,17 @@ jobs:
      - name: Post deployment URL to PR
        if: success()
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
+        env:
+          NEW_VPS_HOST: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            const { GITHUB_REPOSITORY } = process.env;
            const [repoOwner, repoName] = GITHUB_REPOSITORY.split('/');
            const prNumber = ${{ needs.check-comment.outputs.pr_number }};
            const securityStatus = process.env.security_status || "Security Disabled";

-            const deploymentUrl = `http://${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}:${prNumber}`;
+            const deploymentUrl = `http://${process.env.NEW_VPS_HOST}:${prNumber}`;
            const commentBody = `## 🚀 PR Test Deployment\n\n` +
                              `Your PR has been deployed for testing!\n\n` +
                              `🔗 **Test URL:** [${deploymentUrl}](${deploymentUrl})\n` +
@@ -477,26 +477,22 @@ jobs:
  handle-label-commands:
    if: ${{ github.event.issue.pull_request != null }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read # actions/checkout, reads repo_devs.json and labels.yml
+      issues: write # add/remove labels, delete the command comment
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: Check out the repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

-      - name: Setup GitHub App Bot
-        id: setup-bot
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-bot
-        with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
-          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-
      - name: Apply label commands
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            const fs = require('fs');
            const path = require('path');
@@ -7,41 +7,33 @@ 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:
+    # Tearing a preview down is not a deployment - no deployment object.
+    environment:
+      name: pr-preview
+      deployment: false
    if: github.event.action == 'closed'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
+      contents: read # actions/checkout
      pull-requests: write
-      issues: write
+      issues: write # list/remove labels, list/delete comments

    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: Checkout PR
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

-      - name: Setup GitHub App Bot
-        if: github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
-        id: setup-bot
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-bot
-        continue-on-error: true
-        with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
-          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-
      - name: Remove 'pr-deployed' label if present
        id: remove-label-comment
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            const prNumber = ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }};
            const owner = context.repo.owner;
@@ -100,14 +92,22 @@ jobs:
        if: steps.remove-label-comment.outputs.present == 'true'
        run: |
          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
-          echo "${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}" > ../private.key
+          echo "${NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY}" > ../private.key
          sudo chmod 600 ../private.key
+        env:
+          NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}
+
+      - name: Convert repository owner to lowercase
+        id: repoowner
+        run: echo "lowercase=$(echo ${{ github.repository_owner }} | awk '{print tolower($0)}')" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

      - name: Cleanup PR deployment
        if: steps.remove-label-comment.outputs.present == 'true'
        id: cleanup
+        # ENDSSH heredoc is quoted, so its body is sent literally: secrets inside it
+        # must stay as GitHub expressions, a shell var would be empty on the remote host.
        run: |
-          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -T ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }} << 'ENDSSH'
+          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null -T ${NEW_VPS_USERNAME}@${NEW_VPS_HOST} << 'ENDSSH'
            if [ -d "/stirling/PR-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}" ]; then
              echo "Found PR directory, proceeding with cleanup..."

@@ -122,8 +122,8 @@ jobs:
              rm -rf /stirling/PR-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}

              # Remove the Docker images
-              docker rmi --no-prune ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:pr-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }} || true
-              docker rmi --no-prune ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:engine-pr-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }} || true
+              docker rmi --no-prune ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test:pr-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }} || true
+              docker rmi --no-prune ghcr.io/${{ steps.repoowner.outputs.lowercase }}/stirling-pdf-test:engine-pr-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }} || true

              echo "PERFORMED_CLEANUP"
            else
@@ -131,6 +131,9 @@ jobs:
              echo "NO_CLEANUP_NEEDED"
            fi
          ENDSSH
+        env:
+          NEW_VPS_USERNAME: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}
+          NEW_VPS_HOST: ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}

      - name: Cleanup temporary files
        if: always()
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ jobs:
      is_fork: ${{ steps.decide.outputs.is_fork }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -17,10 +17,9 @@ jobs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
-      pull-requests: write
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -28,7 +27,7 @@ jobs:
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

      - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -49,39 +48,8 @@ jobs:
        # issue/PR number, which doesn't exist on merge_group runs.
        if: steps.engine-check.outcome == 'failure' && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const marker = '<!-- engine-check -->';
-            const body = [
-              marker,
-              '### Engine Check Failed',
-              '',
-              'There are issues with your Python code that will need to be fixed before they can be merged in.',
-              '',
-              'Run `task engine:fix` to auto-fix what can be fixed automatically, then run `task engine:check` to see what still needs fixing manually.',
-            ].join('\n');
-            const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner: context.repo.owner,
-              repo: context.repo.repo,
-              issue_number: context.issue.number,
-            });
-            const existing = comments.find(c => c.body.includes(marker));
-            if (existing) {
-              await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                comment_id: existing.id,
-                body,
-              });
-            } else {
-              await github.rest.issues.createComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                issue_number: context.issue.number,
-                body,
-              });
-            }
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"

      - name: Fail if engine check failed
        if: steps.engine-check.outcome == 'failure'
@@ -110,20 +78,5 @@ jobs:
      - name: Remove engine check comment on success
        if: steps.engine-check.outcome == 'success' && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const marker = '<!-- engine-check -->';
-            const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner: context.repo.owner,
-              repo: context.repo.repo,
-              issue_number: context.issue.number,
-            });
-            const existing = comments.find(c => c.body.includes(marker));
-            if (existing) {
-              await github.rest.issues.deleteComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                comment_id: existing.id,
-              });
-            }
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"
@@ -1,228 +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:
-    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      pull-requests: write
-      models: read
-
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
-        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: Setup GitHub App Bot
-        if: github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
-        id: setup-bot
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-bot
-        continue-on-error: true
-        with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
-          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-
-      - name: Check if actor is repo developer
-        id: actor
-        run: |
-          if [[ "${{ 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: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
-          script: |
-            const fs = require('fs');
-            const body = fs.readFileSync('/tmp/ai-title-comment.md', 'utf8');
-            const { GITHUB_REPOSITORY } = process.env;
-            const [owner, repo] = GITHUB_REPOSITORY.split('/');
-            const issue_number = context.issue.number;
-
-            const ratingMatch = body.match(/\*\*PR-Title Rating\*\*: (\d+)\/10/);
-            const rating = ratingMatch ? parseInt(ratingMatch[1], 10) : null;
-
-            const expectedActor = "${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.app-slug }}[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
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ jobs:
      jar_sha256: ${{ steps.hashes.outputs.jar_sha256 }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -66,11 +66,12 @@ jobs:
          echo "jar_sha256=$JAR_SHA" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"

  publish-aur:
+    environment: package-publish
    needs: get-release-info
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -106,7 +107,7 @@ jobs:

      - name: Publish stirling-pdf-desktop to AUR
        if: ${{ github.event_name == 'release' || inputs.dry_run == false }}
-        uses: KSXGitHub/github-actions-deploy-aur@da03e160361ce01bf087e790b6ffd196d7dccff7 # v4.1.3
+        uses: KSXGitHub/github-actions-deploy-aur@084b0d9b15415bf9cdb65d44dad1efe37a354050 # v4.2.0
        with:
          pkgname: stirling-pdf-desktop
          pkgbuild: .github/aur/stirling-pdf-desktop/PKGBUILD
@@ -13,26 +13,21 @@ jobs:
  labeler:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
-      pull-requests: write
+      contents: read # checkout + labeler fetching its config from the repo
+      pull-requests: write # read changed files, apply labels to the PR
+      issues: write # labels are applied through the issues API
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

-      - name: Setup GitHub App Bot
-        id: setup-bot
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-bot
-        with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
-          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-
      - uses: srvaroa/labeler@bf262763a8a8e191f5847873aecc0f29df84f957 # v1.14.0
        with:
          config_path: .github/labeler-config-srvaroa.yml
          use_local_config: false
          fail_on_error: true
        env:
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: "${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}"
+          GITHUB_TOKEN: "${{ github.token }}"
@@ -16,10 +16,12 @@ permissions:
  contents: read
  actions: read
  security-events: write
-  pull-requests: write

 jobs:
  build:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
@@ -28,29 +30,26 @@ jobs:
        flavor: [core, proprietary, saas]
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-${{ matrix.jdk-version }}-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - name: Set up JDK ${{ matrix.jdk-version }}
        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
        with:
          java-version: ${{ matrix.jdk-version }}
          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-${{ matrix.jdk-version }}-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-${{ matrix.jdk-version }}-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Install Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0
      - name: Check Java formatting (Spotless)
@@ -71,39 +70,8 @@ jobs:
        # issue/PR number, which doesn't exist on merge_group runs.
        if: steps.spotless-check.outcome == 'failure' && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const marker = '<!-- java-formatting-check -->';
-            const body = [
-              marker,
-              '### Backend Format Check Failed',
-              '',
-              'There are formatting issues in your Java code that will need to be fixed before they can be merged in.',
-              '',
-              'Run `task backend:format` to auto-fix, then commit and push the changes.',
-            ].join('\n');
-            const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner: context.repo.owner,
-              repo: context.repo.repo,
-              issue_number: context.issue.number,
-            });
-            const existing = comments.find(c => c.body.includes(marker));
-            if (existing) {
-              await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                comment_id: existing.id,
-                body,
-              });
-            } else {
-              await github.rest.issues.createComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                issue_number: context.issue.number,
-                body,
-              });
-            }
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"

      - name: Fail if backend format check failed
        if: steps.spotless-check.outcome == 'failure'
@@ -124,23 +92,8 @@ jobs:
      - name: Remove backend format check comment on success
        if: steps.spotless-check.outcome == 'success' && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const marker = '<!-- java-formatting-check -->';
-            const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner: context.repo.owner,
-              repo: context.repo.repo,
-              issue_number: context.issue.number,
-            });
-            const existing = comments.find(c => c.body.includes(marker));
-            if (existing) {
-              await github.rest.issues.deleteComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                comment_id: existing.id,
-              });
-            }
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"

      - name: Build with Gradle (flavor=${{ matrix.flavor }})
        # STIRLING_FLAVOR is read by settings.gradle and expands into the
@@ -153,6 +106,9 @@ jobs:
          MAVEN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PASSWORD }}
          MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL }}
          STIRLING_FLAVOR: ${{ matrix.flavor }}
+          # Configure the Gradle daemon explicitly; GRADLE_OPTS alone only
+          # configures the Gradle client JVM.
+          GRADLE_OPTS: "-Dorg.gradle.jvmargs=-Xmx4g -XX:+UseG1GC"

      - name: Check Test Reports Exist
        if: always()
@@ -194,7 +150,7 @@ jobs:

      - name: Install uv
        if: always() && matrix.flavor == 'saas'
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -15,6 +15,11 @@ name: Enterprise E2E (Playwright)

 on:
  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      use_shared_cache:
+        required: false
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
  push:
    branches: ["main"]
  schedule:
@@ -37,6 +42,9 @@ jobs:
    uses: ./.github/workflows/_runner-pick.yml

  playwright-e2e-enterprise:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    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.
@@ -50,26 +58,36 @@ jobs:
      SYSTEM_ENABLEANALYTICS: "false"
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        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
+
+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        if: inputs.use_shared_cache
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
        with:
-          java-version: "25"
-          distribution: "temurin"
-      - name: Cache Gradle User Home
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
+      - name: Restore cache Gradle
+        if: inputs.use_shared_cache == false
        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
        with:
          path: |
            ~/.gradle/caches
            ~/.gradle/wrapper
-          key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
+          key: gradle-playwright-e2e-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
+      - name: Set up JDK 25
+        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
+        with:
+          java-version: "25"
+          distribution: "temurin"
+
      - name: Set up Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7.0.0
        with:
@@ -306,9 +324,18 @@ jobs:
          path: frontend/playwright-report/
          retention-days: 7

+      - name: Cleanup temporary files
+        if: always()
+        run: |
+          rm -f /tmp/helpers.sh /tmp/backend.log /tmp/backend.pid
+        continue-on-error: true
+
  # 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:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    needs: [pick, playwright-e2e-enterprise]
    # Nightly cron + manual dispatch only (heavy build), fork-gated for the licence secret.
    if: >-
@@ -324,13 +351,13 @@ jobs:
      MN_COMPOSE: docker-compose-multinode.yml
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
      - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -37,9 +37,11 @@ jobs:
    timeout-minutes: 3
    outputs:
      build: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.build }}
+      backend: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.backend }}
      project: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.project }}
      openapi: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.openapi }}
      frontend: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.frontend }}
+      toml: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.toml }}
      docker-base: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.docker-base }}
      dockerfiles: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.dockerfiles }}
      tauri: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.tauri }}
@@ -48,60 +50,30 @@ jobs:
      proprietary: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.proprietary }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

      - name: Check for file changes
-        uses: dorny/paths-filter@7b450fff21473bca461d4b92ce414b9d0420d706 # v4.0.2
+        uses: dorny/paths-filter@ceb8a2b8f2d89434be7ff52d3de7ec3738c5cc9d # v4.0.3
        id: changes
        with:
          filters: .github/config/.files.yaml

  gradle-cache-prime:
-    name: Prime shared Gradle cache
    needs: [files-changed]
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    timeout-minutes: 15
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
-        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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-      - name: Resolve backend dependencies
-        run: ./gradlew :stirling-pdf:classes -PnoSpotless --no-daemon
-        env:
-          STIRLING_FLAVOR: saas
-          MAVEN_USER: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_USER }}
-          MAVEN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PASSWORD }}
-          MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL }}
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/gradle-cache-prime.yml
+    secrets: inherit

  build:
+    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.backend == 'true'
    needs: [files-changed, gradle-cache-prime]
    permissions:
      actions: read
      contents: read
      security-events: write
-      pull-requests: write
    uses: ./.github/workflows/backend-build.yml
    secrets: inherit

@@ -130,13 +102,22 @@ jobs:
    needs: [files-changed]
    permissions:
      contents: read
-      pull-requests: write
    uses: ./.github/workflows/frontend-validation.yml
    secrets: inherit

-  # Advisory: deliberately NOT in all-checks-passed. It reports on the stories a
-  # branch touches so a regression is visible in review, but a browser scan is
-  # too new here to block merges on. Promote it once its pass/fail proves stable.
+  toml-check:
+    name: TOML translation check
+    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.toml == 'true'
+    needs: [files-changed]
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    uses: ./.github/workflows/check_toml.yml
+    secrets: inherit
+
+  # Required (in all-checks-passed). Scans the stories a branch touches in both
+  # light and dark; an axe violation in either theme blocks the merge. The
+  # whole-suite sweep (nightly.yml) still covers stories a change affects without
+  # touching them directly.
  frontend-a11y:
    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.frontend == 'true'
    needs: [files-changed]
@@ -168,10 +149,12 @@ jobs:
      contents: read
    uses: ./.github/workflows/build-enterprise.yml
    secrets: inherit
+    with:
+      use_shared_cache: true

  check-licence:
    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.build == 'true'
-    needs: [files-changed, build, gradle-cache-prime]
+    needs: [files-changed, gradle-cache-prime]
    permissions:
      contents: read
    uses: ./.github/workflows/check-licence.yml
@@ -190,8 +173,22 @@ jobs:
      docker-base-changed: ${{ needs.files-changed.outputs.docker-base }}

  test-build-docker-images:
-    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' && needs.files-changed.outputs.project == 'true'
-    needs: [files-changed, build, check-generateOpenApiDocs, check-licence, gradle-cache-prime]
+    if: |
+      always() &&
+      github.event_name == 'pull_request' &&
+      needs.files-changed.outputs.project == 'true' &&
+      contains(fromJSON('["success", "skipped"]'), needs.gradle-cache-prime.result) &&
+      contains(fromJSON('["success", "skipped"]'), needs.build.result) &&
+      contains(fromJSON('["success", "skipped"]'), needs.check-generateOpenApiDocs.result) &&
+      contains(fromJSON('["success", "skipped"]'), needs.check-licence.result)
+    needs:
+      [
+        files-changed,
+        build,
+        check-generateOpenApiDocs,
+        check-licence,
+        gradle-cache-prime,
+      ]
    permissions:
      contents: read
      packages: read
@@ -203,7 +200,7 @@ jobs:

  tauri-build:
    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.tauri == 'true'
-    needs: [files-changed]
+    needs: [files-changed, gradle-cache-prime]
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pull-requests: write
@@ -217,13 +214,13 @@ jobs:
    with:
      platform: windows-macos
      sign: true
+      use_shared_cache: true

  ai-engine:
    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.engine == 'true'
    needs: [files-changed]
    permissions:
      contents: read
-      pull-requests: write
    uses: ./.github/workflows/ai-engine.yml
    secrets: inherit

@@ -237,9 +234,10 @@ jobs:
    needs: [files-changed, gradle-cache-prime]
    permissions:
      contents: read
-      pull-requests: write
    uses: ./.github/workflows/check-generated-models.yml
    secrets: inherit
+    with:
+      use_shared_cache: true

  pre-commit:
    needs: [files-changed]
@@ -286,10 +284,13 @@ jobs:
    if: always()
    needs:
      - files-changed
+      - gradle-cache-prime
      - build
      - db-migration-test
      - check-generateOpenApiDocs
      - frontend-validation
+      - toml-check
+      - frontend-a11y
      - playwright-e2e
      - playwright-e2e-live
      - playwright-e2e-enterprise
@@ -304,7 +305,7 @@ jobs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -312,10 +313,13 @@ jobs:
        env:
          RESULTS: |
            files-changed=${{ needs.files-changed.result }}
+            gradle-cache-prime=${{ needs.gradle-cache-prime.result }}
            build=${{ needs.build.result }}
            db-migration-test=${{ needs.db-migration-test.result }}
            check-generateOpenApiDocs=${{ needs.check-generateOpenApiDocs.result }}
            frontend-validation=${{ needs.frontend-validation.result }}
+            toml-check=${{ needs.toml-check.result }}
+            frontend-a11y=${{ needs.frontend-a11y.result }}
            playwright-e2e=${{ needs.playwright-e2e.result }}
            playwright-e2e-live=${{ needs.playwright-e2e-live.result }}
            playwright-e2e-enterprise=${{ needs.playwright-e2e-enterprise.result }}
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@ name: Check generated models
 # post-merge safety net.
 on:
  workflow_call:
+    inputs:
+      use_shared_cache:
+        required: false
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
  push:
    branches: [main]

@@ -20,10 +25,9 @@ jobs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
-      pull-requests: write
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -31,7 +35,7 @@ jobs:
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

      - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -39,22 +43,29 @@ jobs:
            engine/uv.lock
          cache-suffix: generated-models

-      - name: Set up JDK 25
-        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        if: inputs.use_shared_cache
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
        with:
-          java-version: "25"
-          distribution: "temurin"
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}

-      - name: Cache Gradle User Home
+      - name: Restore cache Gradle
+        if: inputs.use_shared_cache == false
        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
        with:
          path: |
            ~/.gradle/caches
            ~/.gradle/wrapper
-          key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
+          key: gradle-generated-models-v1-${{ 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') }}
+
+      - name: Set up JDK 25
+        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
+        with:
+          java-version: "25"
+          distribution: "temurin"

      - name: Set up Node
        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7.0.0
@@ -76,39 +87,8 @@ jobs:
        # issue/PR number, which doesn't exist on merge_group runs.
        if: steps.models-check.outcome == 'failure' && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const marker = '<!-- generated-models-check -->';
-            const body = [
-              marker,
-              '### Generated Models Check Failed',
-              '',
-              'One or more generated files are out of date with the Java OpenAPI spec and will need to be regenerated before they can be merged in.',
-              '',
-              'Run `task tool-models` to regenerate them, then commit the updated files.',
-            ].join('\n');
-            const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner: context.repo.owner,
-              repo: context.repo.repo,
-              issue_number: context.issue.number,
-            });
-            const existing = comments.find(c => c.body.includes(marker));
-            if (existing) {
-              await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                comment_id: existing.id,
-                body,
-              });
-            } else {
-              await github.rest.issues.createComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                issue_number: context.issue.number,
-                body,
-              });
-            }
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"

      - name: Fail if generated models check failed
        if: steps.models-check.outcome == 'failure'
@@ -128,20 +108,5 @@ jobs:
      - name: Remove generated models check comment on success
        if: steps.models-check.outcome == 'success' && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const marker = '<!-- generated-models-check -->';
-            const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner: context.repo.owner,
-              repo: context.repo.repo,
-              issue_number: context.issue.number,
-            });
-            const existing = comments.find(c => c.body.includes(marker));
-            if (existing) {
-              await github.rest.issues.deleteComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                comment_id: existing.id,
-              });
-            }
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"
@@ -10,33 +10,33 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  check-licence:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - 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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Install Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0
      - name: Check licenses for compatibility
@@ -11,33 +11,33 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  check-generate-openapi-docs:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - 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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Install Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0
      - name: Generate OpenAPI documentation
@@ -1,51 +1,36 @@
 name: Check TOML Translation Files on PR

-# This workflow validates TOML translation files
+# This reusable workflow validates TOML translation files.
+# It is called by the pull_request workflow and deliberately has no write
+# permissions. PR comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml via workflow_run.

 on:
-  pull_request_target:
-    types: [opened, synchronize, reopened]
-    paths:
-      - "frontend/editor/public/locales/*/translation.toml"
-      - ".github/scripts/check_language_toml.py"
-      - ".github/workflows/check_toml.yml"
-
-# cancel in-progress jobs if a new job is triggered
-concurrency:
-  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.event_name }}-${{ github.event.pull_request.number || github.ref_name || github.ref }}
-  cancel-in-progress: true
+  workflow_call:

 permissions:
  contents: read # Allow read access to repository content

 jobs:
  check-files:
-    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request_target'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
-      issues: write # Allow posting comments on issues/PRs
-      pull-requests: write # Allow writing to pull requests
+      contents: read # Read the base repository and PR files via the API
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

-      - name: Checkout main branch first
+      - name: Checkout PR base first
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-
-      - name: Setup GitHub App Bot
-        id: setup-bot
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-bot
        with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
-          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
+          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }}

      - name: Get PR data
        id: get-pr-data
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            const prNumber = context.payload.pull_request.number;
            const repoOwner = context.payload.repository.owner.login;
@@ -66,17 +51,18 @@ jobs:
      - name: Fetch PR changed files
        id: fetch-pr-changes
        env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.pr_number }}
        run: |
          echo "Fetching PR changed files..."
          echo "Getting list of changed files from PR..."
          # Check if PR number exists
-          if [ -z "${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.pr_number }}" ]; then
+          if [ -z "${PR_NUMBER}" ]; then
            echo "Error: PR number is empty"
            exit 1
          fi
          # Get changed files and filter for TOML translation files
-          gh pr view ${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.pr_number }} --json files -q ".files[].path" | grep -E '^frontend/editor/public/locales/[a-zA-Z-]+/translation\.toml$' > changed_files.txt || echo "No matching TOML files found in PR"
+          gh pr view "${PR_NUMBER}" --json files -q ".files[].path" | grep -E '^frontend/editor/public/locales/[a-zA-Z-]+/translation\.toml$' > changed_files.txt || echo "No matching TOML files found in PR"
          # Check if any files were found
          if [ ! -s changed_files.txt ]; then
            echo "No TOML translation files changed in this PR"
@@ -88,32 +74,36 @@ jobs:
      - name: Determine reference file
        id: determine-file
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
+        env:
+          # Untrusted, fork-controlled values are passed via env, never interpolated into the script
+          PR_NUMBER: ${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.pr_number }}
+          REPO_OWNER: ${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.repo_owner }}
+          REPO_NAME: ${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.repo_name }}
+          PR_REPO_OWNER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.owner.login }}
+          PR_REPO_NAME: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.name }}
+          PR_BRANCH: ${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.branch }}
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            const fs = require("fs");
            const path = require("path");

-            const prNumber = ${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.pr_number }};
-            const repoOwner = "${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.repo_owner }}";
-            const repoName = "${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.repo_name }}";
-
-            const prRepoOwner = "${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.owner.login }}";
-            const prRepoName = "${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.name }}";
-            const branch = "${{ steps.get-pr-data.outputs.branch }}";
-
-            console.log(`Determining reference file for PR #${prNumber}`);
-
-            // Validate inputs
+            // Validate inputs before any use
            const validateInput = (input, regex, name) => {
-              if (!regex.test(input)) {
+              if (typeof input !== "string" || !regex.test(input)) {
                throw new Error(`Invalid ${name}: ${input}`);
              }
+              return input;
            };

-            validateInput(repoOwner, /^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$/, "repository owner");
-            validateInput(repoName, /^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$/, "repository name");
-            validateInput(branch, /^[a-zA-Z0-9._/-]+$/, "branch name");
+            const repoOwner = validateInput(process.env.REPO_OWNER, /^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$/, "repository owner");
+            const repoName = validateInput(process.env.REPO_NAME, /^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$/, "repository name");
+            const prRepoOwner = validateInput(process.env.PR_REPO_OWNER, /^[a-zA-Z0-9_-]+$/, "PR repository owner");
+            const prRepoName = validateInput(process.env.PR_REPO_NAME, /^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$/, "PR repository name");
+            const branch = validateInput(process.env.PR_BRANCH, /^[a-zA-Z0-9._/-]+$/, "branch name");
+            const prNumber = Number(validateInput(process.env.PR_NUMBER, /^[0-9]+$/, "PR number"));
+
+            console.log(`Determining reference file for PR #${prNumber}`);

            // Get the list of changed files in the PR
            const { data: files } = await github.rest.pulls.listFiles({
@@ -126,7 +116,7 @@ jobs:
            const changedFiles = files
              .filter(file =>
                file.status !== "removed" &&
-                /^frontend\/public\/locales\/[a-zA-Z-]+\/translation\.toml$/.test(file.filename)
+                /^frontend\/editor\/public\/locales\/[a-zA-Z-]+\/translation\.toml$/.test(file.filename)
              )
              .map(file => file.filename);

@@ -196,7 +186,7 @@ jobs:
            core.exportVariable("REFERENCE_FILE", referenceFilePath);

      - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -209,10 +199,12 @@ jobs:

      - name: Run Python script to check files
        id: run-check
+        env:
+          PR_ACTOR: ${{ github.event.pull_request.user.login }}
        run: |
          echo "Running Python script to check TOML files..."
          uv run --project engine --locked --group tools python .github/scripts/check_language_toml.py \
-            --actor ${{ github.event.pull_request.user.login }} \
+            --actor "${PR_ACTOR}" \
            --reference-file "${REFERENCE_FILE}" \
            --branch "pr-branch" \
            --files "${FILES_LIST[@]}" > result.txt
@@ -241,49 +233,13 @@ jobs:
            echo "FAIL_JOB=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
          fi

-      - name: Post comment on PR
-        if: env.SCRIPT_OUTPUT != ''
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
+      - name: Upload TOML check result
+        if: always()
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
-          script: |
-            const { GITHUB_REPOSITORY, SCRIPT_OUTPUT } = process.env;
-            const [repoOwner, repoName] = GITHUB_REPOSITORY.split('/');
-            const issueNumber = context.issue.number;
-
-            // Find existing comment
-            const comments = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner: repoOwner,
-              repo: repoName,
-              issue_number: issueNumber
-            });
-
-            const comment = comments.data.find(c => c.body.includes("## 🌐 TOML Translation Verification Summary"));
-
-            // Only update or create comments by the action user
-            const expectedActor = "${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.app-slug }}[bot]";
-
-            if (comment && comment.user.login === expectedActor) {
-              // Update existing comment
-              await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
-                owner: repoOwner,
-                repo: repoName,
-                comment_id: comment.id,
-                body: `## 🌐 TOML Translation Verification Summary\n\n\n${SCRIPT_OUTPUT}\n`
-              });
-              console.log("Updated existing comment.");
-            } else if (!comment) {
-              // Create new comment if no existing comment is found
-              await github.rest.issues.createComment({
-                owner: repoOwner,
-                repo: repoName,
-                issue_number: issueNumber,
-                body: `## 🌐 TOML Translation Verification Summary\n\n\n${SCRIPT_OUTPUT}\n`
-              });
-              console.log("Created new comment.");
-            } else {
-              console.log("Comment update attempt denied. Actor does not match.");
-            }
+          name: toml-translation-check-result
+          path: result.txt
+          if-no-files-found: ignore

      - name: Fail job if errors found
        if: env.FAIL_JOB == 'true'
@@ -34,31 +34,28 @@ jobs:
    timeout-minutes: 15
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - 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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -13,34 +13,34 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  migration-test:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 30
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - 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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      # Keep the normal formatting path here so this smoke test exercises the
      # same Gradle configuration as the backend build.
      - name: Build Stirling-PDF JAR
@@ -81,3 +81,8 @@ jobs:
          path: /tmp/stirling-migration-failed-*/app.log
          retention-days: 7
          if-no-files-found: warn
+
+      - name: Cleanup temporary files
+        if: always()
+        run: rm -rf /tmp/stirling-migration-failed-*
+        continue-on-error: true
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ jobs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -1,189 +0,0 @@
-name: Auto V2 Deploy on Push
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches:
-      - V2
-      - deploy-on-v2-commit
-
-permissions:
-  contents: read
-
-jobs:
-  deploy-v2-on-push:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    concurrency:
-      group: deploy-v2-push-V2
-      cancel-in-progress: true
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
-        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: Check if frontend image exists
-        id: check-frontend
-        run: |
-          if docker manifest inspect ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:v2-frontend-${{ 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
-
-      - name: Check if backend image exists
-        id: check-backend
-        run: |
-          if docker manifest inspect ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:v2-backend-${{ 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
-
-      - name: Login to Docker Hub
-        uses: docker/login-action@dbcb813823bdd20940b903addbd779551569679f # v4.6.0
-        with:
-          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}
-          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_API }}
-
-      - 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: |
-            ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:v2-frontend-${{ steps.commit-hashes.outputs.frontend_short }}
-            ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/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: |
-            ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:v2-backend-${{ steps.commit-hashes.outputs.backend_short }}
-            ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:v2-backend-latest
-          build-args: VERSION_TAG=v2-alpha
-          platforms: linux/amd64
-
-      - name: Set up SSH
-        run: |
-          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
-          echo "${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}" > ../private.key
-          chmod 600 ../private.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: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:v2-backend-${{ 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: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:v2-frontend-${{ steps.commit-hashes.outputs.frontend_short }}
-              ports:
-                - "3000:80"
-              environment:
-                VITE_API_BASE_URL: "http://${{ secrets.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 ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}:/tmp/$UNIQUE_NAME
-
-          # SSH and rename/move atomically to avoid interference
-          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.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
-
-      - name: Cleanup temporary files
-        if: always()
-        run: |
-          rm -f ../private.key
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  docker-compose-tests:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      actions: write
@@ -25,30 +28,27 @@ jobs:

    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: Checkout Repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - 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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      # When the PR changes the base image, test.sh builds it locally
      # (stirling-pdf-base:local) into the daemon image store. A buildx
      # container builder can't see that store, so skip it here and let
@@ -66,11 +66,11 @@ jobs:

      - name: Install Docker Compose
        run: |
-          sudo curl -SL "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v2.39.4/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
+          sudo curl -SL "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/download/v5.4.0/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
          sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

      - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -11,48 +11,33 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  playwright-e2e-live:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 30
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit
      - name: Checkout repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+
+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - name: Set up JDK 25
        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
        with:
          java-version: "25"
          distribution: "temurin"
-      - name: Cache Gradle User Home
-        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
-        with:
-          path: |
-            ~/.gradle/caches
-            ~/.gradle/wrapper
-          key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-      # Gradle does not retry 429s, and a cold cache resolving the buildscript
-      # classpath is exactly where Maven Central rate-limits us. Retry it here,
-      # where a failure is cheap, instead of inside the backgrounded bootRun.
-      - name: Prime Gradle dependencies
-        env:
-          MAVEN_USER: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_USER }}
-          MAVEN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PASSWORD }}
-          MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL }}
-        run: |
-          for attempt in 1 2 3; do
-            if ./gradlew --quiet -PnoSpotless :stirling-pdf:classes; then
-              exit 0
-            fi
-            echo "::warning::Gradle dependency resolution failed (attempt $attempt of 3)"
-            sleep $((attempt * 30))
-          done
-          echo "::error::Gradle could not resolve dependencies after 3 attempts"
-          exit 1
+
      - name: Set up Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7.0.0
        with:
@@ -121,7 +106,7 @@ jobs:
          fi
      - name: Install uv
        if: always()
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -14,6 +14,11 @@ jobs:
  playwright-e2e:
    name: playwright-e2e (${{ matrix.browser }})
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # The image already contains the Playwright browsers and all Linux
+    # dependencies. This keeps the matrix for per-browser reporting while
+    # avoiding three concurrent `playwright install --with-deps` runs.
+    container:
+      image: mcr.microsoft.com/playwright:v1.58.2-noble@sha256:6446946a1d9fd62d9ae501312a2d76a43ee688542b21622056a372959b65d63d
    strategy:
      # One browser breaking must not mask a failure in another - report all.
      fail-fast: false
@@ -27,7 +32,7 @@ jobs:
            project: stubbed-webkit
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit
      - name: Checkout repository
@@ -40,15 +45,23 @@ jobs:
          cache-dependency-path: frontend/package-lock.json
      - name: Install Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0
-      - name: Install Playwright (${{ matrix.browser }})
-        run: task e2e:install -- ${{ matrix.browser }}
      - name: Build frontend (production bundle for vite preview)
        env:
          VITE_BUILD_FOR_PREVIEW: "1"
        run: task frontend:build
      - name: Run stubbed E2E tests (${{ matrix.browser }})
        env:
+          # The official Playwright image expects its browser runtime under
+          # the root home directory. Keep this scoped to Playwright and use a
+          # neutral Docker config path so Docker does not read /root/.docker.
+          HOME: /root
+          DOCKER_CONFIG: /tmp/playwright-docker-config
          PLAYWRIGHT_JSON_OUTPUT_FILE: ${{ github.workspace }}/frontend/playwright-report/results.json
+          NPM_CONFIG_PREFER_OFFLINE: "true"
+          NPM_CONFIG_FETCH_RETRIES: "5"
+          NPM_CONFIG_FETCH_RETRY_FACTOR: "2"
+          NPM_CONFIG_FETCH_RETRY_MINTIMEOUT: "1000"
+          NPM_CONFIG_FETCH_RETRY_MAXTIMEOUT: "120000"
        run: task e2e:stubbed-project PROJECT=${{ matrix.project }} -- --workers=3
      - name: Flag flaky tests
        # Runs regardless of the test outcome: a flaky test (passed on retry)
@@ -3,17 +3,12 @@ name: Frontend a11y regression gate
 # Reusable workflow called from build.yml when frontend sources change.
 #
 # Scans the stories this branch touches in real Chromium and runs axe against
-# each. Existing violations are grandfathered in .storybook/a11y-baseline.json;
-# the check fails on a NEW violation — a story breaking a rule it wasn't already
-# breaking — or on a story that fails to render at all.
+# each; the check fails on any axe violation, or on a story that fails to render
+# at all.
 #
 # Only changed stories, because a full sweep is ~30 minutes: far too slow to sit
 # in front of every merge. The whole suite is scanned nightly instead
 # (nightly.yml), which catches anything a branch didn't touch.
-#
-# Advisory for now: this is not in build.yml's all-checks-passed list, so a
-# failure reports without blocking. Promote it once a few weeks of runs show the
-# pass/fail is stable.
 on:
  workflow_call:

@@ -26,7 +21,7 @@ jobs:
    timeout-minutes: 25
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit
      - name: Checkout repository
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ jobs:
      licenses-backend: ${{ steps.changes.outputs.licenses-backend }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -36,12 +36,16 @@ jobs:
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

      - name: Check for file changes
-        uses: dorny/paths-filter@7b450fff21473bca461d4b92ce414b9d0420d706 # v4.0.2
+        uses: dorny/paths-filter@ceb8a2b8f2d89434be7ff52d3de7ec3738c5cc9d # v4.0.3
        id: changes
        with:
          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:
+      name: ci-bot
+      deployment: false
    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.licenses-frontend == 'true'
    name: Generate Frontend License Report
    needs: files-changed
@@ -52,7 +56,7 @@ jobs:
      repository-projects: write # Required for enabling automerge
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -143,39 +147,19 @@ jobs:
            echo "LICENSE_WARNINGS_EXIST=false" >> $GITHUB_ENV
          fi

+      - name: Upload frontend license warnings
+        if: env.LICENSE_WARNINGS_EXIST == 'true'
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          name: frontend-license-warnings
+          path: frontend/editor/src/assets/license-warnings.json
+
      # PR Event: Check licenses and comment on PR
      - name: Delete previous license check comments
-        if: (github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.pull_request.head.repo.fork == false) && github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
-          script: |
-            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
-            const prNumber = context.issue.number;
-
-            // Get all comments on the PR
-            const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner,
-              repo,
-              issue_number: prNumber,
-              per_page: 100
-            });
-
-            // Filter for license check comments
-            const licenseComments = comments.filter(comment => 
-              comment.body.includes('## ✅ Frontend License Check Passed') ||
-              comment.body.includes('## ❌ Frontend License Check Failed')
-            );
-
-            // Delete old license check comments
-            for (const comment of licenseComments) {
-              console.log(`Deleting old license check comment: ${comment.id}`);
-              await github.rest.issues.deleteComment({
-                owner,
-                repo,
-                comment_id: comment.id
-              });
-            }
+        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"

      - name: Summarize results (fork PRs)
        if: (github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.pull_request.head.repo.fork == true) || github.actor == 'dependabot[bot]'
@@ -198,51 +182,10 @@ jobs:
          } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"

      - name: Comment on PR - License Check Results
-        if: (github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.pull_request.head.repo.fork == false) && github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
-          script: |
-            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
-            const prNumber = context.issue.number;
-            const hasWarnings = process.env.LICENSE_WARNINGS_EXIST === 'true';
-
-            let commentBody;
-
-            if (hasWarnings) {
-              // Read warnings file to get specific issues
-              const fs = require('fs');
-              let warningDetails = '';
-              try {
-                const warnings = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('frontend/editor/src/assets/license-warnings.json', 'utf8'));
-                warningDetails = warnings.warnings.map(w => `- ${w.message}`).join('\n');
-              } catch (e) {
-                warningDetails = 'Unable to read warning details';
-              }
-
-              commentBody = `## ❌ Frontend License Check Failed
-
-              The frontend license check has detected compatibility warnings that require review:
-
-              ${warningDetails}
-
-              **Action Required:** Please review these licenses to ensure they are acceptable for your use case before merging.
-
-              _This check will fail the PR until license issues are resolved._`;
-            } else {
-              commentBody = `## ✅ Frontend License Check Passed
-
-              All frontend licenses have been validated and no compatibility warnings were detected.
-
-              The frontend license report has been updated successfully.`;
-            }
-
-            await github.rest.issues.createComment({
-              owner,
-              repo,
-              issue_number: prNumber,
-              body: commentBody
-            });
+        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"

      - name: Fail workflow if license warnings exist (PR only)
        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' && env.LICENSE_WARNINGS_EXIST == 'true'
@@ -316,6 +259,10 @@ 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:
+      name: ci-bot
+      deployment: false
    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.licenses-backend == 'true'
    needs: files-changed
    name: Generate Backend License Report
@@ -326,7 +273,7 @@ jobs:
      repository-projects: write # Required for enabling automerge
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -344,22 +291,19 @@ jobs:
          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}

-      - name: Set up JDK 25
-        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
-        with:
-          java-version: "25"
-          distribution: "temurin"
-
-      - name: Cache Gradle User Home
+      - name: Cache Gradle
        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
        with:
          path: |
            ~/.gradle/caches
            ~/.gradle/wrapper
-          key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
+          key: gradle-license-report-v1-${{ 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') }}
+
+      - name: Set up JDK 25
+        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
+        with:
+          java-version: "25"
+          distribution: "temurin"

      - name: Install Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0
@@ -398,84 +342,16 @@ jobs:
          cp build/reports/dependency-license/index.json app/core/src/main/resources/static/3rdPartyLicenses.json

      - name: Delete previous backend license check comments
-        if: (github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.pull_request.head.repo.fork == false) && github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
-          script: |
-            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
-            const prNumber = context.issue.number;
-
-            const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner,
-              repo,
-              issue_number: prNumber,
-              per_page: 100
-            });
-
-            const backendLicenseComments = comments.filter(comment => 
-              comment.body.includes('## ✅ Backend License Check Passed') ||
-              comment.body.includes('## ❌ Backend License Check Failed')
-            );
-
-            for (const comment of backendLicenseComments) {
-              console.log(`Deleting old backend license comment: ${comment.id}`);
-              await github.rest.issues.deleteComment({
-                owner,
-                repo,
-                comment_id: comment.id
-              });
-            }
+        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"

      - name: Comment on PR - Backend License Check Results
-        if: (github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.pull_request.head.repo.fork == false) && github.actor != 'dependabot[bot]'
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
-          script: |
-            const hasWarnings = process.env.LICENSE_WARNINGS_EXIST === 'true';
-            const fs = require('fs');
-            let warningDetails = '';
-
-            if (hasWarnings) {
-              try {
-                const warningsFile = 'build/reports/dependency-license/dependencies-without-allowed-license.json';
-                if (fs.existsSync(warningsFile)) {
-                  const data = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(warningsFile, 'utf8'));
-                  if (data.length > 0) {
-                    warningDetails = data.map(dep => `- **${dep.moduleName}@${dep.moduleVersion}** – ${dep.moduleLicenses.map(l => l.licenseName).join(', ')}`).join('\n');
-                  }
-                }
-              } catch (e) {
-                warningDetails = 'Unable to parse warning details.';
-              }
-            }
-
-            let commentBody;
-            if (hasWarnings) {
-              commentBody = `## ❌ Backend License Check Failed
-
-              The backend license check has detected dependencies with incompatible or unallowed licenses:
-
-              ${warningDetails || 'See uploaded artifact for details.'}
-
-              **Action Required:** Please review these licenses and resolve before merging.
-
-              _This check will fail the PR until license issues are resolved._`;
-            } else {
-              commentBody = `## ✅ Backend License Check Passed
-
-              All backend dependencies have valid and allowed licenses.
-
-              The backend license report has been updated successfully.`;
-            }
-
-            await github.rest.issues.createComment({
-              owner: context.repo.owner,
-              repo: context.repo.repo,
-              issue_number: context.issue.number,
-              body: commentBody
-            });
+        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"

      - name: Fail workflow if license warnings exist (PR only)
        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' && env.LICENSE_WARNINGS_EXIST == 'true'
@@ -1,21 +1,20 @@
 name: Frontend lint, type-check, and build

 # Reusable workflow called from build.yml when frontend / testing sources
-# change. Runs `task frontend:check:all` and uploads the 
+# change. Runs `task frontend:check:all` and uploads the
 # coverage + dist artifacts for downstream jobs.
 on:
  workflow_call:

 permissions:
  contents: read
-  pull-requests: write

 jobs:
  frontend-validation:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit
      - name: Checkout repository
@@ -37,39 +36,8 @@ jobs:
        # issue/PR number, which doesn't exist on merge_group runs.
        if: steps.frontend-check.outcome == 'failure' && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const marker = '<!-- frontend-check -->';
-            const body = [
-              marker,
-              '### Frontend Check Failed',
-              '',
-              'There are issues with your frontend code that will need to be fixed before they can be merged in.',
-              '',
-              'Run `task frontend:fix` to auto-fix what can be fixed automatically, then run `task frontend:check:all` to see what still needs fixing manually.',
-            ].join('\n');
-            const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner: context.repo.owner,
-              repo: context.repo.repo,
-              issue_number: context.issue.number,
-            });
-            const existing = comments.find(c => c.body.includes(marker));
-            if (existing) {
-              await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                comment_id: existing.id,
-                body,
-              });
-            } else {
-              await github.rest.issues.createComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                issue_number: context.issue.number,
-                body,
-              });
-            }
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"
      - name: Fail if frontend check failed
        if: steps.frontend-check.outcome == 'failure'
        run: |
@@ -88,26 +56,11 @@ jobs:
      - name: Remove frontend check comment on success
        if: steps.frontend-check.outcome == 'success' && github.event_name == 'pull_request'
        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const marker = '<!-- frontend-check -->';
-            const { data: comments } = await github.rest.issues.listComments({
-              owner: context.repo.owner,
-              repo: context.repo.repo,
-              issue_number: context.issue.number,
-            });
-            const existing = comments.find(c => c.body.includes(marker));
-            if (existing) {
-              await github.rest.issues.deleteComment({
-                owner: context.repo.owner,
-                repo: context.repo.repo,
-                comment_id: existing.id,
-              });
-            }
+        run: |
+          echo "Comments are handled by pr-validation-comments.yml"
      - name: Install uv
        if: always()
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+name: Prime Gradle Cache
+
+on:
+  workflow_call:
+  push:
+    branches: ["main"]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  gradle-cache-prime:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
+    name: Prime shared Gradle cache
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 15
+    steps:
+      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
+        with:
+          egress-policy: audit
+      - name: Checkout repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+
+      - name: Calculate Gradle cache key
+        id: gradle-cache-key
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          echo "key=gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+      - name: Cache Gradle (lookup-only)
+        id: cache-gradle-restore
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: ${{ steps.gradle-cache-key.outputs.key }}
+          lookup-only: true
+
+      - name: Set up JDK 25
+        if: steps.cache-gradle-restore.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
+        with:
+          java-version: "25"
+          distribution: "temurin"
+
+      - name: Resolve backend dependencies
+        if: steps.cache-gradle-restore.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        run: ./gradlew :stirling-pdf:classes --no-daemon
+        env:
+          STIRLING_FLAVOR: saas
+          MAVEN_USER: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_USER }}
+          MAVEN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PASSWORD }}
+          MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL }}
+
+      - name: Save cache Gradle User Home
+        if: steps.cache-gradle-restore.outputs.cache-hit != 'true'
+        uses: actions/cache/save@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: ${{ steps.gradle-cache-key.outputs.key }}
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ jobs:
      issues: write
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  determine-matrix:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    if: ${{ vars.CI_PROFILE != 'lite' }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
@@ -45,29 +48,26 @@ jobs:
      version: ${{ steps.versionNumber.outputs.versionNumber }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

+      - name: Cache Gradle
+        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-tauri-releases-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - 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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Install Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0
      - name: Get version number
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ jobs:
          ALL="$WINDOWS,$WINDOWS_ARM64,$MACOS,$LINUX"

          if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" = "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
-            case "${{ github.event.inputs.platform }}" in
+            case "${INPUT_PLATFORM}" in
              "windows")
                echo "matrix={\"include\":[$WINDOWS,$WINDOWS_ARM64]}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
                ;;
@@ -115,7 +115,12 @@ jobs:
            echo "matrix={\"include\":[$ALL]}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
          fi

+        env:
+          INPUT_PLATFORM: ${{ github.event.inputs.platform }}
  build-jars:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    needs: determine-matrix
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
@@ -135,29 +140,26 @@ jobs:
            file_suffix: "-server"
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

+      - name: Cache Gradle
+        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-tauri-releases-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - 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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Setup Node.js
        if: matrix.variant.build_frontend == true
        uses: actions/setup-node@820762786026740c76f36085b0efc47a31fe5020 # v7.0.0
@@ -194,6 +196,7 @@ jobs:
          retention-days: 1

  build:
+    environment: release-signing
    needs: determine-matrix
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
@@ -201,11 +204,10 @@ 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
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit
          allowed-endpoints: >
@@ -234,6 +236,14 @@ jobs:
          toolchain: stable
          targets: ${{ matrix.platform == 'macos-15' && 'aarch64-apple-darwin,x86_64-apple-darwin' || '' }}

+      - name: Cache Gradle
+        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-tauri-releases-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      # x86_64 JDK is set up first so the aarch64 step below can leave its
      # JAVA_HOME as the active one. The macOS universal JRE build needs
      # jmods from both arches; the x64 path is captured into the env
@@ -257,17 +267,6 @@ jobs:
          java-version: "25"
          distribution: ${{ matrix.platform == 'windows-11-arm' && 'microsoft' || '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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Install Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0

@@ -292,7 +291,7 @@ 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 }}
@@ -302,22 +301,22 @@ 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..."

          # Decode client certificate
-          $certBytes = [Convert]::FromBase64String("${{ secrets.SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64 }}")
+          $certBytes = [Convert]::FromBase64String("$env:SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64")
          $certPath = "D:\Certificate_pkcs12.p12"
          [IO.File]::WriteAllBytes($certPath, $certBytes)

          # Set environment variables
          echo "SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE=D:\Certificate_pkcs12.p12" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "SM_HOST=${{ secrets.SM_HOST }}" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "SM_API_KEY=${{ secrets.SM_API_KEY }}" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD=${{ secrets.SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD }}" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS=${{ secrets.SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS }}" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "SM_HOST=$env:SM_HOST" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "SM_API_KEY=$env:SM_API_KEY" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD=$env:SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS=$env:SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV

          # Get PKCS11 config path from DigiCert action
          $pkcs11Config = $env:PKCS11_CONFIG
@@ -335,40 +334,14 @@ jobs:
            }
          }

-      # 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"
-          }
-
+          SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64: ${{ secrets.SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64 }}
+          SM_HOST: ${{ secrets.SM_HOST }}
+          SM_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.SM_API_KEY }}
+          SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD }}
+          SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS }}
      - 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 }}
@@ -389,7 +362,7 @@ 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
@@ -405,7 +378,7 @@ 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 }}
@@ -436,7 +409,7 @@ 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: ${{ secrets.SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS }}
@@ -457,7 +430,7 @@ jobs:
          sed "s/${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
@@ -489,8 +462,8 @@ 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 }}
@@ -516,7 +489,7 @@ 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: |
@@ -555,7 +528,7 @@ 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: |
@@ -570,7 +543,7 @@ 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: |
@@ -724,6 +697,17 @@ jobs:
          path: ./dist/*
          retention-days: 1

+      - name: Cleanup temporary files
+        if: always()
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          rm -f certificate.p12
+          rm -rf "$RUNNER_TEMP/msi-verify"
+          if [ "${{ matrix.platform }}" = "macos-15" ]; then
+            security delete-keychain "$RUNNER_TEMP/app-signing.keychain-db" 2>/dev/null || true
+          fi
+        continue-on-error: true
+
  collect-and-release:
    needs: [determine-matrix, build, build-jars]
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -731,7 +715,7 @@ jobs:
      contents: write
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -879,7 +863,7 @@ jobs:
          PYEOF

      - name: Upload merged artifacts for review
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@bbbca2ddaa5d8feaa63e36b76fdaad77386f024f # v7.0.0
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
        with:
          name: release-artifacts
          path: ./artifacts/
@@ -888,7 +872,7 @@ jobs:
      # Gate publish on valid updater sigs. Runs after the review upload (so
      # artifacts survive for debugging) and before action-gh-release.
      - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -902,11 +886,11 @@ 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 }}
@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@ on:
  schedule:
    - cron: "0 2 * * *" # 2 AM UTC every night
  workflow_dispatch:
+  pull_request:
+    paths:
+      - .github/workflows/nightly.yml
+      - testing/cucumber/**
+      - docker/embedded/compose/test_cicd.yml

 concurrency:
  group: ${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref }}
@@ -18,7 +23,7 @@ jobs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -59,13 +64,17 @@ jobs:
  # the story itself — a shared component, a theme token — still surfaces within
  # a day.
  a11y-all-stories:
-    name: a11y (every story, light + dark)
+    name: a11y (every story)
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        theme: [light, dark]
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    # Two full sweeps (one per theme), each ~30 minutes of browser time.
-    timeout-minutes: 120
+    # One full sweep (~30 minutes of browser time).
+    timeout-minutes: 60
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -82,14 +91,14 @@ jobs:
      - name: Install Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0

-      - name: a11y gate (every story, light + dark)
-        run: task frontend:storybook:a11y
+      - name: a11y gate (every story, ${{ matrix.theme }})
+        run: task frontend:storybook:a11y:${{ matrix.theme }}

      - name: Upload scan reports
        if: always()
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
        with:
-          name: a11y-scan-nightly-${{ github.run_id }}
+          name: a11y-scan-nightly-${{ matrix.theme }}-${{ github.run_id }}
          path: frontend/.a11y-scan/
          retention-days: 14
          if-no-files-found: ignore
@@ -99,8 +108,13 @@ jobs:

  # Builds all desktop platforms on a schedule so the Rust dependency cache is
  # written on main, where PR and merge-queue tauri builds can restore it.
+  #
+  # The only job here still pinned to schedule/main: it primes a cache rather than
+  # testing anything, and Actions scopes a cache written on a PR branch to that PR
+  # alone, so a PR run costs three platform builds and produces nothing reusable.
  warm-tauri-cache:
    name: Warm Tauri Rust cache
+    if: github.event_name == 'schedule' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/main'
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pull-requests: write
@@ -109,3 +123,75 @@ jobs:
      platform: all
      sign: false
    secrets: inherit
+
+  # Runs the @nightly tag (conversion scenarios) plus a 10-shard concurrency run
+  # of every other feature.
+  cucumber-nightly:
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
+    name: Cucumber (nightly scenarios + full concurrency)
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    # Fork pull requests get no MAVEN_* secrets, so the image build cannot work.
+    if: >-
+      github.event_name != 'pull_request' ||
+      github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+    steps:
+      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
+        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: Install uv
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
+        with:
+          enable-cache: true
+          cache-dependency-glob: |
+            engine/pyproject.toml
+            engine/uv.lock
+
+      - name: Install Task
+        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0
+
+      - name: Start the fat image with login and storage enabled
+        run: docker compose -f docker/embedded/compose/test_cicd.yml up -d --build
+        env:
+          MAVEN_USER: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_USER }}
+          MAVEN_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PASSWORD }}
+          MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL: ${{ secrets.MAVEN_PUBLIC_URL }}
+
+      - name: Wait for the server
+        # Throwaway key from test_cicd.yml; out of the header literal for gitleaks.
+        env:
+          TEST_API_KEY: "123456789"
+        run: |
+          curl --retry 90 --retry-delay 3 --retry-connrefused --retry-all-errors \
+            -sf -H "X-API-KEY: $TEST_API_KEY" http://localhost:8080/api/v1/info/status
+
+      # Heavy LibreOffice/Calibre/Ghostscript conversions, excluded from the PR run.
+      # Both tasks install the behave deps themselves, so there is no separate uv sync step.
+      - name: Run @nightly scenarios
+        run: task cucumber:nightly
+
+      # Genuinely different payloads contending on one backend.
+      - name: Sharded concurrency validation
+        run: task cucumber:parallel SHARDS=10
+
+      - name: Container logs on failure
+        if: failure()
+        run: docker compose -f docker/embedded/compose/test_cicd.yml logs --tail 400
+
+      - name: Tear down
+        if: always()
+        run: docker compose -f docker/embedded/compose/test_cicd.yml down -v
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ jobs:
      jar_sha256: ${{ steps.hashes.outputs.jar_sha256 }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -73,13 +73,14 @@ jobs:
          echo "jar_sha256=$JAR_SHA" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"

  update-homebrew-and-scoop:
+    environment: package-publish
    needs: get-release-info
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: write
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -27,29 +27,22 @@ jobs:
    name: Label conflicted PRs
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
-      contents: read
-      issues: write
-      pull-requests: read
+      contents: read # actions/checkout
+      issues: write # get/create the repo-level conflict label
+      pull-requests: write # pulls.get/list plus add/remove the label on PRs
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: Check out the repository
        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

-      - name: Set up stirling-bot token
-        id: setup-bot
-        uses: ./.github/actions/setup-bot
-        with:
-          app-id: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_ID }}
-          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}
-
      - name: Apply conflict label
        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108da1b3 # v9.0.0
        with:
-          github-token: ${{ steps.setup-bot.outputs.token }}
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
          script: |
            const conflictLabel = process.env.CONFLICT_LABEL;
            const owner = context.repo.owner;
@@ -0,0 +1,421 @@
+name: PR validation comments
+
+# Reports validation results from the default branch. It never checks out or
+# executes code from the pull request.
+on:
+  workflow_run:
+    workflows:
+      - "Build and Test Workflow"
+      - "License Report Workflow"
+    types: [completed]
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  actions: read
+
+jobs:
+  build-validation-comments:
+    if: github.event.workflow_run.event == 'pull_request' && github.event.workflow_run.name == 'Build and Test Workflow'
+    name: Build validation comment (${{ matrix.label }})
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          - label: frontend
+            workflow: Build and Test Workflow
+            failed_step: Fail if frontend check failed
+            marker: <!-- frontend-check -->
+            title: Frontend Check Failed
+            type: standard
+          - label: engine
+            workflow: Build and Test Workflow
+            failed_step: Fail if engine check failed
+            marker: <!-- engine-check -->
+            title: Engine Check Failed
+            type: standard
+          - label: backend-format
+            workflow: Build and Test Workflow
+            failed_step: Fail if backend format check failed
+            marker: <!-- java-formatting-check -->
+            title: Backend Format Check Failed
+            type: standard
+          - label: generated-models
+            workflow: Build and Test Workflow
+            failed_step: Fail if generated models check failed
+            marker: <!-- generated-models-check -->
+            title: Generated Models Check Failed
+            type: standard
+          - label: toml
+            workflow: Build and Test Workflow
+            failed_step: Fail job if errors found
+            marker: <!-- toml-translation-check -->
+            title: TOML Translation Check Failed
+            type: toml
+    permissions:
+      actions: read
+      contents: read
+      issues: write
+      pull-requests: write
+    steps:
+      - name: Download frontend license warnings
+        if: matrix.type == 'frontend-license'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@fa0a91b85d4f404e444e00e005971372dc801d16 # v4.1.8
+        with:
+          name: frontend-license-warnings
+          path: license-artifacts/frontend
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
+          run-id: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.id }}
+
+      - name: Download backend license warnings
+        if: matrix.type == 'backend-license'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@fa0a91b85d4f404e444e00e005971372dc801d16 # v4.1.8
+        with:
+          name: backend-dependencies-without-allowed-license.json
+          path: license-artifacts/backend
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
+          run-id: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.id }}
+
+      - name: Download TOML translation result
+        if: matrix.type == 'toml'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@fa0a91b85d4f404e444e00e005971372dc801d16 # v4.1.8
+        with:
+          name: toml-translation-check-result
+          path: toml-artifacts
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
+          run-id: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.id }}
+
+      - name: Update ${{ matrix.label }} comment
+        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108d7 # v9.0.0
+        env:
+          CHECK_MARKER: ${{ matrix.marker }}
+          FAILED_STEP: ${{ matrix.failed_step }}
+          CHECK_TITLE: ${{ matrix.title }}
+          CHECK_TYPE: ${{ matrix.type }}
+          CHECK_JOB_NAME: ${{ matrix.job_name }}
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const run = context.payload.workflow_run;
+            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
+
+            let pullRequest = run.pull_requests?.[0];
+            if (!pullRequest) {
+              const { data: associatedPullRequests } =
+                await github.rest.repos.listPullRequestsAssociatedWithCommit({
+                  owner,
+                  repo,
+                  commit_sha: run.head_sha,
+                });
+              pullRequest = associatedPullRequests[0];
+            }
+            if (!pullRequest) {
+              core.warning('No pull request found for this workflow run.');
+              return;
+            }
+
+            const jobs = await github.paginate(
+              github.rest.actions.listJobsForWorkflowRun,
+              { owner, repo, run_id: run.id, per_page: 100 },
+            );
+            const failed = jobs.some(job =>
+              (!process.env.CHECK_JOB_NAME || job.name === process.env.CHECK_JOB_NAME) &&
+              job.steps?.some(step =>
+                step.name === process.env.FAILED_STEP &&
+                step.conclusion === 'failure'));
+            const comments = await github.paginate(
+              github.rest.issues.listComments,
+              { owner, repo, issue_number: pullRequest.number, per_page: 100 },
+            );
+            const existing = comments.find(comment =>
+              comment.body?.includes(process.env.CHECK_MARKER));
+
+            const standardInstructions = {
+              '<!-- frontend-check -->':
+                "There are issues with your frontend code that will need to be fixed before they can be merged in.\n\nRun 'task frontend:fix' to auto-fix what can be fixed automatically, then run 'task frontend:check:all' to see what still needs fixing manually.",
+              '<!-- engine-check -->':
+                "There are issues with your Python code that will need to be fixed before they can be merged in.\n\nRun 'task engine:fix' to auto-fix what can be fixed automatically, then run 'task engine:check' to see what still needs fixing manually.",
+              '<!-- java-formatting-check -->':
+                "There are formatting issues in your Java code that will need to be fixed before they can be merged in.\n\nRun 'task backend:format' to auto-fix, then commit and push the changes.",
+              '<!-- generated-models-check -->':
+                "One or more generated files are out of date with the Java OpenAPI spec and will need to be regenerated before merging.\n\nRun 'task tool-models' to regenerate them, then commit the updated files.",
+            };
+
+            let body;
+            if (process.env.CHECK_TYPE === 'standard') {
+              body = [
+                process.env.CHECK_MARKER,
+                '## ' + (failed ? '❌ ' : '✅ ') + process.env.CHECK_TITLE,
+                '',
+                standardInstructions[process.env.CHECK_MARKER],
+              ].join('\n');
+            } else if (process.env.CHECK_TYPE === 'toml') {
+              let details = 'See the TOML translation check logs for details.';
+              try {
+                details = require('fs').readFileSync('toml-artifacts/result.txt', 'utf8');
+              } catch (_) {}
+              body = failed
+                ? process.env.CHECK_MARKER + '\n\n## ❌ TOML Translation Check Failed\n\n' +
+                  details + '\n\nPlease correct the translation files and push the changes.'
+                : process.env.CHECK_MARKER +
+                  '\n\n## ✅ TOML Translation Check Passed\n\nAll changed TOML translation files are consistent with the reference file.';
+            } else if (process.env.CHECK_TYPE === 'frontend-license') {
+              let warningDetails = 'Unable to read warning details.';
+              try {
+                const data = JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync(
+                  'license-artifacts/frontend/license-warnings.json',
+                  'utf8',
+                ));
+                warningDetails = data.warnings.map(w => '- ' + w.message).join('\n');
+              } catch (_) {}
+              body = failed
+                ? process.env.CHECK_MARKER + '\n\n## ❌ Frontend License Check Failed\n\nThe frontend license check detected compatibility warnings that require review:\n\n' +
+                  warningDetails + '\n\n**Action Required:** Please review these licenses before merging.'
+                : process.env.CHECK_MARKER +
+                  '\n\n## ✅ Frontend License Check Passed\n\nAll frontend licenses have been validated and no compatibility warnings were detected.';
+            } else {
+              let warningDetails = '';
+              try {
+                const data = JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync(
+                  'license-artifacts/backend/dependencies-without-allowed-license.json',
+                  'utf8',
+                ));
+                warningDetails = data.map(dep =>
+                  '- **' + dep.moduleName + '@' + dep.moduleVersion +
+                  '** – ' + dep.moduleLicenses.map(l => l.licenseName).join(', '),
+                ).join('\n');
+              } catch (_) {}
+              body = failed
+                ? process.env.CHECK_MARKER + '\n\n## ❌ Backend License Check Failed\n\nThe backend license check detected dependencies with incompatible or unallowed licenses:\n\n' +
+                  (warningDetails || 'See uploaded artifact for details.') +
+                  '\n\n**Action Required:** Please review these licenses before merging.'
+                : process.env.CHECK_MARKER +
+                  '\n\n## ✅ Backend License Check Passed\n\nAll backend dependencies have valid and allowed licenses.';
+            }
+
+            if (failed && existing) {
+              await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
+                owner,
+                repo,
+                comment_id: existing.id,
+                body,
+              });
+            } else if (failed) {
+              await github.rest.issues.createComment({
+                owner,
+                repo,
+                issue_number: pullRequest.number,
+                body,
+              });
+            } else if (existing && process.env.CHECK_TYPE !== 'standard') {
+              await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
+                owner,
+                repo,
+                comment_id: existing.id,
+                body,
+              });
+            } else if (existing) {
+              await github.rest.issues.deleteComment({
+                owner,
+                repo,
+                comment_id: existing.id,
+              });
+            }
+
+
+
+  license-validation-comments:
+    if: github.event.workflow_run.event == 'pull_request' && github.event.workflow_run.name == 'License Report Workflow'
+    name: License validation comment (${{ matrix.label }})
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    strategy:
+      fail-fast: false
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          - label: frontend-license
+            workflow: License Report Workflow
+            job_name: Generate Frontend License Report
+            failed_step: Fail workflow if license warnings exist (PR only)
+            marker: <!-- frontend-license-check -->
+            title: Frontend License Check
+            type: frontend-license
+          - label: backend-license
+            workflow: License Report Workflow
+            job_name: Generate Backend License Report
+            failed_step: Fail workflow if license warnings exist (PR only)
+            marker: <!-- backend-license-check -->
+            title: Backend License Check
+            type: backend-license
+    permissions:
+      actions: read
+      contents: read
+      issues: write
+      pull-requests: write
+    steps:
+      - name: Download frontend license warnings
+        if: matrix.type == 'frontend-license'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@fa0a91b85d4f404e444e00e005971372dc801d16 # v4.1.8
+        with:
+          name: frontend-license-warnings
+          path: license-artifacts/frontend
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
+          run-id: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.id }}
+
+      - name: Download backend license warnings
+        if: matrix.type == 'backend-license'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@fa0a91b85d4f404e444e00e005971372dc801d16 # v4.1.8
+        with:
+          name: backend-dependencies-without-allowed-license.json
+          path: license-artifacts/backend
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
+          run-id: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.id }}
+
+      - name: Download TOML translation result
+        if: matrix.type == 'toml'
+        continue-on-error: true
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@fa0a91b85d4f404e444e00e005971372dc801d16 # v4.1.8
+        with:
+          name: toml-translation-check-result
+          path: toml-artifacts
+          github-token: ${{ github.token }}
+          run-id: ${{ github.event.workflow_run.id }}
+
+      - name: Update ${{ matrix.label }} comment
+        uses: actions/github-script@3a2844b7e9c422d3c10d287c895573f7108d7 # v9.0.0
+        env:
+          CHECK_MARKER: ${{ matrix.marker }}
+          FAILED_STEP: ${{ matrix.failed_step }}
+          CHECK_TITLE: ${{ matrix.title }}
+          CHECK_TYPE: ${{ matrix.type }}
+          CHECK_JOB_NAME: ${{ matrix.job_name }}
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const run = context.payload.workflow_run;
+            const { owner, repo } = context.repo;
+
+            let pullRequest = run.pull_requests?.[0];
+            if (!pullRequest) {
+              const { data: associatedPullRequests } =
+                await github.rest.repos.listPullRequestsAssociatedWithCommit({
+                  owner,
+                  repo,
+                  commit_sha: run.head_sha,
+                });
+              pullRequest = associatedPullRequests[0];
+            }
+            if (!pullRequest) {
+              core.warning('No pull request found for this workflow run.');
+              return;
+            }
+
+            const jobs = await github.paginate(
+              github.rest.actions.listJobsForWorkflowRun,
+              { owner, repo, run_id: run.id, per_page: 100 },
+            );
+            const failed = jobs.some(job =>
+              (!process.env.CHECK_JOB_NAME || job.name === process.env.CHECK_JOB_NAME) &&
+              job.steps?.some(step =>
+                step.name === process.env.FAILED_STEP &&
+                step.conclusion === 'failure'));
+            const comments = await github.paginate(
+              github.rest.issues.listComments,
+              { owner, repo, issue_number: pullRequest.number, per_page: 100 },
+            );
+            const existing = comments.find(comment =>
+              comment.body?.includes(process.env.CHECK_MARKER));
+
+            const standardInstructions = {
+              '<!-- frontend-check -->':
+                "There are issues with your frontend code that will need to be fixed before they can be merged in.\n\nRun 'task frontend:fix' to auto-fix what can be fixed automatically, then run 'task frontend:check:all' to see what still needs fixing manually.",
+              '<!-- engine-check -->':
+                "There are issues with your Python code that will need to be fixed before they can be merged in.\n\nRun 'task engine:fix' to auto-fix what can be fixed automatically, then run 'task engine:check' to see what still needs fixing manually.",
+              '<!-- java-formatting-check -->':
+                "There are formatting issues in your Java code that will need to be fixed before they can be merged in.\n\nRun 'task backend:format' to auto-fix, then commit and push the changes.",
+              '<!-- generated-models-check -->':
+                "One or more generated files are out of date with the Java OpenAPI spec and will need to be regenerated before merging.\n\nRun 'task tool-models' to regenerate them, then commit the updated files.",
+            };
+
+            let body;
+            if (process.env.CHECK_TYPE === 'standard') {
+              body = [
+                process.env.CHECK_MARKER,
+                '## ' + (failed ? '❌ ' : '✅ ') + process.env.CHECK_TITLE,
+                '',
+                standardInstructions[process.env.CHECK_MARKER],
+              ].join('\n');
+            } else if (process.env.CHECK_TYPE === 'toml') {
+              let details = 'See the TOML translation check logs for details.';
+              try {
+                details = require('fs').readFileSync('toml-artifacts/result.txt', 'utf8');
+              } catch (_) {}
+              body = failed
+                ? process.env.CHECK_MARKER + '\n\n## ❌ TOML Translation Check Failed\n\n' +
+                  details + '\n\nPlease correct the translation files and push the changes.'
+                : process.env.CHECK_MARKER +
+                  '\n\n## ✅ TOML Translation Check Passed\n\nAll changed TOML translation files are consistent with the reference file.';
+            } else if (process.env.CHECK_TYPE === 'frontend-license') {
+              let warningDetails = 'Unable to read warning details.';
+              try {
+                const data = JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync(
+                  'license-artifacts/frontend/license-warnings.json',
+                  'utf8',
+                ));
+                warningDetails = data.warnings.map(w => '- ' + w.message).join('\n');
+              } catch (_) {}
+              body = failed
+                ? process.env.CHECK_MARKER + '\n\n## ❌ Frontend License Check Failed\n\nThe frontend license check detected compatibility warnings that require review:\n\n' +
+                  warningDetails + '\n\n**Action Required:** Please review these licenses before merging.'
+                : process.env.CHECK_MARKER +
+                  '\n\n## ✅ Frontend License Check Passed\n\nAll frontend licenses have been validated and no compatibility warnings were detected.';
+            } else {
+              let warningDetails = '';
+              try {
+                const data = JSON.parse(require('fs').readFileSync(
+                  'license-artifacts/backend/dependencies-without-allowed-license.json',
+                  'utf8',
+                ));
+                warningDetails = data.map(dep =>
+                  '- **' + dep.moduleName + '@' + dep.moduleVersion +
+                  '** – ' + dep.moduleLicenses.map(l => l.licenseName).join(', '),
+                ).join('\n');
+              } catch (_) {}
+              body = failed
+                ? process.env.CHECK_MARKER + '\n\n## ❌ Backend License Check Failed\n\nThe backend license check detected dependencies with incompatible or unallowed licenses:\n\n' +
+                  (warningDetails || 'See uploaded artifact for details.') +
+                  '\n\n**Action Required:** Please review these licenses before merging.'
+                : process.env.CHECK_MARKER +
+                  '\n\n## ✅ Backend License Check Passed\n\nAll backend dependencies have valid and allowed licenses.';
+            }
+
+            if (failed && existing) {
+              await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
+                owner,
+                repo,
+                comment_id: existing.id,
+                body,
+              });
+            } else if (failed) {
+              await github.rest.issues.createComment({
+                owner,
+                repo,
+                issue_number: pullRequest.number,
+                body,
+              });
+            } else if (existing && process.env.CHECK_TYPE !== 'standard') {
+              await github.rest.issues.updateComment({
+                owner,
+                repo,
+                comment_id: existing.id,
+                body,
+              });
+            } else if (existing) {
+              await github.rest.issues.deleteComment({
+                owner,
+                repo,
+                comment_id: existing.id,
+              });
+            }
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ jobs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ jobs:
          persist-credentials: false

      - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ jobs:
          cache-suffix: pre-commit

      - name: Install Task
-        uses: go-task/setup-task@3be4020d41929789a01026e0e427a4321ce0ad44 # v2.0.0
+        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0

      - name: Run pre-commit checks
        run: task pre-commit
@@ -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:
@@ -32,9 +35,11 @@ jobs:

      - name: Set version
        id: version
+        env:
+          INPUT_VERSION: ${{ github.event.inputs.version }}
        run: |
          if [ "${{ github.event_name }}" == "workflow_dispatch" ]; then
-            VERSION="${{ github.event.inputs.version }}"
+            VERSION="${INPUT_VERSION}"
          elif [ "${{ github.ref_name }}" == "accessIssueFix" ]; then
            VERSION="1.0.3"
          else
@@ -43,7 +48,7 @@ jobs:
          echo "version=${VERSION}" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -20,10 +20,8 @@ on:
        default: false
  push:
    branches:
-      - master
+      - release
      - main
-      - V2-master
-      - testMain

 # 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
@@ -42,6 +40,7 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  push:
+    environment: docker-publish
    if: ${{ vars.CI_PROFILE != 'lite' }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04-8core
    permissions:
@@ -53,29 +52,26 @@ jobs:
      RUN_UNOSERVER: ${{ github.event_name != 'workflow_dispatch' || inputs.build_unoserver }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

+      - name: Cache Gradle
+        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-push-docker-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - 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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Set up Docker Buildx
        id: buildx
        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@bb05f3f5519dd87d3ba754cc423b652a5edd6d2c # v4.2.0
@@ -91,13 +87,13 @@ 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 +129,8 @@ 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 +154,7 @@ 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: ${{ steps.meta.outputs.tags }}
@@ -182,8 +178,8 @@ jobs:
            ghcr.io/${{ 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 +200,7 @@ 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: ${{ steps.meta-fat.outputs.tags }}
@@ -226,8 +222,8 @@ jobs:
            ghcr.io/${{ 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 +244,7 @@ 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 +256,7 @@ 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 +315,7 @@ 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"
@@ -13,12 +13,13 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  rollback:
+    environment: docker-publish
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      packages: write
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ jobs:

    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -75,6 +75,6 @@ jobs:

      # Upload the results to GitHub's code scanning dashboard.
      - name: "Upload to code-scanning"
-        uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@e4fba868fa4b1b91e1fdab776edc8cfbe6e9fb81 # v3.29.5
+        uses: github/codeql-action/upload-sarif@ff2f1c621b7f889edc0d3c761ac2e6a3f8cdb0dd # v4.37.7
        with:
          sarif_file: results.sarif
@@ -17,12 +17,12 @@ jobs:
      pull-requests: write
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - name: 30 days stale issues
-        uses: actions/stale@eb5cf3af3ac0a1aa4c9c45633dd1ae542a27a899 # v10.3.0
+        uses: actions/stale@4391f3da665fdf50b6810c1a66712fb9ba21aa93 # v11.0.0
        with:
          repo-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          days-before-stale: 30
@@ -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
@@ -23,33 +23,33 @@ 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:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2

+      - name: Cache Gradle
+        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-swagger-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - 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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Generate Swagger documentation
        run: ./gradlew :stirling-pdf:generateOpenApiDocs

@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  sync:
+    environment: bot-identity
    name: Sync docs manifest
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    timeout-minutes: 10
@@ -32,7 +33,7 @@ jobs:
      pull-requests: write
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -33,10 +33,11 @@ permissions:

 jobs:
  sync-files:
+    environment: bot-identity
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
          private-key: ${{ secrets.GH_APP_PRIVATE_KEY }}

      - name: Install uv
-        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@c771a70e6277c0a99b617c7a806ffedaca235ff9 # v9.0.0
+        uses: astral-sh/setup-uv@20cfd1bf945f4377ade1205e4dbc17946fc9a30d # v10.0.1
        with:
          enable-cache: true
          cache-dependency-glob: |
@@ -65,7 +66,7 @@ jobs:
          uv sync --project engine --locked --group tools

      - name: Install Task
-        uses: go-task/setup-task@3be4020d41929789a01026e0e427a4321ce0ad44 # v2.0.0
+        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0

      - name: Sync translation TOML files
        run: |
@@ -26,6 +26,10 @@ on:
        required: false
        type: boolean
        default: false
+      use_shared_cache:
+        required: false
+        type: boolean
+        default: false
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      platform:
@@ -57,13 +61,18 @@ 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:
+      name: ci-signing
+      deployment: false
    if: ${{ vars.CI_PROFILE != 'lite' }}
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    outputs:
      matrix: ${{ steps.set-matrix.outputs.matrix }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -103,6 +112,12 @@ 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 +125,6 @@ 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,
@@ -120,7 +134,7 @@ jobs:
      SIGN_BUNDLE: ${{ inputs.sign && (matrix.platform == 'macos-15' && secrets.APPLE_CERTIFICATE != '' || github.ref == 'refs/heads/main') }}
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -150,7 +164,7 @@ jobs:
      # only recompiles the app crate. Written on main; PRs and the merge queue
      # restore from it.
      - name: Cache Rust build
-        uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@c19371144df3bb44fab255c43d04cbc2ab54d1c4 # v2.9.1
+        uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@6323deb102c322ba6fcbdcafc7e3dddab59af2b6 # v2.9.2
        with:
          workspaces: frontend/editor/src-tauri
          # Stable key shared across workflows so the nightly warmer.
@@ -160,6 +174,24 @@ jobs:
          # Save the dependency cache even if a later step fails
          cache-on-failure: true

+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        if: inputs.use_shared_cache
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
+      - name: Restore cache Gradle
+        if: inputs.use_shared_cache == false
+        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-tauri-build-v1-${{ 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') }}
+
      - name: Set up x86_64 JDK 25 (macOS universal JRE)
        if: matrix.platform == 'macos-15'
        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
@@ -179,17 +211,6 @@ jobs:
          java-version: "25"
          distribution: ${{ matrix.platform == 'windows-11-arm' && 'microsoft' || '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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Setup Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0

@@ -227,20 +248,26 @@ jobs:
      - name: Setup DigiCert KeyLocker Certificate
        if: ${{ inputs.sign && startsWith(matrix.platform, 'windows') && env.SM_API_KEY != '' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/main' }}
        shell: pwsh
+        env:
+          SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64: ${{ secrets.SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64 }}
+          SM_HOST: ${{ secrets.SM_HOST }}
+          SM_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.SM_API_KEY }}
+          SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD }}
+          SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS: ${{ secrets.SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS }}
        run: |
          Write-Host "Setting up DigiCert KeyLocker environment..."

          # Decode client certificate
-          $certBytes = [Convert]::FromBase64String("${{ secrets.SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64 }}")
+          $certBytes = [Convert]::FromBase64String("$env:SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE_B64")
          $certPath = "D:\Certificate_pkcs12.p12"
          [IO.File]::WriteAllBytes($certPath, $certBytes)

          # Set environment variables
          echo "SM_CLIENT_CERT_FILE=D:\Certificate_pkcs12.p12" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "SM_HOST=${{ secrets.SM_HOST }}" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "SM_API_KEY=${{ secrets.SM_API_KEY }}" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD=${{ secrets.SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD }}" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
-          echo "SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS=${{ secrets.SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS }}" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "SM_HOST=$env:SM_HOST" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "SM_API_KEY=$env:SM_API_KEY" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD=$env:SM_CLIENT_CERT_PASSWORD" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV
+          echo "SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS=$env:SM_KEYPAIR_ALIAS" >> $env:GITHUB_ENV

          # Get PKCS11 config path from DigiCert action
          $pkcs11Config = $env:PKCS11_CONFIG
@@ -258,38 +285,6 @@ 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:
@@ -682,6 +677,17 @@ jobs:
            fi
          done

+      - name: Cleanup temporary files
+        if: always()
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          rm -f certificate.p12
+          rm -rf "$RUNNER_TEMP/msi-verify"
+          if [ "${{ matrix.platform }}" = "macos-15" ]; then
+            security delete-keychain "$RUNNER_TEMP/app-signing.keychain-db" 2>/dev/null || true
+          fi
+        continue-on-error: true
+
  pr-comment:
    needs: build
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
@@ -697,7 +703,7 @@ jobs:
      pull-requests: write
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -789,7 +795,7 @@ jobs:
    if: always()
    steps:
      - name: Harden the runner (Audit all outbound calls)
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -22,21 +22,45 @@ permissions:
  contents: read

 jobs:
-  # TODO: extract a pre-matrix `prepare` job that runs once and produces
-  # shared artifacts for the three matrix entries below to consume:
-  #   1. `task backend:build` — currently runs 3× in parallel with
-  #      identical env (DISABLE_ADDITIONAL_FEATURES=true,
-  #      STIRLING_PDF_DESKTOP_UI=false). Build once, upload the JAR as an
-  #      artifact, matrix entries download.
-  #   2. The base-image `docker build` (gated on docker-base-changed) —
-  #      currently runs 3× in parallel against the same Dockerfile and
-  #      context. Build once, `docker save` to an artifact, matrix entries
-  #      `docker load` before the embedded build.
-  # Saves ~2 full backend builds + 2 base-image builds per PR that touches
-  # docker. May also be reusable from backend-build.yml's jdk-25 +
-  # spring-security=true matrix entry if `task backend:build` and
-  # `task backend:build:ci` produce equivalent JARs (verify before wiring).
+  # A changed base image is shared by all three embedded-image builds. Build
+  # it once and transfer it as an artifact; the matrix jobs use the local
+  # Docker driver so the loaded image is visible to the build.
+  prepare-base-image:
+    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' && inputs.docker-base-changed == 'true'
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 20
+    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: Build base image locally
+        run: docker build --platform linux/amd64 -t stirling-pdf-base:pr-test -f docker/base/Dockerfile docker/base
+
+      - name: Export base image
+        run: docker save stirling-pdf-base:pr-test | gzip -1 > stirling-pdf-base-pr-test.tar.gz
+
+      - name: Upload base image
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          name: docker-base-pr-test
+          path: stirling-pdf-base-pr-test.tar.gz
+          retention-days: 1
+          if-no-files-found: error
+
  test-build-docker-images:
+    if: always() && (needs.prepare-base-image.result == 'success' || needs.prepare-base-image.result == 'skipped')
+    needs: [prepare-base-image]
+    environment:
+      name: ci-unsigned
+      deployment: false
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
@@ -53,7 +77,7 @@ jobs:
            cache-scope: stirling-pdf-fat
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -78,23 +102,30 @@ jobs:
          docker system prune -af || true
          echo "Disk space after cleanup:" && df -h

+      - name: Download prepared base image
+        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' && inputs.docker-base-changed == 'true'
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8.0.1
+        with:
+          name: docker-base-pr-test
+
+      - name: Load prepared base image
+        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' && inputs.docker-base-changed == 'true'
+        run: gzip -dc stirling-pdf-base-pr-test.tar.gz | docker load
+
+      - name: Restore cache Gradle User Home
+        uses: actions/cache/restore@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
+        with:
+          path: |
+            ~/.gradle/caches
+            ~/.gradle/wrapper
+          key: gradle-v1-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'buildSrc/**', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
+
      - 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-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', 'settings.gradle', 'build.gradle', 'app/**/build.gradle', 'gradle/**/*.gradle') }}
-          restore-keys: |
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-
-            gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-
-
      - name: Install Task
        uses: go-task/setup-task@01a4adf9db2d14c1de7a560f09170b6e0df736aa # v2.1.0
      - name: Build application
@@ -113,11 +144,6 @@ jobs:
        id: buildx
        uses: docker/setup-buildx-action@bb05f3f5519dd87d3ba754cc423b652a5edd6d2c # v4.2.0

-      - name: Build base image locally (PR base change only)
-        if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' && inputs.docker-base-changed == 'true'
-        run: |
-          docker build -t stirling-pdf-base:pr-test -f docker/base/Dockerfile docker/base
-
      - name: Set base image and platform for this build
        id: build-params
        # Pass workflow inputs through env vars rather than expanding `${{ }}`
@@ -191,7 +217,7 @@ jobs:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@b09bb98e06d4d774595224525879c09bc6e98c40 # v2.20.1
        with:
          egress-policy: audit

@@ -1,213 +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:
-    if: ${{ vars.CI_PROFILE != 'lite' }}
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
-        with:
-          egress-policy: audit
-
-      - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-
-      - name: Set up JDK 25
-        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
-        with:
-          java-version: "25"
-          distribution: "temurin"
-
-      - name: Cache Gradle User Home
-        uses: actions/cache@55cc8345863c7cc4c66a329aec7e433d2d1c52a9 # v6.1.0
-        with:
-          path: |
-            ~/.gradle/caches
-            ~/.gradle/wrapper
-          key: gradle-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-jdk-25-${{ hashFiles('gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties', 'gradle/libs.versions.toml', '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: Login to Docker Hub
-        uses: docker/login-action@dbcb813823bdd20940b903addbd779551569679f # v4.6.0
-        with:
-          username: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}
-          password: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_API }}
-
-      - 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: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:test-${{ github.sha }}
-          build-args: VERSION_TAG=${{ steps.versionNumber.outputs.versionNumber }}
-          platforms: linux/amd64
-
-      - name: Set up SSH
-        run: |
-          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
-          echo "${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}" > ../private.key
-          sudo chmod 600 ../private.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: ${{ secrets.DOCKER_HUB_USERNAME }}/test:test-${{ 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 ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }}:/tmp/docker-compose.yml
-
-          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.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
-
-  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@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
-        with:
-          egress-policy: audit
-
-      - uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-
-      - name: Check for file changes
-        uses: dorny/paths-filter@7b450fff21473bca461d4b92ce414b9d0420d706 # v4.0.2
-        id: changes
-        with:
-          filters: ".github/config/.files.yaml"
-
-  test:
-    if: needs.files-changed.outputs.frontend == 'true'
-    needs: [deploy, files-changed]
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
-        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: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          FORCE_COLOR: "3"
-
-  cleanup:
-    needs: [deploy, test]
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    if: always()
-
-    steps:
-      - name: Harden Runner
-        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
-        with:
-          egress-policy: audit
-
-      - name: Set up SSH
-        run: |
-          mkdir -p ~/.ssh/
-          echo "${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_SSH_KEY }}" > ../private.key
-          sudo chmod 600 ../private.key
-
-      - name: Cleanup deployment
-        if: always()
-        run: |
-          ssh -i ../private.key -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null ${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_USERNAME }}@${{ secrets.NEW_VPS_HOST }} << EOF
-            cd /stirling/test-${{ github.sha }}
-            docker-compose down
-            cd /stirling
-            rm -rf test-${{ github.sha }}
-          EOF
-        continue-on-error: true # Ensure cleanup runs even if previous steps fail
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+name: Update Gradle
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+  schedule:
+    - cron: "0 3 * * 1"
+
+concurrency:
+  group: update-gradle
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  update-gradle:
+    name: Update Gradle and Docker images
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      pull-requests: write
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 20
+    steps:
+      - name: Harden runner
+        uses: step-security/harden-runner@bf7454d06d71f1098171f2acdf0cd4708d7b5920 # v2.20.0
+        with:
+          egress-policy: audit
+
+      - name: Check out repository
+        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+
+      - name: Set up Java
+        uses: actions/setup-java@b6effb05e454b25005698d916606bdc6ffcbf961 # v5.7.0
+        with:
+          distribution: temurin
+          java-version: "25"
+
+      - name: Find latest Gradle release
+        id: gradle
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          version=$(curl --fail --silent --show-error --retry 3 \
+            https://services.gradle.org/versions/current | jq -r '.version')
+          [[ "$version" =~ ^[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$ ]] || {
+            echo "Could not determine a stable Gradle version: $version" >&2
+            exit 1
+          }
+          echo "version=$version" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+      - name: Find matching Docker image digest
+        id: docker
+        env:
+          GRADLE_VERSION: ${{ steps.gradle.outputs.version }}
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          tag="${GRADLE_VERSION}-jdk25"
+          digest=$(curl --fail --silent --show-error --retry 3 \
+            "https://hub.docker.com/v2/repositories/library/gradle/tags/${tag}" \
+            | jq -r '.digest // empty')
+          [[ "$digest" =~ ^sha256:[0-9a-f]{64}$ ]] || {
+            echo "Docker image gradle:${tag} was not found" >&2
+            exit 1
+          }
+          echo "tag=$tag" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          echo "digest=$digest" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+      - name: Update Gradle wrapper
+        env:
+          GRADLE_VERSION: ${{ steps.gradle.outputs.version }}
+        run: ./gradlew wrapper --gradle-version "$GRADLE_VERSION" --distribution-type bin
+
+      - name: Update Gradle Docker images
+        env:
+          DOCKER_TAG: ${{ steps.docker.outputs.tag }}
+          DOCKER_DIGEST: ${{ steps.docker.outputs.digest }}
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          find docker -type f -name 'Dockerfile*' -print0 |
+            xargs -0 sed -E -i \
+              "s#gradle:[^@[:space:]]+-jdk25(@sha256:[^[:space:]]+)?#gradle:${DOCKER_TAG}@${DOCKER_DIGEST}#g"
+
+      - name: Verify Gradle update
+        env:
+          EXPECTED_VERSION: ${{ steps.gradle.outputs.version }}
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          actual=$(./gradlew --version | sed -n 's/^Gradle \([0-9.]*\)$/\1/p')
+          [[ "$actual" == "$EXPECTED_VERSION" ]] || {
+            echo "Wrapper resolved Gradle $actual, expected $EXPECTED_VERSION" >&2
+            exit 1
+          }
+          if git diff --quiet; then
+            echo "Gradle is already up to date."
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          git diff --check
+
+      - name: Create pull request
+        uses: peter-evans/create-pull-request@5f6978faf089d4d20b00c7766989d076bb2fc7f1 # v8.1.1
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          branch: automation/update-gradle
+          delete-branch: true
+          commit-message: "chore: update Gradle"
+          title: "chore: update Gradle to ${{ steps.gradle.outputs.version }}"
+          body: |
+            Automated update of the Gradle wrapper and Gradle Docker build images.
+
+            Gradle version: `${{ steps.gradle.outputs.version }}`
+            Docker image: `gradle:${{ steps.docker.outputs.tag }}`
+          labels: dependencies
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ watchedFolders/
 # also matches this frontend source component dir; keep the source tracked.
 !frontend/editor/src/proprietary/components/watchedFolders/
 clientWebUI/
+policy-webhook-spool/
 # Scratch dir used by local fixture-regeneration runs (see
 # app/proprietary/src/test/resources/db-migration-fixtures/README.md).
 # Holds downloaded JARs and disposable workdirs. Never committed.
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ exampleYmlFiles/stirling/
 /testing/file_snapshots
 /testing/cucumber/junit/
 /testing/cucumber/report.html
+/testing/cucumber/.parallel/
 /testing/.failed_tests
 /.test-state/
 SwaggerDoc.json
@@ -63,13 +65,23 @@ app/core/src/main/resources/static/og_images/
 app/core/src/main/resources/static/samples/
 app/core/src/main/resources/static/manifest-classic.json
 app/core/src/main/resources/static/og-metadata.json
+app/core/src/main/resources/static/og-metadata.saas.json
 app/core/src/main/resources/static/sw-folder-retry.js
 app/core/src/main/resources/static/robots.txt
+app/core/src/main/resources/static/android-chrome-*.png
+app/core/src/main/resources/static/mstile-*.png
+app/core/src/main/resources/static/favicon.png
+app/core/src/main/resources/static/safari-pinned-tab.svg
 app/core/src/main/resources/static/pdfium/
 app/core/src/main/resources/static/pdfjs/
 app/core/src/main/resources/static/vendor/
 app/core/src/main/resources/static/**/*.gz
 app/core/src/main/resources/static/**/*.br
+app/core/src/main/resources/static/css/cookieconsent.css
+app/core/src/main/resources/static/css/cookieconsentCustomisation.css
+app/core/src/main/resources/static/mockServiceWorker.js
+app/core/src/main/resources/static/js/thirdParty/cookieconsent.umd.js
+app/core/src/main/resources/static/images/google-drive.svg
 # Note: Keep backend-managed files like fonts/, css/, js/, pdfjs/, etc.

 # Gradle
@@ -27,3 +27,8 @@ app/core/src/main/java/stirling/software/SPDF/pdf/signature/CreateSignatureBase.
 # Supabase publishable key (public by design, RLS-protected) used as a CI fallback
 # default in the tauri-build workflow when the GitHub secret is unset - not a real secret.
 .github/workflows/tauri-build.yml:generic-api-key:402
+
+# Staging Supabase publishable key (public by design). Ignored here rather than with an
+# inline gitleaks:allow because a trailing comment in a .properties file is part of the
+# value, so the pragma would end up inside the key.
+app/saas/src/main/resources/application-staging.properties:generic-api-key:16
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 {
  "ignoredFiles": [
-    "frontend/editor/src-tauri/icons/icon.png"
+    "frontend/editor/src-tauri/icons/macos/*",
+    "frontend/editor/src-tauri/icons/linux/*",
+    "frontend/editor/src-tauri/icons/windows/*"
  ]
 }
@@ -57,16 +57,57 @@ tasks:
      - cmd: ./gradlew clean bootRun -PbuildWithFrontend=true
        platforms: [linux, darwin]

+  # SaaS backend. dev:saas -> the PR's preview branch, staging:saas -> shared v3,
+  # PROFILES=none -> production against your own SAAS_DB_*. Production has no named
+  # task on purpose. Use `none`, not an empty value: Go template `default` treats ""
+  # as absent and would resolve back to dev.
+
  dev:saas:
-    desc: "Start backend in SaaS flavor against Supabase"
-    # `dotenv:` reads from the root Taskfile's directory (".") because this
-    # subtaskfile is included with `dir: .`.
+    desc: "Start SaaS backend against the current PR's Supabase preview branch"
+    dotenv: ['app/.env.saas.local', 'app/.env.saas']
+    vars:
+      PROFILES: '{{.PROFILES | default "dev"}}'
+    cmds:
+      # Don't move this check into a `sh:` var: dotenv is visible in cmds but not
+      # during var evaluation, so the test would always see an empty value.
+      - cmd: |
+          if [ "{{.PROFILES}}" = "dev" ] && [ -z "${SAAS_DEV_PROJECT_REF:-}" ]; then
+            echo ">> SAAS_DEV_PROJECT_REF is not set."
+            echo ">> Testing a SaaS PR? Put its ref, DB password and publishable key in app/.env.saas.local."
+            echo ">> Wanted the shared v3 project? Use 'task backend:staging:saas' instead."
+            exit 1
+          fi
+      - task: _run:saas
+        vars:
+          PORT: '{{.PORT}}'
+          PROFILES: '{{.PROFILES}}'
+          AIENGINE_URL: '{{.AIENGINE_URL}}'
+          AIENGINE_ENABLED: '{{.AIENGINE_ENABLED}}'
+          AIENGINE_TIMEOUTSECONDS: '{{.AIENGINE_TIMEOUTSECONDS}}'
+
+  staging:saas:
+    desc: "Start SaaS backend against the shared v3 staging project"
+    cmds:
+      - task: _run:saas
+        vars:
+          PORT: '{{.PORT}}'
+          PROFILES: staging
+          AIENGINE_URL: '{{.AIENGINE_URL}}'
+          AIENGINE_ENABLED: '{{.AIENGINE_ENABLED}}'
+          AIENGINE_TIMEOUTSECONDS: '{{.AIENGINE_TIMEOUTSECONDS}}'
+
+  _run:saas:
+    internal: true
    dotenv: ['app/.env.saas.local', 'app/.env.saas']
    ignore_error: true
    vars:
      PORT: '{{.PORT | default "8080"}}'
-      # Override to "" to run the pure `saas` profile against your own SAAS_DB_*.
      PROFILES: '{{.PROFILES | default "dev"}}'
+      # Built here rather than inline in the cmds below: the Windows line is an
+      # unquoted YAML scalar wrapping a cmd.exe string, so a nested {{if ne .X
+      # "none"}} needs escaped quotes that reach the Go template as literal
+      # backslashes and fail with `unexpected "\" in operand`.
+      PROFILE_ARGS: '{{if ne .PROFILES "none"}}--spring.profiles.include={{.PROFILES}}{{end}}'
      AIENGINE_URL: '{{.AIENGINE_URL | default ""}}'
      AIENGINE_ENABLED: '{{.AIENGINE_ENABLED | default "false"}}'
      AIENGINE_TIMEOUTSECONDS: '{{.AIENGINE_TIMEOUTSECONDS | default "120"}}'
@@ -77,9 +118,11 @@ tasks:
      AIENGINE_ENABLED: '{{.AIENGINE_ENABLED}}'
      AIENGINE_TIMEOUTSECONDS: '{{.AIENGINE_TIMEOUTSECONDS}}'
    cmds:
-      - cmd: cmd /c ".\gradlew.bat :stirling-pdf:bootRun {{if .PROFILES}}--args=\"--spring.profiles.include={{.PROFILES}}\"{{end}}"
+      # PROFILE_ARGS is empty when PROFILES=none, i.e. the bare `saas` profile
+      # against SAAS_DB_* (production).
+      - cmd: cmd /c ".\gradlew.bat :stirling-pdf:bootRun {{if .PROFILE_ARGS}}--args=\"{{.PROFILE_ARGS}}\"{{end}}"
        platforms: [windows]
-      - cmd: ./gradlew :stirling-pdf:bootRun {{if .PROFILES}}--args='--spring.profiles.include={{.PROFILES}}'{{end}}
+      - cmd: ./gradlew :stirling-pdf:bootRun {{if .PROFILE_ARGS}}--args='{{.PROFILE_ARGS}}'{{end}}
        platforms: [linux, darwin]

  build:
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+version: '3'
+
+tasks:
+  install:
+    desc: "Sync the Python environment with the cucumber test dependencies"
+    run: once
+    # Deliberately no sources/status fingerprint: the engine venv is shared, so it can
+    # already exist while synced to a different dependency group. uv no-ops when correct.
+    cmds:
+      - uv sync --project ../../engine --locked --group cucumber
+
+  run:
+    desc: "Run the cucumber suite against a running server (BASE_URL, default localhost:8080)"
+    deps: [install]
+    cmds:
+      - uv run --project ../../engine --locked --group cucumber python -m behave --no-capture -f plain {{.CLI_ARGS}}
+
+  nightly:
+    desc: "Run the @nightly cucumber scenarios, excluded from the default run"
+    summary: |
+      Heavy LibreOffice/Calibre/Ghostscript conversions. behave.ini excludes @nightly,
+      so this opts back in explicitly.
+
+      Pass extra behave flags via -- :
+        task cucumber:nightly -- --tags=@convert
+    deps: [install]
+    cmds:
+      - uv run --project ../../engine --locked --group cucumber python -m behave --tags=@nightly --no-capture -f plain {{.CLI_ARGS}}
+
+  parallel:
+    desc: "Run the cucumber suite as concurrent shards against one server (SHARDS, default 10)"
+    summary: |
+      Splits the feature files across SHARDS concurrent behave processes hitting a single
+      backend, to shake out cross-request interference. Auth-coupled features are pinned
+      to one shard because they change the admin password mid-scenario.
+
+        task cucumber:parallel
+        task cucumber:parallel SHARDS=4
+        BASE_URL=http://localhost:8081 task cucumber:parallel
+    deps: [install]
+    vars:
+      SHARDS: '{{.SHARDS | default "10"}}'
+    cmds:
+      - bash run-parallel.sh {{.SHARDS}} {{if .CLI_ARGS}}-- {{.CLI_ARGS}}{{end}}
@@ -195,7 +195,11 @@ tasks:
      # `desktop:build` run `jlink:clean` first to force a fresh build.
      - cmd: chmod -R u+w runtime/jre
        platforms: [linux, darwin]
-      - cmd: powershell -NoProfile -Command "Get-ChildItem -Recurse runtime/jre | ForEach-Object { $_.IsReadOnly = $false }"
+      # Single-quoted so Task's shell leaves `$_` and `$false` alone. Double
+      # quotes let it expand them as its own variables, and since neither is
+      # set the command PowerShell actually received was
+      # `ForEach-Object { .IsReadOnly = }`, which fails on every file.
+      - cmd: powershell -NoProfile -Command 'Get-ChildItem -Recurse -File runtime/jre | ForEach-Object { $_.IsReadOnly = $false }'
        platforms: [windows]
    status:
      - test -f runtime/jre/release
@@ -5,6 +5,14 @@ version: '3'
 # mode flag) or use `--project editor/...` for tsc — so the editor lives
 # under frontend/editor/ without each task needing a cd.

+vars:
+  # Dev-only browser-tab label so concurrent worktrees are distinguishable. Only
+  # the worktree folder basename (e.g. "wt1") is exposed — never the full path,
+  # hostname, or user. Dropped from production builds.
+  DEV_LABEL:
+    sh: >-
+      {{if eq OS "windows"}}powershell -NoProfile -Command '$root = git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>$null; if (-not $root) { $root = (Get-Location).Path }; Split-Path -Leaf $root'{{else}}basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)"{{end}}
+
 tasks:
  install:
    desc: "Install dependencies"
@@ -80,16 +88,52 @@ tasks:
      OPEN: '{{.OPEN | default ""}}'
    env:
      BACKEND_URL: '{{.BACKEND_URL}}'
-      # Dev-only browser-tab label so concurrent worktrees are distinguishable.
-      # Only the worktree folder basename (e.g. "wt1") is exposed — never the
-      # full path, hostname, or user. Consumed at dev-serve time by vite.config
-      # and dropped from production builds.
-      STIRLING_DEV_LABEL:
-        sh: >-
-          {{if eq OS "windows"}}powershell -NoProfile -Command '$root = git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>$null; if (-not $root) { $root = (Get-Location).Path }; Split-Path -Leaf $root'{{else}}basename "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null || pwd)"{{end}}
+      STIRLING_DEV_LABEL: '{{.DEV_LABEL}}'
    cmds:
      - npx vite editor --mode {{.MODE}} --port {{.PORT}}{{if .OPEN}} --open{{end}}

+  # Separate from dev:_run rather than a flag on it: Task sets an `env:` key even
+  # when its value resolves to empty, and Vite treats an empty process.env VITE_* as
+  # authoritative over the committed editor/.env, so folding these in blanks Supabase
+  # config for the core, proprietary and desktop dev servers.
+  dev:_run:saas:
+    internal: true
+    ignore_error: true
+    # The backend's own env files, so both halves target one project. Paths are
+    # relative to this taskfile's dir, `frontend`.
+    dotenv: ['../app/.env.saas.local', '../app/.env.saas']
+    vars:
+      PORT: '{{.PORT | default "5173"}}'
+      BACKEND_URL: '{{.BACKEND_URL | default "http://localhost:8080"}}'
+      OPEN: '{{.OPEN | default ""}}'
+      SAAS_ENV: '{{.SAAS_ENV | default "dev"}}'
+    env:
+      BACKEND_URL: '{{.BACKEND_URL}}'
+      STIRLING_DEV_LABEL: '{{.DEV_LABEL}}'
+      SAAS_ENV: '{{.SAAS_ENV}}'
+      # A real process.env VITE_* beats a committed .env in Vite (loadEnv applies
+      # process.env last), which is what lets this override editor/.env.
+      #
+      # These must stay `sh:`, not Go templates: dotenv values are visible to Task's
+      # embedded shell but not to templates, where {{.SAAS_DEV_PROJECT_REF}} is
+      # always empty.
+      VITE_SUPABASE_URL:
+        sh: |
+          case "${SAAS_ENV:-dev}" in
+            staging) ref="${SAAS_STAGING_PROJECT_REF:?set it in app/.env.saas.local}" ;;
+            *)       ref="${SAAS_DEV_PROJECT_REF:?set it in app/.env.saas.local, or run task staging:saas}" ;;
+          esac
+          echo "https://${ref}.supabase.co"
+      VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_DEFAULT_KEY:
+        sh: |
+          case "${SAAS_ENV:-dev}" in
+            staging) echo "${SAAS_STAGING_PUBLISHABLE_KEY:?set it in app/.env.saas.local}" ;;
+            *)       echo "${SAAS_DEV_PUBLISHABLE_KEY:?set it in app/.env.saas.local}" ;;
+          esac
+    cmds:
+      - 'echo ">> frontend Supabase target: $VITE_SUPABASE_URL"'
+      - npx vite editor --mode saas --port {{.PORT}}{{if .OPEN}} --open{{end}}
+
  dev:
    desc: "Start frontend dev server"
    cmds:
@@ -111,13 +155,23 @@ tasks:
        vars: { MODE: proprietary, PORT: '{{.PORT}}', BACKEND_URL: '{{.BACKEND_URL}}', OPEN: '{{.OPEN}}' }

  dev:saas:
-    desc: "Start frontend dev server in SaaS mode"
+    desc: "Start frontend dev server in SaaS mode (SAAS_ENV=dev|staging|prod)"
    deps:
      - task: prepare
        vars: { MODE: saas }
+    vars:
+      SAAS_ENV: '{{.SAAS_ENV | default "dev"}}'
+      # prod routes to the plain runner, which sets no VITE_SUPABASE_* and so leaves
+      # the committed editor/.env alone.
+      RUNNER: '{{if eq .SAAS_ENV "prod"}}dev:_run{{else}}dev:_run:saas{{end}}'
    cmds:
-      - task: dev:_run
-        vars: { MODE: saas, PORT: '{{.PORT}}', BACKEND_URL: '{{.BACKEND_URL}}', OPEN: '{{.OPEN}}' }
+      - task: '{{.RUNNER}}'
+        vars:
+          MODE: saas
+          PORT: '{{.PORT}}'
+          BACKEND_URL: '{{.BACKEND_URL}}'
+          OPEN: '{{.OPEN}}'
+          SAAS_ENV: '{{.SAAS_ENV}}'

  dev:desktop:
    desc: "Start frontend dev server in desktop mode"
@@ -210,15 +264,26 @@ tasks:
      #   task frontend:storybook:test -- Button
      - npx vitest run --config .storybook/vitest.config.ts {{.CLI_ARGS}}

-  storybook:a11y:
-    desc: "a11y regression gate over every story, light and dark: fail only on NEW axe violations"
+  storybook:a11y:light:
+    desc: "a11y gate over every story in light mode"
    deps: [prepare, storybook:browser]
    cmds:
-      - node .storybook/a11y-scan.mjs
+      - node .storybook/a11y-scan.mjs {{.CLI_ARGS}}
      - node .storybook/a11y-check.mjs --in .a11y-scan --manifest .a11y-scan/manifest.txt
-      - SCAN_THEME=dark node .storybook/a11y-scan.mjs
+
+  storybook:a11y:dark:
+    desc: "a11y gate over every story in dark mode"
+    deps: [prepare, storybook:browser]
+    cmds:
+      - SCAN_THEME=dark node .storybook/a11y-scan.mjs {{.CLI_ARGS}}
      - node .storybook/a11y-check.mjs --in .a11y-scan --manifest .a11y-scan/manifest.txt --baseline .storybook/a11y-baseline.dark.json

+  storybook:a11y:
+    desc: "a11y gate over every story, light and dark"
+    cmds:
+      - task: storybook:a11y:light
+      - task: storybook:a11y:dark
+
  storybook:a11y:changed:
    desc: "a11y gate over the stories this branch affects (default base origin/main)"
    summary: |
@@ -233,7 +298,6 @@ tasks:

      Pass a base ref through CLI_ARGS, e.g.
        task frontend:storybook:a11y:changed -- origin/release
-    deps: [prepare, storybook:browser]
    vars:
      BASE: '{{.CLI_ARGS | default "origin/main"}}'
      CHANGED:
@@ -244,10 +308,10 @@ tasks:
            echo "a11y: no story files affected vs {{.BASE}} — nothing to check"
            exit 0
          fi
-          node .storybook/a11y-scan.mjs {{.CHANGED}}
-          node .storybook/a11y-check.mjs --in .a11y-scan --manifest .a11y-scan/manifest.txt
-          SCAN_THEME=dark node .storybook/a11y-scan.mjs {{.CHANGED}}
-          node .storybook/a11y-check.mjs --in .a11y-scan --manifest .a11y-scan/manifest.txt --baseline .storybook/a11y-baseline.dark.json
+          rc=0
+          task frontend:storybook:a11y:light -- {{.CHANGED}} || rc=1
+          task frontend:storybook:a11y:dark -- {{.CHANGED}} || rc=1
+          exit $rc

  storybook:a11y:record:
    desc: "Re-record both a11y baselines (run after intentionally fixing/adding violations)"
@@ -73,40 +73,52 @@
    "stirling",
  ],
  "java.project.resourceFilters": [
+    ".cache/",
+    ".claude/",
    ".devcontainer/",
    ".git/",
+    ".git-blame-ignore-revs",
+    ".gitattributes",
    ".github/",
+    ".gitignore",
    ".gradle/",
+    ".pre-commit-config.yaml",
+    ".task/",
+    ".taskfiles/",
    ".venv/",
    ".venv*/",
    ".vscode/",
-    "bin/",
-    "app/core/bin/",
+    "app/.gitignore",
+    "app/build/",
+    "app/common/.gitignore",
    "app/common/bin/",
-    "app/proprietary/bin/",
-    "build/",
-    "app/core/build/",
    "app/common/build/",
-    "app/proprietary/build/",
-    "configs/",
+    "app/core/.gitignore",
+    "app/core/bin/",
    "app/core/configs/",
-    "customFiles/",
    "app/core/customFiles/",
+    "app/core/LOCAL_APPDATA_FONTCONFIG_CACHE/",
+    "app/core/logs/",
+    "app/core/pipeline/",
+    "app/core/storage/",
+    "app/proprietary/.gitignore",
+    "app/proprietary/bin/",
+    "app/proprietary/storage/",
+    "app/saas/.gitignore",
+    "app/saas/bin/",
+    "app/saas/build/",
+    "bin/",
+    "build/",
+    "devGuide/",
+    "devTools/",
+    "docker/",
    "docs/",
-    "exampleYmlFiles",
+    "engine/",
+    "frontend/",
    "gradle/",
    "images/",
-    "logs/",
-    "pipeline/",
    "scripts/",
    "testings/",
-    ".git-blame-ignore-revs",
-    ".gitattributes",
-    ".gitignore",
-    "app/core/.gitignore",
-    "app/common/.gitignore",
-    "app/proprietary/.gitignore",
-    ".pre-commit-config.yaml",
  ],
  // Enables signature help in Java.
  "java.signatureHelp.enabled": true,
@@ -135,13 +147,57 @@
  "html.format.indentHandlebars": true,
  "html.format.preserveNewLines": true,
  "html.format.maxPreserveNewLines": 2,
-  "stylelint.configFile": "devTools/.stylelintrc.json",
+  "stylelint.configFile": "${workspaceFolder}/devTools/.stylelintrc.json",
+  "css.lint.unknownAtRules": "ignore",
+  "scss.lint.unknownAtRules": "ignore",
+  "less.lint.unknownAtRules": "ignore",
  "java.project.sourcePaths": [
    "app/core/src/main/java",
    "app/common/src/main/java",
    "app/proprietary/src/main/java"
  ],
+  "[javascript]": {
+    "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
+      "source.fixAll.oxc": "explicit"
+    }
+  },
+  "[javascriptreact]": {
+    "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
+      "source.fixAll.oxc": "explicit"
+    }
+  },
  "[typescript]": {
-    "editor.defaultFormatter": "vscode.typescript-language-features"
+    "editor.defaultFormatter": "vscode.typescript-language-features",
+    "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
+      "source.fixAll.oxc": "explicit"
+    }
+  },
+  "[typescriptreact]": {
+    "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
+      "source.fixAll.oxc": "explicit"
+    }
+  },
+  "oxc.enable.oxlint": true,
+  "oxc.enable.oxfmt": false,
+  "oxc.configPath": "frontend/oxlint.config.ts",
+  "oxc.requireConfig": true,
+  "oxc.lint.run": "onType",
+  "oxc.fixKind": "safe_fix",
+  "[toml]": {
+    "editor.defaultFormatter": "tamasfe.even-better-toml",
+    // Keep TOML formatting compatible with .editorconfig and the pre-commit
+    // locale sorter. Key ordering itself is handled by task pre-commit:toml-sort.
+    "editor.insertSpaces": true,
+    "editor.tabSize": 4,
+    "editor.rulers": [127],
+    "evenBetterToml.formatter.alignEntries": false,
+    "evenBetterToml.formatter.alignComments": false,
+    "evenBetterToml.formatter.indentString": "    ",
+    "evenBetterToml.formatter.columnWidth": 127,
+    "evenBetterToml.formatter.reorderKeys": false,
+    "evenBetterToml.formatter.reorderArrays": false,
+    "evenBetterToml.formatter.reorderInlineTables": false,
+    "evenBetterToml.formatter.trailingNewline": true,
+    "evenBetterToml.formatter.crlf": false
  }
 }
@@ -2,6 +2,13 @@

 Thank you for your interest in contributing to Stirling-PDF! There are many ways to contribute other than writing code. For example, reporting bugs, creating suggestions, and adding or modifying translations.

+## License
+
+By contributing to this project, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the project [license](LICENSE), which follows an open-core model. 
+The codebase is a mix of MIT and source-available code, so your contribution is licensed according to the directory it is committed to.
+
+PRs are welcome in any directory by any user, just be aware of which license applies to the code you change.
+
 ## Issue Guidelines

 Issues can be used to report bugs, request features, or ask questions. If you have a question, you could also ask us in our [Discord](https://discord.gg/FJUSXUSYec).
@@ -63,7 +70,3 @@ For technical guides, setup instructions, and development resources:
 For configuration and usage guides, see:
 - [Database Guide](DATABASE.md) - Database setup and configuration
 - [OCR Guide](HowToUseOCR.md) - OCR setup and configuration
-
-## License
-
-By contributing to this project, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the [MIT License](LICENSE).
@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ This guide focuses on developing for Stirling 2.0, including both the React fron
 - Docker
 - Git
 - Java JDK 25
- Node.js 18+ and npm (required for frontend development)
- Gradle 7.0 or later (Included within the repo)
+- Node.js 22+ and npm (required for frontend development)
+- Gradle 9.0 or later (Included within the repo)
 - [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) — Python package manager (required for engine development)
 - Rust and Cargo (required for Tauri desktop app development)
 - Tauri CLI (install with `cargo install tauri-cli`)
@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ includes:
  e2e:
    taskfile: .taskfiles/e2e.yml
    dir: .
+  cucumber:
+    taskfile: .taskfiles/cucumber.yml
+    dir: testing/cucumber
  pre-commit:
    taskfile: .taskfiles/pre-commit.yml
    dir: .
@@ -96,11 +99,22 @@ tasks:
          BACKEND_URL: 'http://localhost:{{.BACKEND_PORT}}'
          OPEN: "true"

+  # Set SAAS_DEV_PROJECT_REF in app/.env.saas.local to pick the PR.
  dev:saas:
-    desc: "Start SaaS backend + frontend concurrently on free ports"
+    desc: "Start SaaS backend + frontend + engine against the current PR's preview branch"
    cmds:
      - task: dev:_all
-        vars: { FRONTEND: saas, BACKEND: saas }
+        vars: { FRONTEND: saas, BACKEND: saas, SAAS_ENV: dev }
+
+  staging:saas:
+    desc: "Start SaaS backend + frontend + engine against the shared v3 staging project"
+    cmds:
+      - task: dev:_all
+        vars:
+          FRONTEND: saas
+          BACKEND: saas
+          BACKEND_TASK: backend:staging:saas
+          SAAS_ENV: staging

  dev:all:
    desc: "Start backend + frontend + engine concurrently on free ports"
@@ -112,6 +126,9 @@ tasks:
    vars:
      FRONTEND: '{{.FRONTEND | default "proprietary"}}'
      BACKEND: '{{.BACKEND | default "proprietary"}}'
+      BACKEND_TASK: '{{.BACKEND_TASK | default (printf "backend:dev:%s" .BACKEND)}}'
+      # Only meaningful to the saas frontend; every other flavor ignores it.
+      SAAS_ENV: '{{.SAAS_ENV | default ""}}'
      PORTS:
        sh: '{{if eq OS "windows"}}{{.FIND_FREE_PORT_PS}} 8080 5173 5001{{else}}{{.FIND_FREE_PORT_SH}} 8080 5173 5001{{end}}'
      BACKEND_PORT: '{{index (splitList "\n" .PORTS) 0}}'
@@ -121,7 +138,7 @@ tasks:
      - task: engine:dev
        vars:
          PORT: '{{.ENGINE_PORT}}'
-      - task: 'backend:dev:{{.BACKEND}}'
+      - task: '{{.BACKEND_TASK}}'
        vars:
          PORT: '{{.BACKEND_PORT}}'
          AIENGINE_URL: 'http://localhost:{{.ENGINE_PORT}}'
@@ -131,6 +148,7 @@ tasks:
          PORT: '{{.FRONTEND_PORT}}'
          BACKEND_URL: 'http://localhost:{{.BACKEND_PORT}}'
          OPEN: "true"
+          SAAS_ENV: '{{.SAAS_ENV}}'

  # ============================================================
  # Build
@@ -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)
@@ -1,15 +1,16 @@
-###############################################################################
-# Stirling-PDF SaaS environment defaults.
+# Stirling-PDF SaaS environment defaults. Committed, non-secret. Real values for secrets go in
+# .env.saas.local, which is loaded first and wins. Do not commit that file.
 #
-# This file is committed and provides non-secret defaults loaded by
-# `task backend:dev:saas`. Put real values for secrets (passwords, project
-# refs, edge function secrets) in `.env.saas.local` - any variable set there
-# takes precedence over what's defined here.
+# Three environments, each deriving its Supabase URLs, JWT issuer and JWKS from one project ref:
 #
-# DO NOT commit `.env.saas.local`. Only `.env.saas` is checked in.
-###############################################################################
+#   prod     PROFILES=none       SAAS_DB_*          the live project
+#   staging  PROFILES=staging    SAAS_STAGING_*     pinned to v3, always there
+#   dev      PROFILES=dev        SAAS_DEV_*         follows a SaaS PR's preview branch
+#
+# dev is the default for `task backend:dev:saas`. Use staging for somewhere stable; use dev when
+# testing an open SaaS PR, since its preview branch is the only place those migrations are applied.

-# ---------- Supabase project ----------
+# ---------- Supabase project (prod / no-profile) ----------
 # Project reference (the subdomain part of <ref>.supabase.co). Required.
 # Set in .env.saas.local.
 SAAS_DB_PROJECT_REF=
@@ -17,18 +18,35 @@ SAAS_DB_PROJECT_REF=
 # Edge function secret used by billing/license rollup calls. Set in .env.saas.local.
 SUPABASE_EDGE_FUNCTION_SECRET=

-# ---------- Database (saas profile) ----------
-# Direct JDBC URL to the Supabase Postgres. Required when running the plain
-# `saas` profile (i.e. without `--spring.profiles.include=dev`).
+# ---------- Database (no profile) ----------
+# Direct JDBC URL to the Supabase Postgres. Required when running without
+# `--spring.profiles.include=...`.
 # Example: jdbc:postgresql://db.<project-ref>.supabase.co:5432/postgres
 SAAS_DB_URL=
 SAAS_DB_USERNAME=postgres
 SAAS_DB_PASSWORD=

-# ---------- Database (dev profile overrides) ----------
-# Used when `--spring.profiles.include=dev` is active. The dev profile
-# defaults the URL/username to the shared dev Supabase project, but the
-# password must still be provided in .env.saas.local.
-SAAS_DEV_DB_URL=
+# ---------- staging profile ----------
+# The shared long-lived v3 project. application-staging.properties defaults the ref,
+# URL, database host and meter endpoint, so staging needs only the password, in
+# .env.saas.local. Set SAAS_STAGING_PROJECT_REF to repoint it; everything derives.
+#
+# The ref and publishable key are duplicated here because the task derives the
+# frontend's VITE_SUPABASE_* from them and a shell cannot read a Spring default.
+# Neither is secret: the ref is a public subdomain, the key ships in the bundle.
+SAAS_STAGING_PROJECT_REF=qacaivhsjtftfwtgjvva
+SAAS_STAGING_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=sb_publishable_nIM8y-9ARPE7EzQwAQHKMg_40fCN6kY # gitleaks:allow
+SAAS_STAGING_DB_USERNAME=postgres
+SAAS_STAGING_DB_PASSWORD=
+
+# ---------- dev profile ----------
+# The SaaS PR's Supabase preview branch. Take the ref from that PR's "Supabase
+# Preview" check; the profile derives URL, JWT issuer, JWKS, meter endpoint and
+# database host from it, so this one value follows a different PR.
+#
+# A preview branch has its own password and keys; the parent project's will not
+# authenticate. Both go in .env.saas.local, along with the ref.
+SAAS_DEV_PROJECT_REF=
+SAAS_DEV_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=
 SAAS_DEV_DB_USERNAME=postgres
 SAAS_DEV_DB_PASSWORD=
@@ -21,8 +21,8 @@ dependencies {
    api 'org.snakeyaml:snakeyaml-engine:3.0.1'
    api "org.springdoc:springdoc-openapi-starter-webmvc-ui:3.0.3"
    // Simple Java Mail for EML/MSG parsing (replaces direct Angus Mail usage)
-    api 'org.simplejavamail:simple-java-mail:9.2.0'
-    api 'org.simplejavamail:outlook-module:9.2.0' // MSG file support
+    api 'org.simplejavamail:simple-java-mail:9.3.2'
+    api 'org.simplejavamail:outlook-module:9.3.2' // MSG file support
    api 'jakarta.mail:jakarta.mail-api:2.1.5'
    runtimeOnly 'org.eclipse.angus:angus-mail:2.0.5'

@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;

+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Qualifier;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Service;

@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ import lombok.Getter;
 import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;

 import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.common.service.PdfaLevelAServiceInterface;

@Service
@Slf4j
@@ -51,12 +53,16 @@ public class EndpointConfiguration {
    private Map<String, DisableReason> groupDisableReasons = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
    private Map<String, Set<String>> endpointAlternatives = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
    private final boolean runningProOrHigher;
+    private final boolean pdfUaAvailable;

    public EndpointConfiguration(
            ApplicationProperties applicationProperties,
-            @Qualifier("runningProOrHigher") boolean runningProOrHigher) {
+            @Qualifier("runningProOrHigher") boolean runningProOrHigher,
+            @Autowired(required = false) PdfaLevelAServiceInterface pdfaLevelAService) {
        this.applicationProperties = applicationProperties;
        this.runningProOrHigher = runningProOrHigher;
+        // The PDF/UA tagger ships in the proprietary module, and so do its endpoints.
+        this.pdfUaAvailable = pdfaLevelAService != null;
        init();
        processEnvironmentConfigs();
    }
@@ -356,6 +362,7 @@ public class EndpointConfiguration {
        addEndpointToGroup("Convert", "pdf-to-img");
        addEndpointToGroup("Convert", "img-to-pdf");
        addEndpointToGroup("Convert", "pdf-to-pdfa");
+        addEndpointToGroup("Convert", "pdf-to-ua");
        addEndpointToGroup("Convert", "file-to-pdf");
        addEndpointToGroup("Convert", "pdf-to-word");
        addEndpointToGroup("Convert", "pdf-to-presentation");
@@ -395,6 +402,7 @@ public class EndpointConfiguration {
        // Backend-only endpoints (not in frontend tool registry endpoints)
        addEndpointToGroup("Security", "redact");
        addEndpointToGroup("Security", "verify-pdf");
+        addEndpointToGroup("Security", "accessibility-report");
        addEndpointToGroup("Security", "sign");

        // Adding endpoints to "Other" group
@@ -529,6 +537,8 @@ public class EndpointConfiguration {
        addEndpointToGroup("Java", "json-to-pdf");
        addEndpointToGroup("Java", "pdf-to-video");
        addEndpointToGroup("Java", "verify-pdf");
+        addEndpointToGroup("Java", "pdf-to-ua");
+        addEndpointToGroup("Java", "accessibility-report");
        addEndpointToGroup("Java", "flatten");
        addEndpointToGroup("Java", "unlock-pdf-forms");
        addEndpointToGroup("Java", "validate-signature");
@@ -600,6 +610,8 @@ public class EndpointConfiguration {

        // veraPDF dependent endpoints
        addEndpointToGroup("veraPDF", "verify-pdf");
+        addEndpointToGroup("veraPDF", "pdf-to-ua");
+        addEndpointToGroup("veraPDF", "accessibility-report");

        // Pdftohtml dependent endpoints
        addEndpointToGroup("Pdftohtml", "pdf-to-html");
@@ -630,6 +642,11 @@ public class EndpointConfiguration {
            disableGroup("enterprise");
        }

+        if (!pdfUaAvailable) {
+            disableEndpoint("pdf-to-ua");
+            disableEndpoint("accessibility-report");
+        }
+
        if (!applicationProperties.getSystem().isEnableUrlToPDF()) {
            disableEndpoint("url-to-pdf");
        }
@@ -2,7 +2,9 @@ package stirling.software.common.aop;

 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.time.Duration;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.HashMap;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.concurrent.atomic.AtomicReference;
 import java.util.function.Supplier;
@@ -273,6 +275,7 @@ public class AutoJobAspect {

                        // Store the fileId for later reference
                        pdfFile.setFileId(fileId);
+                        recordPendingInputFile(fileId);

                        // Replace the original MultipartFile with our persistent copy
                        MultipartFile persistentFile = fileStorage.retrieveFile(fileId);
@@ -290,6 +293,29 @@ public class AutoJobAspect {
        return originalArgs;
    }

+    /**
+     * Queue an input copy for attribution to the job. The job id does not exist yet at this point,
+     * so {@link JobExecutorService} drains this list once it mints one.
+     */
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private void recordPendingInputFile(String fileId) {
+        try {
+            Object existing = request.getAttribute(JobExecutorService.PENDING_INPUT_FILE_IDS_ATTR);
+            List<String> ids;
+            if (existing instanceof List<?> list) {
+                ids = (List<String>) list;
+            } else {
+                ids = new ArrayList<>();
+                request.setAttribute(JobExecutorService.PENDING_INPUT_FILE_IDS_ATTR, ids);
+            }
+            ids.add(fileId);
+        } catch (RuntimeException ex) {
+            // Without a bound request the copy cannot be attributed; the periodic sweep is the
+            // only backstop, so make the miss visible rather than silently leaking the file.
+            log.warn("Could not record input copy {} for cleanup: {}", fileId, ex.getMessage());
+        }
+    }
+
    private String getJobIdFromContext() {
        try {
            return (String) request.getAttribute("jobId");
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ public class RuntimePathConfig {
                        defaultWatchedFolders,
                        watchedFoldersDirs,
                        pipeline != null ? pipeline.getWatchedFoldersDir() : null);
-        this.pipelineWatchedFoldersPath = this.pipelineWatchedFoldersPaths.get(0);
+        this.pipelineWatchedFoldersPath = this.pipelineWatchedFoldersPaths.getFirst();
        this.pipelineFinishedFoldersPath =
                resolvePath(
                        defaultFinishedFolders,
@@ -1316,7 +1316,7 @@ public class ApplicationProperties {
    public static class Ui {
        private String appNameNavbar;
        private List<String> languages;
-        private String logoStyle = "classic"; // Options: "classic" (default) or "modern"
+        private String logoStyle = "modern"; // Options: "modern" (default) or "classic"
        private boolean defaultHideUnavailableTools = false;
        private boolean defaultHideUnavailableConversions = false;
        private HideDisabledTools hideDisabledTools = new HideDisabledTools();
@@ -1327,10 +1327,10 @@ public class ApplicationProperties {

        public String getLogoStyle() {
            // Validate and return either "modern" or "classic"
-            if ("modern".equalsIgnoreCase(logoStyle)) {
-                return "modern";
+            if ("classic".equalsIgnoreCase(logoStyle)) {
+                return "classic";
            }
-            return "classic"; // default
+            return "modern"; // default
        }

        @Data
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ public class JobResult {
    /** Key/value metadata that survives the write-through into the shared job store. */
    private final Map<String, String> metadata = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();

+    /**
+     * File ids of the persistent input copies made for this job. An async submit copies the upload
+     * into FileStorage so the job can still read it after the request returns; without tracking
+     * them here nothing would ever delete those copies.
+     */
+    @JsonIgnore private final List<String> inputFileIds = new CopyOnWriteArrayList<>();
+
    /**
     * Create a new JobResult with the given job ID
     *
@@ -167,6 +174,22 @@ public class JobResult {
        return Collections.unmodifiableList(notes);
    }

+    /** Record a persistent input copy so job cleanup deletes it alongside the results. */
+    public void addInputFileId(String fileId) {
+        if (fileId != null && !fileId.isBlank() && !inputFileIds.contains(fileId)) {
+            this.inputFileIds.add(fileId);
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * File ids of this job's persistent input copies.
+     *
+     * @return An unmodifiable view of the input file ids
+     */
+    public List<String> getInputFileIds() {
+        return Collections.unmodifiableList(inputFileIds);
+    }
+
    /** Attach a metadata value, e.g. a policy id so cluster peers can identify a policy run. */
    public void putMetadata(String key, String value) {
        if (key != null && value != null) {
@@ -60,54 +60,40 @@ public class Provider {
    }

    private UsernameAttribute validateUsernameAttribute(UsernameAttribute usernameAttribute) {
-        switch (name) {
-            case "google" -> {
-                return validateGoogleUsernameAttribute(usernameAttribute);
-            }
-            case "github" -> {
-                return validateGitHubUsernameAttribute(usernameAttribute);
-            }
-            case "keycloak" -> {
-                return validateKeycloakUsernameAttribute(usernameAttribute);
-            }
-            default -> {
-                return usernameAttribute;
-            }
-        }
+        return switch (name) {
+            case "google" -> validateGoogleUsernameAttribute(usernameAttribute);
+            case "github" -> validateGitHubUsernameAttribute(usernameAttribute);
+            case "keycloak" -> validateKeycloakUsernameAttribute(usernameAttribute);
+            default -> usernameAttribute;
+        };
    }

    private UsernameAttribute validateKeycloakUsernameAttribute(
            UsernameAttribute usernameAttribute) {
-        switch (usernameAttribute) {
-            case EMAIL, NAME, GIVEN_NAME, FAMILY_NAME, PREFERRED_USERNAME -> {
-                return usernameAttribute;
-            }
+        return switch (usernameAttribute) {
+            case EMAIL, NAME, GIVEN_NAME, FAMILY_NAME, PREFERRED_USERNAME -> usernameAttribute;
            default ->
                    throw new UnsupportedClaimException(
                            String.format(EXCEPTION_MESSAGE, usernameAttribute, clientName));
-        }
+        };
    }

    private UsernameAttribute validateGoogleUsernameAttribute(UsernameAttribute usernameAttribute) {
-        switch (usernameAttribute) {
-            case EMAIL, NAME, GIVEN_NAME, FAMILY_NAME -> {
-                return usernameAttribute;
-            }
+        return switch (usernameAttribute) {
+            case EMAIL, NAME, GIVEN_NAME, FAMILY_NAME -> usernameAttribute;
            default ->
                    throw new UnsupportedClaimException(
                            String.format(EXCEPTION_MESSAGE, usernameAttribute, clientName));
-        }
+        };
    }

    private UsernameAttribute validateGitHubUsernameAttribute(UsernameAttribute usernameAttribute) {
-        switch (usernameAttribute) {
-            case LOGIN, EMAIL, NAME -> {
-                return usernameAttribute;
-            }
+        return switch (usernameAttribute) {
+            case LOGIN, EMAIL, NAME -> usernameAttribute;
            default ->
                    throw new UnsupportedClaimException(
                            String.format(EXCEPTION_MESSAGE, usernameAttribute, clientName));
-        }
+        };
    }

    @Override
@@ -361,8 +361,8 @@ public class PdfMarkdownConverter {
        if (xs.isEmpty()) {
            return List.of(lines);
        }
-        float minX = xs.get(0);
-        float maxX = xs.get(xs.size() - 1);
+        float minX = xs.getFirst();
+        float maxX = xs.getLast();
        float splitAt = (minX + maxX) / 2f;
        float biggestGap = 0;
        for (int i = 1; i < xs.size(); i++) {
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@ public class PdfMarkdownConverter {

        List<List<Line>> anchorGroups = new ArrayList<>();
        List<Line> current = new ArrayList<>();
-        current.add(cands.get(0));
+        current.add(cands.getFirst());
        for (int i = 1; i < cands.size(); i++) {
            float gap = cands.get(i - 1).y - cands.get(i).y;
            if (gap > splitThreshold) {
@@ -513,8 +513,8 @@ public class PdfMarkdownConverter {
            if (anchors.size() < 2) {
                continue;
            }
-            float top = anchors.get(0).y;
-            float bottom = anchors.get(anchors.size() - 1).y;
+            float top = anchors.getFirst().y;
+            float bottom = anchors.getLast().y;

            // Each anchor seeds a row; absorb wrapped continuation lines (non-anchors within the
            // run's vertical span, with a little slack below the last row) into the anchor above.
@@ -674,8 +674,8 @@ public class PdfMarkdownConverter {
        float minGutter = Math.max(10f, charWidth * 2.5f);
        List<float[]> merged = new ArrayList<>();
        for (float[] band : columns) {
-            if (!merged.isEmpty() && band[0] - merged.get(merged.size() - 1)[1] < minGutter) {
-                merged.get(merged.size() - 1)[1] = band[1];
+            if (!merged.isEmpty() && band[0] - merged.getLast()[1] < minGutter) {
+                merged.getLast()[1] = band[1];
            } else {
                merged.add(new float[] {band[0], band[1]});
            }
@@ -734,7 +734,7 @@ public class PdfMarkdownConverter {
            }
        }
        StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
-        sb.append(buildGfmRow(rows.get(0), widths, cols)).append('\n');
+        sb.append(buildGfmRow(rows.getFirst(), widths, cols)).append('\n');
        sb.append('|');
        for (int c = 0; c < cols; c++) {
            sb.append('-').append("-".repeat(widths[c])).append('-').append('|');
@@ -910,8 +910,8 @@ public class PdfMarkdownConverter {
        }
        // Only merge a sentence continuation between two text paragraphs, never into/out of a
        // table.
-        if (!(output.get(output.size() - 1) instanceof String last)
-                || !(pageItems.get(0) instanceof String first)) {
+        if (!(output.getLast() instanceof String last)
+                || !(pageItems.getFirst() instanceof String first)) {
            return;
        }
        if (!first.isEmpty()
@@ -932,13 +932,13 @@ public class PdfMarkdownConverter {
        for (Object e : elements) {
            if (e instanceof TableBlock tb
                    && !out.isEmpty()
-                    && out.get(out.size() - 1) instanceof TableBlock prev
+                    && out.getLast() instanceof TableBlock prev
                    && columnsMatch(flatten(prev.rows()), flatten(tb.rows()))) {
                List<List<Line>> merged = new ArrayList<>(prev.rows());
                List<List<Line>> tail = tb.rows();
                if (!tail.isEmpty()
                        && !prev.rows().isEmpty()
-                        && rowText(tail.get(0)).equals(rowText(prev.rows().get(0)))) {
+                        && rowText(tail.getFirst()).equals(rowText(prev.rows().getFirst()))) {
                    tail = tail.subList(1, tail.size());
                }
                merged.addAll(tail);
@@ -971,7 +971,7 @@ public class PdfMarkdownConverter {
                continue;
            }
            if (e instanceof TableBlock tb && !tb.rows().isEmpty()) {
-                return rowText(tb.rows().get(0));
+                return rowText(tb.rows().getFirst());
            }
            return null;
        }
@@ -729,4 +729,32 @@ public class CustomPDFDocumentFactory {
        p.toFile().deleteOnExit();
        return p;
    }
+
+    /** A custom RandomAccessRead implementation that deletes the file when closed */
+    private static class DeletingRandomAccessFile extends RandomAccessReadBufferedFile {
+        private final Path tempFilePath;
+
+        public DeletingRandomAccessFile(File file) throws IOException {
+            super(file);
+            this.tempFilePath = file.toPath();
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public void close() throws IOException {
+            try {
+                super.close();
+            } finally {
+                try {
+                    boolean deleted = Files.deleteIfExists(tempFilePath);
+                    if (deleted) {
+                        log.info("Successfully deleted temp file: {}", tempFilePath);
+                    } else {
+                        log.warn("Failed to delete temp file (may not exist): {}", tempFilePath);
+                    }
+                } catch (IOException e) {
+                    log.error("Error deleting temp file: {}", tempFilePath, e);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
 }
@@ -179,6 +179,21 @@ public class FileStorage {
        return fileStore.delete(fileId);
    }

+    /**
+     * Delete a stored file without the per-file ownership check.
+     *
+     * <p>Job cleanup authorises at the job level and then deletes that job's own files, so the
+     * deleter is legitimately not their owner - an admin sweeping every user's jobs, or the
+     * unauthenticated scheduled task. Routing those through {@link #deleteFile(String)} makes the
+     * ownership check throw and silently orphans the files on disk.
+     *
+     * <p>Only ever pass file ids read back off a job that the caller has already been authorised
+     * for; never a caller-supplied id.
+     */
+    public boolean deleteFileAsSystem(String fileId) {
+        return fileStore.delete(fileId);
+    }
+
    public boolean fileExists(String fileId) {
        enforceOwnership(fileId);
        return fileStore.exists(fileId);
@@ -157,7 +157,7 @@ public class InternalApiClient {
        boolean hasFilePart =
                body.values().stream()
                        .flatMap(java.util.List::stream)
-                        .anyMatch(v -> v instanceof Resource);
+                        .anyMatch(Resource.class::isInstance);
        if (isAiTool && !hasFilePart) {
            headers.setContentType(MediaType.MULTIPART_FORM_DATA);
        }
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package stirling.software.common.service;

 import java.io.IOException;
+import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.UUID;
 import java.util.concurrent.CompletableFuture;
@@ -33,6 +34,14 @@ import stirling.software.common.util.RegexPatternUtils;
@Slf4j
 public class JobExecutorService {

+    /**
+     * Request attribute holding the FileStorage ids of persistent input copies made for the job
+     * about to be created. Populated before the job id exists (the aspect copies the upload while
+     * processing arguments), drained onto the JobResult as soon as the task is created so cleanup
+     * can delete them.
+     */
+    public static final String PENDING_INPUT_FILE_IDS_ATTR = "autoJobPendingInputFileIds";
+
    private final TaskManager taskManager;
    private final FileStorage fileStorage;
    private final HttpServletRequest request;
@@ -133,6 +142,7 @@ public class JobExecutorService {
                    resourceWeight);

            taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+            registerPendingInputFiles(jobId);

            final String capturedJobIdForQueue = jobId;
            Supplier<Object> wrappedWork =
@@ -163,6 +173,7 @@ public class JobExecutorService {
            return ResponseEntity.ok().body(new JobResponse<>(true, jobId, null));
        } else if (async) {
            taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+            registerPendingInputFiles(jobId);

            final String capturedJobId = jobId;

@@ -484,4 +495,30 @@ public class JobExecutorService {
        }
        return baseJobId;
    }
+
+    /**
+     * Hand the input copies made while processing arguments to the freshly created job, so job
+     * cleanup deletes them. Drains the attribute so a retry cannot attribute the same ids twice.
+     */
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private void registerPendingInputFiles(String jobId) {
+        if (request == null) {
+            return;
+        }
+        Object pending;
+        try {
+            pending = request.getAttribute(PENDING_INPUT_FILE_IDS_ATTR);
+            request.removeAttribute(PENDING_INPUT_FILE_IDS_ATTR);
+        } catch (RuntimeException ex) {
+            // No request bound to this thread (e.g. an internally dispatched job).
+            log.debug("Could not read pending input file ids: {}", ex.getMessage());
+            return;
+        }
+        if (!(pending instanceof List<?> ids)) {
+            return;
+        }
+        for (String fileId : (List<String>) ids) {
+            taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, fileId);
+        }
+    }
 }
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+package stirling.software.common.service;
+
+import java.util.List;
+
+/**
+ * Raises a converted PDF/A file from conformance level B to level A, which needs the tagging the
+ * PDF/UA tagger does. Implemented only in the proprietary module; core builds convert at level B.
+ */
+public interface PdfaLevelAServiceInterface {
+
+    /**
+     * @param levelA true only when the file was tagged and validated, so the claim is never a guess
+     */
+    record Result(byte[] pdfBytes, boolean levelA, List<String> warnings) {}
+
+    /**
+     * @param part PDF/A part, 1 to 3; part 1 keeps its PDF 1.4 version
+     * @param alsoDeclareUa additionally claim PDF/UA, but only if it validates
+     */
+    Result upgradeToLevelA(
+            byte[] pdfBytes, int part, String language, String title, boolean alsoDeclareUa);
+}
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
 import java.util.concurrent.Executors;
 import java.util.concurrent.ScheduledExecutorService;
 import java.util.concurrent.TimeUnit;
+import java.util.function.Predicate;
 import java.util.zip.ZipEntry;
 import java.util.zip.ZipInputStream;

@@ -234,6 +235,24 @@ public class TaskManager {
        return false;
    }

+    /**
+     * Record a persistent input copy against a job so cleanup deletes it with the results.
+     *
+     * @param jobId The job ID
+     * @param fileId The FileStorage id of the input copy
+     * @return true if the job exists and the id was recorded
+     */
+    public boolean registerInputFile(String jobId, String fileId) {
+        JobResult jobResult = jobResults.get(jobId);
+        if (jobResult == null) {
+            log.warn("Attempted to register an input file against non-existent job ID: {}", jobId);
+            return false;
+        }
+        jobResult.addInputFileId(fileId);
+        log.debug("Registered input file {} for job {}", fileId, jobId);
+        return true;
+    }
+
    /** Attach metadata to a job and write it through to the shared store for cluster peers. */
    public boolean putMetadata(String jobId, String key, String value) {
        JobResult jobResult = jobResults.get(jobId);
@@ -329,25 +348,59 @@ public class TaskManager {
        return jobResults.computeIfAbsent(jobId, JobResult::createNew);
    }

+    /**
+     * What a cleanup pass removed. Returned by the on-demand cleanup so callers can assert on it.
+     */
+    public record CleanupSummary(int jobsRemoved, int filesDeleted, int jobsRetained) {}
+
    /** Clean up old completed job results. No-op in cluster mode; the backplane TTL owns expiry. */
-    public void cleanupOldJobs() {
+    public CleanupSummary cleanupOldJobs() {
        if (clusterBackplane != null && !clusterBackplane.shouldRunLocalCleanup()) {
-            return;
+            return new CleanupSummary(0, 0, jobResults.size());
        }
+        return cleanupJobs(false, jobId -> true);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Force-expire this node's finished jobs now, ignoring the age threshold. Jobs still running
+     * are left alone - deleting their files mid-flight would break them - and are reported as
+     * retained.
+     *
+     * <p>Unlike {@link #cleanupOldJobs()} this always runs locally: it is an explicit request to
+     * release this node's storage, not the scheduled sweep the backplane TTL owns.
+     *
+     * @param jobIdFilter Only jobs whose id passes this predicate are considered, so a caller can
+     *     restrict the sweep to jobs the requester is allowed to touch
+     * @return What was removed
+     */
+    public CleanupSummary cleanupFinishedJobsNow(Predicate<String> jobIdFilter) {
+        return cleanupJobs(true, jobIdFilter);
+    }
+
+    private CleanupSummary cleanupJobs(boolean force, Predicate<String> filter) {
        LocalDateTime expiryThreshold =
                LocalDateTime.now().minus(jobResultExpiryMinutes, ChronoUnit.MINUTES);
        LocalDateTime pendingExpiryThreshold =
                LocalDateTime.now().minus(pendingJobExpiryMinutes, ChronoUnit.MINUTES);
        int removedCount = 0;
+        int filesDeleted = 0;
+        int retainedCount = 0;

        try {
            for (Map.Entry<String, JobResult> entry : jobResults.entrySet()) {
                JobResult result = entry.getValue();

+                if (!filter.test(entry.getKey())) {
+                    retainedCount++;
+                    continue;
+                }
+
                boolean expiredCompletedJob =
                        result.isComplete()
-                                && result.getCompletedAt() != null
-                                && result.getCompletedAt().isBefore(expiryThreshold);
+                                && (force
+                                        || (result.getCompletedAt() != null
+                                                && result.getCompletedAt()
+                                                        .isBefore(expiryThreshold)));
                boolean abandonedPendingJob =
                        !result.isComplete()
                                && result.getCreatedAt() != null
@@ -360,7 +413,7 @@ public class TaskManager {

                    // Clean up file results
                    if (expiredCompletedJob) {
-                        cleanupJobFiles(result, entry.getKey());
+                        filesDeleted += cleanupJobFiles(result, entry.getKey());
                    }

                    // Remove the job result
@@ -369,15 +422,22 @@ public class TaskManager {
                        jobStore.delete(entry.getKey());
                    }
                    removedCount++;
+                } else {
+                    retainedCount++;
                }
            }

            if (removedCount > 0) {
-                log.info("Cleaned up {} expired job results", removedCount);
+                log.info(
+                        "Cleaned up {} {} job results ({} files deleted)",
+                        removedCount,
+                        force ? "finished" : "expired",
+                        filesDeleted);
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            log.error("Error during job cleanup: {}", e.getMessage(), e);
        }
+        return new CleanupSummary(removedCount, filesDeleted, retainedCount);
    }

    /** Mirror the in-memory {@code JobResult} into the cluster-visible {@link JobStore}. */
@@ -525,22 +585,43 @@ public class TaskManager {
        }
    }

-    /** Clean up files associated with a job result */
-    private void cleanupJobFiles(JobResult result, String jobId) {
+    /**
+     * Clean up files associated with a job result: both the results and the persistent input copy
+     * an async submit made of the upload.
+     *
+     * @return The number of files actually deleted
+     */
+    private int cleanupJobFiles(JobResult result, String jobId) {
+        int deleted = 0;
        // Clean up all result files
        if (result.hasFiles()) {
            for (ResultFile resultFile : result.getAllResultFiles()) {
-                try {
-                    fileStorage.deleteFile(resultFile.getFileId());
-                } catch (Exception e) {
-                    log.warn(
-                            "Failed to delete file {} for job {}: {}",
-                            resultFile.getFileId(),
-                            jobId,
-                            e.getMessage());
+                if (deleteJobFile(resultFile.getFileId(), jobId)) {
+                    deleted++;
                }
            }
        }
+        for (String inputFileId : result.getInputFileIds()) {
+            if (deleteJobFile(inputFileId, jobId)) {
+                deleted++;
+            }
+        }
+        return deleted;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Deletes as the system, not as the caller: an admin sweeping another user's jobs, or the
+     * scheduled task running with no security context, is not the file's owner, and the
+     * ownership-checked delete would throw and leave the file orphaned on disk. The job itself is
+     * already authorised by the time we get here, and these ids come off that job, not the request.
+     */
+    private boolean deleteJobFile(String fileId, String jobId) {
+        try {
+            return fileStorage.deleteFileAsSystem(fileId);
+        } catch (Exception e) {
+            log.warn("Failed to delete file {} for job {}: {}", fileId, jobId, e.getMessage());
+            return false;
+        }
    }

    /** Find the ResultFile metadata for a given file ID by searching through all job results */
@@ -140,20 +140,25 @@ public class ChecksumUtils {

        for (String algorithm : algorithms) {
            String key = algorithm; // keep original key for output
-            switch (algorithm.toUpperCase(Locale.ROOT)) {
-                case "CRC32":
-                    checksums.put(key, new CRC32());
-                    break;
-                case "ADLER32":
-                    checksums.put(key, new Adler32());
-                    break;
-                default:
-                    try {
-                        // For MessageDigest, pass the original name (case-insensitive per JCA)
-                        digests.put(key, MessageDigest.getInstance(algorithm));
-                    } catch (NoSuchAlgorithmException e) {
-                        throw new IllegalStateException("Unsupported algorithm: " + algorithm, e);
-                    }
+            Object digestOrChecksum =
+                    switch (algorithm.toUpperCase(Locale.ROOT)) {
+                        case "CRC32" -> new CRC32();
+                        case "ADLER32" -> new Adler32();
+                        default -> {
+                            try {
+                                // For MessageDigest, pass the original name (case-insensitive
+                                // per JCA)
+                                yield MessageDigest.getInstance(algorithm);
+                            } catch (NoSuchAlgorithmException e) {
+                                throw new IllegalStateException(
+                                        "Unsupported algorithm: " + algorithm, e);
+                            }
+                        }
+                    };
+            if (digestOrChecksum instanceof Checksum checksum) {
+                checksums.put(key, checksum);
+            } else {
+                digests.put(key, (MessageDigest) digestOrChecksum);
            }
        }

@@ -751,7 +751,7 @@ public class ExceptionUtils {
        String targetDescription;
        if (errorInfo.affectedPages() != null && !errorInfo.affectedPages().isEmpty()) {
            if (errorInfo.affectedPages().size() == 1) {
-                targetDescription = "page " + errorInfo.affectedPages().get(0);
+                targetDescription = "page " + errorInfo.affectedPages().getFirst();
            } else {
                targetDescription =
                        "pages "
@@ -848,7 +848,7 @@ public class ExceptionUtils {
            }

            // Use the first page number, or null if none found
-            Integer pageNumber = affectedPages.isEmpty() ? null : affectedPages.get(0);
+            Integer pageNumber = affectedPages.isEmpty() ? null : affectedPages.getFirst();

            return new GhostscriptErrorInfo(
                    ErrorCode.GHOSTSCRIPT_PAGE_DRAWING,
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ public enum FormFieldTypeSupport {
                    return;
                }

-                PDAnnotationWidget widget = checkBox.getWidgets().get(0);
+                PDAnnotationWidget widget = checkBox.getWidgets().getFirst();

                PDAppearanceCharacteristicsDictionary appearanceChars =
                        widget.getAppearanceCharacteristics();
@@ -88,28 +88,16 @@ public class FormUtils {
     *     text)
     */
    public String detectFieldType(PDField field) {
-        if (field instanceof PDSignatureField) {
-            return FIELD_TYPE_SIGNATURE;
-        }
-        if (field instanceof PDPushButton) {
-            return FIELD_TYPE_BUTTON;
-        }
-        if (field instanceof PDTextField) {
-            return FIELD_TYPE_TEXT;
-        }
-        if (field instanceof PDCheckBox) {
-            return FIELD_TYPE_CHECKBOX;
-        }
-        if (field instanceof PDComboBox) {
-            return FIELD_TYPE_COMBOBOX;
-        }
-        if (field instanceof PDListBox) {
-            return FIELD_TYPE_LISTBOX;
-        }
-        if (field instanceof PDRadioButton) {
-            return FIELD_TYPE_RADIO;
-        }
-        return FIELD_TYPE_TEXT;
+        return switch (field) {
+            case PDSignatureField ignored -> FIELD_TYPE_SIGNATURE;
+            case PDPushButton ignored -> FIELD_TYPE_BUTTON;
+            case PDTextField ignored -> FIELD_TYPE_TEXT;
+            case PDCheckBox ignored -> FIELD_TYPE_CHECKBOX;
+            case PDComboBox ignored -> FIELD_TYPE_COMBOBOX;
+            case PDListBox ignored -> FIELD_TYPE_LISTBOX;
+            case PDRadioButton ignored -> FIELD_TYPE_RADIO;
+            case null, default -> FIELD_TYPE_TEXT;
+        };
    }

    public List<FormFieldInfo> extractFormFields(PDDocument document) {
@@ -583,22 +571,17 @@ public class FormUtils {
                continue;
            }
            String type = info.type();
-            Object value;
-            switch (type) {
-                case FIELD_TYPE_CHECKBOX:
-                    value = isChecked(info.value()) ? Boolean.TRUE : Boolean.FALSE;
-                    break;
-                case FIELD_TYPE_LISTBOX:
-                    if (info.multiSelect()) {
-                        value = new ArrayList<>();
-                    } else {
-                        value = safeDefault(info.value());
-                    }
-                    break;
-                case FIELD_TYPE_BUTTON, FIELD_TYPE_SIGNATURE:
-                    continue; // skip non-fillable
-                default:
-                    value = safeDefault(info.value());
+            Object value =
+                    switch (type) {
+                        case FIELD_TYPE_CHECKBOX ->
+                                isChecked(info.value()) ? Boolean.TRUE : Boolean.FALSE;
+                        case FIELD_TYPE_LISTBOX ->
+                                info.multiSelect() ? new ArrayList<>() : safeDefault(info.value());
+                        case FIELD_TYPE_BUTTON, FIELD_TYPE_SIGNATURE -> null;
+                        default -> safeDefault(info.value());
+                    };
+            if (value == null) {
+                continue; // skip non-fillable
            }
            record.put(info.name(), value);
        }
@@ -949,44 +932,44 @@ public class FormUtils {
        if (selection == null || selection.trim().isEmpty()) return null;
        List<String> filtered =
                filterChoiceSelections(List.of(selection), allowedOptions, fieldName);
-        return filtered.isEmpty() ? null : filtered.get(0);
+        return filtered.isEmpty() ? null : filtered.getFirst();
    }

    private void applyValueToField(PDField field, String value, boolean strict) throws IOException {
        try {
-            if (field instanceof PDTextField textField) {
-                setTextValue(textField, value);
-            } else if (field instanceof PDCheckBox checkBox) {
-                LinkedHashSet<String> candidateStates = collectCheckBoxStates(checkBox);
-                boolean shouldCheck = shouldCheckBoxBeChecked(value, candidateStates);
-                try {
-                    if (shouldCheck) {
-                        checkBox.check();
-                    } else {
-                        checkBox.unCheck();
-                    }
-                } catch (IOException checkProblem) {
-                    log.warn(
-                            "Failed to set checkbox state for '{}': {}",
-                            field.getFullyQualifiedName(),
-                            checkProblem.getMessage(),
-                            checkProblem);
-                    if (strict) {
-                        throw checkProblem;
+            switch (field) {
+                case PDTextField textField -> setTextValue(textField, value);
+                case PDCheckBox checkBox -> {
+                    LinkedHashSet<String> candidateStates = collectCheckBoxStates(checkBox);
+                    boolean shouldCheck = shouldCheckBoxBeChecked(value, candidateStates);
+                    try {
+                        if (shouldCheck) {
+                            checkBox.check();
+                        } else {
+                            checkBox.unCheck();
+                        }
+                    } catch (IOException checkProblem) {
+                        log.warn(
+                                "Failed to set checkbox state for '{}': {}",
+                                field.getFullyQualifiedName(),
+                                checkProblem.getMessage(),
+                                checkProblem);
+                        if (strict) {
+                            throw checkProblem;
+                        }
                    }
                }
-            } else if (field instanceof PDRadioButton radioButton) {
-                if (value != null && !value.isBlank()) {
-                    radioButton.setValue(value);
+                case PDRadioButton radioButton -> {
+                    if (value != null && !value.isBlank()) {
+                        radioButton.setValue(value);
+                    }
                }
-            } else if (field instanceof PDChoice choiceField) {
-                applyChoiceValue(choiceField, value);
-            } else if (field instanceof PDPushButton) {
-                log.debug("Ignore Push button");
-            } else if (field instanceof PDSignatureField) {
-                log.debug("Skipping signature field '{}'", field.getFullyQualifiedName());
-            } else {
-                field.setValue(value != null ? value : "");
+                case PDChoice choiceField -> applyChoiceValue(choiceField, value);
+                case PDPushButton ignored -> log.debug("Ignore Push button");
+                case PDSignatureField ignored ->
+                        log.debug("Skipping signature field '{}'", field.getFullyQualifiedName());
+                case null -> log.warn("Attempted to set value on null field");
+                default -> field.setValue(value != null ? value : "");
            }
        } catch (Exception e) {
            log.warn(
@@ -1306,37 +1289,42 @@ public class FormUtils {

    List<String> resolveOptions(PDTerminalField field) {
        try {
-            if (field instanceof PDChoice choice) {
-                LinkedHashSet<String> allowed = new LinkedHashSet<>();
-                List<String> exportValues = choice.getOptionsExportValues();
-                List<String> displayValues = choice.getOptionsDisplayValues();
+            return switch (field) {
+                case PDChoice choice -> {
+                    LinkedHashSet<String> allowed = new LinkedHashSet<>();
+                    List<String> exportValues = choice.getOptionsExportValues();
+                    List<String> displayValues = choice.getOptionsDisplayValues();

-                if (exportValues != null) {
-                    exportValues.stream()
-                            .filter(Objects::nonNull)
-                            .map(String::trim)
-                            .filter(s -> !s.isEmpty())
-                            .forEach(allowed::add);
+                    if (exportValues != null) {
+                        exportValues.stream()
+                                .filter(Objects::nonNull)
+                                .map(String::trim)
+                                .filter(s -> !s.isEmpty())
+                                .forEach(allowed::add);
+                    }
+                    if (displayValues != null) {
+                        displayValues.stream()
+                                .filter(Objects::nonNull)
+                                .map(String::trim)
+                                .filter(s -> !s.isEmpty())
+                                .forEach(allowed::add);
+                    }
+                    yield new ArrayList<>(allowed);
                }
-                if (displayValues != null) {
-                    displayValues.stream()
-                            .filter(Objects::nonNull)
-                            .map(String::trim)
-                            .filter(s -> !s.isEmpty())
-                            .forEach(allowed::add);
+                case PDRadioButton radio -> {
+                    List<String> exports = radio.getExportValues();
+                    yield exports != null && !exports.isEmpty()
+                            ? new ArrayList<>(exports)
+                            : Collections.emptyList();
                }
-                return new ArrayList<>(allowed);
-            } else if (field instanceof PDRadioButton radio) {
-                List<String> exports = radio.getExportValues();
-                if (exports != null && !exports.isEmpty()) {
-                    return new ArrayList<>(exports);
+                case PDCheckBox checkBox -> {
+                    List<String> exports = checkBox.getExportValues();
+                    yield exports != null && !exports.isEmpty()
+                            ? new ArrayList<>(exports)
+                            : Collections.emptyList();
                }
-            } else if (field instanceof PDCheckBox checkBox) {
-                List<String> exports = checkBox.getExportValues();
-                if (exports != null && !exports.isEmpty()) {
-                    return new ArrayList<>(exports);
-                }
-            }
+                case null, default -> Collections.emptyList();
+            };
        } catch (Exception e) {
            log.debug(
                    "Failed to resolve options for field '{}': {}",
@@ -1465,7 +1453,7 @@ public class FormUtils {

        // Only check options for choice-type fields (combobox, listbox, radio)
        if (CHOICE_FIELD_TYPES.contains(type) && options != null && !options.isEmpty()) {
-            String optionCandidate = cleanLabel(options.get(0));
+            String optionCandidate = cleanLabel(options.getFirst());
            if (optionCandidate != null && !looksGeneric(optionCandidate)) {
                return optionCandidate;
            }
@@ -1557,7 +1545,7 @@ public class FormUtils {
                continue;
            }

-            PDAnnotationWidget widget = widgets.get(0);
+            PDAnnotationWidget widget = widgets.getFirst();
            PDRectangle originalRectangle = cloneRectangle(widget.getRectangle());
            PDPage page = resolveWidgetPage(document, widget, null);
            if (page == null || originalRectangle == null) {
@@ -2446,19 +2434,19 @@ public class FormUtils {

        private static int firstWidgetPageIndex(FormFieldWithCoordinates f) {
            return (f.getWidgets() != null && !f.getWidgets().isEmpty())
-                    ? f.getWidgets().get(0).getPageIndex()
+                    ? f.getWidgets().getFirst().getPageIndex()
                    : -1;
        }

        private static float firstWidgetY(FormFieldWithCoordinates f) {
            return (f.getWidgets() != null && !f.getWidgets().isEmpty())
-                    ? f.getWidgets().get(0).getY()
+                    ? f.getWidgets().getFirst().getY()
                    : 0;
        }

        private static float firstWidgetX(FormFieldWithCoordinates f) {
            return (f.getWidgets() != null && !f.getWidgets().isEmpty())
-                    ? f.getWidgets().get(0).getX()
+                    ? f.getWidgets().getFirst().getX()
                    : 0;
        }

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import java.nio.file.*;
 import java.nio.file.attribute.BasicFileAttributes;
 import java.security.MessageDigest;
 import java.util.*;
+import java.util.concurrent.ConcurrentHashMap;
 import java.util.regex.Matcher;
 import java.util.regex.Pattern;

@@ -54,6 +55,10 @@ public class GeneralUtils {

    private final String DEFAULT_WEBUI_CONFIGS_DIR = "defaultWebUIConfigs";
    private final String PYTHON_SCRIPTS_DIR = "python";
+
+    // Extracted once per run. Rewriting a script while another request is exec-ing it
+    // races wherever rename is not atomic, such as 9p or NFS bind mounts.
+    private final Map<String, Path> EXTRACTED_SCRIPTS = new ConcurrentHashMap<>();
    private final RegexPatternUtils patternCache = RegexPatternUtils.getInstance();
    // Valid size units used for convertSizeToBytes validation and parsing
    private final Set<String> VALID_SIZE_UNITS = Set.of("B", "KB", "MB", "GB", "TB");
@@ -1025,17 +1030,30 @@ public class GeneralUtils {
        }

        Path scriptsDir = Path.of(InstallationPathConfig.getScriptsPath(), PYTHON_SCRIPTS_DIR);
-        Files.createDirectories(scriptsDir);
-
        Path target = scriptsDir.resolve(scriptName);
-        ClassPathResource res =
-                new ClassPathResource("static/" + PYTHON_SCRIPTS_DIR + "/" + scriptName);
-        if (!res.exists()) {
-            log.error("Resource not found: {}", res.getPath());
-            throw new IOException("Resource not found: " + res.getPath());
+
+        Path cached = EXTRACTED_SCRIPTS.get(scriptName);
+        if (cached != null && Files.isRegularFile(cached)) {
+            return cached;
+        }
+
+        synchronized (EXTRACTED_SCRIPTS) {
+            cached = EXTRACTED_SCRIPTS.get(scriptName);
+            if (cached != null && Files.isRegularFile(cached)) {
+                return cached;
+            }
+
+            Files.createDirectories(scriptsDir);
+            ClassPathResource res =
+                    new ClassPathResource("static/" + PYTHON_SCRIPTS_DIR + "/" + scriptName);
+            if (!res.exists()) {
+                log.error("Resource not found: {}", res.getPath());
+                throw new IOException("Resource not found: " + res.getPath());
+            }
+            copyResourceToFile(res, target);
+            EXTRACTED_SCRIPTS.put(scriptName, target);
+            return target;
        }
-        copyResourceToFile(res, target);
-        return target;
    }

    /*
@@ -26,29 +26,27 @@ import lombok.extern.slf4j.Slf4j;
 public class ImageProcessingUtils {

    static BufferedImage convertColorType(BufferedImage sourceImage, String colorType) {
-        BufferedImage convertedImage;
-        switch (colorType) {
-            case "greyscale":
-                convertedImage =
+        return switch (colorType) {
+            case "greyscale" -> {
+                BufferedImage convertedImage =
                        new BufferedImage(
                                sourceImage.getWidth(),
                                sourceImage.getHeight(),
                                BufferedImage.TYPE_BYTE_GRAY);
                convertedImage.getGraphics().drawImage(sourceImage, 0, 0, null);
-                break;
-            case "blackwhite":
-                convertedImage =
+                yield convertedImage;
+            }
+            case "blackwhite" -> {
+                BufferedImage convertedImage =
                        new BufferedImage(
                                sourceImage.getWidth(),
                                sourceImage.getHeight(),
                                BufferedImage.TYPE_BYTE_BINARY);
                convertedImage.getGraphics().drawImage(sourceImage, 0, 0, null);
-                break;
-            default: // full color
-                convertedImage = sourceImage;
-                break;
-        }
-        return convertedImage;
+                yield convertedImage;
+            }
+            default -> sourceImage;
+        };
    }

    public static byte[] getImageData(BufferedImage image) {
@@ -330,7 +330,7 @@ public class PDFToFile {

                if (outputFiles.size() == 1) {
                    // Return single output file
-                    File outputFile = outputFiles.get(0);
+                    File outputFile = outputFiles.getFirst();
                    if ("txt:Text".equals(outputFormat)) {
                        outputFormat = "txt";
                    }
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ public class ProcessExecutor {
            boolean isQpdf =
                    commandToRun != null
                            && !commandToRun.isEmpty()
-                            && commandToRun.get(0).contains("qpdf");
+                            && commandToRun.getFirst().contains("qpdf");

            if (!outputLines.isEmpty()) {
                String outputMessage = String.join("\n", outputLines);
@@ -370,7 +370,7 @@ public class ProcessExecutor {
        }

        // Check if this is a UNO conversion by looking for unoconvert executable
-        String executable = command.get(0);
+        String executable = command.getFirst();
        if (executable != null) {
            // Extract basename from path for matching
            String basename = executable;
@@ -504,7 +504,7 @@ public class ProcessExecutor {
        }

        // Validate executable (first argument)
-        String executable = command.get(0);
+        String executable = command.getFirst();
        if (executable == null || executable.isBlank()) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Command executable must not be empty");
        }
@@ -4,7 +4,14 @@ import java.util.regex.Pattern;

 public class RequestUriUtils {

-    private static final Pattern SHARE_LINK_PATTERN = Pattern.compile("^/share/[^/]+/?$");
+    // Share tokens are 36-char lowercase UUIDs (UUID.randomUUID().toString()); match exactly
+    private static final Pattern SHARE_LINK_PATTERN =
+            Pattern.compile(
+                    "^/share/[0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{12}/?$");
+    // Invite tokens are 36-char lowercase UUIDs (UUID.randomUUID().toString()); match exactly
+    private static final Pattern INVITE_LINK_PATTERN =
+            Pattern.compile(
+                    "^/invite/[0-9a-f]{8}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{4}-[0-9a-f]{12}/?$");

    public static boolean isStaticResource(String requestURI) {
        return isStaticResource("", requestURI);
@@ -69,7 +76,7 @@ public class RequestUriUtils {
        // cookie, so the server can't authenticate the navigation itself). The
        // portal gates access via its own auth gate + RequirePortalAccess, and its
        // data APIs stay protected, so serving the shell pre-auth is safe.
-        if (normalizedUri.equals("/processor") || normalizedUri.startsWith("/processor/")) {
+        if ("/processor".equals(normalizedUri) || normalizedUri.startsWith("/processor/")) {
            return true;
        }

@@ -209,7 +216,9 @@ public class RequestUriUtils {
                // Workflow participant endpoints - access controlled by share tokens, not login
                || trimmedUri.startsWith("/api/v1/workflow/participant/")
                // Share-link SPA bootstrap; data APIs remain protected
-                || SHARE_LINK_PATTERN.matcher(trimmedUri).matches();
+                || SHARE_LINK_PATTERN.matcher(trimmedUri).matches()
+                // Invite-accept SPA bootstrap; data APIs remain protected
+                || INVITE_LINK_PATTERN.matcher(trimmedUri).matches();
    }

    private static String stripContextPath(String contextPath, String requestURI) {
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ public class YamlHelper {

        for (NodeTuple tuple : mappingNode.getValue()) {
            ScalarNode keyNode = (tuple.getKeyNode() instanceof ScalarNode sk) ? sk : null;
-            if (keyNode == null || !keyNode.getValue().equals(keys.get(0))) {
+            if (keyNode == null || !keyNode.getValue().equals(keys.getFirst())) {
                updatedTuples.add(tuple);
                continue;
            }
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
 import stirling.software.SPDF.config.EndpointConfiguration.DisableReason;
 import stirling.software.SPDF.config.EndpointConfiguration.EndpointAvailability;
 import stirling.software.common.model.ApplicationProperties;
+import stirling.software.common.service.PdfaLevelAServiceInterface;

 /**
 * Unit tests for {@link EndpointConfiguration}. The class wires up its endpoint/group registry in
@@ -32,7 +33,14 @@ class EndpointConfigurationGapTest {
     * Construct an EndpointConfiguration with the given pro flag and current applicationProperties.
     */
    private EndpointConfiguration build(boolean runningProOrHigher) {
-        return new EndpointConfiguration(applicationProperties, runningProOrHigher);
+        return build(runningProOrHigher, null);
+    }
+
+    /** The PDF/UA service is only present in proprietary builds, so it is injected separately. */
+    private EndpointConfiguration build(
+            boolean runningProOrHigher, PdfaLevelAServiceInterface pdfaLevelAService) {
+        return new EndpointConfiguration(
+                applicationProperties, runningProOrHigher, pdfaLevelAService);
    }

    /** Default config: not pro, no removals, url-to-pdf disabled (default System flag is false). */
@@ -177,6 +185,28 @@ class EndpointConfigurationGapTest {
        }
    }

+    @Nested
+    @DisplayName("PDF/UA availability")
+    class PdfUaTests {
+
+        @Test
+        @DisplayName("the PDF/UA endpoints are off when the proprietary tagger is absent")
+        void disabledWithoutTagger() {
+            EndpointConfiguration config = build(false, null);
+            assertFalse(config.isEndpointEnabled("pdf-to-ua"));
+            assertFalse(config.isEndpointEnabled("accessibility-report"));
+        }
+
+        @Test
+        @DisplayName("they are on once the tagger is on the classpath")
+        void enabledWithTagger() {
+            EndpointConfiguration config =
+                    build(false, (pdfBytes, part, language, title, alsoDeclareUa) -> null);
+            assertTrue(config.isEndpointEnabled("pdf-to-ua"));
+            assertTrue(config.isEndpointEnabled("accessibility-report"));
+        }
+    }
+
    @Nested
    @DisplayName("group enable / disable")
    class GroupTests {
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package stirling.software.common.service;

 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertArrayEquals;
 import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertThrows;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertTrue;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.mock;
 import static org.mockito.Mockito.when;

@@ -65,6 +66,24 @@ class FileStorageOwnershipTest {
        assertThrows(SecurityException.class, () -> fs.deleteFile(id));
    }

+    @Test
+    void systemDeleteOfAnotherUsersFile_allowed_soJobCleanupDoesNotOrphanIt(@TempDir Path tempDir)
+            throws IOException {
+        // An admin sweeping every user's finished jobs is not the owner of their files. The
+        // ownership-checked delete throws there, which used to drop the job record and leave the
+        // files stranded on disk with nothing left able to reference them.
+        AtomicReference<String> user = new AtomicReference<>("alice");
+        FileStorage fs = newStorageWithCurrentUser(tempDir, user);
+        String id = fs.storeBytes("alice's file".getBytes(), "x.bin");
+        user.set("admin");
+
+        assertThrows(SecurityException.class, () -> fs.deleteFile(id));
+        assertTrue(fs.deleteFileAsSystem(id), "System delete must not be blocked by ownership");
+
+        user.set("alice");
+        assertThrows(IOException.class, () -> fs.retrieveBytes(id), "File should really be gone");
+    }
+
    @Test
    void anonymousRetrieveOfOwnedFile_allowed_noCurrentUserMeansNoCompare(@TempDir Path tempDir)
            throws IOException {
@@ -0,0 +1,263 @@
+package stirling.software.common.service;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.*;
+import static org.mockito.ArgumentMatchers.anyString;
+import static org.mockito.Mockito.*;
+
+import java.time.LocalDateTime;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Map;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.AfterEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeEach;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.mockito.InjectMocks;
+import org.mockito.Mock;
+import org.mockito.MockitoAnnotations;
+import org.springframework.http.MediaType;
+import org.springframework.test.util.ReflectionTestUtils;
+
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.ClusterBackplane;
+import stirling.software.common.cluster.JobStore;
+import stirling.software.common.model.job.JobResult;
+import stirling.software.common.model.job.ResultFile;
+
+/**
+ * Covers the on-demand cleanup path and the input-copy tracking that makes it complete. An async
+ * submit persists a copy of the upload as well as its results; before both were tracked, only the
+ * results were ever deleted and the input copy stayed on disk indefinitely.
+ */
+class TaskManagerCleanupTest {
+
+    @Mock private FileStorage fileStorage;
+    @Mock private JobStore jobStore;
+    @Mock private ClusterBackplane clusterBackplane;
+
+    @InjectMocks private TaskManager taskManager;
+
+    private AutoCloseable closeable;
+
+    @BeforeEach
+    void setUp() {
+        closeable = MockitoAnnotations.openMocks(this);
+        lenient().when(clusterBackplane.localNodeId()).thenReturn("test-node");
+        lenient().when(clusterBackplane.shouldRunLocalCleanup()).thenReturn(true);
+        lenient().when(fileStorage.deleteFileAsSystem(anyString())).thenReturn(true);
+        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(taskManager, "jobResultExpiryMinutes", 30);
+        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(taskManager, "pendingJobExpiryMinutes", 1440);
+    }
+
+    @AfterEach
+    void tearDown() throws Exception {
+        closeable.close();
+    }
+
+    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
+    private Map<String, JobResult> jobResults() {
+        return (Map<String, JobResult>) ReflectionTestUtils.getField(taskManager, "jobResults");
+    }
+
+    /** Complete a job with a single result file, as an async file-producing job would. */
+    private void completeWithFile(String jobId, String fileId) {
+        taskManager.setFileResult(jobId, fileId, "out.pdf", MediaType.APPLICATION_PDF_VALUE);
+        taskManager.setComplete(jobId);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void forcedCleanupRemovesFinishedJobsRegardlessOfAge() {
+        String jobId = "fresh-job";
+        taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+        completeWithFile(jobId, "result-file");
+
+        // The scheduled sweep leaves it alone: it completed well inside the retention window.
+        taskManager.cleanupOldJobs();
+        assertTrue(jobResults().containsKey(jobId), "Scheduled cleanup should respect the expiry");
+
+        TaskManager.CleanupSummary summary = taskManager.cleanupFinishedJobsNow(id -> true);
+
+        assertEquals(1, summary.jobsRemoved());
+        assertEquals(1, summary.filesDeleted());
+        assertEquals(0, summary.jobsRetained());
+        assertFalse(jobResults().containsKey(jobId));
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("result-file");
+        verify(jobStore).delete(jobId);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void forcedCleanupDeletesThePersistedInputCopy() {
+        String jobId = "job-with-input";
+        taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+        assertTrue(taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, "input-file"));
+        completeWithFile(jobId, "result-file");
+
+        TaskManager.CleanupSummary summary = taskManager.cleanupFinishedJobsNow(id -> true);
+
+        assertEquals(1, summary.jobsRemoved());
+        assertEquals(2, summary.filesDeleted(), "Both the result and the input copy must go");
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("result-file");
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("input-file");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void scheduledCleanupAlsoDeletesThePersistedInputCopy() {
+        String jobId = "expired-job";
+        taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+        taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, "input-file");
+        completeWithFile(jobId, "result-file");
+
+        JobResult result = taskManager.getJobResult(jobId);
+        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(result, "completedAt", LocalDateTime.now().minusHours(1));
+
+        taskManager.cleanupOldJobs();
+
+        assertFalse(jobResults().containsKey(jobId));
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("result-file");
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("input-file");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void forcedCleanupLeavesRunningJobsAlone() {
+        String running = "running-job";
+        taskManager.createTask(running);
+        taskManager.registerInputFile(running, "in-flight-input");
+
+        TaskManager.CleanupSummary summary = taskManager.cleanupFinishedJobsNow(id -> true);
+
+        assertEquals(0, summary.jobsRemoved());
+        assertEquals(0, summary.filesDeleted());
+        assertEquals(1, summary.jobsRetained());
+        assertTrue(jobResults().containsKey(running));
+        // Deleting a running job's input mid-flight would break it.
+        verify(fileStorage, never()).deleteFileAsSystem(anyString());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void forcedCleanupSkipsJobsTheFilterRejects() {
+        taskManager.createTask("alice:job");
+        completeWithFile("alice:job", "alice-file");
+        taskManager.createTask("bob:job");
+        completeWithFile("bob:job", "bob-file");
+
+        TaskManager.CleanupSummary summary =
+                taskManager.cleanupFinishedJobsNow(id -> id.startsWith("alice:"));
+
+        assertEquals(1, summary.jobsRemoved());
+        assertEquals(1, summary.jobsRetained());
+        assertFalse(jobResults().containsKey("alice:job"));
+        assertTrue(jobResults().containsKey("bob:job"), "Another user's job must survive");
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("alice-file");
+        verify(fileStorage, never()).deleteFileAsSystem("bob-file");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void forcedCleanupIsIdempotent() {
+        String jobId = "job-to-clean";
+        taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+        taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, "input-file");
+        completeWithFile(jobId, "result-file");
+
+        taskManager.cleanupFinishedJobsNow(id -> true);
+        TaskManager.CleanupSummary second = taskManager.cleanupFinishedJobsNow(id -> true);
+
+        assertEquals(0, second.jobsRemoved());
+        assertEquals(0, second.filesDeleted());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void forcedCleanupRunsEvenWhenTheBackplaneOwnsScheduledExpiry() {
+        // The scheduled sweep defers to the backplane TTL in cluster mode, but an explicit
+        // request to release this node's storage still has to do something.
+        when(clusterBackplane.shouldRunLocalCleanup()).thenReturn(false);
+        String jobId = "clustered-job";
+        taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+        completeWithFile(jobId, "result-file");
+
+        taskManager.cleanupOldJobs();
+        assertTrue(jobResults().containsKey(jobId));
+
+        TaskManager.CleanupSummary summary = taskManager.cleanupFinishedJobsNow(id -> true);
+
+        assertEquals(1, summary.jobsRemoved());
+        assertFalse(jobResults().containsKey(jobId));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void cleanupCountsOnlyFilesThatWereActuallyDeleted() {
+        // A file already gone (a retry deleted it, say) must not be counted as freed.
+        String jobId = "partially-cleaned";
+        taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+        taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, "already-gone");
+        completeWithFile(jobId, "result-file");
+        when(fileStorage.deleteFileAsSystem("already-gone")).thenReturn(false);
+
+        TaskManager.CleanupSummary summary = taskManager.cleanupFinishedJobsNow(id -> true);
+
+        assertEquals(1, summary.filesDeleted());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void cleanupSurvivesAFileStorageFailure() {
+        String jobId = "job-with-unhappy-storage";
+        taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+        taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, "input-file");
+        completeWithFile(jobId, "result-file");
+        when(fileStorage.deleteFileAsSystem("result-file"))
+                .thenThrow(new RuntimeException("disk on fire"));
+
+        TaskManager.CleanupSummary summary = taskManager.cleanupFinishedJobsNow(id -> true);
+
+        // The job is still released and the remaining file still deleted.
+        assertEquals(1, summary.jobsRemoved());
+        assertEquals(1, summary.filesDeleted());
+        assertFalse(jobResults().containsKey(jobId));
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("input-file");
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void registerInputFileRejectsAnUnknownJob() {
+        assertFalse(taskManager.registerInputFile("no-such-job", "input-file"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void registerInputFileIgnoresDuplicatesAndBlanks() {
+        String jobId = "dedupe-job";
+        taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+        taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, "input-file");
+        taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, "input-file");
+        taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, "  ");
+        taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, null);
+
+        List<String> inputFileIds = taskManager.getJobResult(jobId).getInputFileIds();
+
+        assertEquals(List.of("input-file"), inputFileIds);
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void multiFileResultsAndTheInputCopyAreAllDeleted() {
+        String jobId = "split-job";
+        taskManager.createTask(jobId);
+        taskManager.registerInputFile(jobId, "input-file");
+        JobResult result = taskManager.getJobResult(jobId);
+        result.completeWithFiles(
+                List.of(
+                        ResultFile.builder()
+                                .fileId("page-1")
+                                .fileName("1.pdf")
+                                .contentType(MediaType.APPLICATION_PDF_VALUE)
+                                .fileSize(10L)
+                                .build(),
+                        ResultFile.builder()
+                                .fileId("page-2")
+                                .fileName("2.pdf")
+                                .contentType(MediaType.APPLICATION_PDF_VALUE)
+                                .fileSize(10L)
+                                .build()));
+
+        TaskManager.CleanupSummary summary = taskManager.cleanupFinishedJobsNow(id -> true);
+
+        assertEquals(3, summary.filesDeleted());
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("page-1");
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("page-2");
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("input-file");
+    }
+}
@@ -290,7 +290,8 @@ class TaskManagerMoreTest {
            ReflectionTestUtils.setField(job, "complete", true);
            ReflectionTestUtils.setField(job, "completedAt", LocalDateTime.now().minusHours(2));

-            when(fileStorage.deleteFile("doomed")).thenThrow(new RuntimeException("locked"));
+            when(fileStorage.deleteFileAsSystem("doomed"))
+                    .thenThrow(new RuntimeException("locked"));

            // Must not propagate; the job is still removed afterwards.
            taskManager.cleanupOldJobs();
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ class TaskManagerTest {
                        .build();
        ReflectionTestUtils.setField(oldJob, "resultFiles", java.util.List.of(resultFile));

-        when(fileStorage.deleteFile("file-id")).thenReturn(true);
+        when(fileStorage.deleteFileAsSystem("file-id")).thenReturn(true);

        // Obtain access to the private jobResults map
        Map<String, JobResult> jobResultsMap =
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ class TaskManagerTest {
        assertFalse(jobResultsMap.containsKey(oldJobId));
        assertTrue(jobResultsMap.containsKey(recentJobId));
        assertTrue(jobResultsMap.containsKey(activeJobId));
-        verify(fileStorage).deleteFile("file-id");
+        verify(fileStorage).deleteFileAsSystem("file-id");
    }

    @Test
@@ -308,7 +308,7 @@ class TaskManagerTest {
        // Assert: nothing was removed locally, and no jobStore.delete was issued.
        assertTrue(jobResultsMap.containsKey(oldJobId));
        verify(jobStore, never()).delete(anyString());
-        verify(fileStorage, never()).deleteFile(anyString());
+        verify(fileStorage, never()).deleteFileAsSystem(anyString());
    }

    @Test
@@ -721,7 +721,7 @@ class PDFToFileTest {
                    .thenAnswer(
                            invocation -> {
                                List<String> args = invocation.getArgument(0);
-                                String outputPath = args.get(args.size() - 1);
+                                String outputPath = args.getLast();
                                Files.write(Path.of(outputPath), "Fake DOCX content".getBytes());
                                return mockExecutorResult;
                            });
@@ -206,12 +206,24 @@ class RequestUriUtilsTest {

    @Test
    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_shareLinkTokenTrailingSlash() {
-        assertTrue(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/share/abc123/", ""));
+        assertTrue(
+                RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint(
+                        "/share/00dcac3a-fc7a-4989-9c4f-97745484d62f/", ""));
    }

    @Test
    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_shareLinkWithContextPath() {
-        assertTrue(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/app/share/abc123", "/app"));
+        assertTrue(
+                RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint(
+                        "/app/share/00dcac3a-fc7a-4989-9c4f-97745484d62f", "/app"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_shareLinkWithInvalidTokenLength() {
+        assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/share/abc123", ""));
+        assertFalse(
+                RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint(
+                        "/share/00dcac3a-fc7a-4989-9c4f-97745484d62fa", ""));
    }

    @Test
@@ -236,4 +248,86 @@ class RequestUriUtilsTest {
                RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint(
                        "/api/v1/storage/share-links/abc123/metadata", ""));
    }
+
+    // --- invite-accept SPA bootstrap ---
+
+    private static final String INVITE_TOKEN = "06a20e7e-2e35-4e26-be7d-2dce14f28f12";
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_inviteLinkToken() {
+        assertTrue(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/invite/" + INVITE_TOKEN, ""));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_inviteLinkTokenTrailingSlash() {
+        assertTrue(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/invite/" + INVITE_TOKEN + "/", ""));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_inviteLinkWithContextPath() {
+        assertTrue(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/app/invite/" + INVITE_TOKEN, "/app"));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_inviteRootNotPublic() {
+        // Avoid matching bare "/invite" or "/invite/" - must have a token segment
+        assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/invite", ""));
+        assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/invite/", ""));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_inviteNestedPathNotPublic() {
+        // Guard against future additions like /invite/<token>/foo becoming accidentally public
+        assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/invite/" + INVITE_TOKEN + "/foo", ""));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_invitePrefixDoesNotOvermatch() {
+        // "/inviteX" must not match the invite pattern
+        assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/inviteX", ""));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_inviteNonUuidTokenNotPublic() {
+        // Only exactly-shaped 36-char lowercase UUID tokens are treated as invite links
+        assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/invite/abc123", ""));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_inviteUppercaseUuidNotPublic() {
+        // Tokens are generated lowercase by UUID.randomUUID().toString()
+        assertFalse(
+                RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint(
+                        "/invite/06A20E7E-2E35-4E26-BE7D-2DCE14F28F12", ""));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_inviteWrongLengthNotPublic() {
+        // 35-char and 37-char UUID-like tokens are not valid UUIDs
+        assertFalse(
+                RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint(
+                        "/invite/06a20e7e-2e35-4e26-be7d-2dce14f28f1", ""));
+        assertFalse(
+                RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint(
+                        "/invite/06a20e7e-2e35-4e26-be7d-2dce14f28f122", ""));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_inviteWrongGroupingNotPublic() {
+        // Groups of 8-4-4-4-4 must not be shifted around (e.g. 4-4-4-4-8)
+        assertFalse(
+                RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint(
+                        "/invite/06a2-0e7e-2e35-4e26-be7d2dce14f28f12", ""));
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void testIsPublicAuthEndpoint_inviteTokenInvalidCharsNotPublic() {
+        // Hex-only; anything outside [0-9a-f] or the UUID hyphens is rejected
+        assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/invite/abc$123", ""));
+        assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/invite/abc..123", ""));
+        assertFalse(RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint("/invite/abc%2F123", ""));
+        assertFalse(
+                RequestUriUtils.isPublicAuthEndpoint(
+                        "/invite/06a20e7e-2e35-4e26-be7d-2dce14f28f1g", ""));
+    }
 }
@@ -331,11 +331,27 @@ tasks.register('copyApiLandingPage', Copy) {
    }
 }

+tasks.register('copyBackendOnlySamples', Copy) {
+    group = 'frontend'
+    description = 'Copy frontend sample files for backend-only mode'
+    from(new File(frontendEditorDir, 'public/samples'))
+    into(new File(resourcesStaticDir, 'samples'))
+    dependsOn cleanFrontendAssets
+    onlyIf { !buildWithFrontend }
+}
+
 // Ensure copyFrontendAssets runs after spotless tasks
 tasks.named('copyFrontendAssets').configure {
    mustRunAfter tasks.matching { it.name.startsWith('spotless') }
 }

+// Cleanup removes frontend-generated resources that are also visible to the resource/formatting
+// task graph. Keep all Spotless tasks ahead of cleanup so they never snapshot a path that has
+// just been removed.
+tasks.named('cleanFrontendAssets').configure {
+    mustRunAfter tasks.matching { it.name.startsWith('spotless') }
+}
+
 if (buildWithFrontend) {
    println "Editor frontend build enabled - JAR will include React frontend (mode=${frontendMode})"
    processResources.dependsOn copyFrontendAssets
@@ -343,6 +359,7 @@ if (buildWithFrontend) {
    println "Frontend build disabled - JAR will be backend-only with API landing page"
    // When not building the UI, ensure any stale frontend assets are removed and use API landing page
    processResources.dependsOn copyApiLandingPage
+    processResources.dependsOn copyBackendOnlySamples
 }

 bootJar.dependsOn ':common:jar'
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 package stirling.software.SPDF.config;

-import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
 import org.springframework.boot.servlet.MultipartConfigFactory;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
@@ -22,7 +21,11 @@ import stirling.software.SPDF.controller.web.UploadLimitService;
@Slf4j
 public class MultipartConfiguration {

-    @Autowired private UploadLimitService uploadLimitService;
+    private final UploadLimitService uploadLimitService;
+
+    public MultipartConfiguration(UploadLimitService uploadLimitService) {
+        this.uploadLimitService = uploadLimitService;
+    }

    /**
     * Creates MultipartConfigElement that respects fileUploadLimit from settings.yml or environment
@@ -297,24 +297,25 @@ public class BookletImpositionController {

        // Apply rotation if needed (rotate about origin), then translate to keep in cell
        switch (rot) {
-            case 90:
+            case 90 -> {
                cs.transform(Matrix.getRotateInstance(Math.PI / 2, 0, 0));
                // After 90° CCW, the content spans x in [-r.getHeight(), 0] and y in [0,
                // r.getWidth()]
                cs.transform(Matrix.getTranslateInstance(0, -r.getWidth()));
-                break;
-            case 180:
+            }
+            case 180 -> {
                cs.transform(Matrix.getRotateInstance(Math.PI, 0, 0));
                cs.transform(Matrix.getTranslateInstance(-r.getWidth(), -r.getHeight()));
-                break;
-            case 270:
+            }
+            case 270 -> {
                cs.transform(Matrix.getRotateInstance(3 * Math.PI / 2, 0, 0));
                // After 270° CCW, the content spans x in [0, r.getHeight()] and y in
                // [-r.getWidth(), 0]
                cs.transform(Matrix.getTranslateInstance(-r.getHeight(), 0));
-                break;
-            default:
+            }
+            default -> {
                // 0°: no-op
+            }
        }

        // Reuse LayerUtility passed from caller
@@ -9,7 +9,6 @@ import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Arrays;
 import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.List;
-import java.util.regex.Pattern;

 import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.PDDocument;
 import org.apache.pdfbox.pdmodel.PDDocumentCatalog;
@@ -61,8 +60,6 @@ import stirling.software.jpdfium.doc.PdfBookmarkEditor.BookmarkTree;
@Slf4j
@RequiredArgsConstructor
 public class MergeController {
-
-    private static final Pattern QUOTE_WRAP_PATTERN = Pattern.compile("^\"|\"$");
    private final CustomPDFDocumentFactory pdfDocumentFactory;
    private final TempFileManager tempFileManager;

@@ -164,30 +161,6 @@ public class MergeController {
        };
    }

-    private String[] parseClientFileIds(String clientFileIds) {
-        if (clientFileIds == null || clientFileIds.trim().isEmpty()) {
-            return new String[0];
-        }
-        try {
-            String trimmed = clientFileIds.trim();
-            if (trimmed.startsWith("[") && trimmed.endsWith("]")) {
-                String inside = trimmed.substring(1, trimmed.length() - 1).trim();
-                if (inside.isEmpty()) {
-                    return new String[0];
-                }
-                String[] parts = inside.split(",");
-                String[] result = new String[parts.length];
-                for (int i = 0; i < parts.length; i++) {
-                    result[i] = QUOTE_WRAP_PATTERN.matcher(parts[i].trim()).replaceAll("");
-                }
-                return result;
-            }
-        } catch (Exception e) {
-            log.warn("Failed to parse client file IDs: {}", clientFileIds, e);
-        }
-        return new String[0];
-    }
-
    private void addTableOfContents(PDDocument mergedDocument, MultipartFile[] files) {
        PDDocumentOutline outline = new PDDocumentOutline();
        mergedDocument.getDocumentCatalog().setDocumentOutline(outline);
@@ -125,17 +125,14 @@ public class UIDataController {
                    pipelineConfigs.add(content);
                }

-                for (String config : pipelineConfigs) {
+                for (int i = 0; i < jsonFiles.size(); i++) {
+                    String config = pipelineConfigs.get(i);
                    Map<String, Object> jsonContent =
                            objectMapper.readValue(
                                    config, new TypeReference<Map<String, Object>>() {});
                    String name = (String) jsonContent.get("name");
                    if (name == null || name.isEmpty()) {
-                        String filename =
-                                jsonFiles
-                                        .get(pipelineConfigs.indexOf(config))
-                                        .getFileName()
-                                        .toString();
+                        String filename = jsonFiles.get(i).getFileName().toString();
                        name = filename.substring(0, filename.lastIndexOf('.'));
                    }
                    Map<String, String> configWithName = new HashMap<>();
@@ -301,20 +298,14 @@ public class UIDataController {
        }

        private static String getFormatFromExtension(String extension) {
-            switch (extension) {
-                case "ttf":
-                    return "truetype";
-                case "woff":
-                    return "woff";
-                case "woff2":
-                    return "woff2";
-                case "eot":
-                    return "embedded-opentype";
-                case "svg":
-                    return "svg";
-                default:
-                    return "";
-            }
+            return switch (extension) {
+                case "ttf" -> "truetype";
+                case "woff" -> "woff";
+                case "woff2" -> "woff2";
+                case "eot" -> "embedded-opentype";
+                case "svg" -> "svg";
+                default -> "";
+            };
        }
    }
 }
--- a/Show More
+++ b/Show More