Build Test and Release

Build, Test & Release 🧪

This page covers local development, VSIX packaging, and release checks for Export2AI.

---

Prerequisites

Requirement	Purpose
VS Code / Cursor ^1.105.0	extension runtime target
Node.js 24+	local build and release parity
npm	dependency install and scripts

---

Install

npm install

---

Compile

npm run compile

The compile pipeline:

1. generate small target-model menu metadata
2. run TypeScript compile
3. sync comment-strip settings display
4. merge package.slim.json into generated package.json
5. sync extension metadata from version/changelog

---

Package VSIX

npm run package

Output:

build/export2ai-x.y.z.vsix

The release workflow expects VSIX files under build/.

---

Important npm Scripts

Script	Purpose
npm run compile	generated menus → TypeScript → settings sync → package merge
npm run watch	compile on save
npm run package	compile once and build VSIX
npm run slim:package	write slim manifest back before commit when needed
npm run test:critical	run the critical smoke matrix
npm run test:critical:list	list available smoke targets
npm run test:tokens	token format/model routing/manifest hygiene checks
npm run test:soft-delete	repository control and .git marker safety
npm run test:settings-nav	extension ID and settings metadata checks
npm run test:explorer-badges	badge provider default/off/opt-in behavior
npm run test:menu-merge	generated menu shape and Command Palette hides
npm run test:marketplace-assets	packaged icon/banner asset hygiene
npm run test:live	live zip creation smoke test

---

Critical Smoke Tests

npm run test:critical

The critical matrix covers release-risk areas such as:

• token labels and tokenizer routing
• soft-delete placeholder behavior
• settings navigation and metadata
• Explorer badge gating
• menu merge and generated commands
• marketplace/VSIX hygiene
• live archive creation

Use focused targets while iterating, then run the full critical set before release.

---

Package Manifest Workflow

Export2AI keeps a slim editable manifest and a generated runtime manifest:

File	Edit directly?	Purpose
package.slim.json	yes	source-of-truth manifest without generated command expansion
package.json	generated by compile	merged manifest used by VS Code/Cursor
scripts/generated/model-target-contributes.json	generated	small model-target command layer

If package.json grows unexpectedly into very large sizes, stop and inspect menu generation. The removed token-bucket command system must not return.

---

Release Checklist

1. Update changelog for the version.
2. Ensure version metadata is correct in package.slim.json.
3. Run:

npm install
npm run compile
npm run test:critical
npm run package

4. Inspect build/export2ai-x.y.z.vsix.
5. Verify README, wiki, and docs match current behavior.
6. Tag release according to repository convention.
7. Confirm GitHub Release assets and optional marketplace publish steps.

---

Documentation Release Check

Before publishing documentation changes:

• README.md remains compact and readable.
• README links point to existing wiki pages.
• wiki/Home.md and _Sidebar.md expose all major pages.
• docs/README.md lists technical docs and explains wiki source.
• No generated zip files are committed.
• No unrelated source/code edits are included in a docs-only patch.