chore(release): default to alpha cascade; tidy stale CI references

- release-image.sh now defaults to alpha (was stable). Active dev no
  longer silently advances :stable; that tag only moves on a deliberate
  `sh release-image.sh <ver> stable`. Same cascade logic, reordered
  default. Updated AGENTS.md and zddc/README.md sections accordingly.
- zddc/Containerfile: dropped the "see .woodpecker.yml" comment since
  that file no longer exists; pointed the docs to release-image.sh.
- build.sh: dropped the "CI builds the runtime container directly"
  parenthetical; the cross-compiled host-binaries build is the only
  thing that step actually produces.

Why alpha as the default: caught it during active development —
:stable kept advancing every release because the script defaulted
there. Solo workflow + alpha default = `:stable` is a deliberate
gesture, not a side-effect.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

AGENTS.md

@@ -278,14 +278,20 @@ ZDDC_DATA_DIR=/path/to/your/archive podman-compose -f zddc/podman-compose.yaml u
 Two coordinated steps — git tag for auditability, then local image build:
 
 ```sh
-git tag zddc-server-v1.0.0
+git tag zddc-server-v0.0.4
-git push origin zddc-server-v1.0.0
+git push origin zddc-server-v0.0.4
-sh release-image.sh 1.0.0                # → :1.0.0 :stable :beta :alpha
+sh release-image.sh 0.0.4                # default: alpha → :0.0.4 :alpha
+sh release-image.sh 0.0.4 beta           # beta cascade  → :0.0.4 :beta :alpha
+sh release-image.sh 0.0.4 stable         # stable cascade → :0.0.4 :stable :beta :alpha
 ```
 
-The cascade matches the channel rules elsewhere in the repo: stable bumps
+**Default channel is `alpha`** so `:stable` never advances by accident
-all four tags; `beta` bumps `:1.0.0-beta.N :beta :alpha`; `alpha` bumps
+during active development. Pass `beta` to soak; pass `stable` only when
-`:1.0.0-alpha.N :alpha`. See `release-image.sh` for the full mapping.
+deliberately promoting. Cascades:
+
+- `alpha` → `:<version> :alpha`
+- `beta`  → `:<version> :beta :alpha`
+- `stable` → `:<version> :stable :beta :alpha`
 
 Prerequisite: `podman login codeberg.org` (one-time, with a Codeberg
 personal token scoped `package:write`).

build.sh

@@ -27,17 +27,19 @@ cp "$SCRIPT_DIR/archive/dist/archive.html" "$SCRIPT_DIR/zddc/dist/web/archive.ht
 echo "Wrote zddc/dist/web/index.html"
 echo "Wrote zddc/dist/web/archive.html"
 
-# Cross-compiled zddc-server binaries are built via podman if available
+# Cross-compiled zddc-server binaries — only relevant if you're shipping
-# (no-op otherwise — CI builds the runtime container directly via the
+# standalone Linux/macOS/Windows binaries to users. Skipped silently when
-# Containerfile's builder stage and doesn't need host-side binaries).
+# podman isn't on PATH; the runtime container release path
+# (release-image.sh) does its own internal build via Containerfile's
+# multi-stage flow and doesn't need these host-side binaries.
 echo ""
 echo "=== Building zddc-server binaries ==="
 if command -v podman >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     podman build --target binaries -o "$SCRIPT_DIR/zddc/dist/" "$SCRIPT_DIR/zddc/" 2>&1 | grep -v "^-->"
 else
     echo "podman not found — skipping cross-compiled binary build."
-    echo "  (CI builds the container image directly; this step only matters"
+    echo "  (Standalone-binary distribution only; the runtime container"
-    echo "   for releasing the standalone Linux/macOS/Windows binaries.)"
+    echo "   release path builds its own copy via Containerfile.)"
 fi
 
 # ─── Bootstrap zips ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

release-image.sh

@@ -3,19 +3,24 @@
 # to codeberg.org/varasys/zddc-server with cascading channel tags.
 #
 # Usage:
-#   sh release-image.sh <version> [stable|beta|alpha]
+#   sh release-image.sh <version> [alpha|beta|stable]
 #
-#   stable → :<version> :stable :beta :alpha   (default)
+#   alpha  → :<version> :alpha                 (default — for active dev)
 #   beta   → :<version> :beta :alpha
-#   alpha  → :<version> :alpha
+#   stable → :<version> :stable :beta :alpha
 #
 # Examples:
-#   sh release-image.sh 0.0.3                    # → :0.0.3 :stable :beta :alpha
+#   sh release-image.sh 0.0.4                    # → :0.0.4 :alpha             (default)
-#   sh release-image.sh 0.0.3-beta.1 beta        # → :0.0.3-beta.1 :beta :alpha
+#   sh release-image.sh 0.0.4 beta               # → :0.0.4 :beta :alpha
-#   sh release-image.sh 0.0.3-alpha.2 alpha      # → :0.0.3-alpha.2 :alpha
+#   sh release-image.sh 0.0.4 stable             # → :0.0.4 :stable :beta :alpha
 #
-# Convention: cut a git tag first (`git tag zddc-server-v0.0.3 && git push
+# Why alpha is the default: `:stable` should only advance on a deliberate
-# origin zddc-server-v0.0.3`) so version history is auditable, then run this
+# promotion, not as a side-effect of every dev release. With alpha as
+# default, `sh release-image.sh <version>` always lands on the alpha
+# channel; the `:stable` tag stays put until you explicitly pass `stable`.
+#
+# Convention: cut a git tag first (`git tag zddc-server-v0.0.4 && git push
+# origin zddc-server-v0.0.4`) so version history is auditable, then run this
 # to publish the image. The two are coordinated by hand, deliberately —
 # `.woodpecker.yml` is gone; this script is the canonical path.
 #
@@ -34,20 +39,21 @@
 set -eu
 
 usage() {
-    echo "usage: $0 <version> [stable|beta|alpha]" >&2
+    echo "usage: $0 <version> [alpha|beta|stable]" >&2
-    echo "  version: e.g. 0.0.3, 0.0.3-beta.1, 0.0.3-alpha.2" >&2
+    echo "  channel default: alpha (active dev)" >&2
+    echo "  version: e.g. 0.0.4, 0.0.4-beta.1, 0.0.4-alpha.2" >&2
     exit 1
 }
 
 [ $# -ge 1 ] || usage
 VERSION="$1"
-CHANNEL="${2:-stable}"
+CHANNEL="${2:-alpha}"
 
 case "$CHANNEL" in
-    stable) TAGS="$VERSION stable beta alpha" ;;
-    beta)   TAGS="$VERSION beta alpha" ;;
     alpha)  TAGS="$VERSION alpha" ;;
-    *) echo "error: unknown channel: $CHANNEL (expected stable|beta|alpha)" >&2; exit 1 ;;
+    beta)   TAGS="$VERSION beta alpha" ;;
+    stable) TAGS="$VERSION stable beta alpha" ;;
+    *) echo "error: unknown channel: $CHANNEL (expected alpha|beta|stable)" >&2; exit 1 ;;
 esac
 
 REPO="codeberg.org/varasys/zddc-server"

zddc/Containerfile

@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@
 #
 # Build context expectations (when targeting `server`):
 #   dist/web/index.html and dist/web/archive.html must exist —
-#   produced by `sh build.sh` from the repo root. CI assembles these
+#   produced by `sh build.sh` from the repo root. The release flow
-#   before invoking podman. See .woodpecker.yml.
+#   (`release-image.sh` at the repo root) runs build.sh first and
+#   then invokes `podman build --target server`.
 #
 
 # ─── Stage 1: build ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

zddc/README.md

@@ -461,13 +461,14 @@ steps — git tag for auditability, then local image build and push:
 
 ```sh
 # 1. Tag the source.
-git tag zddc-server-v1.0.0
+git tag zddc-server-v0.0.4
-git push origin zddc-server-v1.0.0
+git push origin zddc-server-v0.0.4
 
-# 2. Build and push the runtime image with cascading channel tags.
+# 2. Build and push the runtime image. Default cascade is alpha-only,
-sh release-image.sh 1.0.0          # → :1.0.0 :stable :beta :alpha
+#    so `:stable` doesn't advance unless you deliberately promote.
-sh release-image.sh 1.0.0-beta.1 beta   # beta-channel release
+sh release-image.sh 0.0.4              # → :0.0.4 :alpha           (default)
-sh release-image.sh 1.0.0-alpha.2 alpha # alpha-channel release
+sh release-image.sh 0.0.4 beta         # → :0.0.4 :beta :alpha
+sh release-image.sh 0.0.4 stable       # → :0.0.4 :stable :beta :alpha
 ```
 
 Prerequisite: `podman login codeberg.org` (or `docker login`) once,