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docs: own the unsigned distribution, add a one-command install - #51

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Periicles merged 1 commit into
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docs/unsigned-distribution
Aug 16, 2026
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docs: own the unsigned distribution, add a one-command install#51
Periicles merged 1 commit into
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docs/unsigned-distribution

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Notarization needs a paid Apple Developer ID and is not planned, so the docs stop promising it in three places and explain the real mechanic instead.

The mechanic, stated plainly

Quarantine is attached by the browser, not by the file. Gatekeeper then refuses the unsigned app. That is why --no-quarantine works for the Homebrew cask — and why any command-line download avoids the prompt entirely. The docs now say this instead of "not notarized yet".

What changed

  • Homebrew is the recommended route, not "recommended if you use the CLI".
  • New: one command without Homebrew. curl + hdiutil + cp, four visible lines. Nothing is piped into a shell — the user reads every step before running it.
  • Download buttons point at /releases/latest/download/NotchBar.dmg (works since ci(release): publish stable releases instead of pre-releases #50 dropped the pre-release flag), so the site offers a real one-click download instead of sending people to a Releases listing.
  • The manual .dmg path keeps its "Open Anyway" steps, reframed as the normal consequence of a browser download rather than a temporary state.
  • README "Releasing" no longer says releases are pre-releases; the notarization secrets table stays, retitled as "not planned, kept in case that changes".

Verification

  • The install command was run end to end, into a temp folder rather than /Applications: no com.apple.quarantine attribute on the copied app, codesign --verify --strict passes, and the app launches with no Gatekeeper block.
  • /releases/latest/download/NotchBar.dmg returns HTTP 200 at the right size.
  • Rendered the install section offscreen — which caught a real bug before pushing: I had updated the i18n dictionary but not the static HTML fallback, so the note still read "isn't notarized by Apple yet" for the first paint, for no-JS visitors and for crawlers. That is the same class of mistake as the old "no menu-bar icon" claim. Both are fixed, and I checked every data-i18n element against the EN dictionary: 28 elements, zero mismatches.
  • 27 keys resolve both ways, node --check passes.

Notarization needs a paid Developer ID and is not planned, so the docs stop
promising it and explain the actual mechanic instead: quarantine is set by the
*browser*, not by the file, which is why the command-line routes install and
launch with no prompt at all.

Adds a curl route for people without Homebrew. Every step is visible — nothing
is piped into a shell — and it was tested end to end: no quarantine attribute
on the copied app, ad-hoc signature intact, launches with no Gatekeeper block.

The download buttons now point at /releases/latest/download/NotchBar.dmg, which
resolves now that releases are no longer marked pre-release.
@Periicles Periicles self-assigned this Aug 16, 2026
@Periicles
Periicles merged commit 5430892 into main Aug 16, 2026
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@Periicles
Periicles deleted the docs/unsigned-distribution branch August 16, 2026 21:38
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