AIWG 2026.8.25 - Safe help, reliable Windows refresh

AIWG 2026.8.25 - Safe help, reliable Windows refresh

Release date: 2026-08-25
Channel: stable

AIWG 2026.8.25 tightens two everyday safety boundaries in the CLI: asking for
help cannot accidentally run a state-changing command, and Windows package
updates keep the exact quoting required by native manager wrappers. Refresh
also reports a failed package update honestly even when it can continue with
framework re-deployment.

What this changes for you

Command help is non-executing

The router now handles --help and -h before command hooks or normal handler
execution. Commands with dedicated help keep their detailed output. Commands
without it return a generic pointer to aiwg help without entering the command
path.

This is especially important for maintenance commands such as refresh: asking
what a command does is now structurally separate from doing it.

Windows global updates preserve wrapper quoting

On Windows, npm-compatible managers commonly resolve to .cmd or .bat
wrappers, sometimes beneath paths containing spaces. AIWG now gives
cmd.exe the already quoted wrapper payload verbatim instead of allowing Node
to escape it a second time.

The same execution helper is used by install-aware update paths, so refresh and
direct update operations share the corrected behavior.

Refresh reports partial recovery accurately

Refresh still attempts framework re-deployment after a package update failure,
but its final result no longer looks like a clean update. Interactive output
warns that AIWG may remain on the previous version, and quiet JSON uses the
status refreshed-with-update-failure for automation.

Publication has realistic runner headroom

Stable and prerelease package jobs now allow 30 minutes for cold dependency
installation, tests, signature checks, and publication of the complete package
set. This changes the workflow timeout, not the release gates or trust policy.

Package matrix

aiwg@2026.8.25
@aiwg/cli@2026.8.25
@aiwg/cockpit@2026.8.25

Upgrade

For managed npm and web installations, run aiwg refresh to update AIWG
through the installation method already recorded for the current machine and
re-deploy installed frameworks. Keep the three managed packages on the same
version. Source checkouts should update and build through their project Git
workflow, then run aiwg refresh --skip-update to re-deploy.

Rollback

If rollback is necessary, pin all three packages to 2026.8.20 with the same
package manager used for installation, then run aiwg regenerate so provider
context matches the restored version.

Release boundaries

• The Windows fix is covered with platform-specific command construction and
  execution tests; it does not claim qualification of every third-party
  package-manager wrapper.
• Refresh intentionally keeps its exit-0 recovery behavior when re-deployment
  succeeds after an update failure. Automation must inspect the documented
  quiet-mode status to distinguish that partial result.
• The longer publication timeout does not relax tests, signing, provenance,
  SBOM, checksum, or post-publication verification requirements.