voidprojectssoftware · BlakeHastings · Jun 1, 2026 · Jun 1, 2026 · Jun 1, 2026
diff --git a/.github/workflows/edge.yml b/.github/workflows/edge.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+name: edge
+
+# Rolling prerelease channel. On every code change to main, build the tip of main and replace the
+# single `edge` prerelease (a fixed, moving tag). The version comes for free from MinVer
+# (e.g. 0.1.0-alpha.0.N) — the `edge` tag does not start with `v`, so MinVer ignores it. Stable
+# releases are handled separately by release-please. Install the edge build with:
+#   scripts/install.sh --channel edge   (or install.ps1 -Channel edge)
+on:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+    paths:
+      - 'src/**'
+      - '**/*.csproj'
+      - 'Directory.Build.props'
+      - '.github/workflows/edge.yml'
+
+permissions:
+  contents: write
+
+# Only the newest edge run matters; cancel older in-flight runs so they don't fight over the release.
+concurrency:
+  group: edge
+  cancel-in-progress: true
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        include:
+          - { rid: win-x64,   os: windows-latest, ext: .exe }
+          - { rid: win-arm64, os: windows-latest, ext: .exe }
+          - { rid: linux-x64, os: ubuntu-latest,  ext: '' }
+          - { rid: osx-arm64, os: macos-latest,   ext: '' }
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@34e114876b0b11c390a56381ad16ebd13914f8d5 # v4
+        with:
+          fetch-depth: 0          # MinVer needs full history to compute the prerelease version.
+
+      - uses: actions/setup-dotnet@9a946fdbd5fb07b82b2f5a4466058b876ab72bb2 # v5
+        with:
+          dotnet-version: '10.0.x'
+
+      - name: Publish
+        run: >
+          dotnet publish src/Protostar.Cli/Protostar.Cli.csproj
+          -c Release -r ${{ matrix.rid }} --self-contained true
+          -p:PublishSingleFile=true -p:EnableCompressionInSingleFile=true
+          -o publish
+
+      # Same raw-binary asset names as the stable release, so install.{ps1,sh} fetch them identically.
+      - name: Stage asset
+        shell: bash
+        run: mv "publish/protostar${{ matrix.ext }}" "protostar-${{ matrix.rid }}${{ matrix.ext }}"
+
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@ea165f8d65b6e75b540449e92b4886f43607fa02 # v4
+        with:
+          name: protostar-${{ matrix.rid }}
+          path: protostar-${{ matrix.rid }}${{ matrix.ext }}
+
+  edge-release:
+    needs: build
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/download-artifact@d3f86a106a0bac45b974a628896c90dbdf5c8093 # v4
+        with:
+          path: dist
+          merge-multiple: true
+
+      # Re-point the moving `edge` tag at this commit and replace its prerelease assets. Delete +
+      # recreate keeps the download URLs stable (releases/download/edge/<asset>) while moving the tag.
+      - name: Publish edge release
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          GH_REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          gh release delete edge --cleanup-tag --yes || true
+          gh release create edge dist/* \
+            --prerelease \
+            --target "$GITHUB_SHA" \
+            --title "Edge (latest main)" \
+            --notes "Rolling prerelease built from the tip of \`main\` (commit ${GITHUB_SHA:0:7}). Run \`protostar --version\` for the exact version. Install with \`--channel edge\`."
diff --git a/.release-please-manifest.json b/.release-please-manifest.json
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 {
-  ".": "0.0.0"
+  ".": "0.0.1"
 }
diff --git a/Directory.Build.props b/Directory.Build.props
@@ -8,6 +8,9 @@
   -->
   <PropertyGroup>
     <MinVerTagPrefix>v</MinVerTagPrefix>
+    <!-- Before the first v0.1.0 tag exists, floor untagged (edge) builds at 0.1.0-alpha.0.N instead
+         of 0.0.0-alpha, so the edge channel matches the upcoming first stable release. -->
+    <MinVerMinimumMajorMinor>0.1</MinVerMinimumMajorMinor>
   </PropertyGroup>
 
   <ItemGroup>

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -48,6 +48,25 @@ $ protostar --version
 > from a tagged commit reports that tag (e.g. `0.1.0`); a local build from an untagged commit reports
 > a pre-release like `0.1.0-alpha.0.4`. See [Releasing](#releasing).
 
+### Channels: stable vs edge
+
+`stable` (the default above) installs the latest tagged release. `edge` installs the rolling
+prerelease rebuilt from the tip of `main` on every code change — handy for trying unreleased fixes.
+
+**Linux / macOS**
+
+```bash
+curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/voidprojectssoftware/protostar/main/scripts/install.sh | sh -s -- --channel edge
+```
+
+**Windows (PowerShell)** — fetch then invoke with `-Channel` (the piped one-liner can't take params):
+
+```powershell
+& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/voidprojectssoftware/protostar/main/scripts/install.ps1))) -Channel edge
+```
+
+Edge binaries report a prerelease version like `0.2.0-alpha.0.7`. Re-run the same command to update.
+
 ### Already have the binary?
 
 If you downloaded `protostar` directly, it installs itself:
@@ -102,6 +121,20 @@ stamps it into the binaries, which the workflow attaches to the release.
 > Tags are created by release-please on `main`, so they are always reachable through history — this
 > is what makes MinVer reliable regardless of squash/rebase merges. Do not tag manually.
 
+### Two channels
+
+protostar ships on two tracks (see [Channels](#channels-stable-vs-edge) for how to install each):
+
+- **stable** — the release-please flow above. Tagged `vX.Y.Z`, published as a normal GitHub Release
+  (so it is the `releases/latest` the default installer pulls).
+- **edge** — a rolling prerelease. The `edge` workflow rebuilds on every code change to `main` and
+  replaces a single prerelease under the moving `edge` tag, versioned by MinVer (`0.X.Y-alpha.0.N`).
+  Because the `edge` tag does not start with `v`, MinVer ignores it, so the two channels never
+  collide.
+
+While we are pre-1.0, stable releases stay in the `0.x` range (`bump-minor-pre-major` keeps a
+breaking change from jumping to `1.0.0`); cutting `1.0.0` will be a deliberate choice.
+
 ## Repository layout
 
 ```text
@@ -112,7 +145,8 @@ protostar/
 │  ├─ install.ps1          # curl-able release installer (Windows)
 │  └─ install.sh           # curl-able release installer (Linux/macOS)
 ├─ .github/workflows/
-│  └─ release-please.yml   # release-please: Release PR -> tag -> build + attach binaries
+│  ├─ release-please.yml   # stable: Release PR -> tag -> build + attach binaries
+│  └─ edge.yml             # edge: rebuild tip of main -> replace rolling `edge` prerelease
 ├─ release-please-config.json      # release-please configuration
 ├─ .release-please-manifest.json   # release-please version tracker
 ├─ Directory.Build.props   # MinVer git-tag versioning

diff --git a/release-please-config.json b/release-please-config.json
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 {
   "$schema": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/release-please/main/schemas/config.json",
   "include-component-in-tag": false,
+  "bump-minor-pre-major": true,
   "packages": {
     ".": {
       "release-type": "simple",

diff --git a/scripts/install.ps1 b/scripts/install.ps1
@@ -10,9 +10,17 @@
     irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/voidprojectssoftware/protostar/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex
 
   Or download and run directly to pass options (e.g. -Dir), which are forwarded to `protostar install`.
+
+.PARAMETER Channel
+  Release track: `stable` (default, the latest tagged release) or `edge` (the rolling prerelease
+  built from the tip of main).
 #>
 [CmdletBinding()]
-param([Parameter(ValueFromRemainingArguments = $true)] [string[]]$InstallArgs)
+param(
+    [ValidateSet('stable', 'edge')]
+    [string]$Channel = 'stable',
+    [Parameter(ValueFromRemainingArguments = $true)] [string[]]$InstallArgs
+)
 
 $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
 $repo = 'voidprojectssoftware/protostar'
@@ -25,7 +33,8 @@ switch ($arch) {
 }
 
 $asset = "protostar-$rid.exe"
-$url = "https://github.com/$repo/releases/latest/download/$asset"
+$base = if ($Channel -eq 'edge') { "https://github.com/$repo/releases/download/edge" } else { "https://github.com/$repo/releases/latest/download" }
+$url = "$base/$asset"
 
 $tmp = Join-Path ([System.IO.Path]::GetTempPath()) ("protostar-download-" + [System.IO.Path]::GetRandomFileName())
 New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $tmp | Out-Null

diff --git a/scripts/install.sh b/scripts/install.sh
@@ -4,12 +4,21 @@
 #
 #   curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/voidprojectssoftware/protostar/main/scripts/install.sh | sh
 #
-# Any extra args are forwarded to `protostar install` (e.g. --dir, --no-modify-path) when the
+# Pass --channel stable|edge (default stable) as the first argument to pick the release track:
+#   stable = the latest tagged release; edge = the rolling prerelease built from the tip of main.
+# Any other args are forwarded to `protostar install` (e.g. --dir, --no-modify-path) when the
 # script is run directly (not via the piped one-liner).
 set -e
 
 repo="voidprojectssoftware/protostar"
 
+# Channel selector (first arg). Everything else is forwarded to `protostar install`.
+channel="stable"
+case "$1" in
+  --channel) channel="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+  --channel=*) channel="${1#*=}"; shift ;;
+esac
+
 os=$(uname -s)
 arch=$(uname -m)
 
@@ -26,7 +35,11 @@ case "$arch" in
 esac
 
 asset="protostar-${rid_os}-${rid_arch}"
-url="https://github.com/${repo}/releases/latest/download/${asset}"
+case "$channel" in
+  stable) url="https://github.com/${repo}/releases/latest/download/${asset}" ;;
+  edge)   url="https://github.com/${repo}/releases/download/edge/${asset}" ;;
+  *) echo "Unknown channel: $channel (use 'stable' or 'edge')" >&2; exit 1 ;;
+esac
 
 tmp=$(mktemp -d)
 trap 'rm -rf "$tmp"' EXIT

diff --git a/version.txt b/version.txt
@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.0.0
+0.0.1