fix(ci): keep external TestFlight beta current

[brodynies]

Fixes #12366.

The external TestFlight app was only updated through a manual marketing-version override, so external testers could remain on a build predating the Tailscale readiness fix from #10473.

This change adds an independent scheduled external beta lane and dispatch option. It resolves the beta bundle/profile, marks uploads external-eligible, assigns the Founder's Edition and cmux Pro groups, submits Beta App Review when Apple requires it, and keeps external metadata/history separate from the internal and demo lanes. Focused tests cover cron routing, artifact history, distribution resolution, group/review behavior, and external notes.

Validation:

• python3 tests/test_ios_testflight_external_distribution.py
• python3 tests/test_ios_testflight_notes.py
• python3 tests/test_ios_testflight_main_push_filter.py
• python3 tests/test_ios_testflight_pro_distribution.py
• bash -n ios/scripts/upload-testflight.sh ios/scripts/cloud-testflight.sh
• python3 -m py_compile ios/scripts/resolve_testflight_distribution.py
• ./scripts/lint-pbxproj-test-wiring.sh
• package resolved/workspace grouping checks

The tagged macOS build check was attempted but could not start because this checkout had uninitialized submodules; the documented setup then stopped at the machine disk limit while cloning them (100% full, about 530 MB free).

Changelog

Changed: Keeps the external TestFlight beta lane current.

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Summary by cubic

Fixes #12366. The external TestFlight app previously only got updates through manual marketing-version overrides, so external testers could remain on builds missing the Tailscale readiness fix from #10473. This adds an independent hourly scheduled external beta lane plus a dispatch option so the external app tracks main automatically.

• Resolves the dev.cmux.app.beta bundle and beta profile for external uploads.
• Assigns external builds to the Founder's Edition and cmux Pro groups and submits Beta App Review when Apple requires it.
• Keeps external metadata artifacts and notes history separate from the internal and demo lanes.
• Allows the manual marketing_version_override dispatch on the external variant to reuse an approved marketing version as a recovery path; demo still rejects the override.

^{Written for commit df18d1a. Summary will update on new commits.}

Summary by CodeRabbit

• New Features

  • Added an external beta distribution lane for scheduled and manually triggered TestFlight uploads.
  • External uploads use dedicated build metadata, App Store Connect history, beta versioning, tester groups, and Beta App Review submission when needed.
  • Added recovery support for external uploads using an approved marketing version override.

• Documentation

  • Updated iOS TestFlight documentation with external beta distribution details.

• Tests

  • Added coverage for external routing, artifact selection, upload arguments, tester groups, and recovery scenarios.

[vercel]

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated
cmux166	Ready	Preview	Sep 12, 2026 6:32am UTC
cmux41	Ready	Preview	Sep 12, 2026 6:32am UTC

[github-actions]

Caution

Pull Request opener is not an author or co-author of any commit in this PR.

• Opener: @brodynies
• Author/co-author identities: austinywang

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[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: ASSERTIVE

Plan: Advanced

Run ID: f4a7d0da-e83c-4026-8992-a10d9bca201d

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 50b7f39 and df18d1a.

📒 Files selected for processing (2)

• ios/scripts/resolve_testflight_distribution.py
• tests/test_ios_testflight_pro_distribution.py

Included review availability: Your plan provides up to 10 included reviews per hour; 0 remain after this review.

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

The iOS TestFlight workflow adds an external beta lane with hourly scheduling, manual dispatch, separate metadata artifacts, external upload arguments, dSYM handling, resolver support, and routing tests.

Changes

External TestFlight lane

Layer / File(s)	Summary
External distribution decision ios/scripts/resolve_testflight_distribution.py, tests/test_ios_testflight_pro_distribution.py	resolve_distribution accepts the external variant and returns the beta bundle, external assignment, dedicated metadata artifact, and checked_in_version mode. Tests cover automatic resolution, recovery overrides, rejected demo overrides, and workflow arguments.
External workflow scheduling and upload .github/workflows/ios-testflight.yml, ios/README.md	The workflow adds an hourly external schedule, dispatch option, variant mapping, upload arguments, metadata output, dSYM gates, and Sentry upload handling. The README documents external beta uploads and override behavior.
External routing validation tests/test_ios_testflight_main_push_filter.py	Routing tests use named schedules and verify external artifact selection, variant output, unchanged-upload filtering, and existing internal and demo routing.

Priority: ⬆️ High

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~25 minutes

Change: Bug fix · Severity of issue fixed: Medium

Sequence Diagram(s)

sequenceDiagram
  participant GitHubActions
  participant decide
  participant resolve_distribution
  participant upload_testflight
  GitHubActions->>decide: select external schedule or dispatch variant
  decide->>resolve_distribution: resolve external distribution
  resolve_distribution-->>decide: return external metadata and upload mode
  decide->>upload_testflight: pass INPUT_VARIANT and --external
  upload_testflight-->>GitHubActions: upload external beta artifacts

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Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to df18d

The external lane wiring and recovery override are consistent with the documented workflow, with no actionable merge-blocking risk identified.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 24 | ❌ 1

❌ Failed checks (1 warning)

Check name	Status	Explanation	Resolution
Docstring Coverage	⚠️ Warning	Docstring coverage is 0.00% which is insufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 14 functions across 3 files.	Write docstrings for the functions missing them to satisfy the coverage threshold.

✅ Passed checks (24 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Issue #12366 requires an available external TestFlight build with the #10473 readiness fix and a clear update path. The workflow adds an independent hourly external lane and an external manual varia…
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	The workflow, distribution resolver, documentation, and tests support the external beta release and recovery path required by #12366. Separate build history, dSYM handling, external group assignment, …
Cmux Swift Actor Isolation	✅ Passed	PASS. The review-scoped diff changes only GitHub Actions YAML, Markdown, Python scripts, and Python tests. It contains no Swift files or Swift actor-isolation constructs. Therefore, the custom check h…
Cmux Swift Blocking Runtime	✅ Passed	The authoritative pull-request diff changes only one YAML workflow, one Markdown file, three Python files, and no Swift or Objective-C source. The changed-file search found zero Swift paths, and the s…
Cmux Browser Automation Off-Main	✅ Passed	PASS: The reviewed range changes only the iOS TestFlight workflow, documentation, Python distribution logic, and related tests. The rule's scoped files, Sources/TerminalController.swift and `Package…
Cmux Expensive Synchronous Load	✅ Passed	The authoritative pull-request diff changes only a GitHub Actions workflow, iOS documentation, a Python distribution resolver, and Python tests. It contains no Swift, Objective-C, or Objective-C++ pro…
Cmux Cache Substitution Correctness	✅ Passed	PASS. The pull request changes a GitHub Actions YAML workflow, Python scripts/tests, and documentation. It does not change production Swift, TypeScript, or JavaScript. The workflow's history lookup st…
Cmux No Hacky Sleeps	✅ Passed	PASS. The PR adds an external cron route and distribution metadata, but it does not add a sleep, timer, polling loop, retry delay, or wall-clock wait in covered production scripts. The only existing `…
Cmux Algorithmic Complexity	✅ Passed	No algorithmic-complexity failure is introduced. The production diff adds a constant-time variant mapping, a three-item variant membership check, external-lane conditions, and a constant-size distribu…
Cmux Swift Concurrency	✅ Passed	The pull-request diff changes only one GitHub Actions workflow, documentation, Python distribution logic, and Python tests. The authoritative diff contains no Swift files or Swift concurrency construc…
Cmux Swift @Concurrent	✅ Passed	PASS: The authoritative pull-request diff changes only GitHub Actions YAML, Markdown, Python, and Python tests. It contains no Swift source changes and no introduced @concurrent, nonisolated async…
Cmux Swift Package Boundaries	✅ Passed	PASS: The authoritative review diff changes five files, all workflow, Markdown, or Python files. It contains no .swift files and introduces no Swift production logic or SwiftPM boundary changes. The…
Cmux Swiftpm Lockfiles	✅ Passed	PASS. The PR changes only the TestFlight workflow, README, resolver script, and tests. The authoritative diff contains no Package.swift, package-local Package.resolved, .gitignore, Xcode project…
Cmux Swift Logging	✅ Passed	PASS. The pull request changes only GitHub Actions YAML, Markdown, Python, and Python tests; git diff ... -- '*.swift' reports no changed Swift files. The added echo/print output is workflow or …
Cmux User-Facing Error Privacy	✅ Passed	PASS. The authoritative diff changes only the TestFlight workflow, iOS operational documentation, a CI distribution resolver, and tests. The new resolver error remains CI validation output and exposes…
Cmux Full Internationalization	✅ Passed	PASS. The authoritative diff changes only the TestFlight workflow, an iOS operational README, an automation resolver, and tests. It does not touch Swift UI, string catalogs, Info.plist localization, w…
Cmux Swiftui State Layout	✅ Passed	PASS. The authoritative pull-request diff changes only workflow YAML, Markdown, Python, and Python test files. It contains no Swift or SwiftUI changes, so none of the state, layout, row-store, or rend…
Cmux Architecture Rethink	✅ Passed	PASS: The pull request changes only GitHub Actions YAML, Markdown, Python, and Python test files. The authoritative diff contains no Swift, Objective-C, or Objective-C++ source changes. Therefore the …
Cmux Swift Auxiliary Window Close Shortcuts	✅ Passed	PASS: The authoritative PR diff changes only one GitHub Actions workflow, README, Python resolver, and Python tests. It contains no Swift changes and adds or modifies no NSWindow, NSPanel, NSWindowCon…
Cmux Source Artifacts	✅ Passed	The authoritative diff changes only a GitHub Actions workflow, iOS documentation, a Python release-resolution script, and two Python test files. These are intentional config, source, documentation, an…
Cmux No Test Or Debug Seam In Production Source	✅ Passed	The reviewed diff changes only a GitHub Actions workflow, Markdown documentation, Python code, and Python tests. It contains no Swift file under a production Sources/ path, so the no-test-or-debug-s…
Cmux No Ambient Global State	✅ Passed	PASS: The pull request changes only one YAML file, one Markdown file, and three Python files. The authoritative diff contains no .swift paths, so it introduces no production Swift global state cover…
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly and concisely describes the main change: keeping the external TestFlight beta current.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description explains the problem, resulting behavior, implementation scope, testing performed, changelog entry, and unverified macOS build check. It does not use the template's exact Summary and T…

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[teamleaderleo]

The scheduled external beta lane is still absent from current main; leaving this open for release review.

[teamleaderleo]

Thanks @brodynies, this is held for a design call on the TestFlight release policy. The CLA check and CI evidence also need to clear before that discussion :)