chore(server): keep the legacy service entry point to the npm package only

[juliusmarminge]

What changes

Follow-up to #11732, which fixed a real regression: a boot-service launcher installed before the executable runs node <versions>/<v>/node_modules/t3/dist/bin.mjs, and #11607 had removed that file from the t3 npm package, so every fleet update from a pre-1700 nightly failed after a successful install.

That PR fixed it in two places. This keeps one and removes the other:

• Kept: dist/bin.mjs in the t3 npm package, a forwarder to the platform executable that preserves arguments, stdio, the launcher's IPC channel, signals, and exit status. This is the transition an old launcher actually goes through: it npm-installs the new t3, runs the old path, the executable starts, and the first server started this way rewrites the service unit to run the executable directly. After that nothing touches the file. The doc comment now says when to delete it (after the first stable release with the executable).
• Removed: ensureLegacyEntry in pinnedRuntime.ts, which wrote the same shim into every archive install, including cached ones on every status check, so an old launcher could start an archive-layout version through the old path. An old launcher never installs an archive (it predates archive installs), so that case does not occur, and it left a permanent fake node_modules/t3/dist in the runtime layout plus a write to cached installs on read. The "archive" variant of the script and its two tests go with it.

Net: 25 insertions, 92 deletions; legacyCliLauncherScript has no parameter now.

Verification

• legacyCliLauncher.test.ts (IPC, args, termination through the npm shim), pinnedRuntime.test.ts, and build-npm-platform-packages.test.ts (which exercises dist/bin.mjs from the built tarball): 10 pass.
• Typecheck clean for apps/server, packages/shared, and scripts; knip clean.

Claude Fable 5 via Claude Code.

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Summary by CodeRabbit

• Changes
  • Simplified runtime installation and validation for greater consistency across published runtimes.
  • Updated the command-line launcher to use platform-specific packages directly.
  • Removed support for launching legacy archive-based runtimes and related compatibility behavior.
  • Updated launcher documentation to clarify its compatibility role and planned future removal.

[coderabbitai]

No actionable comments were generated in the recent review. 🎉

ℹ️ Recent review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Team

Run ID: 77be07d1-ed93-4b53-9275-b8f8409c4145

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 9130d93 and 7ac4061.

📒 Files selected for processing (5)

• apps/server/src/cloud/pinnedRuntime.test.ts
• apps/server/src/cloud/pinnedRuntime.ts
• packages/shared/src/legacyCliLauncher.test.ts
• packages/shared/src/legacyCliLauncher.ts
• scripts/build-npm-platform-packages.ts

💤 Files with no reviewable changes (1)

• apps/server/src/cloud/pinnedRuntime.test.ts

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📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

The compatibility launcher now resolves executables from platform npm packages only. Pinned runtime installation and publication no longer create legacy entry points before validation. Tests were updated to remove archive-launch and cached-archive coverage.

Changes

Launcher and pinned runtime changes

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Platform launcher contract packages/shared/src/legacyCliLauncher.ts, packages/shared/src/legacyCliLauncher.test.ts, scripts/build-npm-platform-packages.ts	legacyCliLauncherScript() no longer accepts a distribution. It always resolves the platform executable from the sibling npm package. Tests and package generation use the updated call.
Pinned runtime validation apps/server/src/cloud/pinnedRuntime.ts, apps/server/src/cloud/pinnedRuntime.test.ts	Pinned runtime installation and concurrent publication validate runtimes without generating legacy npm service entry points. Tests for archive launching and cached-archive reuse were removed.

Priority: ⬇️ Low

Estimated code review effort: 3 (Moderate) | ~20 minutes

Change: Refactor

Suggested reviewers: t3dotgg

Merge Risk: ⚪ Minimal · up to 7ac40

The compatibility launcher and pinned-runtime validation changes are ready to merge.

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5

✅ Passed checks (5 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly describes the main change: retaining the legacy service entry point only in the npm package.
Description check	✅ Passed	The description explains what changed, why the archive shim was removed, the compatibility behavior that remains, and the verification performed. It does not use the exact template headings for Why or…
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	Docstring coverage is 100.00% which is sufficient. The required threshold is 80.00%. Docstring coverage is scoped to functions touched by this diff. Analyzed 1 functions across 4 files.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

✨ Finishing Touches

📝 Generate docstrings

• Create stacked PR
• Commit on current branch

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Commit unit tests in branch chore/trim-legacy-entry

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[github-actions]

Thread transfer impact

✅ Thread transfer remains within every enforced ceiling.

Provider	Metric	Main baseline	This PR	Impact	PR ceiling
Codex	Total thread wire	13.6 KiB	13.5 KiB	−5 B (−0.0%)	15.1 KiB	✅
Codex	Thread snapshot wire	7.0 KiB	7.0 KiB	+2 B (+0.0%)	7.3 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn WebSocket wire	6.5 KiB	6.5 KiB	−7 B (−0.1%)	7.8 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn WebSocket decoded	57.0 KiB	57.0 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	66.4 KiB	✅
Codex	Live turn messages	8	8	0 (0.0%)	21	✅
Claude	Total thread wire	13.6 KiB	13.6 KiB	−6 B (−0.0%)	15.1 KiB	✅
Claude	Thread snapshot wire	7.0 KiB	7.1 KiB	+6 B (+0.1%)	7.3 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn WebSocket wire	6.5 KiB	6.5 KiB	−12 B (−0.2%)	7.8 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn WebSocket decoded	57.8 KiB	57.8 KiB	0 B (0.0%)	66.4 KiB	✅
Claude	Live turn messages	9	9	0 (0.0%)	21	✅

Baseline: 9130d93 · PR result: 7ac4061 · Source CI: success

Scenario and decoded snapshot size

10 historical turns, 5 command tools per turn, 878.9 KiB retained MCP result per historical turn, and a 1.05 MiB retained result in the measured turn.

• Codex decoded thread snapshot: 113.9 KiB
• Claude decoded thread snapshot: 114.6 KiB

Updated in place by a trusted workflow. PR artifacts are strictly validated and never executed.

[macroscopeapp]

Approvability

Verdict: Approved at 7ac4061

Macroscope's review found this PR approvable — This is a focused compatibility cleanup that retains and tests the legacy npm launcher while removing unused archive-layout shim generation and cached-runtime writes. Existing service startup remains on the pinned executable path, with no schema, security, billing, or deployment changes.

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