On-demand macOS builds of experimental branches of
stablyai/orca.
This repository holds no source. It exists only to host release artifacts.
Someone has an unlanded branch — a feature they want the team trying for a few days before it merges. They dispatch a build of that branch here, and anyone on the Adhoc channel gets it through the normal in-app updater.
Hourly builds are cut from main: unvetted, but at least on the trunk everyone
is already riding. An adhoc build is an unlanded branch — code that may
never merge. Someone who opted into "dev builds of main" must never be handed
one by accident, so the two channels never share a feed.
For the same reason, adhoc versions sort below every other channel of their base version — below stable, RC, and hourly alike. No routine update check can ever select one. You are only offered an adhoc build if you explicitly pick the Adhoc channel.
| Platform | macOS only (arm64 + x64) |
| Source | Any branch, tag, or SHA — dispatched by hand |
| Tests | None. No unit, lint, or e2e run |
| Signing | Signed with Orca's Developer ID |
| Notarization | Yes |
| Retention | 30 days, then pruned |
Versions look like 1.4.164-adhoc.20260802093809 — the base version plus a UTC
timestamp to the second. Release titles carry the branch name, so the picker
shows you which experiment you are installing.
In Orca, open Settings → General → Updates, Option-click the Updates header to reveal the Release channel picker, then choose Adhoc.
Do not use this channel unless you are testing a specific branch for someone and can recover from a broken build. When you are done, switch back to Stable or RC.
In the main repo, run the
Adhoc macOS build
workflow: click Run workflow, enter the branch to build in ref, and a
short label for the release title. Nothing is pushed here by hand.