mxaccessgw/scripts/ci/README.md

Windows/x86 CI tier (TST-25)

The x86 / net48 Worker and its tests cannot build on a Linux runner, and a native Windows act_runner is broken (host-mode writes each step's script to a path it can't resolve; a runs-on gate with no runner wedges the queue forever). Instead, a Linux CI job SSHes to windev (10.100.0.48) and runs the Worker build/tests there, propagating the remote exit code back so a regression turns the job red.

Pieces

File	Runs on	Role
run-windev-ci.sh <build|test|live>	Linux CI job	Writes the SSH key/known-hosts, base64-encodes a bootstrap, SSHes to windev, returns the remote exit code.
windev-worker-ci.ps1 -Sha -Mode	windev	Locks the CI clone, checks out the SHA, runs the x86 build / Worker.Tests / live smoke.
windev.known_hosts	committed	Pinned windev host keys so StrictHostKeyChecking=yes has no TOFU prompt. Host keys are public; committing is intentional.

Modes are cumulative: build = x86 Worker build; test = build + Worker.Tests; live = test + full-slnx build + live-MXAccess smoke (MXGATEWAY_RUN_LIVE_MXACCESS_TESTS=1).

CI jobs (.gitea/workflows/ci.yml): windows-x86 runs test per push/PR; nightly-windev runs live on the 0 6 * * * schedule and opens a Gitea issue on failure.

One-time bring-up (operator — required before this lands on main)

Until these are done, windows-x86 is red on every push (no key → SSH fails). Do them first, then merge.

1. CI clone — C:\build\mxaccessgw-ci, a fresh clone of the Gitea origin (done during TST-25 verification; recreate with git clone https://gitea.dohertylan.com/dohertj2/mxaccessgw C:\build\mxaccessgw-ci if missing). Never the dirty Desktop checkout.
2. Dedicated CI key — generate a NEW ed25519 keypair for CI (do not reuse the operator's personal windev key): ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -f ci_windev -N ''. Append ci_windev.pub to the windev CI account's authorized_keys (optionally with a forced command= limiting it to this bootstrap).
3. Gitea repo secret WINDEV_SSH_KEY — store the private key base64-encoded on a single line: base64 -w0 < ci_windev (macOS: base64 < ci_windev | tr -d '\n'). This is required, not cosmetic — Gitea's secret masker is line-oriented, so a raw multiline PEM is not redacted in the step env: echo and leaks in cleartext; the single-line base64 masks to ***. run-windev-ci.sh auto-decodes it. Host keys are public and come from the committed windev.known_hosts pin, so no WINDEV_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS secret is wired into ci.yml. run-windev-ci.sh connects as user ci by default; set the WINDEV_SSH_USER variable (not a secret — it is public) to the actual account, and ensure that account exists on windev.
4. Network precheck — confirm the Gitea runner container (on the traefik docker network, host 10.100.0.35) can reach 10.100.0.48:22: a one-off nc -z -w5 10.100.0.48 22 step. The network was created for gitea name resolution, not LAN egress, so verify.
5. Actions token — the nightly-windev on-failure step creates a Gitea issue with the built-in token; confirm Actions tokens have issue-write on this repo.

Verifying it end-to-end (design's acceptance checks)

• Push a branch → portable, java, windows-x86 all green; windev's clone sits at the pushed SHA.
• Deliberate red: add a failing [Fact] to Worker.Tests, push, confirm windows-x86 goes red; revert. (Proves exit-code propagation — the whole point.)
• Unreachable-host red: point at a bogus port / stop sshd, confirm the job fails fast, not hangs.
• Concurrency: push two branches back-to-back, confirm the second remote run waits on the lock.
• Nightly: trigger the schedule path, confirm live runs and a forced failure opens an issue.
• Confirm no key material appears in job logs.

Degraded mode

If the tier is down for infra reasons, fall back to the manual windev worktree procedure (isolated C:\build worktree, dotnet build/test -p:Platform=x86 by hand) per merge for worker-touching changes until windows-x86 is green again. See docs/GatewayTesting.md.