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1. bradygaster

   added this to the v0.5.0 milestone on Feb 17, 2026
2. bradygaster

   added

   release:v0.5.0Targeted for v0.5.0Targeted for v0.5.0

   type:epicParent issue that decomposes into sub-issuesParent issue that decomposes into sub-issues

   on Feb 17, 2026
3. bradygaster commented on Feb 17, 2026

   

   bradygaster

   on Feb 17, 2026

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   ---

   🎯 Insider Program & Release Cadence (PERMANENT INFRASTRUCTURE)

   v0.5.0's mandatory beta program revealed the need for ongoing testing infrastructure with predictable release cadence. Three-agent consultation (Keaton: program structure, McManus: community engagement, Kobayashi: release automation) designed permanent systems.

   Program Overview

   Squad Insiders — 5-10 (growing to 20+) experienced users who test pre-releases 7-10 days before public ship, validate exit criteria, and give structured feedback.

   Benefits:

   • Early access (pre-release builds 3-7 days before GA)
   • Recognition (CONTRIBUTORS.md, CHANGELOG credits)
   • Direct line (#squad-insiders Discord, fast-tracked issues)
   • Influence (roadmap voting, design feedback sessions)

   Commitment:

   • Breaking-change releases: Test within 48-72h, validate 1-2 assigned exit criteria (2-4 hours per release)
   • Minor releases: Optional participation
   • No code contributions required (valued but not mandatory)

   Entry paths:

   1. Invitation (Lead/DevRel invite based on production usage, contributions, technical depth)
   2. Application (open via GitHub Discussions, rolling acceptance)
   3. Auto-qualify (3+ merged PRs, significant contribution)

   Exit: Opt-out anytime (no penalty). Inactive for 3+ releases → alumni status (keep Discord, lose early builds, can rejoin).

   v0.5.0 Integration

   Beta testers become inaugural insiders. At v0.5.0 ship (March 16), invite each beta tester to join permanent program. Opt-in, same access/feedback loop, now ongoing.

   Cohort growth: Start 5-10 (v0.5.0), add 3-5 per major release, cap at ~30.

   Release Cadence

   Pre-1.0 (Current):

   • Milestone-driven with 4-6 week time caps
   • Breaking changes: 2-week insider beta (e.g., v0.5.0 directory rename)
   • Patches: 1-3 day express lane (skip insider testing)

   Post-1.0 (Future):

   • Biweekly releases (every 2 weeks, Fridays)
   • Predictable rhythm builds user trust
   • Milestone overflow rolls to next release (no rush pressure)

   Three-Tier Testing Process

   Tier	Scope	Process	Gate
   Tier 1: Patches	Bug fixes, docs, non-breaking	CI + smoke test, 1-3 days	CI green
   Tier 2: Minor	New features, additive changes	CI + 1-week insider beta + 6 exit criteria	80% success, zero P0 bugs, docs complete, GHE validated, cross-platform
   Tier 3: Breaking	Breaking changes, migrations	CI + 2-week insider beta + 7 exit criteria	90% success, zero corruption, rollback tested, migration guide documented

   Automation Roadmap (3 Phases)

   Phase 1 (v0.5.0 — Build Now):

   • Pre-release tags (v0.5.0-beta.1, v0.5.0-beta.2)
   • Discord webhooks (auto-post when beta tag created)
   • Exit criteria template (GitHub Issue with checklist)

   Phase 2 (v0.6.0 — Post-Beta Learnings):

   • Migration smoke tests (CI validates upgrade path)
   • Multi-repo test matrix (small/medium/large/mono/multilang fixtures)
   • Feedback collection bot (parse Discussions, auto-update exit criteria)

   Phase 3 (v1.0.0 — Polish for Production):

   • Automated release notes (generate from git log + closed issues)
   • One-click beta promotion (promote to stable when exit criteria met)
   • Health dashboard (install count, upgrade success rate, issue velocity)

   Community Engagement

   Recruitment:

   • Seed cohort (direct outreach to @spboyer, @londospark, @miketsui3a, Jeff Fritz) by March 1
   • Open applications via GitHub Discussions (rolling acceptance, 3-5 day response time)
   • Organic growth (auto-invite after 3+ PRs or 5+ quality issues)

   Recognition:

   • Public credits in release notes and CONTRIBUTORS.md
   • Private Discord channel (#squad-insiders)
   • Blog posts for significant contributions
   • No swag until cohort stabilizes above 20 (deferred to v0.7.0+)

   Communication:

   • Discord #squad-insiders: real-time feedback, Q&A, pre-release announcements
   • GitHub Discussions: formal feedback threads, structured discussions (public for transparency)
   • Direct issues with insider-feedback label: blockers, urgent feedback
   • Monthly check-in threads, quarterly retrospectives

   Onboarding:

   • Welcome package: Insider Playbook, core team intros, first mission (install + report within 7 days)
   • Exit criteria reference (link to v0.5.0 exit criteria as example)
   • Clear opt-out policy (no penalties, alumni tier for graceful exits)

   Implementation Timeline

   Phase	Deliverable	Target Date
   Recruit seed cohort	10 insiders via direct outreach	March 1
   Create infrastructure	Discord channel, GitHub Discussions category, insider playbook	March 5
   v0.5.0 beta testing	Insiders test pre-release (7 days)	March 9–16
   Public launch	Open applications, publish docs, add README badge	March 16 (release day)
   First monthly check-in	Establish cadence	April 1
   First quarterly retro	Structured feedback for v0.6.0 planning	June 1

   Success Metrics

   Recruitment: 10 by March 1, 20 by June 1, 50 by December 1

   Engagement: 70%+ test each pre-release, 5+ actionable feedback per release, 50%+ quarterly retro participation

   Recognition: 100% insiders credited in release notes, 3+ insider blog posts by EOY

   Retention: <30% churn per quarter, alumni tier prevents hard drop-off

   Open Questions for Brady

   1. Discord vs Discussions for #insiders? (Recommendation: Discord for Q&A, Discussions for structured feedback)
   2. Public vs private insider list? (Recommendation: Public in CONTRIBUTORS.md for recognition)
   3. Monetary thank-you for v1.0.0 validation? (Recommendation: Nice but not required, defer to v1.0.0)
   4. Invite existing contributors as insiders retroactively? (Recommendation: Yes — Shayne Boyer, Anton Molchanov auto-qualify)
   5. Share Horizon roadmap with insiders? (Recommendation: Yes, async written format only)

   This infrastructure makes Squad's beta testing repeatable, scales from solo maintainer to distributed team, and creates a contributor pipeline: insiders → contributors → maintainers.

   ---

   Full Recommendations:

   • Keaton (Program Structure): .ai-team/decisions/inbox/keaton-insider-program-structure.md
   • McManus (Community Engagement): .ai-team/decisions/inbox/mcmanus-insider-community-engagement.md
   • Kobayashi (Release Cadence): .ai-team/decisions/inbox/kobayashi-release-cadence-testing.md
4. bradygaster commented on Feb 17, 2026

   

   bradygaster

   on Feb 17, 2026

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   ---

   📦 Shipped Enhancement — PR #80

   docs: add llms.txt outputs to docs build (merged Feb 17 by @danielscholl)

   Adds LLM-discoverable documentation outputs:

   • llms.txt — curated docs index (pages LLMs should prioritize)
   • llms-full.txt — full corpus export (all Squad docs in one file)
   • *.html.md — markdown companions aligned to rendered page URLs

   Why it ships with v0.5.0: Enhances discoverability for AI tooling that wants to learn Squad. Low-risk documentation enhancement, already merged and tested.

   Implementation: Updated docs/build.js with shared frontmatter stripping helper, clean snippet extraction for readable descriptions.
5. bradygaster commented on Feb 17, 2026

   

   bradygaster

   on Feb 17, 2026

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   📦 Shipped Enhancement — PR #89

   fix: mcp discord notifications setup instructions (merged Feb 17 by @digitaldrummerj)

   Fixes Issue #88 (Discord docs outdated) - updates MCP Discord notification setup instructions.

   Impact on v0.5.0 scope: Removes #88 from deferred list - already fixed by community contribution. One less item to carry into v0.6.0.
6. bradygaster commented on Feb 17, 2026

   

   bradygaster

   on Feb 17, 2026

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   ---

   🔍 Architectural Analysis: Issues #86 and #87

   ✅ Issue #86: Data Loss Bug (CONFIRMED HIGH SEVERITY — Stay in Scope)

   Root cause: Prompt engineering failure — agents lack git discipline. When hitting errors, agents use git checkout to undo without checking for other uncommitted changes → wipes out prior work from same session.

   NOT migration-related. This bug exists in v0.4.1 right now. Directory rename has zero impact on git operations.

   Action plan:

   • Week 1 investigation (already planned ✅)
   • If fix is prompt-only (add git safety checks to spawn templates, 2-4h) → bundle into v0.5.0
   • If fix requires complex tooling (8-12h) → defer to v0.5.1 patch
   • Gate: Validate across 3-4 "agent errors and tries to undo" scenarios before ship

   ---

   ❌ Issue #87: Workflows Assume npm (Stay Deferred to v0.6.0)

   Root cause: Template generation doesn't detect project type. Squad was built FOR Squad (npm), so templates reflect that. Non-npm projects (Python, .NET, Java, Go) hit wrong assumptions.

   Architectural verdict: NOT architectural. Doesn't affect Squad's core (agents, memory, coordinator) — it's template polish.

   Why defer:

   1. Scope protection — v0.5.0 is 242h. Project type detection adds +16-22h (6-8% timeline increase)
   2. Risk mismatch — v0.5.0 risk is state corruption (catastrophic). squad- workflows seem to assume a particular project type? #87 risk is "wrong template" (annoying but 10-second workaround)
   3. Beta complexity — Would require multi-language cohort vs. focused migration testing
   4. Natural v0.6.0 fit — Polish release after the last breaking change

   If pulling into v0.5.0: Add 2 weeks to timeline (Mar 16 → Mar 30), recruit multi-language beta, accept diluted feedback. Not recommended.

   ---

   Summary

   Issue	Include?	Why	Effort
   #86	✅ YES (conditional)	Trust-destroying data loss — already planned	6-12h
   #87	❌ NO	Template polish — not architectural	16-22h

   v0.5.0 scope unchanged. Existing plan is correct.
7. bradygaster commented on Feb 20, 2026

   

   bradygaster

   on Feb 20, 2026

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   v0.5.0 Sprint Complete ✅

   All work items shipped:

   Issue	Work	PR
   #71	Remove .ai-team/ deprecation banner from squad.agent.md	#115
   #98	Extract cold-path sections (context pressure reduction)	#114
   #84	Standardize ISO 8601 timestamps	#117
   #85	Decision lifecycle management SKILL.md + archival	#118
   #82	Skills export/import verification + docs + tests	#119
   #62	Version bump 0.5.0 + CI validation + release checklist	#120
   #107	Identity layer (wisdom.md + now.md)	#121
   #108	Email scrub tests	#122
   #106	Verify .squad/ guard workflow blocking	closed (already resolved)
   #76	squad.agent.md token count check	closed (under GHE limit)

   Final test count: 64/64 passing on dev.

   v0.5.0 ready for release merge (dev → preview → main).
8. bradygaster

   closed this as completedon Feb 20, 2026