Roadmap

Current Starting Point

Date: 2026-03-12
Product state: Frozen MVP complete
Validation state: Internal beta passed with conditions on 2026-03-07
Immediate priorities:
- remove silent XPC fallback from release-facing trust assumptions
- make Smart Clean execution honesty match real filesystem behavior
- make Recovery claims match shipped restore behavior
Release-path blocker:
- no Apple signing and notarization credentials are available on the current machine

Dates: 2026-03-16 to 2026-03-28
Goal: harden the current internal-beta build until user-visible execution and recovery claims are defensible.
Focus:
- remove or explicitly development-gate silent XPC fallback
- show explicit failure states when real worker execution is unavailable
- rerun bilingual manual QA on a clean machine
- verify packaged first-launch behavior with a fresh state file
- tighten README, in-app copy, and help content where recovery or execution is overstated
Exit criteria:
- internal beta checklist rerun against the latest packaged build
- unsupported execution paths fail clearly instead of appearing successful
- recovery wording matches the shipped restore behavior

Dates: 2026-03-31 to 2026-04-18
Goal: prove that the highest-value safe cleanup paths have real disk-backed side effects.
Focus:
- expand real Smart Clean execute coverage for top safe target classes
- carry executable structured targets through the worker path
- add stronger scan -> execute -> rescan contract coverage
- make history and completion states reflect real side effects only
Exit criteria:
- top safe cleanup paths show real post-execution scan improvement
- history does not claim success without real side effects
- release-facing docs clearly distinguish supported vs unsupported cleanup paths

Dates: 2026-04-21 to 2026-05-09
Goal: close the gap between Atlas's recovery promise and its shipped restore behavior.
Focus:
- implement physical restore for file-backed recoverable actions where safe
- or narrow product and release messaging if physical restore cannot land safely
- validate restore behavior on real file-backed test cases
- freeze recovery-related copy only after behavior is confirmed
Exit criteria:
- recovery language matches shipped behavior
- file-backed recoverable actions either restore physically or are no longer described as if they do
- QA has explicit evidence for restore behavior on the candidate build

These milestones do not start until Apple release credentials are available.

Trigger:
- Developer ID Application is available
- Developer ID Installer is available
- ATLAS_NOTARY_PROFILE is available
Goal: produce a signed and notarized external beta candidate.
Focus:
- pass ./scripts/atlas/signing-preflight.sh
- rerun signed packaging
- validate signed .app, .dmg, and .pkg install paths on a clean machine
- prepare public beta notes and known limitations
Exit criteria:
- signed and notarized artifacts install without bypass instructions
- clean-machine install verification passes on the signed candidate

Trigger:
- Conditional Milestone A is complete
Goal: run a small external beta after internal hardening is already complete.
Focus:
- use a hardware-diverse trusted beta cohort
- triage install, permission, execution, and restore regressions
- close P0 issues before any GA candidate is named
Exit criteria:
- no public-beta P0 remains open
- primary workflows are validated on more than one machine profile

Trigger:
- Conditional Milestone B is complete
Goal: publish v1.0 only after trust, recovery, and signed distribution all align.
Focus:
- rerun full acceptance and signed packaging on the GA candidate
- freeze release notes, notices, acknowledgements, and checksums
- validate launch candidate install and first-run flow on a clean machine
Exit criteria:
- no open P0 release blocker
- signed packaging, install validation, and release docs are complete
- v1.0 artifacts are published