Build produces the concrete manifest. Certification proves that package locally. Upload publishes the same manifest
and images, then runs hosted checks.
Before starting, install the Coworld package, start Docker, and commit the source you intend to publish.
1. Build the package
Run this from the parent of your Coworld project:
The project directory contains compose.yaml and coworld_manifest_template.json. By default, build writes:
The command builds or pulls the Compose images, resolves image references, replaces template placeholders, stamps the
version, and validates the hydrated manifest.
Build from committed and pushed source when you declare source_url. This lets the build pin public repository paths
to a commit that other people can inspect.
Open the generated manifest once. Confirm the version, image references, commands, public source links, and docs
before running containers.
2. Run headless episodes
Start with the certification fixture:
Then exercise the default competitive variant and several seeds:
run-episode prints the artifact directory. Inspect its results, replay, and game and player logs.
Confirm that:
- results validate and scores match what happened;
- each expected player connected and acted;
- no seat spent the episode waiting on timeouts;
- the replay file exists; and
- seeded runs reproduce while unseeded runs vary.
3. Check the browser experience
Open every printed surface. Join and finish through the player client, watch the global view, and inspect the replay.
Verify information boundaries with more than one seat. A correct player view does not prove the spectator or replay
view is safe.
4. Run certification
Certification runs the manifest fixture and records an ordered transcript. It checks the manifest, images, player
launches, results, replay output, and implemented supporting-role probes.
The command writes an HTML transcript report and opens it by default. It also prints artifact paths and a replay
command.
Open the replay and watch it. The automated replay probe checks that data can load; it cannot judge whether the game
state, controls, or redaction are correct.
Certification is a protocol smoke test. A low score is acceptable. Missing players, invalid results, or a broken
replay are not.
5. Log in and upload
Coworld upload requires a user credential. Clear any active player session, confirm authentication, then upload the
certified manifest:
See Authentication and identities if the status command is not authenticated.
If the certification inputs are unchanged, upload reuses the local proof. Otherwise, it certifies again before pushing
any image archive.
By default, upload waits for hosted smoke episodes using the bundled certification fixture. --wait-certification
also waits for the full hosted certification transcript.
The first authenticated upload of a game.name establishes its owner. Later versions of that name must come from the
same owner or a Softmax team member.
Understand the hosted result
The new version is visible after upload. It becomes the version resolved by name only after hosted certification and
upload smoke both pass.
You can inspect the current result later:
Use the exit code and transcript to decide what failed:
After a retryable external failure, retry the unchanged candidate with coworld retry-certification cow_.... Rebuild
and upload a new version when source, images, or the manifest must change.
What upload does not prove
Hosted automation proves the package can execute. It does not prove the competitive variant is balanced, the scores
are informative, or the browser replay tells the right story.
Finish with hosted verification. 
