Submit the package-manager manifests

This guide is for maintainers. After a release, winget, Scoop, Homebrew and Flathub need a manifest that names the new version and the checksums of its packages. The files are generated; submitting them is a pull request to each package manager's repository.

Get the filled-in manifests

The release workflow generates them for every release. Download the package-manager-manifests-X.Y.Z artifact from the Release run of the tag (for a release made by Release Please, the packages job of the Release Please run):

gh run download <run id> --name package-manager-manifests-1.0.0 --dir manifests

Or generate them locally from the published release; the script downloads SHA256SUMS.txt from the release and reads the commit from the tag:

git fetch --tags
python3 packaging/manifests/update_manifests.py --tag v1.0.0 --output manifests

The templates live under packaging/manifests/ and the Flatpak manifest under packaging/flatpak/; change those, never the generated copies. The output mirrors the layout of the target repositories:

File	Package manager	Package
winget/manifests/d/DimitriosKafetzis/NMEASimulatorX/<version>/*.yaml	winget	NSIS installer
scoop/bucket/nmeasimulatorx.json	Scoop, extras bucket	Portable ZIP
homebrew/Casks/nmeasimulatorx.rb	Homebrew tap dimitrios-kafetzis/tap	Disk images, arm64 and x86_64
flathub/io.github.dimitrios_kafetzis.NMEASimulatorX.yml	Flathub	Built from the tagged source

winget

The manifests go into microsoft/winget-pkgs. Unsigned installers are accepted; the pipeline scans them with Microsoft Defender.

1. On Windows, validate and test-install the manifests:

   winget validate --manifest manifests\winget\manifests\d\DimitriosKafetzis\NMEASimulatorX\1.0.0
   winget settings --enable LocalManifestFiles
   winget install --manifest manifests\winget\manifests\d\DimitriosKafetzis\NMEASimulatorX\1.0.0
   

2. Fork microsoft/winget-pkgs, copy the version folder to the same path in the fork, commit it on a new branch and open a pull request titled New package: DimitriosKafetzis.NMEASimulatorX version 1.0.0 (later: New version: ...). Fill in the checklist of the pull request template.

3. The validation bot labels the pull request; a moderator merges it. Users then run winget install DimitriosKafetzis.NMEASimulatorX.

wingetcreate submit --token <token> <folder> does steps 2 and 3 in one command if you prefer.

Scoop

The manifest is meant for the ScoopInstaller/Extras bucket, which hosts GUI applications.

1. Test it locally:

   scoop install .\manifests\scoop\bucket\nmeasimulatorx.json
   nmeasim --version
   scoop uninstall nmeasimulatorx
   

2. Fork ScoopInstaller/Extras, copy the file to bucket/nmeasimulatorx.json and open a pull request titled nmeasimulatorx: Add version 1.0.0, following the bucket's contribution guide.

3. Once merged, later versions need no pull request: the bucket's update bot reads checkver and autoupdate from the manifest, finds new GitHub releases and takes the hash from their SHA256SUMS.txt.

Homebrew

Since 1 September 2026 the official homebrew/cask repository disables casks whose applications fail Gatekeeper, and brew install --no-quarantine no longer exists. NMEA Simulator X is signed ad hoc but not notarised (ADR 0005), so it cannot live in homebrew/cask. It is published in a tap of its own instead.

1. Once: create the public repository Dimitrios-Kafetzis/homebrew-tap with a Casks/ folder and a README that says how to install.

2. Test the cask:

   brew tap-new --no-git dimitrios-kafetzis/local
   cp manifests/homebrew/Casks/nmeasimulatorx.rb "$(brew --repository)/Library/Taps/dimitrios-kafetzis/homebrew-local/Casks/"
   brew audit --cask --online dimitrios-kafetzis/local/nmeasimulatorx
   brew install --cask dimitrios-kafetzis/local/nmeasimulatorx
   brew uninstall --cask nmeasimulatorx && brew untap dimitrios-kafetzis/local
   

3. Copy nmeasimulatorx.rb to Casks/ in homebrew-tap, commit and push. Users run brew install --cask dimitrios-kafetzis/tap/nmeasimulatorx; the cask's caveat reminds them of the one-time Open Anyway step.

Flathub

A new application is submitted once through flathub/flathub; after acceptance it gets its own repository, flathub/io.github.dimitrios_kafetzis.NMEASimulatorX, where updates are pull requests.

1. Build and lint the generated manifest locally:

   flatpak install -y flathub org.flatpak.Builder
   flatpak run --command=flathub-build org.flatpak.Builder --install \
       manifests/flathub/io.github.dimitrios_kafetzis.NMEASimulatorX.yml
   flatpak run --command=flatpak-builder-lint org.flatpak.Builder \
       manifest manifests/flathub/io.github.dimitrios_kafetzis.NMEASimulatorX.yml
   flatpak run --command=flatpak-builder-lint org.flatpak.Builder repo repo
   flatpak run io.github.dimitrios_kafetzis.NMEASimulatorX
   

2. First submission: fork flathub/flathub, create a branch from new-pr, add the manifest at the top level and open a pull request against new-pr titled Add io.github.dimitrios_kafetzis.NMEASimulatorX. Explain the permissions in the description: --device=all for serial ports, --share=network for the network outputs and map tiles, --filesystem=home for profiles, tracks and logs opened by path.

3. Reviewers build it with bot, build. After acceptance, log in to flathub.org with the GitHub account to verify the io.github.dimitrios_kafetzis identifier.
4. Updates: replace the manifest in flathub/io.github.dimitrios_kafetzis.NMEASimulatorX with the newly generated one and open a pull request; Flathub builds x86_64 and aarch64 and publishes on merge.

The Flathub build also reads the AppStream metadata from the tagged source; its release list comes from CHANGELOG.md, so it is correct for every tag Release Please creates.