Status: Accepted
Date: 2026-06-30

Context

The skill-auditor binary had no install path beyond go install and manual GitHub release downloads. Users needed to compile from source or navigate release assets. GoReleaser already produced cross-platform tarballs on every tagged release, but no install automation consumed them.

Decision

Adopt a multi-method distribution strategy with four install paths:

1. install.sh — curl-pipe POSIX shell script from GitHub Releases (scripts/install.sh). Detects OS/arch, resolves latest release tag via GitHub API, downloads matching tarball, verifies checksums, installs to /usr/local/bin.
2. Homebrew tap — pantheon-org/homebrew-tap with GoReleaser auto-pushing Formula/skill-auditor.rb on every release (ADR-008).
3. mise plugin — Use ubi backend (Option A) initially, which auto-discovers GitHub releases. No custom plugin needed.
4. update command — skill-auditor update --check that checks for newer releases and performs a temp-file binary swap.

Consequences

• Four install paths covering POSIX, Homebrew users, mise users, and existing binary users
• Install discovery happens via README.md and skill-auditor update --check
• Homebrew tap requires separate repo creation and a PAT secret
• mise ubi backend works out of the box for GitHub releases without custom plugin maintenance
• The update command is the upgrade path for users who installed via install.sh