Runtime qualification

.node-version selects the exact development runtime. It does not override the package's capability-checked minimum of Node 22.19.0. Use a supported patched release for ordinary use; the old exact floor is an isolated compatibility test. The tested release lanes are explicit in packaging/release/runtime-matrix.json. An engine range does not establish compatibility with every future Node major.

Use TILDE_NODE to select an absolute Node executable. Build commands check that its public Node and libuv headers match its runtime versions. Header discovery checks the selected installation first, then conventional system locations. Set absolute TILDE_NODE_INCLUDE_DIR and TILDE_UV_INCLUDE_DIR when needed. No headers are downloaded automatically. TILDE_CMAKE selects CMake; otherwise the system PATH must provide CMake >=3.24. CTest must belong to that installation. No private experiment directory is a build prerequisite.

For example, set these variables in the command environment and run npm run build, npm run typecheck, and npm test. The npm bootstrap passes each build or product entry point to the selected executable. CMake receives that same executable in its GUI fixture definitions.

Run the full matrix with explicitly selected TILDE_NODE_FLOOR22, TILDE_NODE_LATEST22, TILDE_NODE_LATEST24, and TILDE_NODE_ARCH_SYSTEM binaries:

node scripts/qualify-runtimes.mjs \
  --matrix packaging/release/runtime-matrix.json \
  --evidence /absolute/private/new-run \
  --npm-cache /absolute/private/dependency-cache --acquire

--acquire permits locked npm registry acquisition with lifecycle scripts disabled. Omit it for an offline build using an already prepared cache. Each lane gets a separate source tree, private HOME/XDG state, fresh native build, build/typecheck/product/release/CTest logs, and actual command exit statuses. Reports distinguish missing prerequisites from failed tests. A rerun uses a new evidence directory; retain original failures. Historical protocol checks use the public nine-entry digest fixture; generated headers are rebuilt and checked rather than included as stale build output.

SQLite and Chord probes are separate from native load checks. Product tests also exercise SQLite persistence/recovery and real synthetic native transport traffic. The transport addon calls libuv directly: Node-API v8 is not a cross-major ABI qualification. Rebuild and test against the selected executable and matching headers. Two binaries with the same Node version can embed different libuv versions and need separate evidence. The Arch installed-artifact gate is separate from building against the current host runtime.

The private tray fixture requires a Qt platform theme implementing the status notifier interface. Preserve selected desktop/theme metadata in test children, while excluding host provider/profile credentials. Offscreen/private-bus evidence does not establish actual compositor focus, desktop tray rendering or accessibility.