Timers 1.7.0: the LTC capture tool ships prebuilt, for Apple silicon and Intel

The tool used to be compiled by the macOS app build, or by the module
itself on the booth with swiftc — and a catalog install got source only,
which the unbundled 1.10.0 shell made every fresh install. Under the module
guide's rule it now ships built: bin/ltc-capture-macos-arm64 and
bin/ltc-capture-macos-x86_64, signed with the Developer ID (hardened
runtime, audio-input entitlement), from native/ltc-capture.swift via
native/build.sh. Nothing is built or looked for on the machine any more:
captureTool() picks the binary for this platform, and where there is none
— Windows, until a Windows implementation exists — timecode reports itself
off in the tile and the health line while the rest of the module runs.
The runtime build, its "building…" states and the device picker's build
kick are gone with it. The old top-level binary is no longer gitignored
(it is no longer written).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5.1 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.gitignore

@@ -8,12 +8,11 @@ dist/
 config/modules.json
 config/layouts/
 
-# compiled per-machine, source sits next to it
-modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture
-
 # the launcher's build output, and its cache of the Node runtime it embeds
 launcher/macos/build/
 launcher/macos/.cache/
+launcher/windows/build/
+launcher/windows/.cache/
 
 # Compiled per-machine, source sits next to it (see spl-capture.swift).
 modules/spl-meter/spl-capture

CLAUDE.md

@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@
 Modular production dashboard web app for Waters Church, developed in this repo.
 The app lives at the repo root and is built: zero-dependency Node server
 (`server.js`, Node 18+), dashboard shell client in `public/`, admin page at
-`/admin`, modules in `modules/`, and a native macOS menu-bar launcher in
+`/admin`, modules in `modules/` (the repo's copies — a packaged install ships
+none and installs them from the admin page's catalog), and a native macOS menu-bar launcher in
 `launcher/macos/` (Swift, no dependencies — the shipped macOS app: it carries
 the server and its own Node runtime, supervises them, and owns the macOS
 permissions modules declare; see its README). Runtime state (module

README.md

@@ -30,11 +30,23 @@ and a clear degraded state, then recover on their own.
 
 ## Run it
 
+Ready-made builds are on the
+[Releases page](http://chronicles-ab.waterschurch.org:3000/michael/ProdDash/releases);
+the files themselves live in
+[ProdDash-releases](http://chronicles-ab.waterschurch.org:3000/michael/ProdDash-releases).
+There is a disk image for Apple silicon Macs, one for Intel Macs, and a
+bundle for 64-bit Windows. Every build updates itself afterwards from the
+admin page, so the download only has to be recent, not current.
+
 ### macOS — the app
 
-Open the disk image and drag **ProdDash** to Applications. That's the whole
+Download the disk image for your Mac — `ProdDash-<version>-arm64.dmg` for
+Apple silicon, `ProdDash-<version>-x86_64.dmg` for Intel — open it and drag
+**ProdDash** to Applications. That's the whole
 installation: the app carries the dashboard and its own Node runtime, so
-nothing else has to be installed and nothing can be missing. It lives in the
+nothing else has to be installed. It carries no modules — open **Admin →
+Available modules**, tick the ones this machine needs and press **Install
+selected**; each updates on its own from then on. It lives in the
 menu bar, starts and stops the server, can open at login, and holds the
 permissions the modules need — the microphone the LTC listener reads, and
 local network access for ProdCom and ProPresenter. macOS grants those to the
@@ -43,12 +55,26 @@ a launchd job) simply doesn't have them, and an LTC input goes silently to
 zeroes.
 
 Build the disk image from a checkout with
-[launcher/macos](launcher/macos)/`build.sh`:
+[launcher/macos](launcher/macos)/`build.sh` (`ARCH=x86_64` in front of it
+for Intel):
 
 ```bash
 cd launcher/macos && ./build.sh --dmg
 ```
 
+### Windows — the bundle
+
+Download `ProdDash-<version>-win-x64.zip`, unzip it somewhere you can write
+to — `C:\ProdDash`, say, not Program Files, because updates write into the
+folder — and double-click **ProdDash.bat**. The window it opens is the
+dashboard running: it stays open, and it starts the server again when the
+admin page applies an update. Allow `node.exe` on private networks when the
+firewall asks, so other screens can reach it. Settings and layouts live in
+`%APPDATA%\ProdDash`, so a new bundle never loses them. To start with
+Windows, put a shortcut to `ProdDash.bat` in `shell:startup`. There is no
+menu-bar-style launcher for Windows yet; the bundle is built with
+[launcher/windows](launcher/windows)/`build.sh`.
+
 ### Anywhere else, or from a checkout
 
 Requires [Node.js](https://nodejs.org) 18 or newer.
@@ -179,13 +205,15 @@ below. Nothing is installed without someone clicking.
 - **Available modules** lists modules in the repo that aren't installed
   here. **Install** downloads the module into the data directory's `modules/`
   and starts it right away — nothing is written into the app folder, and no
-  restart is needed. Modules that ship with your copy of ProdDash are
-  "bundled"; ones you installed are "installed"; if both exist, the newer
-  version runs.
+  restart is needed. Tick several and press **Install selected** to fetch
+  them in one go. A packaged ProdDash (the app, the Windows bundle) ships
+  with no modules at all: this list is how every one of them arrives, and a
+  ProdDash update never brings one along. A git checkout also runs the
+  modules in its own tree ("bundled"); if both exist, the newer version runs.
 - **Uninstall** on a module card removes an installed module's files. For a
-  bundled module (its folder belongs to the app) it hides the module from
-  every dashboard instead; it reappears under Available modules and can be
-  brought back without downloading. Settings are kept either way.
+  checkout's bundled module (its folder belongs to the repo) it hides the
+  module from every dashboard instead; it reappears under Available modules
+  and can be brought back without downloading. Settings are kept either way.
 - **Module updates**: when the repo has a newer version of an installed
   module, its card shows **Update to vX**.
 - **Version requirements**: every module declares the ProdDash versions it

docs/MODULE-GUIDE.md

@@ -96,13 +96,16 @@ modules/<id>/
 **Installation is exactly this:** in the admin page, open **Available
 modules** and press **Install** — the module is downloaded from the ProdDash
 repo into the server's data directory (`<data dir>/modules/<id>/`) and starts
-immediately. Developing locally? Drop the folder into `modules/` (bundled
-with the checkout) or into the data directory's `modules/` and restart. No
-shell code changes, ever. Modules bundled with a checkout and modules
-installed from the admin page live side by side; when both have the same id
-the newer version runs. **Uninstall** in the admin page removes an installed
-module's files (a bundled one is hidden instead, since its folder belongs to
-the app); its settings are kept for a later reinstall.
+immediately. A packaged ProdDash — the macOS app, the Windows bundle — ships
+with **no modules at all**: every one of them arrives this way, and the
+shell's own update never brings one along, so what is in git is exactly what
+runs on a booth. Developing locally? A git checkout runs whatever is in its
+own `modules/` folder (the repo's copies, "bundled"), or drop a folder into
+the data directory's `modules/` and restart. No shell code changes, ever. In
+a checkout the two live side by side; when both have the same id the newer
+version runs. **Uninstall** in the admin page removes an installed module's
+files (in a checkout, the tree's copy is hidden instead, since that folder
+belongs to the repo); its settings are kept for a later reinstall.
 
 ### Native helpers
 

launcher/macos/README.md

@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ the cycle rather than spinning forever.
 ```bash
 ./build.sh                 # build/ProdDash.app — the whole application
 ./build.sh --dmg           # …and build/ProdDash-<version>-arm64.dmg
+ARCH=x86_64 ./build.sh --dmg   # the same for Intel Macs (…-x86_64.dmg)
 ./build.sh --install       # …and copy it to /Applications
 ./build.sh --run           # …and open it
 ./build.sh --notarize      # with --dmg: notarise and staple (Developer ID)
@@ -68,9 +69,10 @@ Builds for **Apple Silicon**. To change that, or to move to a newer Node, edit
 against nodejs.org's published checksums either way.
 
 The app icon is built from `public/icons/icon-512.png`, so ProdDash's own icon
-is the app's icon. A module's native helper is compiled during the build
-(`<name>.swift` beside a module's files becomes `<name>`), so the Mac running
-ProdDash never needs a compiler.
+is the app's icon. The app carries no modules: they are installed from the
+admin page's catalog into the data directory, and a module's native helper
+ships prebuilt inside it (see the module guide), so the Mac running ProdDash
+never needs a compiler.
 
 ## Signing
 

launcher/macos/build.sh

@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 #!/bin/zsh
 # Build ProdDash.app — the whole application: launcher, server and its own
-# Node runtime, with nothing to install first.
+# Node runtime, with nothing to install first. It carries no modules: those
+# come from the admin page's catalog into the data directory, and a module's
+# native helper ships prebuilt inside it (docs/MODULE-GUIDE.md).
 #
 #   ./build.sh                 build/ProdDash.app, self-contained
 #   ./build.sh --dmg           …and build/ProdDash-<version>-arm64.dmg
@@ -11,6 +13,8 @@
 #   ./build.sh --dev           launcher only — no Node, no server payload, so
 #                              it runs against the checkout. Seconds, not
 #                              minutes, while working on the launcher itself.
+#   ARCH=x86_64 ./build.sh     the same for Intel Macs (default: arm64, Apple
+#                              silicon); the Node it embeds follows.
 #
 # Signing: a "Developer ID Application" certificate is used when one is
 # installed (override with CODESIGN_IDENTITY). Without one the app is signed
@@ -27,8 +31,13 @@ LAUNCHER_VERSION="1.0.0"
 # The Node the app ships. Bump it here; the download is checksum-verified
 # against nodejs.org's own SHASUMS256.txt and cached in .cache/.
 NODE_VERSION="v24.21.0"
-ARCH="arm64"
+ARCH="${ARCH:-arm64}"   # arm64 (Apple silicon) or x86_64 (Intel)
 DEPLOYMENT_TARGET="13.0"
+case "$ARCH" in
+  arm64) NODE_ARCH="arm64" ;;
+  x86_64) NODE_ARCH="x64" ;;   # nodejs.org's name for it
+  *) echo "build.sh: ARCH must be arm64 or x86_64, not $ARCH" >&2; exit 2 ;;
+esac
 
 REPO_ROOT="../.."
 OUT_DIR="build"
@@ -106,7 +115,7 @@ fi
 
 # ── the server, and the Node that runs it ────────────────────────────────
 if [[ $DEV -eq 0 ]]; then
-  TARBALL="node-$NODE_VERSION-darwin-$ARCH.tar.gz"
+  TARBALL="node-$NODE_VERSION-darwin-$NODE_ARCH.tar.gz"
   mkdir -p "$CACHE_DIR"
   if [[ ! -f "$CACHE_DIR/$TARBALL" ]]; then
     echo "  fetching Node $NODE_VERSION (~50 MB, cached for next time)"
@@ -125,25 +134,16 @@ if [[ $DEV -eq 0 ]]; then
   echo "  embedding Node $NODE_VERSION"
   mkdir -p "$CONTENTS/Resources/node/bin"
   tar -xzf "$CACHE_DIR/$TARBALL" -C "$CONTENTS/Resources/node/bin" --strip-components 2 \
-    "node-$NODE_VERSION-darwin-$ARCH/bin/node"
+    "node-$NODE_VERSION-darwin-$NODE_ARCH/bin/node"
 
-  echo "  embedding ProdDash $VERSION"
+  echo "  embedding ProdDash $VERSION (no modules — the catalog installs them)"
   mkdir -p "$PAYLOAD/config"
   cp "$REPO_ROOT/server.js" "$REPO_ROOT/package.json" "$PAYLOAD/"
-  cp -R "$REPO_ROOT/public" "$REPO_ROOT/modules" "$PAYLOAD/"
+  cp -R "$REPO_ROOT/public" "$PAYLOAD/"
   # Only the checked-in defaults: config/ also holds this machine's own
   # modules.json and layouts when ProdDash has ever run from the checkout.
   cp "$REPO_ROOT/config/proddash.json" "$PAYLOAD/config/"
   find "$PAYLOAD" -name '.DS_Store' -delete
-
-  # A module's native helper is built here, so the Mac running ProdDash needs
-  # no compiler: <name>.swift beside a module's files becomes <name>.
-  for source in "$PAYLOAD"/modules/*/*.swift; do
-    [[ -e "$source" ]] || continue
-    helper="${source%.swift}"
-    echo "  compiling $(basename "$(dirname "$source")")/$(basename "$helper")"
-    swiftc -O -target "$ARCH-apple-macos$DEPLOYMENT_TARGET" -o "$helper" "$source"
-  done
 fi
 
 # ── signing ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -165,16 +165,6 @@ fi
 if [[ -f "$CONTENTS/Resources/node/bin/node" ]]; then
   codesign "${SIGN[@]}" --entitlements Resources/node.entitlements "$CONTENTS/Resources/node/bin/node"
 fi
-if [[ $DEV -eq 0 ]]; then
-  for helper in "$PAYLOAD"/modules/*/*; do
-    # A compiled helper is the extensionless executable beside a module's
-    # sources — test the name, not the path, which has dots all over it.
-    name=$(basename "$helper")
-    [[ -f "$helper" && -x "$helper" && "$name" != *.* ]] || continue
-    echo "  signing $name"
-    codesign "${SIGN[@]}" --entitlements Resources/helper.entitlements "$helper"
-  done
-fi
 codesign "${SIGN[@]}" --entitlements Resources/ProdDash.entitlements --identifier "$BUNDLE_ID" "$APP"
 codesign --verify --deep --strict "$APP" && echo "  signature verifies"
 

launcher/windows/build.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+#!/bin/zsh
+# Build the Windows bundle — ProdDash-<version>-win-x64.zip: the dashboard,
+# its own Node runtime and a start script, so nothing has to be installed on
+# the Windows machine. Unzip, double-click ProdDash.bat, done. It carries no
+# modules: those come from the admin page's catalog into %APPDATA%\ProdDash.
+#
+#   ./build.sh                 build/ProdDash-<version>-win-x64.zip
+#
+# Builds on macOS or Linux (zsh, curl, shasum, unzip, zip). Node for Windows
+# comes from nodejs.org, checksum-verified against its SHASUMS256.txt and
+# cached in .cache/. There is no Windows launcher app yet: ProdDash.bat keeps
+# the server running and starts it again when the admin page applies an
+# update (the server exits with code 75 to ask for that).
+set -e -u
+cd "$(dirname "$0")"
+
+APP_NAME="ProdDash"
+# The Node the bundle ships — keep in step with launcher/macos/build.sh.
+NODE_VERSION="v24.21.0"
+NODE_DIST="node-$NODE_VERSION-win-x64"
+
+REPO_ROOT="../.."
+OUT_DIR="build"
+CACHE_DIR=".cache"
+
+for tool in curl shasum unzip zip; do
+  command -v "$tool" >/dev/null || { echo "build.sh: $tool not found" >&2; exit 1; }
+done
+
+VERSION=$(sed -n 's/.*"version" *: *"\([^"]*\)".*/\1/p' "$REPO_ROOT/package.json" | head -1)
+[[ -n "$VERSION" ]] || { echo "build.sh: can't read the version from package.json" >&2; exit 1; }
+NAME="$APP_NAME-$VERSION-win-x64"
+STAGE="$OUT_DIR/$NAME"
+
+echo "ProdDash $VERSION — building the Windows bundle"
+rm -rf "$OUT_DIR"
+mkdir -p "$STAGE/node" "$STAGE/config" "$CACHE_DIR"
+
+# ── Node for Windows ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+ZIPFILE="$NODE_DIST.zip"
+if [[ ! -f "$CACHE_DIR/$ZIPFILE" ]]; then
+  echo "  fetching Node $NODE_VERSION for Windows (~30 MB, cached for next time)"
+  curl -fsSL --retry 3 -o "$CACHE_DIR/$ZIPFILE.part" "https://nodejs.org/dist/$NODE_VERSION/$ZIPFILE"
+  mv "$CACHE_DIR/$ZIPFILE.part" "$CACHE_DIR/$ZIPFILE"
+fi
+SUMS="$CACHE_DIR/SHASUMS256-$NODE_VERSION.txt"
+[[ -f "$SUMS" ]] || curl -fsSL --retry 3 -o "$SUMS" "https://nodejs.org/dist/$NODE_VERSION/SHASUMS256.txt"
+# This binary ships under ProdDash's name — check it every build.
+WANT=$(awk -v f="$ZIPFILE" '$2 == f {print $1}' "$SUMS")
+GOT=$(shasum -a 256 "$CACHE_DIR/$ZIPFILE" | awk '{print $1}')
+if [[ -z "$WANT" || "$WANT" != "$GOT" ]]; then
+  echo "build.sh: $ZIPFILE does not match nodejs.org's checksum — refusing to ship it" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo "  embedding Node $NODE_VERSION (node.exe and its licence)"
+unzip -q -j "$CACHE_DIR/$ZIPFILE" "$NODE_DIST/node.exe" "$NODE_DIST/LICENSE" -d "$STAGE/node"
+
+# ── ProdDash ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "  embedding ProdDash $VERSION (no modules — the catalog installs them)"
+cp "$REPO_ROOT/server.js" "$REPO_ROOT/package.json" "$STAGE/"
+cp -R "$REPO_ROOT/public" "$STAGE/"
+# Only the checked-in defaults: config/ also holds this machine's own
+# modules.json and layouts when ProdDash has ever run from the checkout.
+cp "$REPO_ROOT/config/proddash.json" "$STAGE/config/"
+find "$STAGE" -name '.DS_Store' -delete
+
+# ── the start script and the read-me, with Windows line endings ──────────
+crlf() { awk '{ printf "%s\r\n", $0 }' > "$1"; }
+
+crlf "$STAGE/ProdDash.bat" <<'BAT'
+@echo off
+rem ProdDash - double-click to start. Keep this window open: closing it stops the dashboard.
+title ProdDash
+cd /d "%~dp0"
+rem The server exits with code 75 after applying an update from the admin page; start it again.
+set PRODDASH_LAUNCHER=1
+:run
+"%~dp0node\node.exe" server.js
+set CODE=%ERRORLEVEL%
+if %CODE% EQU 75 goto run
+echo.
+echo ProdDash stopped (exit code %CODE%). Press any key to close this window.
+pause >nul
+BAT
+
+crlf "$STAGE/README.txt" <<README
+ProdDash $VERSION for Windows (64-bit)
+=======================================
+
+Nothing to install. This folder holds the dashboard and its own copy of Node.
+
+1. Move this folder somewhere you can write to, for example C:\ProdDash
+   (not Program Files: updates write into this folder).
+2. Double-click ProdDash.bat. A window opens and stays open while the
+   dashboard runs; closing it stops the dashboard.
+   - If Windows warns about the file, choose More info, then Run anyway.
+   - When Windows Defender Firewall asks about node.exe, allow it on
+     private networks so other screens can reach the dashboard.
+3. Open http://localhost:24500 on this PC. Other devices on the network use
+   http://<this PC's IP address>:24500. Settings are on the admin page,
+   http://localhost:24500/admin.
+4. The bundle ships without modules. On the admin page, tick the ones this
+   PC needs under Available modules and press Install selected; each one
+   updates on its own from then on.
+
+Your settings and layouts live in %APPDATA%\ProdDash, not in this folder,
+so unzipping a new version or updating never loses them.
+
+Start with Windows: press Win+R, type shell:startup, press Enter, and put a
+shortcut to ProdDash.bat in the folder that opens.
+
+Updates: the admin page's Update now fetches the new version into this
+folder and restarts the dashboard; the window stays open. A copy of the
+version it replaced is kept for a short while in case the new one will not
+start.
+README
+
+# ── zip ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+echo "  zipping"
+(cd "$OUT_DIR" && zip -q -r -X "$NAME.zip" "$NAME")
+echo "built $OUT_DIR/$NAME.zip ($(du -sh "$OUT_DIR/$NAME.zip" | awk '{print $1}'))"

modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-listener.js

@@ -3,8 +3,8 @@
 /**
  * Built-in LTC listener — capture child + in-process decode.
  *
- * Spawns the module's native capture tool (ltc-capture, compiled from
- * ltc-capture.swift beside it) for the admin-configured audio device, reads
+ * Spawns the module's native capture tool (bin/ltc-capture-macos-<arch>,
+ * shipped prebuilt; source in native/) for the admin-configured audio device, reads
  * the interleaved s16le stream, extracts the configured channel, and decodes
  * SMPTE LTC with ltc.js — all inside the module server. Reports upward via
  * onUpdate roughly 4×/s:
@@ -16,17 +16,13 @@
  * shows (short — "Not configured — see Admin"), `detail` is the full story
  * for the admin health line and the log.
  *
- * The capture binary is per-machine (gitignored), and a catalog install or
- * update ships source only — the update even wipes a previously built
- * binary. ensureCaptureBinary() therefore rebuilds it with swiftc in the
- * background as part of coming up: kicked when the LTC source starts and by
- * the admin device picker, never on the event loop (a blocking build once
- * froze the whole server — see spl-meter's history), built to a temp name
- * and renamed so a killed build can't leave a half-written "binary", and
- * rebuilt when a module update leaves the source newer than the binary.
- * A dead capture child is restarted with backoff — fast for a crash, slow
- * for config-shaped failures (unknown device, ambiguity) that never fix
- * themselves.
+ * The capture tool ships prebuilt inside the module, one binary per
+ * platform under bin/ (module guide, "Native helpers"): nothing is ever
+ * built on the machine running ProdDash. captureTool() picks the binary for
+ * this platform; when there is none, timecode reports itself off and the
+ * rest of the module carries on. A dead capture child is restarted with
+ * backoff — fast for a crash, slow for config-shaped failures (unknown
+ * device, ambiguity) that never fix themselves.
  *
  * macOS gotcha this file can't fix: microphone permission. A ProdDash
  * server launched over SSH or from a bare launchd job gets SILENT ZEROS
@@ -51,107 +47,43 @@ const RUNNING_WINDOW_MS = 400;
 /** stderr line the capture prints once the device is open. */
 const CAPTURING_RE = /capturing "(.+)": (\d+) channels @ (\d+) Hz/;
 
-/* ── the capture tool: build it when the install didn't bring one ──────── */
+/* ── the capture tool: prebuilt, one binary per platform ───────────────── */
 
 /** Tile-facing words (short); the detail goes to admin health and the log. */
-const TOOL_BUILDING = 'Capture tool building…';
 const TOOL_MISSING = 'Capture tool unavailable — see Admin';
-const BUILD_HELP = 'LTC capture tool could not be built here — build it on any Mac of the '
-  + 'same architecture with `swiftc -O -o ltc-capture ltc-capture.swift` (both files are in '
-  + 'the module folder) and copy the binary next to ltc-capture.swift';
 
-let building = false;
-let buildFailed = false;
+/** What the module ships in bin/, by platform and architecture. */
+const HELPERS = {
+  darwin: { arm64: 'ltc-capture-macos-arm64', x64: 'ltc-capture-macos-x86_64' },
+  win32: { x64: 'ltc-capture-win-x64.exe' },
+};
 
 /**
- * Make sure the capture tool exists, building it in the background when it
- * does not — module scope, so the LTC source can kick it the moment it
- * starts and the admin device picker can kick it before any device is
- * configured (a listener-only build would deadlock: no tool → no device
- * list → no device → no listener). A catalog install ships source only and
- * a catalog update deletes the module folder (old binary included), so this
- * IS the install step for the tool.
+ * The capture tool for this machine. It is never built here and never
+ * looked for anywhere else: the module ships it, or timecode is off on this
+ * platform and says so. `ready` means a usable binary at `bin`; otherwise
+ * `error` is the short tile text and `detail` names the platform.
  *
- * Never blocks (a synchronous build once held the whole server's event loop
- * — every module — for the duration). Builds to a temp name and renames, so
- * a killed or crashed build can't leave a truncated file that looks like a
- * ready binary. A binary older than the source (a module update over an
- * existing folder) keeps serving while a replacement builds behind it.
- *
- * @returns {{ready:boolean, error:string, detail:string}} `ready` = a binary
- *   is usable right now; otherwise `error` is the short tile text and
- *   `detail` the full one.
+ * @returns {{ready:boolean, bin:string, error:string, detail:string}}
  */
-function ensureCaptureBinary({ moduleDir, log, onReady }) {
-  const bin = path.join(moduleDir, 'ltc-capture');
-  const src = bin + '.swift';
-  const ok = { ready: true, error: '', detail: '' };
-  let haveBin = false;
-  let stale = false;
-  try {
-    haveBin = fs.existsSync(bin);
-    if (haveBin && fs.existsSync(src)) stale = fs.statSync(src).mtimeMs > fs.statSync(bin).mtimeMs;
-  } catch { /* treat as missing */ }
-  if (haveBin && !stale) return ok;
-  if (!fs.existsSync(src)) {
-    return haveBin ? ok : { ready: false, error: TOOL_MISSING, detail: 'ltc-capture.swift is missing from the module folder' };
-  }
-  const notYet = haveBin ? ok : {
+function captureTool(moduleDir, platform = process.platform, arch = process.arch) {
+  const name = HELPERS[platform]?.[arch] || '';
+  const bin = name ? path.join(moduleDir, 'bin', name) : '';
+  if (bin && fs.existsSync(bin)) return { ready: true, bin, error: '', detail: '' };
+  const here = `${platform === 'darwin' ? 'macOS' : platform === 'win32' ? 'Windows' : platform} ${arch}`;
+  return {
     ready: false,
-    error: building || !buildFailed ? TOOL_BUILDING : TOOL_MISSING,
-    detail: building || !buildFailed ? 'Building the LTC capture tool — ready in a moment' : BUILD_HELP,
+    bin: '',
+    error: TOOL_MISSING,
+    detail: `The module ships no LTC capture tool for ${here}${name ? ` (bin/${name} is missing)` : ''} — timecode is off on this machine`,
   };
-  if (building || buildFailed) return notYet;
-
-  building = true;
-  const tmp = bin + '.building';
-  log(stale ? 'ltc-capture is older than its source — rebuilding it in the background'
-    : 'ltc-capture binary missing — building it in the background');
-  const build = spawn('swiftc', ['-O', '-o', tmp, src], { stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'pipe'] });
-  let buildErr = '';
-  build.stderr.setEncoding('utf8');
-  build.stderr.on('data', (t) => { buildErr = (buildErr + t).slice(-800); });
-  const giveUp = setTimeout(() => {
-    try { build.kill('SIGKILL'); } catch { /* already gone */ }
-  }, 300000);
-  giveUp.unref?.();
-  build.on('error', (err) => {
-    clearTimeout(giveUp);
-    building = false;
-    buildFailed = true;
-    try { fs.rmSync(tmp, { force: true }); } catch { /* nothing to clean */ }
-    log(`swiftc could not be run: ${err.message}`);
-  });
-  build.on('exit', (code) => {
-    clearTimeout(giveUp);
-    building = false;
-    if (code === 0 && fs.existsSync(tmp)) {
-      try {
-        fs.renameSync(tmp, bin);
-      } catch (err) {
-        buildFailed = true;
-        log(`ltc-capture built but could not be moved into place: ${err.message}`);
-        return;
-      }
-      buildFailed = false;
-      log('ltc-capture built');
-      if (typeof onReady === 'function') onReady();
-      return;
-    }
-    buildFailed = true;
-    try { fs.rmSync(tmp, { force: true }); } catch { /* nothing to clean */ }
-    log(`ltc-capture build failed (exit ${code})` + (buildErr ? `: ${buildErr.trim().split('\n').pop()}` : ''));
-  });
-  return notYet;
 }
-
 /**
  * @param {{device:string, channel:number, moduleDir:string, log:Function,
  *          onUpdate:(u:object)=>void}} opts
  * @returns {{stop:()=>void}}
  */
 function createLtcListener({ device, channel, moduleDir, log, onUpdate }) {
-  const bin = path.join(moduleDir, 'ltc-capture');
   let child = null;
   let stopped = false;
   let restartTimer = null;
@@ -181,22 +113,11 @@ function createLtcListener({ device, channel, moduleDir, log, onUpdate }) {
 
   function start() {
     if (stopped) return;
-    const tool = ensureCaptureBinary({
-      moduleDir,
-      log,
-      onReady() {
-        // The build this start() was waiting on landed — go now.
-        if (!stopped) { clearTimeout(restartTimer); restartTimer = null; start(); }
-      },
-    });
+    const tool = captureTool(moduleDir);
     if (!tool.ready) {
+      // No binary for this platform: say so and look again later — a module
+      // update remounts us anyway, this is only belt and braces.
       report({ error: tool.error, detail: tool.detail });
-      // onReady is only the FAST path (a successful build restarts us at
-      // once). The slow retry must stay armed regardless: a failed build
-      // never calls back, and a binary can also arrive from outside — scp'd
-      // in on a machine whose toolchain can't build (AB's broken CLT).
-      // Waiting on onReady alone deadlocked exactly that way in production:
-      // "Capture tool building…" forever, with a working binary on disk.
       scheduleRestart(BAD_CONFIG_RETRY_MS);
       return;
     }
@@ -206,7 +127,7 @@ function createLtcListener({ device, channel, moduleDir, log, onUpdate }) {
     let decoder = null;
     let stderrTail = '';
 
-    child = spawn(bin, ['--device', device], { stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'] });
+    child = spawn(tool.bin, ['--device', device], { stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'] });
 
     child.stderr.setEncoding('utf8');
     child.stderr.on('data', (text) => {
@@ -298,4 +219,4 @@ function createLtcListener({ device, channel, moduleDir, log, onUpdate }) {
   };
 }
 
-module.exports = { createLtcListener, ensureCaptureBinary };
+module.exports = { createLtcListener, captureTool };

modules/propresenter-timers/module.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "id": "propresenter-timers",
   "name": "Timers",
-  "version": "1.6.0",
+  "version": "1.7.0",
   "proddash": ">=1.4.0",
   "description": "Timers, Clocks, and LTC From configured Modules",
   "provides": [

modules/propresenter-timers/native/build.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+#!/bin/zsh
+# Build this module's native helper for every macOS architecture it ships —
+#   ../bin/ltc-capture-macos-arm64 and ../bin/ltc-capture-macos-x86_64 —
+# from ltc-capture.swift beside this script. Run it on any Mac with the
+# Xcode command line tools; both architectures cross-compile from either.
+# The binaries are committed: a machine running ProdDash never builds
+# anything (docs/MODULE-GUIDE.md, "Native helpers").
+#
+# Signed with a Developer ID Application certificate when one is installed
+# (override with CODESIGN_IDENTITY) — hardened runtime plus the audio-input
+# entitlement, which a helper that reads a microphone needs under the
+# hardened runtime — and ad-hoc otherwise, which is fine on your own Macs.
+#
+# Windows is not built here: there is no Windows implementation of this
+# tool yet, so on Windows the module reports timecode off.
+set -e -u
+cd "$(dirname "$0")"
+
+NAME="ltc-capture"
+DEPLOYMENT_TARGET="13.0"
+
+command -v swiftc >/dev/null || {
+  echo "build.sh: swiftc not found — install the Xcode command line tools: xcode-select --install" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
+IDENTITY="${CODESIGN_IDENTITY:-}"
+if [[ -z "$IDENTITY" ]]; then
+  IDENTITY=$(security find-identity -v -p codesigning 2>/dev/null \
+    | awk -F'"' '/Developer ID Application/ {print $2; exit}')
+fi
+if [[ -n "$IDENTITY" ]]; then
+  echo "signing as $IDENTITY"
+  SIGN=(--force --sign "$IDENTITY" --options runtime --timestamp)
+else
+  echo "signing ad-hoc (no Developer ID installed — fine on your own Macs)"
+  SIGN=(--force --sign - --options runtime)
+fi
+
+mkdir -p ../bin
+for ARCH in arm64 x86_64; do
+  OUT="../bin/$NAME-macos-$ARCH"
+  echo "  compiling $OUT"
+  swiftc -O -whole-module-optimization -target "$ARCH-apple-macos$DEPLOYMENT_TARGET" -o "$OUT" "$NAME.swift"
+  codesign "${SIGN[@]}" --entitlements helper.entitlements "$OUT"
+  codesign --verify --strict "$OUT"
+  echo "  built $OUT ($(du -h "$OUT" | awk '{print $1}'))"
+done

modules/propresenter-timers/native/helper.entitlements

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
+<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
+<plist version="1.0">
+<dict>
+	<!-- The helper reads an audio input; under the hardened runtime that
+	     needs saying. The permission itself comes from the launcher. -->
+	<key>com.apple.security.device.audio-input</key>
+	<true/>
+</dict>
+</plist>

modules/propresenter-timers/native/ltc-capture.swift

@@ -4,12 +4,12 @@
 // The module decodes LTC in-process (ltc.js) and spawns this to move
 // samples from an input device to a pipe. Production machines rarely have
 // ffmpeg/sox, and shipping a third-party binary for that one job is
-// overkill — this is the whole job, natively. The module compiles it on
-// first use when swiftc is available; otherwise build it once on any
-// same-architecture Mac and copy the binary next to this source:
+// overkill — this is the whole job, natively. It ships prebuilt in the
+// module's bin/ (one binary per platform, committed — a booth never
+// builds anything). To rebuild after a change here, on any Mac with the
+// Xcode command line tools:
 //
-//   swiftc -O -o modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture \
-//     modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture.swift          (once, ~5 s)
+//   modules/propresenter-timers/native/build.sh       (both architectures, ~10 s)
 //
 //   ltc-capture --list
 //       every input-capable device: name, input channels, sample rate

modules/propresenter-timers/server.js

@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@
 const http = require('http');
 const path = require('path');
 const { spawn } = require('child_process');
-const { createLtcListener, ensureCaptureBinary } = require('./ltc-listener');
+const { createLtcListener, captureTool } = require('./ltc-listener');
 const { createTimerPhase } = require('./phase');
 const manifest = require('./module.json');
 
@@ -660,11 +660,8 @@ function createLtcSource({ config, log, moduleDir }) {
     kind: 'ltc',
     start(e) {
       emit = e;
-      // Kick the capture-tool build right away: a catalog install ships
-      // source only and a catalog update wipes any previously built binary,
-      // so coming up after an install/update must rebuild it without
-      // waiting for a device to be picked or a listener to need it.
-      ensureCaptureBinary({ moduleDir, log });
+      // The capture tool ships prebuilt in the module; the listener picks
+      // it for this platform when it starts and says so when there is none.
       if (!device) {
         word = {
           error: 'Not configured — see Admin',
@@ -1359,23 +1356,21 @@ module.exports = {
       },
 
       // The admin device picker asks this machine what it can hear. The
-      // options shape matches the admin select's optionsRoute contract.
-      // Opening the picker also kicks the capture-tool build when a catalog
-      // install/update left only the source — without this, no tool meant
-      // no device list, and no device meant nothing would ever build it.
+      // options shape matches the admin select's optionsRoute contract. The
+      // capture tool ships prebuilt in the module (bin/); with none for this
+      // platform the list is empty and the error says so.
       'GET /ltc/devices': (req, res) => {
-        const tool = ensureCaptureBinary({ moduleDir: __dirname, log });
+        const tool = captureTool(__dirname);
         if (!tool.ready) {
-          sendJson(res, 200, { options: [], error: tool.detail || tool.error });
+          sendJson(res, 200, { options: [], error: tool.detail });
           return;
         }
-        const bin = path.join(__dirname, 'ltc-capture');
-        const child = spawn(bin, ['--list'], { stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'pipe'], timeout: 4000 });
+        const child = spawn(tool.bin, ['--list'], { stdio: ['ignore', 'ignore', 'pipe'], timeout: 4000 });
         let err = '';
         child.stderr.setEncoding('utf8');
         child.stderr.on('data', (t) => { err += t; });
-        child.on('error', () => {
-          sendJson(res, 200, { options: [], error: 'LTC capture tool missing — see modules/propresenter-timers/ltc-capture.swift' });
+        child.on('error', (e) => {
+          sendJson(res, 200, { options: [], error: `LTC capture tool could not be run: ${e.message}` });
         });
         child.on('exit', () => {
           if (res.writableEnded) return;

package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "proddash",
-  "version": "1.9.2",
+  "version": "1.10.0",
   "private": true,
   "description": "Modular production dashboard for Waters Church \u2014 zero-dependency Node server + vanilla client",
   "license": "UNLICENSED",

public/admin/admin.css

@@ -443,6 +443,7 @@ a.btn { text-decoration: none; }
   margin-bottom: 10px;
 }
 .catalog-main { flex: 1; min-width: 0; }
+.catalog-pick { margin: 5px 10px 0 0; flex: none; }
 .catalog-title { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px; }
 .catalog-row .module-desc { margin: 4px 0 2px; }
 .catalog-row .module-health { margin-top: 2px; }

public/admin/admin.js

@@ -962,6 +962,13 @@ async function loadState() {
   for (const mod of state.modules || []) {
     modulesList.appendChild(buildModuleCard(mod));
   }
+  if (!(state.modules || []).length) {
+    // A packaged ProdDash starts like this: the catalog below is the way in.
+    const none = document.createElement('div');
+    none.className = 'layouts-empty';
+    none.textContent = 'Nothing installed yet — pick from Available modules below.';
+    modulesList.appendChild(none);
+  }
   renderPin(state);
   loadTheme();
   loadLayouts();
@@ -1163,6 +1170,7 @@ function renderAvailable(cat) {
     els.updateSlot.appendChild(btn);
   }
   const available = cat.available || [];
+  installSelectedBtn.hidden = available.filter((a) => a.compatible).length < 2;
   if (!available.length) {
     const none = document.createElement('div');
     none.className = 'layouts-empty';
@@ -1205,11 +1213,46 @@ function renderAvailable(cat) {
     btn.disabled = !item.compatible;
     btn.title = item.compatible ? '' : item.reason;
     btn.addEventListener('click', () => installFromCatalog(item, btn));
+    if (item.compatible) {
+      const pick = document.createElement('input');
+      pick.type = 'checkbox';
+      pick.className = 'catalog-pick';
+      pick.dataset.id = item.id;
+      pick.dataset.name = item.name;
+      pick.title = 'Tick several, then Install selected';
+      row.append(pick);
+    }
     row.append(main, btn);
     availableList.appendChild(row);
   }
 }
 
+const installSelectedBtn = document.getElementById('install-selected');
+
+/** The ticked modules, in one request; the answer says which ones landed. */
+async function installSelected() {
+  const picks = [...availableList.querySelectorAll('.catalog-pick:checked')];
+  if (!picks.length) return toast('Tick the modules to install first', true);
+  installSelectedBtn.disabled = true;
+  installSelectedBtn.textContent = `Installing ${picks.length}…`;
+  try {
+    const r = await api('/api/admin/modules/install', { method: 'POST', body: JSON.stringify({ ids: picks.map((p) => p.dataset.id) }) });
+    const done = (r.results || []).filter((x) => x.ok).length;
+    const failed = (r.results || []).filter((x) => !x.ok);
+    toast(failed.length
+      ? `${done} installed; ${failed.map((f) => `${f.id}: ${f.error}`).join(' · ')}`
+      : `${done} module${done === 1 ? '' : 's'} installed`, failed.length > 0);
+    await loadState();
+  } catch (e) {
+    if (e.authRequired) showLogin();
+    else toast(e.message, true);
+  } finally {
+    installSelectedBtn.disabled = false;
+    installSelectedBtn.textContent = 'Install selected';
+  }
+}
+installSelectedBtn.addEventListener('click', installSelected);
+
 async function installFromCatalog(item, btn) {
   btn.disabled = true;
   const label = btn.textContent;

public/admin/index.html

@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@
     <section id="available-section" hidden>
       <h1 class="admin-h1">Available modules</h1>
       <div class="catalog-toolbar">
+        <button class="btn small primary" id="install-selected" hidden>Install selected</button>
         <button class="btn small" id="catalog-refresh">Check again</button>
         <span class="admin-status" id="catalog-status"></span>
       </div>

public/shell.js

@@ -510,6 +510,7 @@ function reconcileOfferedTiles() {
   }
   if (changed) rebuildDividers();
   scheduleOfferedRecheck();
+  refreshEmptyState(); // the registry may have gone from nothing to something
 }
 
 /* A module's entry list can change without anyone saving admin config: PCO
@@ -676,6 +677,15 @@ function buildTile(tile) {
 
 function refreshEmptyState() {
   emptyEl.hidden = tiles.length > 0;
+  if (emptyEl.hidden) return;
+  // Two different empties: a bare board, and a ProdDash with nothing to put
+  // on one — a packaged install starts without modules until Admin adds some.
+  const noModules = registry.size === 0;
+  if (noModules === emptyEl.classList.contains('no-modules')) return;
+  emptyEl.classList.toggle('no-modules', noModules);
+  emptyEl.innerHTML = noModules
+    ? 'No modules yet — <a href="/admin">open Admin</a> and install some under Available modules.'
+    : 'No tiles yet — use “＋ Add tile” to build this dashboard.<br>Every browser keeps its own layout.';
 }
 
 /* ── drag to move ───────────────────────────────────────────────────── */

server.js

@@ -277,6 +277,52 @@ function isUninstalled(id) {
   return moduleState(id).uninstalled === true;
 }
 
+/**
+ * A packaged install that still carries modules in its app folder — every
+ * install made before 1.10.0 does — moves them into the data directory
+ * once, as installed copies, and drops the app-folder copies. Nothing
+ * changes for the operator: the same modules run with the same settings
+ * (config is keyed by module id), and from now on each updates on its own
+ * from the catalog. A compiled helper sitting in a bundled folder travels
+ * with it. A module the operator had uninstalled is simply dropped — the
+ * catalog still offers it, and its settings stay in modules.json.
+ */
+function unbundleModules() {
+  if (!PACKAGED || !fs.existsSync(BUNDLED_MODULES_DIR)) return;
+  const installed = new Map(readManifests(INSTALLED_MODULES_DIR, 'installed').map((m) => [m.id, m]));
+  let moved = 0;
+  let failed = 0;
+  for (const man of readManifests(BUNDLED_MODULES_DIR, 'bundled')) {
+    if (isUninstalled(man.id)) continue;
+    const copy = installed.get(man.id);
+    if (copy && compareVersions(copy.version, man.version) >= 0) continue; // the data directory already has as good or better
+    const dest = path.join(INSTALLED_MODULES_DIR, man.id);
+    const staging = path.join(INSTALLED_MODULES_DIR, `.${man.id}.moving`);
+    try {
+      fs.mkdirSync(INSTALLED_MODULES_DIR, { recursive: true });
+      fs.rmSync(staging, { recursive: true, force: true });
+      fs.cpSync(man.dir, staging, { recursive: true }); // keeps modes: a compiled helper stays executable
+      fs.rmSync(dest, { recursive: true, force: true });
+      fs.renameSync(staging, dest);
+      moved += 1;
+      console.log(`[proddash] moved bundled module "${man.id}" v${man.version} into the data directory${copy ? ` (over the installed v${copy.version})` : ''}`);
+    } catch (err) {
+      failed += 1;
+      console.error(`[proddash] could not move bundled module "${man.id}" into the data directory:`, err?.message || err);
+    }
+  }
+  if (failed) {
+    console.warn(`[proddash] ${failed} bundled module${failed === 1 ? '' : 's'} stay in the app folder for now — tried again at the next start`);
+    return;
+  }
+  try {
+    fs.rmSync(BUNDLED_MODULES_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    console.log(`[proddash] the app folder carries no modules now${moved ? ` — ${moved} moved into the data directory` : ''}; the admin page's catalog installs and updates them`);
+  } catch (err) {
+    console.warn("[proddash] could not remove the app folder's modules:", err?.message || err);
+  }
+}
+
 function moduleState(id) {
   const s = modulesConfig[id];
   return s && typeof s === 'object' ? s : {};
@@ -1235,9 +1281,18 @@ const DATA_DIR_INSIDE_ROOT = (() => {
   return rel.split(path.sep).join('/') + '/';
 })();
 
+/* A packaged install — the macOS app, the Windows bundle: anything that is
+   not a git checkout, the same test the updater uses to choose the archive
+   over git pull — carries no modules of its own. Every module comes from
+   the catalog into the data directory, and the shell's own update never
+   brings one along. A checkout keeps running the modules in its tree, which
+   is what development wants. */
+const PACKAGED = !fs.existsSync(path.join(ROOT, '.git'));
+
 function isKeptOnUpdate(rel) {
   if (rel.startsWith('.git/')) return true;
   if (rel === 'config/modules.json' || rel.startsWith('config/layouts/')) return true;
+  if (PACKAGED && (rel === 'modules' || rel.startsWith('modules/'))) return true;
   return Boolean(DATA_DIR_INSIDE_ROOT) && `${rel}/`.startsWith(DATA_DIR_INSIDE_ROOT);
 }
 
@@ -1580,6 +1635,29 @@ async function handleAdminApi(req, res, urlPath) {
     return;
   }
 
+  // Several at once — a fresh install picking its set. One result per id;
+  // a failure stops nothing else.
+  if (urlPath === '/api/admin/modules/install' && req.method === 'POST') {
+    if (refuseAdminWrite(req, res)) return;
+    let body = {};
+    try {
+      body = JSON.parse((await readBody(req)) || '{}');
+    } catch {
+      return sendJson(res, 400, { error: 'Malformed request.' });
+    }
+    const ids = Array.isArray(body.ids) ? [...new Set(body.ids.map((id) => String(id)))] : [];
+    if (!ids.length) return sendJson(res, 400, { error: 'Nothing to install.' });
+    const results = [];
+    for (const id of ids) {
+      try {
+        results.push({ ok: true, ...(await installModule(id)) });
+      } catch (err) {
+        results.push({ ok: false, id, error: err?.message || String(err) });
+      }
+    }
+    return sendJson(res, 200, { ok: results.every((r) => r.ok), results });
+  }
+
   const install = urlPath.match(/^\/api\/admin\/modules\/([^/]+)\/install$/);
   if (install && req.method === 'POST') {
     if (refuseAdminWrite(req, res)) return;
@@ -2074,6 +2152,7 @@ server.requestTimeout = 0;
 
 /* ── boot ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── */
 
+unbundleModules();
 discoverModules();
 mountAllModules();
 

tools/unbundled.test.js

@@ -0,0 +1,203 @@
+'use strict';
+
+/**
+ * A packaged ProdDash carries no modules. This drives a packaged copy of the
+ * shell — server.js and its client in a folder with no .git — through the
+ * three things that make that true:
+ *
+ *   1. an install made before 1.10.0 still has modules in its app folder:
+ *      at boot they move into the data directory once, executables keeping
+ *      their mode, an uninstalled one is dropped, and the app folder's
+ *      modules/ is gone;
+ *   2. a shell update from an archive that carries modules/ never writes
+ *      them into the app folder — they show up in the catalog instead;
+ *   3. a fresh install lists everything the repo offers, and installing
+ *      several at once lands them in the data directory and mounts them.
+ *
+ *   node tools/unbundled.test.js
+ *
+ * Plain Node, no dependencies: a mock forge, a temp app folder, a temp data
+ * directory. Exits non-zero on the first failure and cleans up after itself.
+ */
+
+const assert = require('node:assert/strict');
+const { spawn, execFileSync } = require('node:child_process');
+const fs = require('node:fs');
+const http = require('node:http');
+const net = require('node:net');
+const os = require('node:os');
+const path = require('node:path');
+
+const REPO = path.join(__dirname, '..');
+
+function freePort() {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    const probe = net.createServer();
+    probe.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', () => {
+      const { port } = probe.address();
+      probe.close(() => resolve(port));
+    });
+    probe.on('error', reject);
+  });
+}
+
+async function waitFor(url, ms = 15000) {
+  const deadline = Date.now() + ms;
+  let last = '';
+  while (Date.now() < deadline) {
+    try {
+      const r = await fetch(url);
+      if (r.ok) return;
+      last = 'HTTP ' + r.status;
+    } catch (err) {
+      last = err.message;
+    }
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 200));
+  }
+  throw new Error('server did not come up: ' + last);
+}
+
+function writeModule(dir, id, version, extra = {}) {
+  fs.mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true });
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, 'module.json'), JSON.stringify({ id, name: id[0].toUpperCase() + id.slice(1), version, client: 'client.js', ...extra }));
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dir, 'client.js'), 'export default function () {}\n');
+}
+
+/** The repo as a forge would archive it: one top-level folder, the shell files, and modules/. */
+function buildArchive(dir) {
+  const top = path.join(dir, 'ProdDash-main');
+  fs.mkdirSync(top, { recursive: true });
+  fs.copyFileSync(path.join(REPO, 'server.js'), path.join(top, 'server.js'));
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(top, 'package.json'), JSON.stringify({ name: 'proddash', version: '9.9.9' }));
+  writeModule(path.join(top, 'modules', 'demo'), 'demo', '2.0.0');
+  writeModule(path.join(top, 'modules', 'other'), 'other', '1.0.0');
+  writeModule(path.join(top, 'modules', 'third'), 'third', '1.0.0');
+  const out = path.join(dir, 'main.tar.gz');
+  execFileSync('tar', ['-czf', out, '-C', dir, 'ProdDash-main']);
+  return fs.readFileSync(out);
+}
+
+/** A packaged install as it was before 1.10.0: the shell plus bundled modules, no .git. */
+function buildPackagedApp(app) {
+  fs.mkdirSync(path.join(app, 'config'), { recursive: true });
+  fs.copyFileSync(path.join(REPO, 'server.js'), path.join(app, 'server.js'));
+  fs.copyFileSync(path.join(REPO, 'package.json'), path.join(app, 'package.json'));
+  fs.cpSync(path.join(REPO, 'public'), path.join(app, 'public'), { recursive: true });
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(app, 'config', 'proddash.json'), JSON.stringify({ port: 24500 }));
+  writeModule(path.join(app, 'modules', 'demo'), 'demo', '1.0.0');
+  fs.mkdirSync(path.join(app, 'modules', 'demo', 'bin'));
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(app, 'modules', 'demo', 'bin', 'demo-helper'), '#!/bin/sh\necho helper\n');
+  fs.chmodSync(path.join(app, 'modules', 'demo', 'bin', 'demo-helper'), 0o755);
+  writeModule(path.join(app, 'modules', 'gone'), 'gone', '1.0.0');
+}
+
+(async () => {
+  const work = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'proddash-unbundled-'));
+  const app = path.join(work, 'app');
+  const dataDir = path.join(work, 'data');
+  fs.mkdirSync(dataDir);
+  buildPackagedApp(app);
+  // The operator had uninstalled "gone" before this update.
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(dataDir, 'modules.json'), JSON.stringify({ gone: { uninstalled: true } }));
+  const archive = buildArchive(path.join(work, 'forge'));
+
+  const forge = http.createServer((req, res) => {
+    if (req.url.startsWith('/michael/ProdDash/archive/main.tar.gz')) {
+      res.writeHead(200, { 'Content-Type': 'application/gzip' });
+      return res.end(archive);
+    }
+    res.writeHead(404);
+    res.end();
+  });
+  const forgePort = await freePort();
+  await new Promise((r) => forge.listen(forgePort, '127.0.0.1', r));
+
+  const port = await freePort();
+  const base = `http://127.0.0.1:${port}`;
+  const env = {
+    ...process.env,
+    PRODDASH_DATA_DIR: dataDir,
+    PORT: String(port),
+    PRODDASH_FORGE: `http://127.0.0.1:${forgePort}`,
+    PRODDASH_REPO: 'michael/ProdDash',
+    PRODDASH_NO_REMOTE_CHECK: '1',
+    PRODDASH_LAUNCHER: '1', // a supervisor is watching: an update exits 75 instead of respawning
+  };
+  let log = '';
+  let child = null;
+  const start = () => {
+    child = spawn(process.execPath, ['server.js'], { cwd: app, env, stdio: ['ignore', 'pipe', 'pipe'] });
+    child.stdout.on('data', (d) => { log += d; });
+    child.stderr.on('data', (d) => { log += d; });
+    return child;
+  };
+  const exited = (proc) => new Promise((resolve) => proc.on('exit', resolve));
+  const api = async (p, init = {}) => {
+    const r = await fetch(base + p, { headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' }, ...init });
+    return { status: r.status, body: await r.json().catch(() => ({})) };
+  };
+  const moduleIds = async () => (await api('/api/modules')).body.modules.map((m) => m.id).sort();
+
+  let failed = false;
+  try {
+    // ── 1. the move ──
+    start();
+    await waitFor(base + '/api/theme');
+    const moved = path.join(dataDir, 'modules', 'demo');
+    assert.ok(fs.existsSync(path.join(moved, 'module.json')), 'demo moved into the data directory');
+    const helper = path.join(moved, 'bin', 'demo-helper');
+    assert.ok(fs.existsSync(helper), 'its compiled helper came along');
+    assert.ok(fs.statSync(helper).mode & 0o111, 'and is still executable');
+    assert.equal(fs.existsSync(path.join(dataDir, 'modules', 'gone')), false, 'an uninstalled module is dropped, not moved');
+    assert.equal(fs.existsSync(path.join(app, 'modules')), false, "the app folder's modules/ is gone");
+    assert.deepEqual(await moduleIds(), ['demo'], 'demo runs, gone does not');
+    assert.match(log, /moved bundled module "demo" v1\.0\.0 into the data directory/);
+    assert.match(log, /the app folder carries no modules now/);
+    const state = (await api('/api/admin/state')).body;
+    assert.equal(state.modules.find((m) => m.id === 'demo')?.source, 'installed', 'demo is an installed copy now');
+
+    // The catalog sees the repo's modules/ — as offers, not as a bundle.
+    let cat = (await api('/api/admin/catalog?refresh=1')).body;
+    assert.equal(cat.shell.remote.error, '', 'the mock forge answers: ' + cat.shell.remote.error);
+    assert.deepEqual(cat.updates.map((u) => `${u.id} ${u.installedVersion}->${u.version}`), ['demo 1.0.0->2.0.0']);
+    assert.deepEqual(cat.available.map((a) => a.id).sort(), ['gone', 'other', 'third'].filter((id) => id !== 'gone'), 'other and third are on offer');
+
+    // ── 2. a shell update carries no modules ──
+    const running = child;
+    const up = await api('/api/admin/update', { method: 'POST', body: '{}' });
+    assert.equal(up.status, 200, 'update: ' + JSON.stringify(up.body));
+    assert.equal(await exited(running), 75, 'the server asks its supervisor for a restart');
+    assert.equal(fs.existsSync(path.join(app, 'modules')), false, 'the archive\'s modules/ was not written into the app folder');
+    assert.equal(JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(app, 'package.json'), 'utf8')).version, '9.9.9', 'but the shell itself was updated');
+
+    log = '';
+    start();
+    await waitFor(base + '/api/theme');
+    assert.doesNotMatch(log, /moved bundled module/, 'nothing left to move on the second start');
+    assert.deepEqual(await moduleIds(), ['demo'], 'still just demo, from the data directory');
+    cat = (await api('/api/admin/catalog')).body;
+    assert.deepEqual(cat.available.map((a) => a.id).sort(), ['other', 'third'], 'the new modules are offers, not installs');
+
+    // ── 3. several at once ──
+    const many = await api('/api/admin/modules/install', { method: 'POST', body: JSON.stringify({ ids: ['other', 'third', 'nope'] }) });
+    assert.equal(many.status, 200);
+    assert.equal(many.body.ok, false, 'one of them does not exist');
+    assert.deepEqual(many.body.results.map((r) => `${r.id}:${r.ok}`), ['other:true', 'third:true', 'nope:false']);
+    assert.ok(fs.existsSync(path.join(dataDir, 'modules', 'other', 'module.json')), 'other landed in the data directory');
+    assert.deepEqual(await moduleIds(), ['demo', 'other', 'third'], 'and both are mounted');
+    const empty = await api('/api/admin/modules/install', { method: 'POST', body: '{}' });
+    assert.equal(empty.status, 400, 'nothing to install is said');
+
+    console.log('unbundled shell: every check passed');
+  } catch (err) {
+    failed = true;
+    console.error('FAIL:', err.message);
+    console.error('--- last of the server log ---\n' + log.slice(-2500));
+  } finally {
+    try { child?.kill('SIGTERM'); } catch { /* gone */ }
+    forge.close();
+    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 400));
+    fs.rmSync(work, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  }
+  process.exit(failed ? 1 : 0);
+})();