AIWG 2026.8.25 - Safe help, reliable Windows refresh

Release date: 2026-08-25 Channel: stable

AIWG 2026.8.25 tightens two everyday safety boundaries in the CLI: asking for help cannot accidentally run a state-changing command, and Windows package updates keep the exact quoting required by native manager wrappers. Refresh also reports a failed package update honestly even when it can continue with framework re-deployment.

What this changes for you

Command help is non-executing

The router now handles `--help` and `-h` before command hooks or normal handler execution. Commands with dedicated help keep their detailed output. Commands without it return a generic pointer to `aiwg help` without entering the command path.

This is especially important for maintenance commands such as refresh: asking what a command does is now structurally separate from doing it.

Windows global updates preserve wrapper quoting

On Windows, npm-compatible managers commonly resolve to `.cmd` or `.bat` wrappers, sometimes beneath paths containing spaces. AIWG now gives `cmd.exe` the already quoted wrapper payload verbatim instead of allowing Node to escape it a second time.

The same execution helper is used by install-aware update paths, so refresh and direct update operations share the corrected behavior.

Refresh reports partial recovery accurately

Refresh still attempts framework re-deployment after a package update failure, but its final result no longer looks like a clean update. Interactive output warns that AIWG may remain on the previous version, and quiet JSON uses the status `refreshed-with-update-failure` for automation.

Publication has realistic runner headroom

Stable and prerelease package jobs now allow 30 minutes for cold dependency installation, tests, signature checks, and publication of the complete package set. This changes the workflow timeout, not the release gates or trust policy.

Package matrix

[email protected]
@aiwg/[email protected]
@aiwg/[email protected]

Upgrade

For managed npm and web installations, run `aiwg refresh` to update AIWG through the installation method already recorded for the current machine and re-deploy installed frameworks. Keep the three managed packages on the same version. Source checkouts should update and build through their project Git workflow, then run `aiwg refresh --skip-update` to re-deploy.

Rollback

If rollback is necessary, pin all three packages to `2026.8.20` with the same package manager used for installation, then run `aiwg regenerate` so provider context matches the restored version.

Release boundaries

• The Windows fix is covered with platform-specific command construction and

execution tests; it does not claim qualification of every third-party package-manager wrapper.

• Refresh intentionally keeps its exit-0 recovery behavior when re-deployment

succeeds after an update failure. Automation must inspect the documented quiet-mode status to distinguish that partial result.

• The longer publication timeout does not relax tests, signing, provenance,

SBOM, checksum, or post-publication verification requirements.