Ota v1.6.12 Now available

v1.6.12 is a selected-path readiness release.

Real repositories often need one workflow to cross boundaries cleanly: host file preparation before container setup, task-specific environment requirements without making the whole repo globally blocked, and native provisioning that works on the same run where the tool is installed.

This release makes those boundaries explicit. Workflow preparation became a first-class phase, task-scoped env became execution-complete, workflow notes got a proper operator surface, and native readiness failures now stay inside Ota's standard blocked-result model.

v1.6.12 ships focused improvements around workflow modeling, selected-path requirements, and backend reliability:

1. First-class workflow preparation: workflows.<name>.prepare.task lets ota up run one native action task before pre-setup services or setup, so host file actions like copy_if_missing stay explicit while container-backed setup remains container-backed.
2. Execution-complete task-scoped env: tasks.<name>.requirements.env is now respected by ota doctor, ota env --task, ota run, workflow-driven ota up, and execution/receipt env reporting without forcing the same variable to become repo-global required truth.
3. Workflow notes and clearer workflow output: workflows.<name>.notes now appears in ota workflows and workflow-scoped ota tasks --workflow, with flatter scan-friendly output, Use and Proof hints, default status, and inline notes.
4. Native provisioning follow-through: Windows and policy-backed mise flows now activate discovered install paths, shims, and provisioned tool directories in-process so same-run ota up, ota doctor, and ota run can observe newly installed tools.
5. Better blocked results for missing unmanaged requirements: native ota up now reports canonical missing runtime/tool blockers and normal UP SUMMARY output instead of raw backend-fulfillment errors when no org policy pack is active.
6. Mixed-mode dependency correctness: dependencies now resolve against their declared/default execution mode instead of inheriting the requested task mode, which keeps native prep actions and container workflow setup in their intended lanes.
7. Stronger readiness and backend trust: container engines are preflighted before provisioning, unhealthy engines are treated as blocked, service readiness retries are finite by default, and container task runs get a local safe.directory=/workspace Git config surface.

This release is about preserving execution intent. A workflow should be able to prepare files on the host, set up in a container, require env only where it is actually needed, and fail with a readable blocker when the selected backend cannot become ready.

Use these docs to apply v1.6.12 patterns directly:

• Get Started: Install Ota and verify the repo with ota doctor.
• Contract reference: Contract for workflow preparation, task requirements, services, and backend ownership.
• Command reference: Commands for ota workflows, ota tasks --workflow, ota up, ota doctor, and ota env --task.
• Workflow modeling: Workflows for selected-path preparation, readiness, and proof behavior.

v1.6.12 is live here: https://ota.run/releases/v1.6.12

If you already run Ota, verify quickly:

ota --versionota validateota doctorota workflows

If your repo has container-backed workflows, native prep actions, or task-specific environment requirements, this release gives you cleaner selected-path behavior and more actionable readiness output.