- update the ATVM automation guide to make watcher-first launch order explicit whenever the watcher is approved
- update the ATVM AGENTS rules so the runner is never started before the watcher for watcher-backed runs
- add a 2026-03-27 run learning documenting that the watcher helper can delete the live runner log if the runner starts first
- update the non-categorized watcher path to fall back to the parent Cloud Run Finished summary when only the final check-xml-files reporter XML is available
- prevent single-host runs from being marked TERMINATED without host results when the controller log already contains the real host outcome
- allow the watcher to populate host results and post Mattermost successfully for completed single-host runs with reused build names
- update the watcher start helper to remove the old /tmp/<build-name>.log file before starting a fresh watcher instance for a reused build name
- prevent the watcher from inheriting stale started_at timestamps from previous runs with the same build name and immediately exiting as HUNG
- make reused-build watcher startup safer by resetting both watcher state and the matching temporary runner log
- update the ATVM status template to replace the FUNCTIONALLY section with a TEST FLOW section that shows the generic numbered run steps once for the whole test
- update the ATVM automation guide to describe TEST FLOW as the standard status-report section instead of FUNCTIONALLY
- update the watcher-generated status output so Mattermost and local status responses use the same TEST FLOW section
- add a 2026-03-27 run learning recording the move from FUNCTIONALLY to TEST FLOW for future ATVM reporting
- update the ATVM AGENTS guidance so expected output is not called out in routine run updates
- update the ATVM automation guide to mention reset-failed output only when it actually blocks watcher startup or matters for debugging
- add a 2026-03-26 run learning recording that this reset-failed output is normal low-signal noise during successful watcher startup
- update the categorized watcher to fall back to earlier per-spec Run Finished entries when a grouped Cloud Run Finished section is present but does not contain host rows
- broaden duration parsing so colon-form timings like 13:59 and 15:32 from per-spec Cypress summaries are converted into seconds correctly
- make grouped Mattermost posting resilient across categorized batches whose cloud-summary output is incomplete or inconsistent, not just a single distro family
- add a 2026-03-26 run learning that explains how cmc-templates.py can generate the requested spec files while a fragile verification step still misses them
- document that shell-escaped regex one-liners over SSH are not a reliable way to validate the controller specPattern
- record the preferred future workflow: verify generated .ts files and the config specPattern directly on the controller before launching run-sorry-cypress.py
- update the categorized watcher to recognize grouped Cloud Run Finished summaries that are followed by the controller log message as well as the older literal form
- allow grouped host summaries like the multi-host ubuntu batch to be parsed and posted even when the alternate controller log format is used
- prevent completed grouped runs from being left in RUNNING state solely because the watcher missed the alternate grouped summary terminator
- update the categorized watcher to parse all ATVM host rows from a grouped Cloud Run Finished block instead of only the first host row
- allow a later terminal grouped summary to replace an earlier RUNNING state for the same logical group so grouped posts are emitted with the full host set
- fix multi-host same-group reporting so batches like ubuntu22.04 plus ubuntu24.04 are posted as one grouped result with both hosts included
- update the categorized watcher to mark a grouped subrun complete once its final check-xml-files.ts artifact exists and the next active host belongs to a different inferred group
- prevent a finished group such as ubuntu from being kept in RUNNING state after execution has already advanced into the next category
- allow grouped Mattermost posts to be emitted at category boundaries instead of being blocked by stale active-group carryover
- update the watcher to merge consecutive categorized child build ids into one logical grouped subrun when they resolve to the same real host-based group
- prevent one real grouped run from being fragmented across multiple watcher subruns just because the raw ci-build-id label changes between hosts
- keep grouped Mattermost posting aligned with the inferred group identity instead of the unstable raw child build id
- update the ATVM automation guide to require a post-template verification gate before launching run-sorry-cypress.py
- require verification that both the generated .ts files and the config specPattern include every requested VM after cmc-templates.py finishes
- document that the runner must not be launched when any requested VM is missing from the generated spec set
- update the ATVM AGENTS rules so this template-to-runner verification step is part of the default automation workflow
- update the categorized watcher to use the latest matching host reporter artifact written before grouped finalization so grouped results can be posted as soon as the host run is actually done
- reduce dependence on the later parent Cloud Run Finished summary block for grouped-run completion reporting
- keep grouped runs from waiting until near parent-run completion when real host-level completion evidence is already available
- keep categorized grouped sub-runs in RUNNING state when only the grouped check-xml-files.ts artifact has appeared and the parent log has not yet exposed the real host summary
- prevent blank Mattermost grouped-run posts with empty host tables, zero counts, and zero/invalid timing caused by posting too early
- require the categorized watcher to wait for host-level grouped summary data before treating the grouped run as complete
- update the watcher to stop trusting misleading categorized child build labels when they do not match the host/spec actually being executed
- infer the reported categorized group name from the actual host being run, so mismatched labels like ubuntu-batch for a Red Hat host are corrected in status reporting
- document the categorized watcher workaround in the ATVM guide, watcher design, and watcher README without changing the underlying ATVM runner scripts
- relax grouped-run duration parsing so Linux categorized summaries like `12m 19.4` and `15m 42.2` are converted reliably even when the trailing `s` is split awkwardly in the parent run log
- keep the categorized grouped-run summary extraction aligned with the host results already being parsed from the parent Cloud Run Finished blocks
- refresh the controller watcher copy so the next categorized run uses the improved grouped duration parser
