- 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
- update the watcher to parse completed categorized grouped-run host summaries from the parent run log instead of relying only on grouped XML files that often contain only check-xml-files.ts
- add grouped-run duration parsing so categorized sub-run timing can be derived from the Cloud Run Finished summary when host XML details are absent
- fix the completed-summary to grouped-xml alignment so filtered-out older artifacts do not shift host-summary assignment for the current run
- update the watcher to treat categorized parent-run activity as the authoritative signal for whether the overall request is still running
- prevent the watcher from exiting early just because one categorized grouped sub-run completed and wrote artifacts
- document that categorized watcher instances must remain alive between grouped runs until the parent request has actually gone inactive past the grace window
- update the ATVM guide, watcher design, and install docs to reflect the stricter categorized parent-run completion rule
- interpret ATVM controller log timestamps in the controller's local timezone before converting to UTC so the watcher uses the correct current-run window
- prevent newly started categorized runs from immediately picking up older categorized artifacts just because the parent build name was reused
- keep the categorized watcher focused on artifacts from the current controller run instead of stale prior attempts
- update the watcher to detect the active categorized sub-run from the live `--ci-build-id` process state instead of treating the parent run as one synthetic grouped run
- fix host XML parsing so the watcher prefers the real host suite over the `Root Suite` entry, avoiding `0 tests, 0 failures` summaries
- use the first timestamp inside the run log as the watcher start time so restarted watchers do not miss current-run categorized artifacts because of log file mtime drift
- improve active-host inference for categorized runs so the watcher maps the current categorized build to the correct host family while the sub-run is still in progress
- update the watcher start helper to stop any stale watcher instance for the same requested parent build name and remove its old state directory before starting fresh
- document that reused parent build names must not inherit stale cancelled, posted, state.json, or subruns state from older runs
- update the watcher install and design docs so the controller workflow explicitly treats stale reused-build-name state as part of startup cleanup
- update the git guide to require post-commit verification before reporting success
- document that commit verification must confirm git commit exited successfully, HEAD advanced, and the new commit appears in git log
- document that failed or non-created commits must be reported clearly instead of being claimed as successful
- update the watcher design and automation guide to treat --categorize as sequential ATVM sub-runs rather than one parent run with internal phases
- document that categorized runs should send one Mattermost status per completed grouped sub-run instead of one parent-only final post
- add a --categorize option to the watcher start helper so categorized mode is explicit in watcher startup
- update the watcher implementation to track categorized sub-runs separately, write per-subrun state, and post each completed grouped run once
- update the Windows CMC install reference to require CDC project cleanup before reinstall when stale host state may exist
- update the VMware MigrateOps guide so the cleanup-first CMC preparation rule applies to both Linux and Windows sources
- document that Windows reinstall must be followed by a fresh CDC reconnect check before creating migration sessions
- update CDS MCP AGENTS guidance so Windows sources do not skip the standard CDC cleanup plus reinstall sequence
- update the CDS MCP CMC install reference to prefer SSH plus PowerShell for Windows guest execution instead of VMware guest operations
- document the Windows install-state check and uninstall-then-reinstall pattern so it matches the Linux CMC preparation flow
- update the VMware MigrateOps guide to treat Windows CMC preparation as an SSH-based workflow using ATVM_WINDOWS_TARGET_* credentials
- update the CDS MCP README and AGENTS guidance so the Windows guest execution default is explicit
- add explicit Windows ATVM guest credential references alongside the existing Linux target defaults
- update the ATVM automation guide and AGENTS rules so Linux SSH uses ATVM_TARGET_* while Windows guest access uses ATVM_WINDOWS_TARGET_*
- update the CDS MCP CMC install and VMware workflow docs to distinguish Linux and Windows credential usage for the shared ATVM target IP
- update the VM lookup reference so common VM credentials list both Linux and Windows target variables
- update the watcher cancel helper so it writes a final CANCELLED state into state.json before stopping the service
- record cancellation timestamps and a cancellation note in the watcher state file for clearer post-run inspection
- update the watcher service docs so the documented cancel behavior matches the state-file handling
- remove the committed watcher-service __pycache__ bytecode file from git tracking
- ignore Python bytecode artifacts so generated .pyc files do not get committed again
- keep the watcher-service source files as the only tracked implementation artifacts
