- 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
