build(packaging): single-source installer version; document release flow

The Inno Setup script hardcoded AppVersion '0.1.0' - a stale second source of truth that would ship the wrong version in Add/Remove Programs. It now takes the version at compile time via /DAppVersion (0.0.0-dev sentinel if omitted), and the README/CLAUDE.md build commands derive it from cim_suite.__version__. Also documents the full release sequence and notes-before-bump ordering in the README.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

CLAUDE.md

@@ -98,8 +98,10 @@ py -m venv .venv
 .venv\Scripts\pyinstaller --noconfirm --distpath packaging\dist --workpath packaging\build packaging\suite.spec
 $env:SUITE_SELFTEST="1"; .\packaging\dist\CIM-Service-Suite\CIM-Service-Suite.exe --module da12 --simulate; echo "exit=$LASTEXITCODE"; Remove-Item Env:\SUITE_SELFTEST
 
-# Build installer (needs Inno Setup 6)
+# Build installer (needs Inno Setup 6). Version is single-sourced from pyproject.toml,
-& "C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe" packaging\installer.iss
+# so pass it in (else the installer falls back to the 0.0.0-dev sentinel):
+$v = .venv\Scripts\python -c "import cim_suite; print(cim_suite.__version__)"
+& "C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe" /DAppVersion=$v packaging\installer.iss
 ```
 
 The whole test suite runs headless with no hardware (`SimulatedStation` speaks the
@@ -214,7 +216,8 @@ test fixtures.
 - **Spreadsheet export:** every data screen can be exported to `.xlsx`; the engine is
   `cim_suite/core/export/` and the per-module adoption checklist is in `docs/EXPORT.md`.
 - **Versioning & changelog:** SemVer, single-sourced from `[project] version` in
-  `pyproject.toml` (`cim_suite.__version__` reads it; the frozen build bundles the file).
+  `pyproject.toml` (`cim_suite.__version__` reads it; the frozen build bundles the file;
+  the Inno Setup installer takes it via `ISCC /DAppVersion=...` — see Commands).
   Commits are Conventional Commits (`<type>: <desc>`) — validated by `.githooks/commit-msg`
   (install once with `python scripts/setup_hooks.py`). The deterministic
   `python scripts/bump.py` computes the next version from commit prefixes

README.md

@@ -60,8 +60,10 @@ A green `pytest` and a clean `ruff` are both part of "done" here.
 # One-folder executable (PyInstaller)
 .venv\Scripts\pyinstaller --noconfirm --distpath packaging\dist --workpath packaging\build packaging\suite.spec
 
-# Windows installer (requires Inno Setup 6)
+# Windows installer (requires Inno Setup 6). Pass the version so the installer and
-& "C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe" packaging\installer.iss
+# Add/Remove Programs match the app — it's single-sourced from pyproject.toml:
+$v = .venv\Scripts\python -c "import cim_suite; print(cim_suite.__version__)"
+& "C:\Program Files (x86)\Inno Setup 6\ISCC.exe" /DAppVersion=$v packaging\installer.iss
 ```
 
 ## Versioning & releases
@@ -98,10 +100,19 @@ are **two records of change, with different audiences**:
 ```
 
 The version string lives in **one place** — `[project] version` in `pyproject.toml`;
-`cim_suite.__version__` reads from it. The bump level is computed from commit prefixes,
+`cim_suite.__version__` reads from it, and the installer takes it via `/DAppVersion`.
-never by an LLM. The changelog *prose* is the only LLM-assisted step and is never
+The bump level is computed from commit prefixes, never by an LLM. The changelog *prose*
-committed without review. Releases start from the last `vX.Y.Z` git tag (or a
+is the only LLM-assisted step and is never committed without review. Releases start from
-`--baseline <rev>` you pass when there's no tag yet).
+the last `vX.Y.Z` git tag (or a `--baseline <rev>` you pass when there's no tag yet).
+
+**Cutting a release** (order matters — draft notes *before* bumping, so the suggested
+version is correct):
+
+1. `/release-notes` in Claude Code → review/approve the draft → it writes `CHANGELOG.md`.
+2. `python scripts\bump.py` → updates `pyproject.toml`.
+3. `git commit -am "chore: release X.Y.Z"` (the release commit itself doesn't bump).
+4. `git tag vX.Y.Z`
+5. `git push --follow-tags` (pushes the commit and the new tag together).
 
 ## Architecture
 

packaging/installer.iss

@@ -9,7 +9,13 @@
 ; Start-menu shortcut. No VB6 runtime / OCX registration required.
 
 #define AppName "CIMTechniques Service Suite"
-#define AppVersion "0.1.0"
+; Version is single-sourced from pyproject.toml; pass it in at compile time, e.g.:
+;   ISCC.exe /DAppVersion=1.2.3 packaging\installer.iss
+; (see README "Versioning & releases"). The fallback is a sentinel that signals the
+; /D define was forgotten — never ship an installer built with it.
+#ifndef AppVersion
+  #define AppVersion "0.0.0-dev"
+#endif
 #define AppPublisher "CIMTechniques, Inc."
 #define AppExeName "CIM-Service-Suite.exe"