fix(windows): stabilize install and prerelease versioning

.gitattributes

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+* text=auto eol=lf
+*.ps1 text eol=lf
+*.cmd text eol=crlf

.github/workflows/release-windows.yml

@@ -47,14 +47,12 @@ jobs:
             $version = "${{ github.ref }}" -replace '^refs/tags/[Vv]', ''
             $version = $version -replace '-windows$', ''
           } else {
-            $content = Get-Content mole.ps1 -Raw
-            if ($content -match '\$script:MOLE_VER\s*=\s*"([^"]+)"') {
-              $version = $Matches[1]
-            } else {
+            $version = (Get-Content VERSION -Raw).Trim()
+          }
+          if (-not $version) {
             Write-Error "Could not detect version"
             exit 1
           }
-          }
           Write-Host "Version: $version"
           "VERSION=$version" >> $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
       

.gitignore

@@ -89,3 +89,5 @@ mole_guidelines.md
 run_tests.ps1
 session.json
 journal/2026-03-11-safe-remove-design.md
+mole.cmd
+mo.cmd

VERSION

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+1.29.0

install.ps1

@@ -19,14 +19,17 @@ Set-StrictMode -Version Latest
 # Configuration
 # ============================================================================
 
-$script:VERSION = "1.0.0"
 $script:SourceDir = if ($MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path) {
     Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
 } else {
     $PSScriptRoot
 }
+$script:CoreDir = Join-Path $script:SourceDir "lib\core"
 $script:ShortcutName = "Mole"
 
+. (Join-Path $script:CoreDir "version.ps1")
+$script:VERSION = Get-MoleVersionString -RootDir $script:SourceDir
+
 # Colors (using [char]27 for PowerShell 5.1 compatibility)
 $script:ESC = [char]27
 $script:Colors = @{
@@ -39,7 +42,7 @@ $script:Colors = @{
     NC      = "$($script:ESC)[0m"
 }
 
-. (Join-Path $script:SourceDir "lib\core\tui_binaries.ps1")
+. (Join-Path $script:CoreDir "tui_binaries.ps1")
 
 # ============================================================================
 # Helpers
@@ -258,7 +261,13 @@ function Ensure-OptionalTuiTools {
 
     foreach ($tool in $tools) {
         $destination = Join-Path $RootDir $tool.Output
+        try {
             $binPath = Ensure-TuiBinary -Name $tool.Name -WindowsDir $RootDir -DestinationPath $destination -SourcePath $tool.Source -Version $version
+        }
+        catch {
+            Write-MoleWarning "Skipping $($tool.Name).exe after a non-fatal setup error: $_"
+            $binPath = $null
+        }
         if ($binPath) {
             Write-Success "Ready: $($tool.Name).exe"
         }

lib/clean/dev.ps1

@@ -259,6 +259,64 @@ function Clear-GoCaches {
     }
 }
 
+function Get-MiseCachePath {
+    <#
+    .SYNOPSIS
+        Resolve the mise cache directory without touching installs/plugins
+    #>
+
+    if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($env:MISE_CACHE_DIR)) {
+        return $env:MISE_CACHE_DIR
+    }
+
+    if (-not (Get-Command mise -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+        return $null
+    }
+
+    try {
+        $cachePath = (& mise cache path 2>$null | Select-Object -First 1)
+        if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0 -and -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($cachePath)) {
+            return $cachePath.Trim()
+        }
+    }
+    catch {
+        Write-Debug "mise cache path failed: $_"
+    }
+
+    return $null
+}
+
+function Clear-MiseCache {
+    <#
+    .SYNOPSIS
+        Clean mise internal cache only
+    .DESCRIPTION
+        Respects MISE_CACHE_DIR and never removes the installs/plugins data tree.
+    #>
+
+    $hasMise = [bool](Get-Command mise -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
+    $cachePath = Get-MiseCachePath
+    $clearedByCommand = $false
+
+    if ($hasMise -and -not (Test-DryRunMode)) {
+        try {
+            $null = & mise cache clear 2>&1
+            if ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0) {
+                Write-Success "mise cache"
+                Set-SectionActivity
+                $clearedByCommand = $true
+            }
+        }
+        catch {
+            Write-Debug "mise cache clear failed: $_"
+        }
+    }
+
+    if (-not $clearedByCommand -and $cachePath -and (Test-Path $cachePath)) {
+        Clear-DirectoryContents -Path $cachePath -Description "mise cache"
+    }
+}
+
 # ============================================================================
 # Rust Ecosystem
 # ============================================================================
@@ -702,6 +760,9 @@ function Invoke-DevToolsCleanup {
     # Go ecosystem
     Clear-GoCaches
 
+    # mise cache
+    Clear-MiseCache
+    
     # Rust ecosystem
     Clear-RustCaches
     

lib/core/common.ps1

@@ -16,6 +16,9 @@ $script:MOLE_CORE_DIR = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
 $script:MOLE_LIB_DIR = Split-Path -Parent $script:MOLE_CORE_DIR
 $script:MOLE_ROOT_DIR = Split-Path -Parent $script:MOLE_LIB_DIR
 
+# Version helpers are standalone and safe to load before the other core modules.
+. "$script:MOLE_CORE_DIR\version.ps1"
+
 # ============================================================================
 # Load Core Modules
 # ============================================================================
@@ -36,7 +39,7 @@ $script:MOLE_ROOT_DIR = Split-Path -Parent $script:MOLE_LIB_DIR
 # Version Information
 # ============================================================================
 
-$script:MOLE_VERSION = "1.0.0"
+$script:MOLE_VERSION = Get-MoleVersionString -RootDir $script:MOLE_ROOT_DIR
 $script:MOLE_BUILD_DATE = "2026-01-07"
 
 function Get-MoleVersion {

lib/core/tui_binaries.ps1

@@ -9,6 +9,9 @@ if ((Get-Variable -Name 'MOLE_TUI_BINARIES_LOADED' -Scope Script -ErrorAction Si
 }
 $script:MOLE_TUI_BINARIES_LOADED = $true
 
+$script:MOLE_TUI_CORE_DIR = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
+. "$script:MOLE_TUI_CORE_DIR\version.ps1"
+
 $script:MoleGitHubRepo = "tw93/Mole"
 $script:MoleGitHubApiRoot = "https://api.github.com/repos/$($script:MoleGitHubRepo)"
 $script:MoleGitHubHeaders = @{
@@ -19,17 +22,7 @@ $script:MoleGitHubHeaders = @{
 function Get-MoleVersionFromScriptFile {
     param([string]$WindowsDir)
 
-    $moleScript = Join-Path $WindowsDir "mole.ps1"
-    if (-not (Test-Path $moleScript)) {
-        return $null
-    }
-
-    $content = Get-Content $moleScript -Raw
-    if ($content -match '\$script:MOLE_VER\s*=\s*"([^"]+)"') {
-        return $Matches[1]
-    }
-
-    return $null
+    return Get-MoleVersionString -RootDir $WindowsDir
 }
 
 function Get-TuiBinaryAssetName {
@@ -136,18 +129,50 @@ function Build-TuiBinary {
 
     Write-Host "Building $Name tool..." -ForegroundColor Cyan
 
+    $stdoutPath = Join-Path $env:TEMP "mole-$Name-build.stdout.log"
+    $stderrPath = Join-Path $env:TEMP "mole-$Name-build.stderr.log"
+
+    foreach ($path in @($stdoutPath, $stderrPath)) {
+        if (Test-Path $path) {
+            Remove-Item $path -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        }
+    }
+
     Push-Location $WindowsDir
     try {
-        $result = & go build -o "$DestinationPath" $SourcePath 2>&1
-        if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
-            Write-Host "Failed to build $Name tool: $result" -ForegroundColor Red
-            return $false
+        $process = Start-Process -FilePath "go" `
+            -ArgumentList @("build", "-o", $DestinationPath, $SourcePath) `
+            -NoNewWindow `
+            -Wait `
+            -PassThru `
+            -RedirectStandardOutput $stdoutPath `
+            -RedirectStandardError $stderrPath
     }
+    catch {
+        Write-Host "Failed to start go build for $Name tool: $_" -ForegroundColor Red
+        return $false
     }
     finally {
         Pop-Location
     }
 
+    $buildOutput = @()
+    foreach ($path in @($stdoutPath, $stderrPath)) {
+        if (Test-Path $path) {
+            $content = (Get-Content $path -Raw).Trim()
+            if ($content) {
+                $buildOutput += $content
+            }
+            Remove-Item $path -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+        }
+    }
+
+    if ($process.ExitCode -ne 0) {
+        $message = if ($buildOutput.Count -gt 0) { $buildOutput -join [Environment]::NewLine } else { "go build exited with code $($process.ExitCode)" }
+        Write-Host "Failed to build $Name tool: $message" -ForegroundColor Red
+        return $false
+    }
+
     return $true
 }
 
@@ -169,15 +194,24 @@ function Ensure-TuiBinary {
         $Version = Get-MoleVersionFromScriptFile -WindowsDir $WindowsDir
     }
 
+    try {
         if (Restore-PrebuiltTuiBinary -Name $Name -WindowsDir $WindowsDir -DestinationPath $DestinationPath -Version $Version) {
             return $DestinationPath
         }
+    }
+    catch {
+        Write-Host "Failed to restore prebuilt $Name tool: $_" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+    }
 
     if (Get-Command go -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
+        try {
             if (Build-TuiBinary -Name $Name -WindowsDir $WindowsDir -DestinationPath $DestinationPath -SourcePath $SourcePath) {
                 return $DestinationPath
             }
-        return $null
+        }
+        catch {
+            Write-Host "Failed to prepare $Name tool: $_" -ForegroundColor Yellow
+        }
     }
 
     return $null

lib/core/version.ps1

@@ -0,0 +1,41 @@
+# Mole - Version helpers
+# Provides a single source of truth for the Windows version string.
+
+#Requires -Version 5.1
+Set-StrictMode -Version Latest
+
+if ((Get-Variable -Name 'MOLE_VERSION_HELPERS_LOADED' -Scope Script -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) -and $script:MOLE_VERSION_HELPERS_LOADED) {
+    return
+}
+$script:MOLE_VERSION_HELPERS_LOADED = $true
+
+$script:MoleDefaultVersion = "1.29.0"
+
+function Get-MoleVersionFilePath {
+    param([string]$RootDir)
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($RootDir)) {
+        return $null
+    }
+
+    return Join-Path $RootDir "VERSION"
+}
+
+function Get-MoleVersionString {
+    param(
+        [string]$RootDir,
+        [string]$DefaultVersion = $script:MoleDefaultVersion
+    )
+
+    $versionFile = Get-MoleVersionFilePath -RootDir $RootDir
+    if (-not $versionFile -or -not (Test-Path $versionFile)) {
+        return $DefaultVersion
+    }
+
+    $version = (Get-Content $versionFile -Raw).Trim()
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($version)) {
+        return $DefaultVersion
+    }
+
+    return $version
+}

mole.ps1

@@ -24,6 +24,12 @@ Set-StrictMode -Version Latest
 $script:MOLE_ROOT = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
 $script:MOLE_BIN = Join-Path $script:MOLE_ROOT "bin"
 $script:MOLE_LIB = Join-Path $script:MOLE_ROOT "lib"
+$script:MOLE_CORE = Join-Path $script:MOLE_LIB "core"
+
+# Read the version before loading the rest of the runtime so every entrypoint
+# resolves the same release tag.
+. "$script:MOLE_CORE\version.ps1"
+$script:MOLE_VER = Get-MoleVersionString -RootDir $script:MOLE_ROOT
 
 # Import core
 . "$script:MOLE_LIB\core\common.ps1"
@@ -32,7 +38,6 @@ $script:MOLE_LIB = Join-Path $script:MOLE_ROOT "lib"
 # Version Info
 # ============================================================================
 
-$script:MOLE_VER = "1.0.0"
 $script:MOLE_BUILD = "2026-01-07"
 
 function Show-Version {

scripts/build-exe.ps1

@@ -20,15 +20,15 @@ Set-StrictMode -Version Latest
 $scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
 $projectRoot = Split-Path -Parent $scriptDir
 $releaseDir = Join-Path $projectRoot "release"
+$versionFile = Join-Path $projectRoot "VERSION"
 
-# Read version from mole.ps1 if not provided
+# Read version from VERSION if not provided
 if (-not $Version) {
-    $moleScript = Join-Path $projectRoot "mole.ps1"
-    $content = Get-Content $moleScript -Raw
-    if ($content -match '\$script:MOLE_VER\s*=\s*"([^"]+)"') {
-        $Version = $Matches[1]
-    } else {
-        Write-Host "Error: Could not detect version from mole.ps1" -ForegroundColor Red
+    if (Test-Path $versionFile) {
+        $Version = (Get-Content $versionFile -Raw).Trim()
+    }
+    if (-not $Version) {
+        Write-Host "Error: Could not detect version from VERSION" -ForegroundColor Red
         exit 1
     }
 }

scripts/build-msi.ps1

@@ -21,15 +21,15 @@ $scriptDir = Split-Path -Parent $MyInvocation.MyCommand.Path
 $projectRoot = Split-Path -Parent $scriptDir
 $releaseDir = Join-Path $projectRoot "release"
 $wixSource = Join-Path $scriptDir "mole-installer.wxs"
+$versionFile = Join-Path $projectRoot "VERSION"
 
-# Read version from mole.ps1 if not provided
+# Read version from VERSION if not provided
 if (-not $Version) {
-    $moleScript = Join-Path $projectRoot "mole.ps1"
-    $content = Get-Content $moleScript -Raw
-    if ($content -match '\$script:MOLE_VER\s*=\s*"([^"]+)"') {
-        $Version = $Matches[1]
-    } else {
-        Write-Host "Error: Could not detect version from mole.ps1" -ForegroundColor Red
+    if (Test-Path $versionFile) {
+        $Version = (Get-Content $versionFile -Raw).Trim()
+    }
+    if (-not $Version) {
+        Write-Host "Error: Could not detect version from VERSION" -ForegroundColor Red
         exit 1
     }
 }

scripts/build-release.ps1

@@ -23,15 +23,15 @@ $projectRoot = Split-Path -Parent $scriptDir
 $releaseDir = Join-Path $projectRoot "release"
 $binDir = Join-Path $projectRoot "bin"
 $cmdDir = Join-Path $projectRoot "cmd"
+$versionFile = Join-Path $projectRoot "VERSION"
 
-# Read version from mole.ps1 if not provided
+# Read version from VERSION if not provided
 if (-not $Version) {
-    $moleScript = Join-Path $projectRoot "mole.ps1"
-    $content = Get-Content $moleScript -Raw
-    if ($content -match '\$script:MOLE_VER\s*=\s*"([^"]+)"') {
-        $Version = $Matches[1]
-    } else {
-        Write-Host "Error: Could not detect version from mole.ps1" -ForegroundColor Red
+    if (Test-Path $versionFile) {
+        $Version = (Get-Content $versionFile -Raw).Trim()
+    }
+    if (-not $Version) {
+        Write-Host "Error: Could not detect version from VERSION" -ForegroundColor Red
         exit 1
     }
 }