jq Gate Sketch for october_upload Weekly Depot Row Diff - 2026

Week two after SteamPipe depot upload evening: steampipe_upload_ok: true, steampipe_upload_log.jsonl has a clean build_id line, Friday localization capstone opened october_upload_window_allowed. Tuesday marketing ships a capsule tag hotfix. Wednesday engineering uploads a “tiny” crash fix without appending jsonl. Thursday someone runs setlive against default because the RC label “looked fine.” Monday stand-up asks “did our depot identity drift since last week?” Someone pastes localization weekly jq—wrong schema: freeze weekly diffs locale_ids and Weblate pins. April catalog weekly diffs Addressables catalog_sha256. Upload weeks need depot identity—build_id, manifest hash, steam_build_id, branch intent, RC label—week-over-week.

September–October 2026 punish teams that treat the Monday upload evening U1–U6 latch as forever-honest while producers obsess over store copy. Silent rebuilds and branch promotions reopen upload risk while BUILD_RECEIPT still says green.

This Programming & Technical sketch ships a weekly instance of October upload depot honesty: october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl, weekly receipt fields on october_upload_weekly_v1, verify_october_upload_weekly.sh, gates J1–J6 on the depot schema (same letter prefix as locale/April cousins; different columns).

Non-repetition note: Localization freeze weekly jq owns locale IDs and string pins. April catalog jq owns Addressables catalog hashes. March sprint jq owns post-fest BUILD_RECEIPT sprint rows. Depot upload evening owns one-evening U1–U6 latch + jsonl append discipline. Forward #10 owns Wednesday depot smoke row review. Forward #12 owns Friday upload capstone. This URL owns Monday weekly depot manifest / build_id / branch intent diff through the October upload window.

Pair depot upload evening #1, localization weekly jq (cousin cadence), upload dress rehearsal #3, Guide #56 / Course 296 / Help #61 forward; forward blog #8 overtime worksheet and #10 Wednesday smoke.

Why this matters now (September–October 2026)

1. Upload evening is a point latch — U6 proves one night; weeks silently upload new builds without weekly depot diff.
2. Store copy steals attention — Metadata freeze trend work crowds out depot manifest honesty.
3. Branch intent drifts — Wrong default branch recovery shows RC labels lie while default still receives setlive.
4. October upload queues — Discovering hash mismatch on fest-live Monday is too late for honest receipts.
5. Wrong jq cousin ruins CI — Locale and catalog scripts pass while build_id hashes lie.

Direct answer: Each ISO week after october_upload_window_allowed, append october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl, file a weekly receipt with depot_row_diff[], run verify_october_upload_weekly.sh, clear J1–J6, set BUILD_RECEIPT october_upload_weekly_ok: true. Any unexplained depot_manifest_sha256 or steam_build_id delta requires a documented exception or a new upload evening receipt.

Who this sketch is for

Time: ~45 minutes first weekly template; ~6–10 minutes per Monday after scripts pin.

Prerequisites: Depot upload evening U6 GREEN; steampipe_upload_log.jsonl path known; depot_manifest_v1.json exported from your build pipeline; jq on CI or facilitator laptop.

Beginner path — Monday checklist (5–10 minutes)

1. Open last week’s upload pointer from BUILD_RECEIPT (steampipe_upload_ok, latest receipt path).
2. Read tail of steampipe_upload_log.jsonl for current build_id and steam_build_id.
3. Hash depot_manifest_v1.json (sha256sum / Get-FileHash).
4. Compare to last Monday’s jsonl line—same build_id and hash?
5. Confirm branch_intent still matches fest RC label (not silent default).
6. If hash, build, or branch changed without a receipt note → stop setlive; file exception or rerun upload evening.
7. Paste results into stand-up.

Memorize one sentence: Locale weekly = language identity; depot weekly = build identity.

Beginner mistake: Appending locale weekly lines into a steam folder—use a new jsonl and depot columns once upload window opens.

Format ladder

Order: Capstone Friday → depot upload Monday → weekly depot jq through upload week → Wednesday #10 smoke → Friday #12 capstone.

Developer path — gates J1–J6 (depot schema)

These J gates belong to october upload weekly depot—not localization freeze weekly J1–J6 and not April catalog J1–J6.

Weekly receipt template

File as release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json (example):

{
  "schema": "october_upload_weekly_v1",
  "iso_week": "2026-W40",
  "upload_window_pointer": {
    "path": "release-evidence/steam/2026-09-29/steampipe_depot_upload_receipt_v1.json",
    "october_upload_window_allowed": true,
    "steampipe_upload_ok": true,
    "capstone_receipt": "release-evidence/localization/2026-09-26/localization_freeze_capstone_receipt_v1.json"
  },
  "snapshot": {
    "manifest_path": "release-evidence/steam/2026-10-06/depot_manifest_v1.json",
    "depot_manifest_sha256": "sha256:aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
    "build_id": "october-fest-rc-20261006-143022",
    "steam_build_id": "12345678",
    "primary_depot_id": "987654",
    "branch_intent": "fest_rc",
    "rc_label": "october_next_fest_2026_rc",
    "setlive_target_label": "october_next_fest_2026_rc",
    "default_branch_flag": false,
    "steampipe_log_tail": {
      "path": "release-evidence/steam/steampipe_upload_log.jsonl",
      "last_event": "depot_upload",
      "last_line_build_id": "october-fest-rc-20261006-143022"
    }
  },
  "depot_row_diff": [
    {
      "field": "build_id",
      "before": "october-fest-rc-20260929-091544",
      "after": "october-fest-rc-20261006-143022",
      "delta": "changed",
      "note": "EXCEPTION-DEPOT-002: crash fix upload W40; steampipe jsonl line 14 appended"
    },
    {
      "field": "depot_manifest_sha256",
      "before": "sha256:bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb",
      "after": "sha256:aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa",
      "delta": "changed",
      "note": "EXCEPTION-DEPOT-002: matches new build_id"
    },
    {
      "field": "steam_build_id",
      "before": "12345601",
      "after": "12345678",
      "delta": "changed",
      "note": "EXCEPTION-DEPOT-002"
    },
    {
      "field": "branch_intent",
      "before": "fest_rc",
      "after": "fest_rc",
      "delta": "unchanged"
    },
    {
      "field": "rc_label",
      "before": "october_next_fest_2026_rc",
      "after": "october_next_fest_2026_rc",
      "delta": "unchanged"
    },
    {
      "field": "default_branch_flag",
      "before": false,
      "after": false,
      "delta": "unchanged"
    }
  ],
  "gates": {
    "J1": "GREEN",
    "J2": "GREEN",
    "J3": "GREEN",
    "J4": "GREEN",
    "J5": "GREEN",
    "J6": "GREEN"
  },
  "october_upload_weekly_ok": true,
  "notes": "W40 crash fix authorized; setlive still targets fest_rc not default"
}

Weekly log (jsonl)

release-evidence/steam/october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl — one line per ISO week:

{"iso_week":"2026-W39","build_id":"october-fest-rc-20260929-091544","depot_manifest_sha256":"sha256:bbbb…","steam_build_id":"12345601","branch_intent":"fest_rc","rc_label":"october_next_fest_2026_rc","receipt":"release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W39.json"}
{"iso_week":"2026-W40","build_id":"october-fest-rc-20261006-143022","depot_manifest_sha256":"sha256:aaaa…","steam_build_id":"12345678","branch_intent":"fest_rc","rc_label":"october_next_fest_2026_rc","receipt":"release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json"}

BUILD_RECEIPT latch fields:

{
  "october_upload_window_allowed": true,
  "steampipe_upload_ok": true,
  "october_upload_weekly_ok": true,
  "october_upload_weekly_receipt": "release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json"
}

Keep steampipe_upload_ok as the night of upload latch. Weekly OK is ongoing depot honesty—orthogonal columns. Locale weekly (localization_freeze_weekly_ok) and depot weekly both may be true simultaneously—do not merge verify scripts.

Copy-paste jq one-liners

Schema + latch

jq -e '.schema == "october_upload_weekly_v1"
  and .october_upload_weekly_ok == true' \
  release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json

Upload window pointer

jq -e '.upload_window_pointer.october_upload_window_allowed == true
  and .upload_window_pointer.steampipe_upload_ok == true' \
  release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json

Manifest hash matches on-disk file

MANIFEST=$(jq -r .snapshot.manifest_path release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json)
EXPECTED=$(jq -r .snapshot.depot_manifest_sha256 release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json)
ACTUAL="sha256:$(sha256sum "$MANIFEST" | awk '{print $1}')"
test "$EXPECTED" = "$ACTUAL"

Diff vs prior jsonl week (build_id)

PREV=$(jq -s -r '.[-2].build_id' release-evidence/steam/october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl)
CUR=$(jq -s -r '.[-1].build_id' release-evidence/steam/october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl)
echo "prev=$PREV"
echo "cur=$CUR"
if [ "$PREV" != "$CUR" ]; then
  jq -e 'any(.depot_row_diff[]; .field == "build_id" and (.note | startswith("EXCEPTION-DEPOT-")))' \
    release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json
fi

Branch intent must not silently flip to default

jq -e '
  .snapshot.branch_intent == "fest_rc"
  and .snapshot.default_branch_flag == false
  and .snapshot.setlive_target_label == .snapshot.rc_label
' release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json

Steampipe log tail agrees with snapshot build_id

LOG="release-evidence/steam/steampipe_upload_log.jsonl"
TAIL=$(jq -s -r '.[-1].build_id' "$LOG")
SNAP=$(jq -r .snapshot.build_id release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json)
test "$TAIL" = "$SNAP"

Honest exception for rebuild weeks only

jq -e '
  if any(.depot_row_diff[]; .field == "build_id" and .delta == "changed") then
    all(.depot_row_diff[];
      (.field == "build_id" or .field == "depot_manifest_sha256" or .field == "steam_build_id")
      | not
      or (.note | startswith("EXCEPTION-DEPOT-"))
    )
  else true end
' release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json

PowerShell twin (Windows facilitators)

$Weekly = "release-evidence/steam/weekly/2026-W40.json"
$Log = "release-evidence/steam/october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl"
$ok = jq -e '.schema == "october_upload_weekly_v1" and .october_upload_weekly_ok == true' $Weekly
if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) { throw "J1/J6 latch failed" }
$prev = jq -s -r '.[-2].branch_intent' $Log
$cur  = jq -s -r '.[-1].branch_intent' $Log
if ($prev -ne $cur) { throw "branch_intent drifted vs prior week without depot_row_diff" }
if ((jq -r '.snapshot.default_branch_flag' $Weekly) -eq 'true') { throw "default_branch_flag must stay false during upload window" }
Write-Host "october_upload_weekly_ok"

verify_october_upload_weekly.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
WEEKLY="${1:-release-evidence/steam/weekly/latest.json}"
LOG="${2:-release-evidence/steam/october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl}"

jq -e '.schema == "october_upload_weekly_v1"' "$WEEKLY" >/dev/null
jq -e '.upload_window_pointer.october_upload_window_allowed == true' "$WEEKLY" >/dev/null
jq -e '.upload_window_pointer.steampipe_upload_ok == true' "$WEEKLY" >/dev/null
jq -e '.snapshot.build_id | length > 0' "$WEEKLY" >/dev/null
jq -e '.october_upload_weekly_ok == true' "$WEEKLY" >/dev/null

for g in J1 J2 J3 J4 J5 J6; do
  test "$(jq -r --arg g "$g" '.gates[$g]' "$WEEKLY")" = "GREEN"
done

MANIFEST=$(jq -r .snapshot.manifest_path "$WEEKLY")
test -f "$MANIFEST"
test -f "$LOG"

# Default branch guard during upload window
jq -e '.snapshot.default_branch_flag == false' "$WEEKLY" >/dev/null

# Prior week bootstrap: allow single-line log on first Monday after upload evening
LINES=$(wc -l < "$LOG" | tr -d ' ')
if [ "$LINES" -ge 2 ]; then
  PREV_BRANCH=$(jq -s -r '.[-2].branch_intent' "$LOG")
  CUR_BRANCH=$(jq -s -r '.[-1].branch_intent' "$LOG")
  if [ "$PREV_BRANCH" != "$CUR_BRANCH" ]; then
    jq -e 'any(.depot_row_diff[]; .field == "branch_intent" and .note != null)' "$WEEKLY" >/dev/null \
      || { echo "branch_intent changed without depot_row_diff note"; exit 1; }
  fi
  PREV_BUILD=$(jq -s -r '.[-2].build_id' "$LOG")
  CUR_BUILD=$(jq -s -r '.[-1].build_id' "$LOG")
  if [ "$PREV_BUILD" != "$CUR_BUILD" ]; then
    jq -e 'any(.depot_row_diff[]; .field == "build_id" and (.note | startswith("EXCEPTION-DEPOT-")))' "$WEEKLY" >/dev/null \
      || { echo "build_id changed without EXCEPTION-DEPOT note"; exit 1; }
  fi
fi

STEAM_LOG=$(jq -r .snapshot.steampipe_log_tail.path "$WEEKLY")
if [ -f "$STEAM_LOG" ]; then
  TAIL_BUILD=$(jq -s -r '.[-1].build_id' "$STEAM_LOG")
  SNAP_BUILD=$(jq -r .snapshot.build_id "$WEEKLY")
  test "$TAIL_BUILD" = "$SNAP_BUILD"
fi

echo "october_upload_weekly_ok"

Wire to CI as a Monday job:

# example GitHub Actions fragment
- name: october upload weekly depot diff
  run: |
    bash scripts/verify_october_upload_weekly.sh \
      "release-evidence/steam/weekly/${{ env.ISO_WEEK }}.json"

Proof table

October upload cluster integration

Scenarios A–H

A — New build_id without jsonl append

Fail J5. Require steampipe log line + EXCEPTION-DEPOT note or rerun depot upload evening.

B — branch_intent flips to default mid-week

Fail J4/J5 unless forward #9 SETLIVE exception list documents SETLIVE-00N. Prefer fest_rc through upload window.

C — Locale weekly GREEN, depot weekly RED

Expected when strings stable but engineers hotfixed—different schemas. Do not merge verify scripts.

D — Metadata freeze M6 GREEN, depot weekly RED

Store copy can be frozen while depot manifest drifts—pair metadata freeze for store lane only.

E — W40 crash fix with EXCEPTION-DEPOT-002

J5 GREEN if note present, jsonl appended, setlive target still fest_rc. Document in Wednesday #10 smoke card.

F — Dress rehearsal challenge night overlaps Monday ritual

Challenge nights keep habits; weekly jq still appends jsonl Monday AM. Do not skip because Tuesday stand-up happened.

G — Multi-depot demo + full game

Snapshot primary_depot_id must match fest demo depot; secondary depots listed in notes or receipt v1.1 secondary_depot_ids[].

H — Upload queue pending (steam_build_id empty)

Allow weekly line with "steam_build_id": "pending" only when steampipe log shows upload_pending event; fail J4 next week if still pending—pair wall-clock trend.

Facilitator stand-up script (90 seconds)

1. “ISO week and receipt path?”
2. “build_id same as last Monday jsonl?”
3. “depot_manifest_sha256 unchanged or EXCEPTION-DEPOT?”
4. “branch_intent still fest_rc; default_branch_flag false?”
5. “Steampipe log tail matches snapshot?”
6. “Locale weekly jq separate—any RED there blocks capstone, not necessarily depot weekly.”
7. “If any RED → no setlive today; route to upload evening or EXCEPTION-DEPOT file.”

Printable facilitator card

OCTOBER UPLOAD WEEKLY DEPOT JQ — MONDAY
[ ] J1 schema october_upload_weekly_v1
[ ] J2 october_upload_window_allowed + steampipe_upload_ok
[ ] J3 prior jsonl week or bootstrap note
[ ] J4 build_id + manifest hash + depot_id
[ ] J5 depot_row_diff honest (EXCEPTION-DEPOT if changed)
[ ] J6 october_upload_weekly_ok on BUILD_RECEIPT
[ ] default_branch_flag == false
[ ] setlive_target_label == rc_label

Python J5 audit cousin (optional CI)

import json, sys
weekly = json.load(open(sys.argv[1]))
diff = weekly.get("depot_row_diff", [])
changed = {d["field"] for d in diff if d.get("delta") not in ("unchanged", "0")}
rebuild_fields = {"build_id", "depot_manifest_sha256", "steam_build_id"}
if changed & rebuild_fields:
    notes = [d.get("note", "") for d in diff if d["field"] in rebuild_fields]
    if not all(n.startswith("EXCEPTION-DEPOT-") for n in notes):
        raise SystemExit("J5: rebuild without EXCEPTION-DEPOT note")
print("october_upload_weekly_ok")

jsonl integrity checks

# No duplicate ISO weeks
jq -s 'map(.iso_week) | group_by(.) | map(select(length>1)) | length == 0' \
  release-evidence/steam/october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl

# Monotonic ISO week ordering (facilitator discipline)
jq -s 'map(.iso_week) | . == sort' release-evidence/steam/october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl

Partner diligence zip

When publishers request upload-week proof:

1. Latest october_upload_weekly_v1 receipt
2. Full october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl
3. steampipe_upload_log.jsonl tail excerpt
4. depot_manifest_v1.json for snapshot week
5. BUILD_RECEIPT excerpt showing october_upload_weekly_ok
6. Link to localization capstone if window opened there

Zip name: {studio}_october_upload_weekly_{iso_week}_2026.zip.

Engine / tooling notes

Weekly jq is engine-agnostic once depot_manifest_v1.json exists.

Comparison pack — weekly jq cousins

FAQ

Same as steampipe_upload_log.jsonl jq from depot evening?

No. Evening tutorial proves append discipline. Weekly jq proves week-over-week identity with depot_row_diff.

Same as localization weekly jq?

No. Different schema, fields, and failure modes—run both Mondays during upload prep.

Same as Wednesday depot smoke #10?

Monday jq detects drift; Wednesday smoke decides promote permission—cousin cadence like April jq vs Thursday content-update.

Does weekly OK authorize store publish?

No—forward #2 publish checklist and #10 Wednesday smoke own store-facing gates.

What if we only ship one depot?

Weekly still trivial-passes with single primary_depot_id—cheap insurance against silent rebuilds.

How do exceptions work?

Numbered EXCEPTION-DEPOT-### files; reference in depot_row_diff[].note. Forward #12 capstone should list open exceptions.

When do we stop Monday runs?

After fest live closeout—or when upload window formally closes in capstone receipt.

Can CI upload without human dry-run review?

Set operator: ci_runner in steampipe log; human must still review dry-run artifact before U6—weekly jq does not replace U4.

Key takeaways

1. After upload window opens, run a weekly depot row diff—not locale or catalog jq.
2. Gates J1–J6 here mean depot schema, not locale freeze or April catalog.
3. Append october_upload_weekly_log.jsonl every ISO week through upload prep.
4. Latch october_upload_weekly_ok separately from steampipe_upload_ok.
5. Silent build_id changes fail J5—require EXCEPTION-DEPOT or new upload evening.
6. default_branch_flag must stay false during upload window unless forward #9 documents SETLIVE exception.
7. Pair depot evening #1 and locale weekly jq; forward Wednesday #10 and Friday #12.
8. Steampipe log tail must agree with weekly snapshot build_id.
9. Store metadata freeze and depot weekly are orthogonal—both can be RED independently.
10. Guide #56 / Course 296 / Help #61 continue the format ladder.
11. Bootstrap week-0 from depot upload night—do not invent prior hashes.
12. Wrong cousin jq is a class of CI false greens—keep verify scripts in separate files.

Related reads

• Your First SteamPipe Depot Upload Log BUILD_RECEIPT Before October Next Fest
• jq Gate Sketch for localization_freeze Weekly Locale Row Diff — cousin cadence; locale columns
• Friday Localization Freeze Capstone Before October Upload
• 5-Night October Next Fest Upload Dress Rehearsal Challenge
• We Recovered Wrong Steam Default Branch After Localization Capstone GREEN
• October 2026 Steam Store Last-Minute Metadata Freeze Trend Playbook
• 14 Free Steam Store Publish Checklist Tools October Upload Week
• jq Gate Sketch for april_content_update Weekly Catalog Row Diff
• October SteamPipe Queue Wall-Clock Telemetry Trend
• 12 Pre-Flight Checks Before steamcmd setlive October Fest 2026

Closing

Upload evening without Monday depot honesty is how build_id hashes lie while producers celebrate frozen store tags. File the weekly depot row diff, keep locale jq in its lane, and let october_upload_weekly_ok be the boring green light setlive and fest live both respect.

When someone asks for a “tiny hotfix upload” without jsonl, the weekly log has an answer: EXCEPTION-DEPOT, new upload evening, or no setlive today.