From b5ed703108a3133b16d94040919781e0c6f3bfd7 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "dolgolyov.alexei" <dolgolyov.alexei@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Mar 2026 23:41:09 +0300
Subject: [PATCH] docs: add manual build workflow section (6.2)

Describes a workflow_dispatch-triggered build.yml that produces
CI artifacts without creating a Gitea release. Useful for testing
builds before tagging.
---
 gitea-python-ci-cd.md | 64 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-
 1 file changed, 63 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/gitea-python-ci-cd.md b/gitea-python-ci-cd.md
index 01f9662..10738c8 100644
--- a/gitea-python-ci-cd.md
+++ b/gitea-python-ci-cd.md
@@ -22,8 +22,9 @@ A reusable reference for building CI pipelines, release automation, and installe
 Two workflows, triggered by different events:
 
 ```text
-push/PR to master  ──►  test.yml   (lint + test)
+push/PR to master  ──►  test.yml    (lint + test)
 push tag v*        ──►  release.yml (build + release + Docker)
+manual trigger     ──►  build.yml   (build artifacts only, no release)
 ```
 
 ## 1. Lint & Test Workflow
@@ -506,6 +507,67 @@ Build: `makensis -DVERSION="${VERSION}" installer.nsi`
 
 Sign the `.exe` after `makensis` but before uploading assets to avoid SmartScreen and browser download warnings. See [windows-code-signing.md](windows-code-signing.md) for signing options and CI integration examples.
 
+### 6.2. Build Without Release (Manual Trigger)
+
+A separate workflow that builds installers and artifacts on demand, without creating a Gitea release. Useful for testing builds before tagging, verifying installer changes, or grabbing a dev build.
+
+```yaml
+# .gitea/workflows/build.yml
+name: Build Artifacts
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch:
+    inputs:
+      version:
+        description: 'Version label (e.g. dev, 0.3.0-test)'
+        required: false
+        default: 'dev'
+
+jobs:
+  build-windows:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Build Windows distribution
+        run: bash build-dist-windows.sh "${{ inputs.version }}"
+
+      - name: Build NSIS installer
+        run: makensis -DVERSION="${{ inputs.version }}" installer.nsi
+
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: windows-installer
+          path: build/*.exe
+
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: windows-portable
+          path: build/*.zip
+
+  build-linux:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Build Linux distribution
+        run: bash build-dist.sh "${{ inputs.version }}"
+
+      - uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: linux-tarball
+          path: build/*.tar.gz
+```
+
+**Key differences from `release.yml`:**
+
+- **No `create-release` job** — build jobs run independently
+- **`actions/upload-artifact`** instead of Gitea release API — artifacts are downloadable from the workflow run page
+- **`workflow_dispatch`** — triggered manually from Gitea UI (Actions → Build Artifacts → Run)
+- **Same build scripts** — `build-dist-windows.sh` and `build-dist.sh` accept the version as an argument
+
+> **Note:** `actions/upload-artifact` stores artifacts temporarily (default retention: 90 days). For permanent distribution, use the release workflow with a `v*` tag.
+
 ## 7. Docker Build
 
 ### Multi-stage Dockerfile