fix(build): turn off MSBuild file tracking for Windows native rebuilds

Default Windows native rebuilds to TrackFileAccess=false while preserving explicit caller preferences.

Co-authored-by: B1nh M1nh <43268322+b1nhm1nh@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 5.5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
Co-authored-by: Neil <neil@stably.ai>

config/scripts/ensure-native-runtime.mjs

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
   windowsProcessTreeAddonPath
 } from './windows-process-tree-gyp-rebuild.mjs'
 import { describeProcessFailure, runProcessSync } from './script-child-process.mjs'
+import { disableMsbuildFileTrackingOnWindows } from './msbuild-file-tracking.mjs'
 
 const require = createRequire(import.meta.url)
 const { assertNodePtyJobOwnership, nodePtyAddonPath } = require('./node-pty-job-ownership.cjs')
@@ -420,7 +421,7 @@ function runNodeGyp({ args, cwd }) {
   const env =
     process.platform === 'linux'
       ? { ...process.env, CXXFLAGS: `${process.env.CXXFLAGS ?? ''} -std=gnu++2a`.trim() }
-      : process.env
+      : disableMsbuildFileTrackingOnWindows({ ...process.env })
   const result = runProcessSync({
     program: process.execPath,
     args,

config/scripts/ensure-native-runtime.test.mjs

@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ describe('ensure-native-runtime', () => {
       expect(result.stderr).toContain('node-gyp stderr complete\n')
       const log = readFileSync(logPath, 'utf8')
       expect(log).toContain(`node-gyp rebuild --arch=${process.arch}\n`)
+      expect(log).toContain(`trackFileAccess=${process.platform === 'win32' ? 'false' : ''}\n`)
       expect(log).toContain(join('node_modules', 'node-pty'))
       if (process.platform === 'linux') {
         expect(log).toMatch(/^cxxflags=(?:.*\s)?-std=gnu\+\+2a$/m)
@@ -73,9 +74,14 @@ describe('ensure-native-runtime', () => {
     }
   })
 
-  it.skipIf(process.platform !== 'win32')(
-    'rebuilds other failed Windows addons with patched node-pty',
-    () => {
+  it.skipIf(process.platform !== 'win32').each([
+    { trackingEnv: {}, tracking: 'false' },
+    { trackingEnv: { TrackFileAccess: 'true' }, tracking: 'true' },
+    { trackingEnv: { trackfileaccess: 'true' }, tracking: 'true' },
+    { trackingEnv: { tRaCkFiLeAcCeSs: 'false' }, tracking: 'false' }
+  ])(
+    'rebuilds other failed Windows addons with patched node-pty and tracking=$tracking',
+    ({ trackingEnv, tracking }) => {
       const projectDir = mkTempProject()
 
       try {
@@ -90,6 +96,7 @@ describe('ensure-native-runtime', () => {
           cwd: projectDir,
           encoding: 'utf8',
           env: envForNativeFixture(projectDir, {
+            ...trackingEnv,
             ORCA_NATIVE_TEST_LOG: logPath,
             ORCA_NATIVE_TEST_MARKER: markerPath
           })
@@ -100,6 +107,9 @@ describe('ensure-native-runtime', () => {
         expect(
           log.split('\n').filter((line) => line === `node-gyp rebuild --arch=${process.arch}`)
         ).toHaveLength(2)
+        expect(
+          log.split('\n').filter((line) => line === `trackFileAccess=${tracking}`)
+        ).toHaveLength(2)
         expect(log).toContain(join('node_modules', 'node-pty'))
         expect(log).toContain(join('node_modules', '@orca', 'windows-registry'))
       } finally {
@@ -277,8 +287,12 @@ function mkTempProject() {
 }
 
 function envForNativeFixture(projectDir, extraEnv) {
+  // An inherited tracking preference would mask the Windows default under test.
+  const inherited = Object.fromEntries(
+    Object.entries(process.env).filter(([key]) => key.toLowerCase() !== 'trackfileaccess')
+  )
   return {
-    ...process.env,
+    ...inherited,
     ...extraEnv,
     npm_config_node_gyp: join(projectDir, 'node_modules', 'node-gyp', 'bin', 'node-gyp.js')
   }
@@ -323,7 +337,7 @@ exports.loadNativeModule = function loadNativeModule(nativeName) {
   writeFakeWindowsRegistry(projectDir, { requiresMarker: windowsRegistryRequiresMarker })
   if (process.platform === 'win32') {
     const buildDir = join(nodePtyDir, 'build', 'Release')
-    mkdirSync(buildDir, { recursive: true })
+    writePatchedNodePtyBuildArtifacts(projectDir)
     writeFileSync(join(buildDir, 'conpty.node'), Buffer.from('msys-2.0.dll', 'utf16le'))
   }
 }
@@ -419,6 +433,7 @@ const { appendFileSync, writeFileSync, writeSync } = require('node:fs')
 appendFileSync(process.env.ORCA_NATIVE_TEST_LOG, \`node-gyp \${process.argv.slice(2).join(' ')}\\n\`)
 appendFileSync(process.env.ORCA_NATIVE_TEST_LOG, \`cwd=\${process.cwd()}\\n\`)
 appendFileSync(process.env.ORCA_NATIVE_TEST_LOG, \`cxxflags=\${process.env.CXXFLAGS || ''}\\n\`)
+appendFileSync(process.env.ORCA_NATIVE_TEST_LOG, \`trackFileAccess=\${process.env.TrackFileAccess ?? ''}\\n\`)
 if (process.env.ORCA_NATIVE_TEST_VERBOSE_OUTPUT_BYTES) {
   const output = Buffer.alloc(Number(process.env.ORCA_NATIVE_TEST_VERBOSE_OUTPUT_BYTES), 'x')
   for (let offset = 0; offset < output.length;) {

config/scripts/msbuild-file-tracking.mjs

@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+// FileTracker's long-path-unsafe .tlog files serve incremental builds; these rebuilds are forced.
+export function disableMsbuildFileTrackingOnWindows(
+  env = process.env,
+  platform = process.platform
+) {
+  // Windows environment keys are case-insensitive, including caller overrides in copied objects.
+  if (
+    platform === 'win32' &&
+    !Object.keys(env).some((key) => key.toLowerCase() === 'trackfileaccess')
+  ) {
+    env.TrackFileAccess = 'false'
+  }
+  return env
+}

config/scripts/msbuild-file-tracking.test.mjs

@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { disableMsbuildFileTrackingOnWindows } from './msbuild-file-tracking.mjs'
+
+describe('disableMsbuildFileTrackingOnWindows', () => {
+  it('turns tracking off on Windows when the caller left it unset', () => {
+    expect(disableMsbuildFileTrackingOnWindows({ PATH: 'x' }, 'win32')).toEqual({
+      PATH: 'x',
+      TrackFileAccess: 'false'
+    })
+  })
+
+  it.each(['TrackFileAccess', 'trackfileaccess', 'TRACKFILEACCESS', 'tRaCkFiLeAcCeSs'])(
+    'preserves explicit %s values without adding a duplicate key',
+    (key) => {
+      for (const value of ['true', 'false', '']) {
+        const env = { [key]: value }
+        expect(disableMsbuildFileTrackingOnWindows(env, 'win32')).toBe(env)
+        expect(env).toEqual({ [key]: value })
+      }
+    }
+  )
+
+  it.each(['linux', 'darwin'])('leaves %s hosts alone', (platform) => {
+    const env = { PATH: 'x' }
+    expect(disableMsbuildFileTrackingOnWindows(env, platform)).toBe(env)
+    expect(env).toEqual({ PATH: 'x' })
+  })
+})

config/scripts/rebuild-native-deps-node-pty.test.mjs

@@ -22,6 +22,51 @@ import {
 } from './rebuild-native-deps-test-fixtures.mjs'
 
 describe('rebuild-native-deps patched node-pty rebuild', () => {
+  it.skipIf(process.platform !== 'win32')(
+    'passes the Windows tracking default and explicit overrides to forced Electron rebuilds',
+    () => {
+      const projectDir = mkTempProject()
+
+      try {
+        const rebuildLogPath = join(projectDir, 'electron-rebuild.log')
+        writeFakeUsableElectronPackage(projectDir, { platform: 'win32' })
+        writeFakeElectronRebuild(projectDir, { logPathEnv: 'ORCA_REBUILD_TEST_LOG' })
+        writeFakeLoadableNodePty(projectDir)
+        writeFakeWindowsProcessTree(projectDir)
+        writeFakeNodePtyConptyPayload(projectDir, process.arch)
+
+        const env = {
+          ORCA_REBUILD_TEST_LOG: rebuildLogPath,
+          npm_config_platform: 'win32',
+          npm_config_arch: process.arch
+        }
+        for (const override of [
+          {},
+          { TrackFileAccess: 'true' },
+          { trackfileaccess: 'true' },
+          { tRaCkFiLeAcCeSs: 'false' }
+        ]) {
+          const result = runRebuildScript(projectDir, { ...env, ...override })
+          expect(result.status, result.stderr).toBe(0)
+        }
+
+        const calls = readFileSync(rebuildLogPath, 'utf8')
+          .trim()
+          .split('\n')
+          .map((line) => JSON.parse(line))
+        expect(calls.map((call) => call.trackFileAccess)).toEqual([
+          'false',
+          'true',
+          'true',
+          'false'
+        ])
+        expect(calls.every((call) => call.force)).toBe(true)
+      } finally {
+        removeTreeSync(projectDir)
+      }
+    }
+  )
+
   it.skipIf(process.platform !== 'win32')(
     'repairs a missing ConPTY runtime before probing without recompiling node-pty',
     () => {

config/scripts/rebuild-native-deps-test-fixtures.mjs

@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ export function writeWindowsProcessTreePatchFile(projectDir) {
 export function mkTempProject() {
   const projectDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'orca-rebuild-native-deps-'))
   mkdirSync(join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts'), { recursive: true })
-  copyFileSync(sourceScriptPath, join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts', 'rebuild-native-deps.mjs'))
+  copyScriptWithLocalModules(sourceScriptPath, join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts'))
   copyScriptWithLocalModules(sourceInstallScriptPath, join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts'))
   copyScriptWithLocalModules(sourceNodePtyJobOwnershipPath, join(projectDir, 'config', 'scripts'))
   copyFileSync(
@@ -134,7 +134,8 @@ export function runRebuildScript(projectDir, extraEnv = {}, args = []) {
   for (const key of Object.keys(env)) {
     if (
       key.toLowerCase() === 'orca_strict_electron_install' ||
-      key.toLowerCase() === 'npm_lifecycle_event'
+      key.toLowerCase() === 'npm_lifecycle_event' ||
+      key.toLowerCase() === 'trackfileaccess'
     ) {
       delete env[key]
     }
@@ -286,6 +287,7 @@ export async function rebuild(options) {${emitAddon}
       electronVersion: options.electronVersion,
       force: options.force,
       ignoreModules: options.ignoreModules,
+      trackFileAccess: process.env.TrackFileAccess ?? null,
       onlyModules: options.onlyModules,
       platform: options.platform
     }) + '\\n'

config/scripts/rebuild-native-deps.mjs

@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ import {
   stageWindowsProcessTreeNodeAddonApiHeaders,
   windowsProcessTreeAddonPath
 } from './windows-process-tree-gyp-rebuild.mjs'
+import { disableMsbuildFileTrackingOnWindows } from './msbuild-file-tracking.mjs'
 import {
   copyFileSync,
   existsSync,
@@ -162,6 +163,7 @@ try {
       console.warn('[rebuild] Repaired the un-applied windows-process-tree command-line patch.')
     }
   }
+  disableMsbuildFileTrackingOnWindows()
   await rebuild({
     buildPath: projectDir,
     electronVersion,