ci: retain existing release signing cache behavior

.github/workflows/release-cut.yml

@@ -1251,13 +1251,12 @@ jobs:
       # Cache the Electron binary + electron-builder tool downloads
       # (winCodeSign, nsis, squirrel, AppImage). Saves ~30-90s per job.
       - name: Cache electron-builder downloads
-        id: electron-builder-downloads
-        uses: actions/cache/restore@v5
+        uses: actions/cache@v5
         with:
           path: ${{ matrix.eb_cache_path }}
-          key: electron-builder-downloads-v2-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-${{ matrix.platform }}-${{ hashFiles('pnpm-lock.yaml') }}
+          key: electron-builder-${{ matrix.platform }}-${{ hashFiles('pnpm-lock.yaml') }}
           restore-keys: |
-            electron-builder-downloads-v2-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}-${{ matrix.platform }}-
+            electron-builder-${{ matrix.platform }}-
 
       # Why: pnpm install triggers electron's postinstall, which downloads the
       # Electron binary from GitHub release assets. GitHub's download CDN
@@ -1455,14 +1454,6 @@ jobs:
         if: matrix.platform == 'win' && github.run_attempt == 1
         uses: ./.github/actions/install-signpath-module
 
-      # Save before SignPath replaces cached elevate.exe with this run's signed bytes.
-      - name: Save electron-builder downloads before signing
-        if: steps.electron-builder-downloads.outputs.cache-hit != 'true' && (matrix.platform != 'win' || github.run_attempt == 1)
-        uses: actions/cache/save@v5
-        with:
-          path: ${{ matrix.eb_cache_path }}
-          key: ${{ steps.electron-builder-downloads.outputs.cache-primary-key }}
-
       # ── Windows inner-binary signing (issue #7785) ─────────────────────
       # Why: SignPath cannot deep-sign inside NSIS installers, so inner PE
       # files (Orca.exe, node-pty *.node, DLLs) are signed via a separate zip
@@ -1722,7 +1713,10 @@ jobs:
       # clobbered the SignPath signature in v1.4.129-rc.4. There is no supported
       # way to disable just the copy, so we overwrite the cache's copy with our
       # signed one (identical bytes plus signature) so the clobber becomes a
-      # no-op. The download cache is saved before signing, so this swap stays local.
+      # no-op. Known quirk: the cache persists across releases via actions/cache,
+      # so later runs may see elevate.exe as already signed and skip staging it —
+      # that is fine (the signature is timestamped) and the evidence gate checks
+      # elevate.exe in the shipped installer unconditionally.
       #
       # The cache lookup lives in a script because the inline path this step used
       # (`<cache>\nsis`) matches no app-builder-lib layout, and `SilentlyContinue`
@@ -1739,7 +1733,9 @@ jobs:
             Write-Host '::warning::No elevate.exe in win-unpacked resources; nothing to protect from the rebuild clobber.'
             exit 0
           }
-          # Only this run's production SignPath signature may enter the installer rebuild.
+          # Why this guard stays: windows-signing-rehearsal.yml shares the
+          # electron-builder-win-<lockfile hash> cache key with this workflow, so a
+          # test-certificate elevate.exe must never be staged into a release cache.
           $signature = Get-AuthenticodeSignature -FilePath $signed
           $subject = if ($null -eq $signature.SignerCertificate) { '<none>' } else { $signature.SignerCertificate.Subject }
           if ($signature.Status -ne 'Valid' -or $subject -notlike '*CN=SignPath Foundation*') {

config/scripts/ci-dependency-download-cache.test.mjs

@@ -27,29 +27,4 @@ describe('CI dependency download caches', () => {
       'mobile/pnpm-lock.yaml'
     ])
   })
-
-  it('saves release tool downloads before signing can mutate them', () => {
-    const steps = Object.values(workflow('release-cut').jobs).find((job) =>
-      job.steps?.some((step) => step.id === 'electron-builder-downloads')
-    ).steps
-    const restore = steps.find((step) => step.id === 'electron-builder-downloads')
-    const save = steps.find(
-      (step) => step.name === 'Save electron-builder downloads before signing'
-    )
-    expect(restore.uses).toBe('actions/cache/restore@v5')
-    expect(restore.with.key).toContain(
-      'electron-builder-downloads-v2-${{ runner.os }}-${{ runner.arch }}'
-    )
-    expect(restore.with['restore-keys']).toContain('electron-builder-downloads-v2-')
-    expect(save.uses).toBe('actions/cache/save@v5')
-    expect(save.with.path).toBe(restore.with.path)
-    expect(save.with.key).toBe('${{ steps.electron-builder-downloads.outputs.cache-primary-key }}')
-    expect(steps.indexOf(save)).toBeGreaterThan(
-      steps.findIndex((step) => step.name === 'Build Windows release artifacts')
-    )
-    expect(steps.indexOf(save)).toBeLessThan(
-      steps.findIndex((step) => step.id === 'sign-elevate-cache')
-    )
-    expect(save.if).toContain("matrix.platform != 'win' || github.run_attempt == 1")
-  })
 })