Contributing to the Atlas Playbook
On this page
Read the contribution guide first. The Atlas repository contains the playbook, Atlas Manager, and their build and test tooling.
How the playbook works
The .apbx package contains the scripts, definitions, and supporting files that apply Atlas to Windows. Atlas Manager and AME Wizard both run Atlas’s PowerShell installation workflow.
Manager handles the setup interface, update preparation, package acquisition, and recovery. AME Wizard provides an alternative host. Its YAML handoff captures installation choices and invokes Atlas entry points; the installation sequence and feature logic live in Atlas’s PowerShell modules.
The installed Atlas folder exposes configuration controls backed by those modules. See the repository’s architecture guide for execution scopes, installation state, retries, and recorded settings.
Find the relevant source
playbook/playbook.conf: release metadata, Windows builds, upgrade sources, and installation choices.playbook/Configuration/custom.yml: AME Wizard’s handoff to Atlas.playbook/Executables/AtlasModules: installation framework, operations, tweaks, and toggles.playbook/Executables/AtlasDesktop: configuration launchers and supporting assets.app: Atlas Manager’s Rust application.toolsandtests: build tooling and automated checks.
How to build a Playbook
Install PowerShell 7 and 7-Zip or NanaZip, then open the Atlas repository root.
On Windows:
.\build.cmdOn a Unix shell:
./build.shThe wrappers create playbook/Atlas Test.apbx using the local test profile. That profile removes version/product verification gates and is intended for development, not distribution as a release.
The payload itself uses Windows PowerShell 5.1 on the destination PC. See the build guide for direct commands and profiles, and the Manager README for app builds.
Test a built Playbook
Use a disposable Windows 11 25H2 VM and restore its baseline before each fresh-install test. Keep separate baselines for update preparation, a fully prepared fresh installation, and eligible older Atlas installations.
In Manager, choose Open playbook file to load your local package. Also test it through AME Wizard when changing shared installation behavior or the AME handoff.
Verify the changed behavior, failures and retries, restart recovery, recorded choices, and post-installation health. Test existing and new Windows accounts separately. For ISO changes, boot the generated media and finish setup on the destination; a successful ISO build alone is insufficient.
Follow the testing guide and the repository’s release verification matrix. Use real hardware as well as VMs before treating a candidate as validated. Report issues with diagnostics and exact versions.