CNA-VGAP-026: The Windows renderer routes have no automatic native Windows execution: the DIRECTX9 and SDL_GPU legs of the Windows workflow are manual

CNA snapshot 3b43bd86  ·  Known Issues › Verification gaps  ·  source links pinned to 3b43bd86

The native Windows workflow (DIRECTX9 and an SDL_GPU Direct3D 12 smoke leg) runs only on manual dispatch, as does the SDL3-on-Windows platform job; CNA records no native run of either leg, and its Windows rendering evidence is Wine.

Identifier

CNA-VGAP-026

Category

Verification gap

Subsystem

Testing & evidence

Status

Open

Verified against

CNA 3b43bd86 (3b43bd8687ed46523d873f9bec4b32bd8481dcb5)

Evidence basis

Source-verified: read at TARGET, not executed

Tests touching this area

Yes: see Current tests

Affected contract

DIRECTX9 and SDL_GPU renderer routes on native Windows (SDL_GPU through SDL's Direct3D 12 driver)

Expected behaviour

Renderers whose home platform is Windows need at least one automatic native run.

Actual behaviour at TARGET

d3d-windows-ci.yml (matrix DIRECTX9 and SDL_GPU) triggers only on workflow_dispatch; its SDL_GPU leg runs the focused smoke set of scripts/ci/run-sdlgpu-smoke.sh on SDL's Direct3D 12 driver. platform-ci.yml's sdl3-windows job (SDL3 on native MSVC: the platform module's suite and the HWND check) also runs only on manual dispatch. The matrix took its current form on 2026-10-14 (d97eff100); CNA's recorded manual dispatches on GitHub's windows-latest runners predate it (plan_platform.md, PLAT-142), and handoff.md says the SDL_GPU leg has not been run yet. The Wine cross-build lanes (DXVK for DIRECTX9, vkd3d-proton for SDL's Direct3D 12 driver under SDL_GPU) are local evidence, not native Windows.

Source locations

• .github/workflows/d3d-windows-ci.yml — on: workflow_dispatch; renderer matrix DIRECTX9 and SDL_GPU
• .github/workflows/platform-ci.yml — sdl3-windows job: workflow_dispatch only
• scripts/ci/run-sdlgpu-smoke.sh — the SDL_GPU smoke set the Windows leg runs
• handoff.md — Platforms table: the SDL_GPU Direct3D 12 leg not run yet

Evidence

Checked by reading the two workflows, the smoke script and handoff.md at 3b43bd86; nothing was built or executed for this entry.

Re-verified at c6dec91f: the Direct3D lane this entry first described belonged to a renderer retired on 2026-10-13 (def6f7747); d97eff100 (RRC-051) replaced it with the DIRECTX9 and SDL_GPU legs, still on manual dispatch. That SDL_GPU is the default renderer on Windows without being qualified there is a separate entry.

Independently reported as CNA-VGAP-043 (folded into this entry by the adversarial audit): Every engine-level Windows workflow is manual: neither the native Windows renderer workflow (DIRECTX9 and SDL_GPU) nor the SDL3-on-Windows platform job has a push or schedule trigger.

Focused reproduction

No focused reproduction is known. Nothing has been invented here; the evidence above is what exists.

Current tests

Cross-built test binaries run under Wine locally; the manual workflows exist but have no schedule or push trigger.

Regression test

Push or scheduled triggers for the Windows workflow, or at least a recorded native run of both legs.

Blast radius

All Windows-native rendering, presentation (including PresentInterval pacing and tearing), DPI and device-loss behaviour on DIRECTX9 and on SDL_GPU, the Windows default.

Workaround

No workaround is known.