---
phase: 03-auto-start
verified: 2026-04-23T23:59:00Z
status: passed
score: 6/6 must-haves verified
overrides_applied: 0
re_verification: false
gaps: []
deferred: []
human_verification: []
requirements_closed:
  - AUTO-01
  - AUTO-02
  - AUTO-03
  - AUTO-04
  - AUTO-05
  - AUTO-06
open_gaps: []
---

# Phase 3: Auto-Start Verification Report

**Phase Goal:** SteamVR launches `micmap.exe` automatically when SteamVR starts, MicMap exits cleanly when SteamVR exits, and registration is idempotent — no console window, no focus steal, no respawn loop.
**Verified:** 2026-04-23T23:59:00Z
**Status:** PASSED
**Re-verification:** No — initial verification

---

## Goal Achievement

### Observable Truths

Derived from ROADMAP.md Phase 3 success criteria and mapped to AUTO-0x requirements.

| # | Truth | Status | Evidence |
|---|-------|--------|----------|
| 1 | Full SteamVR restart cycle: silent auto-launch → clean exit within 2s → re-launch again, no respawn loop (AUTO-01/05/06) | VERIFIED | UAT Procedures B + C: B3 Task Manager present within 5s; C1 exits within watchdog; B7 re-launches; D 5-cycle 0 respawn |
| 2 | `SetApplicationAutoLaunch` never called immediately after `AddApplicationManifest` — polls `IsApplicationInstalled` up to 2s first; idempotent across restarts (AUTO-02/04) | VERIFIED | `manifest_registrar.cpp` L235–250: kPollMaxAttempts=20 x 100ms loop; `SetApplicationAutoLaunch` inside loop ONLY if `installed==true`; test_manifest_registrar Case 2 (poll-timeout) asserts zero `SetApplicationAutoLaunch` calls; unit test 5/5 GREEN |
| 3 | MicMap appears in SteamVR "Manage Startup Overlay Apps" with `app_key="bigscreen.micmap"` and `is_dashboard_overlay=true` (AUTO-01) | VERIFIED | `build/bin/Release/app.vrmanifest` confirmed: `app_key=bigscreen.micmap`, `is_dashboard_overlay=true`, `launch_type=binary`, `binary_path_windows=micmap.exe`, `arguments="--minimized"`; UAT A3: row present in SteamVR UI with toggle ON |
| 4 | `--register-vrmanifest` and `--unregister-vrmanifest` headlessly invocable, exit 0/1 (AUTO-02/03) | VERIFIED | `main.cpp:711–730`: CLI fork before RegisterClassExW; calls `createManifestRegistrar()->registerApp()/unregisterApp()`; returns `Success ? 0 : 1`; UAT A2 rc=0, A4 rc=0; offline capability confirmed (A1 deviation: VRApplication_Utility works without vrserver) |
| 5 | `VREvent_Quit` ACK fires BEFORE `notifyEvent(Quit)` — ack-first satisfies Valve's 2s watchdog regardless of teardown latency (AUTO-05) | VERIFIED | `vr_input_events.cpp:42-43`: line 42 = `system.AcknowledgeQuit_Exiting()`, line 43 = `sink.notifyEvent(VREventType::Quit)`; no intervening code; `test_vr_input_quit_ordering` locks call-log ordering (log[0]=="AcknowledgeQuit_Exiting()", log[1]=="notifyEvent(Quit)") — GREEN; UAT C: exits within 2s, no SteamVR "killed" dialog |
| 6 | Silent auto-launch: no console window, no focus steal, one-shot tray balloon only on first silent launch (AUTO-06) | VERIFIED | Grep gates: `SUBSYSTEM:CONSOLE`=0, `AllocConsole`=0, `strstr(lpCmdLine`=0; `main.cpp:810`: `ShowWindow` skipped when `flags.minimized`; D-08 mutex skip; `first_launch_balloon.cpp:31`: `shownTrayNotification` gate; `NIIF_RESPECT_QUIET_TIME` present; UAT B+E: no focus steal, balloon fires once, not twice |

**Score:** 6/6 truths verified

---

## Required Artifacts

| Artifact | Provides | Status | Evidence |
|----------|----------|--------|----------|
| `apps/micmap/app.vrmanifest.in` | Manifest template with `@MICMAP_APP_KEY@` + `@MICMAP_VERSION@` | VERIFIED | File exists; all required fields present; `configure_file` in `apps/micmap/CMakeLists.txt:23–70` emits `build/bin/Release/app.vrmanifest` |
| `build/bin/Release/app.vrmanifest` | Built manifest beside `micmap.exe` with `app_key=bigscreen.micmap` | VERIFIED | Confirmed: `bigscreen.micmap`, `is_dashboard_overlay=true`, `launch_type=binary`, `binary_path_windows=micmap.exe`, `arguments="--minimized"` (string form — A2 resolved) |
| `src/steamvr/include/micmap/steamvr/manifest_registrar.hpp` | `IManifestRegistrar` interface + `RegisterResult` enum + factories | VERIFIED | File exists; exports `registerApp()`, `unregisterApp()`, `ensureRegistered()`, `getLastError()`; `createManifestRegistrar()` + `createManifestRegistrarForTesting()` present |
| `src/steamvr/src/manifest_registrar.cpp` | `ManifestRegistrarImpl` with poll guard + A2 forward-slash guard + path resolver | VERIFIED | File exists 350 lines; `kPollMaxAttempts=20`, `kPollIntervalMs=100`; A2 guard at L218; `resolveManifestAbsolutePath` via `GetModuleFileNameW`+`PathCchRemoveFileSpec`+`L"\\app.vrmanifest"`; uses `vr::VRApplications()` accessor (no hardcoded version string) |
| `src/steamvr/include/micmap/steamvr/vr_input_events.hpp` | `IVRSystemSeam` + `IEventSink` + `processVREventImpl` seam | VERIFIED | File exists; header carries zero OpenVR dependency (uint32_t eventType); `AcknowledgeQuit_Exiting()` pure-virtual on seam |
| `src/steamvr/src/vr_input_events.cpp` | Ack-first `processVREventImpl` implementation | VERIFIED | Line 42=`AcknowledgeQuit_Exiting()`, line 43=`notifyEvent(Quit)`, `return;` after — no fall-through |
| `apps/micmap/first_launch_balloon.hpp/cpp` | `IShellNotifySeam` + `fireBalloonIfFirstSilentLaunch` + `ProductionShellNotifySeam` | VERIFIED | Files exist; `shownTrayNotification` gate; `NIIF_RESPECT_QUIET_TIME`; `NIM_MODIFY`+`NIF_INFO`; szInfo cleared after fire (Pitfall 11) |
| `src/common/include/micmap/common/cli_flags.hpp` + `src/common/src/cli_flags.cpp` | `CliFlags` struct + `parseCliArgs` (wcscmp-based) | VERIFIED | Header exists (Plan 01); impl committed in Plan 06 (`f8abbbc`); 3 wcscmp branches; unknown flags silently ignored |
| `apps/micmap/main.cpp` | CLI fork, silent-boot, retry thread, `MicMapApp::shutdown()` | VERIFIED | CLI fork at L711 (before RegisterClassExW); retry thread as `std::thread`+`std::atomic<bool>` at L267; shutdown at L433; D-12 ordered teardown; D-14 exit-path convergence |
| `src/core/include/micmap/core/config_manager.hpp` | `AppConfig::shownTrayNotification` field | VERIFIED | Line 60: `bool shownTrayNotification = false;` with doc comment |
| `src/core/src/config_manager.cpp` | shownTrayNotification read/write round-trip | VERIFIED | L262: write; L430: read with `.value` default; test_config_manager 5-case round-trip GREEN |

---

## Key Link Verification

| From | To | Via | Status | Evidence |
|------|----|-----|--------|----------|
| `vr_input.cpp::processVREvent` member | `processVREventImpl` free function | nested `VRSystemAdapter` + `EventSinkAdapter` | VERIFIED | `vr_input.cpp:387-389`: construct adapters, call `processVREventImpl(sysAdapter, sinkAdapter, ...)` |
| `VRSystemAdapter::AcknowledgeQuit_Exiting` | `vr::IVRSystem*->AcknowledgeQuit_Exiting()` | null-safe `if (sys_) sys_->AcknowledgeQuit_Exiting()` | VERIFIED | `vr_input.cpp:371-375` |
| `main.cpp` CLI fork | `IManifestRegistrar::registerApp()`/`unregisterApp()` | `createManifestRegistrar()` factory + `VR_Init(Utility)` | VERIFIED | `main.cpp:720-724`; exit-code mapping `Success ? 0 : 1` |
| `MicMapApp::initialize()` | retry thread | `manifestRetryThread = std::thread(...)` at L267 | VERIFIED | Thread body calls `manifestRegistrar->ensureRegistered()` on success path |
| `MicMapApp::shutdown()` | retry thread join | `manifestRetryCancel.store(true)` + `manifestRetryThread.joinable()` join at L447-448 | VERIFIED | Join is STEP 0 — before `vrInput->shutdown()`, preventing VR_Init/VR_Shutdown race |
| `shutdown()` | reconnect futures wait | `driverConnectFuture.wait()` + `vrInitFuture.wait()` at L458-459 | VERIFIED | WR-05 fix: futures promoted to `MicMapApp` members; waited before driverClient/vrInput teardown |
| `fireBalloonIfFirstSilentLaunch` | `AppConfig::shownTrayNotification` | `cfg.shownTrayNotification` read-then-flip via `IConfigManager` | VERIFIED | `first_launch_balloon.cpp:31,41`; driven from `main.cpp:820-824` |
| `configure_file` (CMake) | `app.vrmanifest` beside `micmap.exe` | `CMakeLists.txt:25-70`: configure then copy-via-custom-command to `$<TARGET_FILE_DIR:micmap>` | VERIFIED | `build/bin/Release/app.vrmanifest` confirmed present at verification time |

---

## Data-Flow Trace (Level 4)

Phase 3 artifacts are infrastructure/CLI code paths and config flags — not data-rendering components. Dynamic output is: (1) `shownTrayNotification` persisted via config manager, (2) manifest registered in OpenVR's `appconfig.json`. Both are verified via round-trip test (config) and live UAT (OpenVR). No hollow-prop or static-return gaps identified.

---

## Behavioral Spot-Checks

| Behavior | Check | Result | Status |
|----------|-------|--------|--------|
| 8/8 unit tests GREEN | `ctest --test-dir build -C Release --output-on-failure` | All 8 PASS in 2.50s | PASS |
| test_manifest_registrar: poll-timeout guard (20 attempts, no SetApplicationAutoLaunch) | Case 2 in 5-case suite | PASS, 2.41s (confirms 20×100ms ceiling) | PASS |
| test_vr_input_quit_ordering: ack-first at index 0 | call-log[0]=="AcknowledgeQuit_Exiting()", call-log[1]=="notifyEvent(Quit)" | PASS | PASS |
| test_tray_balloon_once: one-shot gate | flag=false fires; flag=true skips; non-minimized skips | PASS | PASS |
| test_vrmanifest_schema: required fields | `app_key=bigscreen.micmap`, `is_dashboard_overlay=true`, `arguments="--minimized"` | PASS | PASS |
| test_cli_flags_parse: 6 cases | register/unregister/minimized/combined/unknown-ignore/no-flags | PASS | PASS |
| Ack-first source ordering | Lines 42/43 in `vr_input_events.cpp` | `AcknowledgeQuit_Exiting()` at L42 < `notifyEvent(Quit)` at L43 | PASS |
| Retry thread uses `std::thread`, never `std::async` | `grep "std::async" apps/micmap/main.cpp` inside retry body | 0 matches in retry block (only in reconnect futures, which is correct and awaited in shutdown) | PASS |
| Console window guardrail | `grep SUBSYSTEM:CONSOLE` / `grep AllocConsole` / `grep strstr(lpCmdLine` | All 0 matches | PASS |
| Manifest path backslash-canonical | `L"\\app.vrmanifest"` append in `resolveManifestAbsolutePath` | Confirmed at `manifest_registrar.cpp:188` | PASS |

---

## Requirements Coverage

| Requirement | Source Plans | Description | Status | Evidence |
|-------------|-------------|-------------|--------|----------|
| AUTO-01 | 03-02, 03-06, 03-07 | `app.vrmanifest` shipped beside `micmap.exe`; `app_key=bigscreen.micmap`, `is_dashboard_overlay=true` | SATISFIED | `build/bin/Release/app.vrmanifest` verified; UAT A3: in SteamVR Startup Overlay Apps |
| AUTO-02 | 03-04, 03-06, 03-07 | `--register-vrmanifest` CLI: `AddApplicationManifest` + poll `IsApplicationInstalled` up to 2s + `SetApplicationAutoLaunch` | SATISFIED | `manifest_registrar.cpp` full sequence; `main.cpp:711-730` CLI fork; UAT A2 rc=0 |
| AUTO-03 | 03-04, 03-06, 03-07 | `--unregister-vrmanifest` CLI: symmetric teardown | SATISFIED | `unregisterApp()` in `manifest_registrar.cpp:263-279`; UAT A4 rc=0 |
| AUTO-04 | 03-04, 03-07 | Idempotent re-registration on every GUI boot; self-heals across upgrades / user-removal | SATISFIED | `ensureRegistered()` no-ops when already installed (D-18); retry thread on every boot; UAT D: 5 cycles, 0 drift; unit `ensureRegistered` idempotence case GREEN |
| AUTO-05 | 03-05, 03-07 | `AcknowledgeQuit_Exiting` + ordered subsystem teardown; prevents OpenVR #1425 respawn | SATISFIED | `vr_input_events.cpp:42-43` ack-before-notify; `MicMapApp::shutdown()` D-12 order (retry→audio→detector→driverClient→vrInput→tray); UAT C: under-watchdog exit, no zombie |
| AUTO-06 | 03-06, 03-07 | Silent auto-launch: no console, no focus steal, one-shot balloon | SATISFIED | `/SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS` (no console); D-06 `ShowWindow` skip; D-08 single-instance mutex skip; D-09 `fireBalloonIfFirstSilentLaunch` one-shot; UAT B+E |

---

## Anti-Patterns Found

No blockers. All 6 code-review Warnings fixed (commits `d5e8a49`, `c6edd89`, `cf53c15`, `1558133`, `0efd4a2`, `bbe7969`, `8fa5da3`). 7 of 8 Info findings addressed (IN-05 skipped as already conformant per REVIEW-FIX). No `TODO`/`FIXME`/placeholder comments in Phase 3 delivery files. No empty implementations in the load-bearing paths.

| File | Finding | Severity | Disposition |
|------|---------|----------|-------------|
| `manifest_registrar.cpp:218` | A2 forward-slash guard (assert-not-silenced) | Info | Live code guard — not a stub |
| `main.cpp:267-313` | `std::async` appears in comments only inside retry thread block | Info | Comments describe what NOT to use; guard is clean |
| `main.cpp:109-110` | `manifestRetryThread` + `manifestRetryCancel` as struct members | Info | Correct — joined in shutdown() step 0 |
| `first_launch_balloon.cpp:65` | `NIIF_RESPECT_QUIET_TIME` present | Info | Correct — required by D-10 |

No orphan files, no stub-only implementations, no `return null` / `return {}` in non-stub paths.

---

## Human Verification Required

None. All AUTO-0x requirements verified at one or more of: unit test (ctest GREEN), integration code inspection, live UAT on Bigscreen Beyond (Procedures A/B/C/D/E, documented in `03-07-UAT.md`).

The two documented UAT deviations are not failures:

1. **A1: `rc=0` offline (not `rc=1` as plan assumed)** — `VRApplication_Utility` works without vrserver, which is strictly more robust and is exactly what the Phase 4 installer needs for its `[Run]` post-install step. No code change required.

2. **C3: No file log at `%APPDATA%\MicMap\micmap.log`** — Logger is stdout-only under `/SUBSYSTEM:WINDOWS`. Teardown ordering verified via: (a) Task Manager exit within 2s watchdog, (b) no "killed/unresponsive" SteamVR dialog, (c) `test_vr_input_quit_ordering` locking ack-first at source level. Recommended follow-up: `FileLogger` in Phase 5 or a micro-plan (non-blocking for Phase 3 closure).

---

## Gaps Summary

No gaps. All six AUTO-0x requirements are verified at or above the required evidence level (unit tests + code inspection + live UAT). Build is clean at 8/8 ctest GREEN at verification time. Code review Warnings all fixed; single skipped finding (IN-05) confirmed already compliant. Phase 3 is ready to transition to Phase 4 (Installer).

---

## Verification Methodology Notes

**Code verified against at verification time:**

- `vr_input_events.cpp` lines 42-43: ack-first ordering confirmed directly, not from summary
- `manifest_registrar.cpp`: full register sequence verified (poll loop, guard, SetApplicationAutoLaunch placement)
- `main.cpp`: CLI fork structure, retry thread anatomy (`std::thread` + `std::atomic<bool>`), shutdown order
- `first_launch_balloon.cpp`: one-shot gate, `NIIF_RESPECT_QUIET_TIME`, clear-after-fire
- `config_manager.hpp` + `config_manager.cpp`: `shownTrayNotification` field, read (L430), write (L262)
- `app.vrmanifest.in` and `build/bin/Release/app.vrmanifest`: both inspected directly
- `ctest --test-dir build -C Release`: executed at verification time, 8/8 GREEN confirmed

**Commits verified:**

All 7 plan-level feat commits exist in git log (`fb48428`, `a12662b`, `3615894`, `6db28b2`, `25045ec`, `f6cfe4e`, `62fe4a5`, `6b32b42`, `f8abbbc`, `170ece9`, `91b02dc`, `a6d2372`) plus 13 review-fix commits (`c6edd89`, `cf53c15`, `d5e8a49`, `1558133`, `0efd4a2`, `bbe7969`, `8fa5da3`, `5673b1f`, `66323f7`, `8a7619e`, `a9e1740`, `e6ef7ae`, `7f2c808`, `6c217f8`, `b84859e`).

---

_Verified: 2026-04-23T23:59:00Z_
_Verifier: Claude (gsd-verifier)_
_Phase: 03-auto-start_