Short versionProof before merge
Use ReleaseNotary when reviewers need to see customer-facing behavior before approving a GitHub PR or release.
Product behavior proof for GitHub PR previews
Product behavior proof shows what changed on a PR or release preview before it shipped. ReleaseNotary turns critical flow runs, captured evidence, Product State Hashes, and Notary Flags into hosted packets reviewers can inspect from GitHub.
Best-fit release paths
- Billing, pricing, checkout, cancellation, and receipt flows
- Auth, permissions, roles, and private route boundaries
- AI behavior, prompt/config changes, and workflow outcomes
- Disclosure-heavy UX and customer-facing release copy
How product behavior proof works
Start from the preview reviewers already open, run the risky paths, and attach the proof back to GitHub.
Start from the PR or release preview
ReleaseNotary uses the preview URL reviewers already open, so product risk is not judged only from repository diffs or screenshots.
Run the configured critical flows
The pilot covers up to five agreed flows such as billing, onboarding, authentication, permissions, AI behavior, workflow automation, or disclosure-heavy UX.
Capture evidence and compute product identity
ReleaseNotary records visible behavior, artifacts, flags, and a deterministic Product State Hash so reviewers can identify the product state that was checked.
Send compact GitHub feedback
Reviewers get a compact PR check/comment plus a hosted Notary Packet and release notes page for the full evidence trail.
What product behavior proof adds
It answers the release question code review, screenshots, and production monitoring do not cover by themselves.
| Existing review signal | Common gap | ReleaseNotary proof |
|---|---|---|
| Code review | Shows implementation changes, but often leaves reviewers guessing about the customer-facing behavior in the preview build. | Product behavior proof runs the preview and packages evidence into a reviewer-readable packet before merge. |
| Visual regression | Catches appearance drift, but can miss billing logic, permissions, AI answer changes, and disclosure copy. | Product behavior proof checks selected flows and flags behavior, copy, access, and outcome changes. |
| Observability | Explains production behavior after release, when the PR review is already over. | Product behavior proof gives reviewers pre-merge evidence from the PR or release preview. |
Product behavior proof questions
Plain answers for teams checking ReleaseNotary against their GitHub PR preview workflow.
What is product behavior proof?
Product behavior proof is evidence of what a product did on a PR or release preview before it shipped. It connects the preview URL, configured critical flows, captured artifacts, Product State Hash, risk flags, hosted packet, release notes, and compact GitHub feedback.
How is product behavior proof different from code review?
Code review shows what changed in the repository. Product behavior proof shows what changed in the product after the preview runs, especially for billing, auth, permissions, onboarding, AI behavior, workflow automation, and disclosure-heavy UX that may not be obvious from diffs.
When should a team use release assurance on a PR preview?
Use release assurance on a PR preview when the change affects a core customer flow, revenue path, access boundary, AI answer, workflow outcome, or required disclosure. Those releases need evidence reviewers can inspect before merge, not only summaries after deployment.
What does a Notary Packet contain?
A Notary Packet contains captured evidence, Product State Hash, Notary Flags, release notes, PR context, reviewer guidance, and artifact references. The GitHub PR stays compact while the hosted packet carries the detailed release evidence for reviewers.
Start with one release that needs proof.
The first pilot stays narrow: one repo, high-risk flows worth proving, and the PR or release preview workflow your reviewers already use.