July 25, 2026

Release archives often contain several files that are technically valid for the same platform. On Windows, that can mean an extensionless binary and an executable with the expected .exe suffix.

Installation is only the first half of the contract. A tool can download successfully and still fail when the runtime searches for an executable path. The asset matcher therefore needs to express platform intent, not merely reject obviously incompatible files.

The fix was deliberately small: prefer .exe assets on Windows, preserve the existing penalty elsewhere, and keep MSI installers outside automatic selection. The regression test uses a real release shape where both candidates exist.

Small compatibility fixes are useful reminders that portability lives in defaults. Users should not need to understand the release archive layout to run a command.