Release Channels

F1 Sensor uses separate release channels so you can choose between stable releases, beta testing, and active development builds. Most users should stay on the stable channel.

Channel overview

Channel	Best for	What to expect
Stable	Normal Home Assistant installations	Tested releases promoted from beta
Beta	Test systems and users helping validate the next release	Pre-release builds that should be close to stable but may still contain bugs
Dev	Maintainers and development testing	All new unreleased changes from the active development branch

warning

Do not use beta or dev builds as your only production Home Assistant installation. Use a separate test instance when you are validating new behavior.

Stable channel

Stable releases are published from the main branch. This is the recommended channel for daily use, dashboards, automations, and household routines that need predictable behavior.

Install stable releases through HACS or from the latest non-pre-release package on the GitHub releases page.

Beta channel

Beta releases are published from the beta branch after changes have been promoted from dev. Use beta when you want to validate the next release before it becomes stable.

Beta builds can include new features, changed behavior, and fixes that need real Home Assistant testing. Read the release notes before updating, and be ready to collect logs or switch back to stable if something affects your setup.

To install or update to beta through HACS:

1. Open HACS in Home Assistant.
2. Go to Integrations.
3. Open F1 Sensor.
4. Open the three-dot menu.
5. Select Redownload.
6. Enable Show beta versions if the beta release is not visible.
7. Select the latest beta version.
8. Restart Home Assistant after installation.

For testing guidance, see Beta Testing.

Dev channel

The dev branch contains all active development work before it is promoted to beta. It is where the newest changes land first.

Dev builds can change quickly, include incomplete behavior, or require maintainer instructions that do not apply to normal releases. Use dev only when you are developing the integration locally or when the maintainer explicitly asks you to test a specific unreleased change.

Normal users should not install directly from dev. Wait for a beta release if you want to help test new behavior with a safer upgrade path.

Dev channel and Developer mode are different

The Dev channel selects which version of F1 Sensor you install. Developer mode selects a local replay dump as the live timing source for repeatable testing.

Installing the dev branch does not automatically activate Developer mode, and the Developer mode fields remain hidden unless the build explicitly enables them. See Developer Mode with Replay Dumps.

Switch back to stable

If a beta or dev build causes problems, switch back to the latest stable release.

1. Open HACS in Home Assistant.
2. Go to Integrations.
3. Open F1 Sensor.
4. Select Redownload.
5. Choose the latest stable version instead of a beta version.
6. Restart Home Assistant.

If you installed files manually from a branch, replace them with the latest stable release archive from GitHub and restart Home Assistant.

Reporting issues

When you report a problem, always include which release channel you are using. For beta and dev testing, include the exact F1 Sensor version, Home Assistant version, whether F1TV Auth is configured, and whether the issue happens during live timing, Replay Mode, or normal static data updates.

See Debug Logging and Logs before opening an issue.