refactor: remove lite variant, fix release workflow

- Remove all lite/full variant logic from frontend, API, shared constants,
  docs, and tests (single unified Docker image only)
- Replace single QEMU multi-arch Docker build with per-architecture native
  builds (amd64 + arm64) and manifest merge to fix disk space exhaustion
- Add disk cleanup step and per-platform build cache scopes
- Switch release trigger from push to workflow_dispatch
- Add GitHub issue templates and PR template

apps/api/src/index.ts

@@ -23,14 +23,6 @@ import { teamsRoutes } from "./routes/teams.js";
 import { registerToolRoutes } from "./routes/tools/index.js";
 import { userFileRoutes } from "./routes/user-files.js";
 
-// Warn about deprecated STIRLING_VARIANT env var
-if (process.env.STIRLING_VARIANT) {
-  console.warn(
-    `WARNING: STIRLING_VARIANT="${process.env.STIRLING_VARIANT}" is set but ignored. ` +
-      "There is now a single unified image with all features. Remove STIRLING_VARIANT from your environment.",
-  );
-}
-
 // Run before anything else
 runMigrations();
 console.log("Database initialized");

apps/api/src/routes/settings.ts

@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
  * GET  /api/v1/settings/:key — Get a specific setting
  */
 
-import { PYTHON_SIDECAR_TOOLS } from "@stirling-image/shared";
 import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
 import type { FastifyInstance, FastifyReply, FastifyRequest } from "fastify";
 import { db, schema } from "../db/index.js";
@@ -27,10 +26,7 @@ export async function settingsRoutes(app: FastifyInstance): Promise<void> {
       settings[row.key] = row.value;
     }
 
-    const variant = process.env.STIRLING_VARIANT === "lite" ? "lite" : "full";
-    const variantUnavailableTools = variant === "lite" ? [...PYTHON_SIDECAR_TOOLS] : [];
-
-    return reply.send({ settings, variant, variantUnavailableTools });
+    return reply.send({ settings });
   });
 
   // PUT /api/v1/settings — Save settings (admin only)

apps/api/src/routes/tools/index.ts

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-import { PYTHON_SIDECAR_TOOLS, TOOLS } from "@stirling-image/shared";
+import { TOOLS } from "@stirling-image/shared";
 import { eq } from "drizzle-orm";
 import type { FastifyInstance } from "fastify";
 import { db, schema } from "../../db/index.js";
@@ -69,10 +69,6 @@ export async function registerToolRoutes(app: FastifyInstance): Promise<void> {
   // Build skip set
   const skipTools = new Set([...disabledTools, ...(enableExperimental ? [] : experimentalToolIds)]);
 
-  // In lite mode, register 501 stubs for AI tools instead of real handlers
-  const isLite = process.env.STIRLING_VARIANT === "lite";
-  const liteStubTools = new Set<string>(PYTHON_SIDECAR_TOOLS);
-
   const toolRegistrations: Array<{
     id: string;
     register: (app: FastifyInstance) => void;
@@ -131,7 +127,6 @@ export async function registerToolRoutes(app: FastifyInstance): Promise<void> {
   ];
 
   let skipped = 0;
-  let stubbed = 0;
   for (const { id, register } of toolRegistrations) {
     if (skipTools.has(id)) {
       app.log.info(`Skipping disabled/experimental tool: ${id}`);
@@ -139,24 +134,11 @@ export async function registerToolRoutes(app: FastifyInstance): Promise<void> {
       continue;
     }
 
-    if (isLite && liteStubTools.has(id)) {
-      // Register a 501 stub instead of the real handler
-      app.post(`/api/v1/tools/${id}`, async (_request, reply) => {
-        return reply.status(501).send({
-          statusCode: 501,
-          error: "Not Available",
-          message: `The "${id}" tool requires the full image. Pull stirlingimage/stirling-image:latest for all features.`,
-        });
-      });
-      stubbed++;
-      continue;
-    }
-
     register(app);
   }
 
-  const registered = toolRegistrations.length - skipped - stubbed;
+  const registered = toolRegistrations.length - skipped;
   app.log.info(
-    `Tool routes: ${registered} active, ${stubbed} lite-stubbed, ${skipped} skipped (${toolRegistrations.length} total)`,
+    `Tool routes: ${registered} active, ${skipped} skipped (${toolRegistrations.length} total)`,
   );
 }

apps/docs/.vitepress/config.mts

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ export default defineConfig({
 `,
         customTemplateVariables: {
           description:
-            "Self-hosted, open-source image processing platform with 30+ tools. Runs in a single Docker container. Available as :latest (full, ~11 GB with AI/ML) or :lite (~1.5 GB, image processing only).",
+            "Self-hosted, open-source image processing platform with 30+ tools including AI/ML. Runs in a single Docker container with GPU auto-detection.",
           details:
             "Resize, compress, convert, remove backgrounds, upscale, run OCR, and more - without sending images to external services.",
         },

apps/docs/guide/deployment.md

@@ -110,9 +110,16 @@ Set `client_max_body_size` to match your `MAX_UPLOAD_SIZE_MB` value.
 
 ## CI/CD
 
-The GitHub repository has two workflows:
+The GitHub repository has three workflows:
 
-- **release.yml** -- On release, builds a multi-arch Docker image (amd64 + arm64), and pushes to Docker Hub (`stirlingimage/stirling-image`) and GitHub Container Registry (`ghcr.io/stirling-image/stirling-image`).
-- **deploy-docs.yml** -- Builds this documentation site and deploys it to GitHub Pages.
+- **ci.yml** -- Runs automatically on every push and PR. Lints, typechecks, tests, builds, and validates the Docker image (without pushing).
+- **release.yml** -- Triggered manually via `workflow_dispatch`. Runs semantic-release to create a version tag and GitHub release, then builds a multi-arch Docker image (amd64 + arm64) and pushes to Docker Hub (`stirlingimage/stirling-image`) and GitHub Container Registry (`ghcr.io/stirling-image/stirling-image`).
+- **deploy-docs.yml** -- Builds this documentation site and deploys it to GitHub Pages on push to `main`.
 
-Both run automatically. No manual steps needed after merging to `main`.
+To create a release, go to **Actions > Release > Run workflow** in the GitHub UI, or run:
+
+```bash
+gh workflow run release.yml
+```
+
+Semantic-release determines the version from commit history. The `latest` Docker tag always points to the most recent release.

apps/docs/guide/developer.md

@@ -198,12 +198,6 @@ Build the full production image locally:
 docker build -f docker/Dockerfile -t stirling-image:latest .
 ```
 
-Build the lite image (no Python/AI, ~1.5 GB):
-
-```bash
-docker build --build-arg VARIANT=lite -f docker/Dockerfile -t stirling-image:lite .
-```
-
 Use BuildKit cache mounts for faster rebuilds:
 
 ```bash

apps/docs/guide/docker-tags.md

@@ -118,9 +118,6 @@ volumes:
 
 ## Migration from previous tags
 
-If you were using `:lite` or `:cuda` tags, switch to `:latest`:
-
-- **From `:lite`**: Pull `:latest`. You now have all AI tools included.
-- **From `:cuda`**: Pull `:latest` and keep `--gpus all`. Same GPU support, unified image.
+If you were using the `:cuda` tag, switch to `:latest` and keep `--gpus all`. Same GPU support, unified image.
 
 Your data and settings are preserved in the volumes.

apps/docs/guide/getting-started.md

@@ -14,21 +14,11 @@ docker run -d \
 
 Open `http://localhost:1349` in your browser. Log in with `admin` / `admin`.
 
-::: tip Lite image
-Don't need AI tools (background removal, upscaling, OCR, face blur, object eraser)? Use the lite image instead - 1.5 GB vs 11 GB:
-
-```bash
-stirlingimage/stirling-image:lite
-```
-
-All 27+ image processing tools work the same. See [Docker Tags](./docker-tags) for the full comparison.
-:::
-
 ::: tip GPU acceleration
-Have an NVIDIA GPU? The CUDA image auto-detects your GPU and accelerates background removal (2.7x), upscaling (3x), and OCR (1.5x):
+Have an NVIDIA GPU? Add `--gpus all` to accelerate background removal (2.7x), upscaling (3x), and OCR (1.5x):
 
 ```bash
-docker run -d --gpus all -p 1349:1349 -v stirling-data:/data stirlingimage/stirling-image:cuda
+docker run -d --gpus all -p 1349:1349 -v stirling-data:/data stirlingimage/stirling-image:latest
 ```
 
 Requires [NVIDIA Container Toolkit](https://docs.nvidia.com/datacenter/cloud-native/container-toolkit/latest/install-guide.html). Falls back to CPU if no GPU is found. See [Docker Tags](./docker-tags) for details and benchmarks.

apps/web/src/components/common/tool-card.tsx

@@ -1,58 +1,17 @@
 import type { Tool } from "@stirling-image/shared";
 import * as icons from "lucide-react";
-import { FileImage, Sparkles, Star } from "lucide-react";
+import { FileImage, Star } from "lucide-react";
 import { Link } from "react-router-dom";
-import { toast } from "sonner";
 import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
 
 interface ToolCardProps {
   tool: Tool;
-  variantUnavailable?: boolean;
 }
 
-export function ToolCard({ tool, variantUnavailable }: ToolCardProps) {
+export function ToolCard({ tool }: ToolCardProps) {
   const iconsMap = icons as unknown as Record<string, React.ComponentType<{ className?: string }>>;
   const IconComponent = iconsMap[tool.icon] || FileImage;
 
-  if (variantUnavailable) {
-    return (
-      <div className="group flex items-center gap-3 relative">
-        <button
-          type="button"
-          className="opacity-0 group-hover:opacity-100 transition-opacity absolute -left-5"
-          title="Add to favourites"
-        >
-          <Star className="h-3 w-3 text-muted-foreground hover:text-yellow-500" />
-        </button>
-        <button
-          type="button"
-          onClick={() =>
-            toast("This tool requires the full image.", {
-              description:
-                "Pull stirlingimage/stirling-image:latest for all features including AI tools.",
-              action: {
-                label: "Learn more",
-                onClick: () =>
-                  window.open(
-                    "https://stirling-image.github.io/stirling-image/guide/docker-tags",
-                    "_blank",
-                  ),
-              },
-            })
-          }
-          className="flex items-center gap-3 py-2 px-3 rounded-lg w-full transition-colors hover:bg-muted/50 opacity-50 cursor-pointer"
-        >
-          <IconComponent className="h-5 w-5 text-muted-foreground" />
-          <span className="text-sm font-medium text-foreground">{tool.name}</span>
-          <span className="flex items-center gap-0.5 text-[10px] px-1.5 py-0.5 rounded bg-amber-100 text-amber-700 font-medium">
-            <Sparkles className="h-2.5 w-2.5" />
-            AI
-          </span>
-        </button>
-      </div>
-    );
-  }
-
   return (
     <div className="group flex items-center gap-3 relative">
       <button

apps/web/src/components/layout/tool-panel.tsx

@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import { CATEGORIES, TOOLS } from "@stirling-image/shared";
-import { Info } from "lucide-react";
 import { useEffect, useMemo, useState } from "react";
 import { useSettingsStore } from "@/stores/settings-store";
 import { SearchBar } from "../common/search-bar";
@@ -7,15 +6,12 @@ import { ToolCard } from "../common/tool-card";
 
 export function ToolPanel() {
   const [search, setSearch] = useState("");
-  const { variant, disabledTools, experimentalEnabled, variantUnavailableTools, loaded, fetch } =
-    useSettingsStore();
+  const { disabledTools, experimentalEnabled, loaded, fetch } = useSettingsStore();
 
   useEffect(() => {
     fetch();
   }, [fetch]);
 
-  const unavailableSet = useMemo(() => new Set(variantUnavailableTools), [variantUnavailableTools]);
-
   const visibleTools = useMemo(() => {
     if (!loaded) return [];
     return TOOLS.filter((t) => {
@@ -49,27 +45,6 @@ export function ToolPanel() {
         <SearchBar value={search} onChange={setSearch} />
       </div>
       <div className="px-3 pb-4 flex-1">
-        {variant === "lite" && (
-          <div className="mb-3 p-2.5 rounded-lg bg-amber-50 dark:bg-amber-950/30 border border-amber-200 dark:border-amber-800 text-amber-800 dark:text-amber-300">
-            <div className="flex items-start gap-2">
-              <Info className="h-4 w-4 mt-0.5 shrink-0" />
-              <div className="text-xs leading-relaxed">
-                <p className="font-medium">Lite mode</p>
-                <p className="mt-0.5 text-amber-700 dark:text-amber-400">
-                  AI tools are unavailable. Use the{" "}
-                  <code className="font-mono text-[10px] bg-amber-100 dark:bg-amber-900/50 px-1 py-0.5 rounded">
-                    latest
-                  </code>{" "}
-                  or{" "}
-                  <code className="font-mono text-[10px] bg-amber-100 dark:bg-amber-900/50 px-1 py-0.5 rounded">
-                    full
-                  </code>{" "}
-                  tag for all features.
-                </p>
-              </div>
-            </div>
-          </div>
-        )}
         {CATEGORIES.filter((cat) => groupedTools.has(cat.id)).map((category) => (
           <div key={category.id} className="mb-4">
             <h3 className="text-xs font-semibold uppercase text-muted-foreground tracking-wider mb-2">
@@ -77,11 +52,7 @@ export function ToolPanel() {
             </h3>
             <div className="space-y-0.5">
               {groupedTools.get(category.id)?.map((tool) => (
-                <ToolCard
-                  key={tool.id}
-                  tool={tool}
-                  variantUnavailable={unavailableSet.has(tool.id)}
-                />
+                <ToolCard key={tool.id} tool={tool} />
               ))}
             </div>
           </div>

apps/web/src/pages/home-page.tsx

@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 import { CATEGORIES, TOOLS } from "@stirling-image/shared";
 import * as icons from "lucide-react";
-import { useCallback, useEffect, useMemo } from "react";
+import { useCallback, useEffect } from "react";
 import { useNavigate } from "react-router-dom";
-import { toast } from "sonner";
 import { ImageViewer } from "@/components/common/image-viewer";
 import { MultiImageViewer } from "@/components/common/multi-image-viewer";
 import { AppLayout } from "@/components/layout/app-layout";
-import { cn } from "@/lib/utils";
 import { useFileStore } from "@/stores/file-store";
 import { useSettingsStore } from "@/stores/settings-store";
 
@@ -17,14 +15,12 @@ export function HomePage() {
   const { setFiles, files, reset, originalBlobUrl, selectedFileName, selectedFileSize } =
     useFileStore();
   const navigate = useNavigate();
-  const { variantUnavailableTools, fetch: fetchSettings } = useSettingsStore();
+  const { fetch: fetchSettings } = useSettingsStore();
 
   useEffect(() => {
     fetchSettings();
   }, [fetchSettings]);
 
-  const unavailableSet = useMemo(() => new Set(variantUnavailableTools), [variantUnavailableTools]);
-
   const handleFiles = useCallback(
     (newFiles: File[]) => {
       reset();
@@ -33,25 +29,6 @@ export function HomePage() {
     [setFiles, reset],
   );
 
-  const handleToolClick = (route: string, toolId: string) => {
-    if (unavailableSet.has(toolId)) {
-      toast("This tool requires the full image.", {
-        description:
-          "Pull stirlingimage/stirling-image:latest for all features including AI tools.",
-        action: {
-          label: "Learn more",
-          onClick: () =>
-            window.open(
-              "https://stirling-image.github.io/stirling-image/guide/docker-tags",
-              "_blank",
-            ),
-        },
-      });
-      return;
-    }
-    navigate(route);
-  };
-
   const hasFile = files.length > 0;
 
   // If no file uploaded, show default layout (tool panel + dropzone)
@@ -103,11 +80,8 @@ export function HomePage() {
                   <button
                     key={id}
                     type="button"
-                    onClick={() => handleToolClick(tool.route, tool.id)}
-                    className={cn(
-                      "flex items-center gap-2 p-3 rounded-xl border border-border hover:border-primary hover:bg-primary/5 transition-colors text-left",
-                      unavailableSet.has(id) && "opacity-50",
-                    )}
+                    onClick={() => navigate(tool.route)}
+                    className="flex items-center gap-2 p-3 rounded-xl border border-border hover:border-primary hover:bg-primary/5 transition-colors text-left"
                   >
                     <div className="p-1.5 rounded-lg bg-primary/10 text-primary">
                       <Icon className="h-4 w-4" />
@@ -148,13 +122,8 @@ export function HomePage() {
                         <button
                           key={tool.id}
                           type="button"
-                          onClick={() => handleToolClick(tool.route, tool.id)}
-                          className={cn(
-                            "flex items-center gap-2.5 w-full py-1.5 px-2 rounded-lg text-left transition-colors",
-                            unavailableSet.has(tool.id)
-                              ? "opacity-50 hover:bg-muted/50"
-                              : "hover:bg-muted text-foreground",
-                          )}
+                          onClick={() => navigate(tool.route)}
+                          className="flex items-center gap-2.5 w-full py-1.5 px-2 rounded-lg text-left transition-colors hover:bg-muted text-foreground"
                         >
                           <Icon className="h-4 w-4 text-muted-foreground shrink-0" />
                           <span className="text-sm">{tool.name}</span>

apps/web/src/stores/settings-store.ts

@@ -2,8 +2,6 @@ import { create } from "zustand";
 import { apiGet } from "@/lib/api";
 
 interface SettingsState {
-  variant: "full" | "lite";
-  variantUnavailableTools: string[];
   disabledTools: string[];
   experimentalEnabled: boolean;
   loaded: boolean;
@@ -11,8 +9,6 @@ interface SettingsState {
 }
 
 export const useSettingsStore = create<SettingsState>((set, get) => ({
-  variant: "full",
-  variantUnavailableTools: [],
   disabledTools: [],
   experimentalEnabled: false,
   loaded: false,
@@ -22,19 +18,15 @@ export const useSettingsStore = create<SettingsState>((set, get) => ({
     try {
       const data = await apiGet<{
         settings: Record<string, string>;
-        variant: "full" | "lite";
-        variantUnavailableTools: string[];
       }>("/v1/settings");
 
       set({
-        variant: data.variant ?? "full",
-        variantUnavailableTools: data.variantUnavailableTools ?? [],
         disabledTools: data.settings.disabledTools ? JSON.parse(data.settings.disabledTools) : [],
         experimentalEnabled: data.settings.enableExperimentalTools === "true",
         loaded: true,
       });
     } catch {
-      // Settings fetch failed - default to full with no disabled tools
+      // Settings fetch failed - default to no disabled tools
       set({ loaded: true });
     }
   },