fix: remove archive format bias from asset scoring#1
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The +2 score bonus for archive formats (.tar.gz, .zip, etc.) was intended to prefer "full releases" over raw binaries, but in practice it causes the wrong asset to be picked when a project publishes both a raw binary and an archive of the same binary. Example: if a release has both `tool_linux_amd64` and `tool_linux_amd64.tar.gz`, both score +10 (OS) +5 (arch) = 15, and the archive wins by +2. But the archive often contains exactly the same binary — the format preference adds no value and introduces unintended bias. OS+arch match is the correct signal for asset selection. Format should be irrelevant when both assets target the same platform. Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Problem
score_asset gives a +2 bonus to archive formats (.tar.gz, .zip, etc.) based on the assumption that "archives contain the full release".
Why this is wrong
The bonus introduces unjustified bias. Consider a project that publishes both:
tool_linux_amd64 → score: +10 (OS) +5 (arch) = 15
tool_linux_amd64.tar.gz → score: +10 (OS) +5 (arch) +2 (archive) = 17 ← wins
The archive wins not because it's a better match for the platform, but simply because it's an archive. In many cases both assets contain
exactly the same binary — the archive is just an alternative distribution format.
Cases where the bonus might seem useful:
find_binary only looks for the executable.
Cases where the bonus is harmful:
wins, adding unnecessary extraction complexity.
Fix
Remove the three lines. The correct signal for asset selection is OS + arch; format is irrelevant when both assets target the same platform.
Open for discussion — do not merge
Left as a draft until we decide whether there is a real use case that justifies the archive preference. If one exists, it should be an
explicit rule, not a silent +2 bias.