airalab/robonomics v53 on GitHub

runtime spec_version: 53.

This release focuses on Polkadot SDK dependency consolidation, runtime build consistency, and release infrastructure reliability. All FRAME, Cumulus, XCM, and Substrate dependencies now use the unified polkadot-sdk umbrella crate, pinned to version 2609.0.0.

Robonomics v53 builds on the governance and CPS foundation completed in v52. It simplifies SDK maintenance, improves nightly Docker delivery, and prepares the development workflow for the next phase: Subscription and Scope-funded transactions.

Highlights

1. Polkadot SDK umbrella crate

All Polkadot SDK dependencies are now managed through a single polkadot-sdk workspace dependency (#686).

Single SDK version source. FRAME, Cumulus, Substrate primitives, and XCM components are selected through umbrella crate features instead of individually versioned dependencies.
Consistent dependencies. The workspace uses polkadot-sdk = "2609.0.0", retaining the stable2609 SDK generation introduced in v52.
Simplified feature management. std, runtime-benchmarks, and try-runtime features are propagated through the umbrella crate.
Unified imports. Runtime and pallet implementations now use paths such as polkadot_sdk::frame_support and polkadot_sdk::sp_runtime.
XCM compatibility. Runtime weight templates and XCM-related imports are updated to preserve compatibility with the unified dependency structure.

This consolidation reduces dependency maintenance overhead and provides a consistent foundation for future SDK upgrades.

2. Runtime and pallet modernization

The runtime and all first-party pallets have been adapted to the unified SDK dependency model.

Runtime spec_version increased from 52 to 53.
Workspace crate version updated to 53.0.0, with corresponding pallet package version updates.
Runtime metadata regenerated against the updated dependency graph.
CPS, RWS, Datalog, Digital Twin, Launch, Liability, and Collator Rewards migrated to the new SDK imports and feature configuration.
Runtime benchmarking, test configurations, and metadata generation updated accordingly.

The existing CPS identity and view-function model remains the foundation for integrations. This release does not introduce Subscription or additional CPS transaction capabilities.

3. Nightly Docker builds

The nightly workflow now includes automated Docker image generation and publishing.

Automated Docker builds. Images are built after tests and runtime checks complete successfully.
Commit-based tags. Docker images use Git SHA tags for reproducible identification.
Development chain integration. Image generation uses the existing development-chain.sh tooling and Robonomics chain specifications.
Build caching. GitHub Actions caching is enabled for Docker Buildx.
Release workflow integration. DockerHub credentials are explicitly forwarded to the reusable nightly workflow, fixing release pipeline authentication.

These improvements make it easier to obtain consistent development environments and consume runtime builds in downstream projects.

4. Runtime validation and maintenance

Updated the runtime-check workflow to run try-runtime with --disable-spec-version-check.
Updated the indirect wasmtime dependency from 36.0.18 to 36.0.19 (#687).
Updated the Nix flake dependency lock and development toolchain inputs.
Extended the developer guide with instructions for using Polkadot SDK umbrella features and imports.
Improved nightly and release workflow configuration.

Where we are on the roadmap

Phase 1  Runtime, Governance, CPS foundation      done
   runtime separation (v50)                   done
   OpenGov stack (v51)                        done
   Sudo removal (v52)                         done
   CPS node identity (v52)                    done
   CPS view functions (v52)                   done

Infrastructure maintenance                    ongoing
   Polkadot SDK umbrella migration            done <- this release
   Runtime and pallet dependency alignment    done <- this release
   Nightly Docker publishing                  done <- this release

Phase 2  Subscription and Transactions        in progress
   Subscription resource accounting           in development (#657)
   Governance and purchase allocators         open (#683)
   Transaction resource consumer              open (#684)
   Runtime integration and tooling            open (#636, #639)
   Subscription implementation                PR #685

Phase 3  Storage (Bulletin Chain)             planned
Phase 4  Compute (RISC Zero)                  research (#659)
Phase 5  Programmable CPS (Policy)            planned

Next milestone: Subscription integration with Scope-funded transactions, enabling CPS-identified devices to submit transactions using resources allocated by a Subscription rather than requiring each device to hold XRT.

Upgrade notes

Runtime: spec_version increases from 52 to 53. Runtime consumers should use metadata corresponding to the deployed runtime version.
Polkadot SDK: Downstream Rust projects consuming Robonomics runtime or pallets should align dependencies with polkadot-sdk 2609.0.0 and use the corresponding umbrella features.
Pallet developers: Imports of FRAME, Substrate, Cumulus, and XCM crates should be updated to the polkadot_sdk::* namespace where applicable.
Metadata and clients: Regenerate metadata-dependent client bindings when upgrading to runtime v53. The CPS view-function architecture introduced in v52 remains in place.
Governance: Production runtime upgrades continue through OpenGov. Sudo remains unavailable outside development builds.
CI and development: Nightly builds now include Docker image publishing, and try-runtime validation uses the updated spec-version-check configuration.
Subscription: The new Subscription accounting and transaction model is not included in this release.

Full Changelog: v52...v53

Runtime Info

🏋️  Runtime size:		1.273 MB (1,334,592 bytes)
🗜  Compressed:			Yes, 84.09%
✨ Reserved meta:		OK - [6D, 65, 74, 61]
🎁 Metadata version:		V14
🔥 Core version:		robonomics-53 (robonomics-airalab-1.tx4.au1)
#️⃣  Blake2-256 hash:		0x027a045b3b640b73d95592975a3070da393b9eec1202e115c8aa35dac6f30a1e