[Project516]

What this changes

• Records WPILib 2027.0.0-alpha-7 as the next migration target.
• Keeps the current robot pins on WPILib 2027.0.0-alpha-6 and PhotonLib v2027.0.0-alpha-2.
• Explains why a version-only change is unsafe. PhotonVision v2027.0.0-alpha-2 pins WPILib alpha-6, the current Jetson fork uses WPILib 2026.2.1, and PhotonVision PR #2566 changed the serde hashes.
• Lists the native, protocol, Jetson, and robot-network work required before moving the pair, including the C++23 and G++ 14 requirement that JetPack 6's GCC 11 does not meet.

Scope

This is the robot-facing documentation and version-policy PR. It does not port the CUDA detector. That port is #2 and needs a real Jetson and SystemCore test.

Rebased onto main at ab6e086 on 2026-10-12. The rebase had no conflicts.

Checks

• Re-checked on 2026-10-12. The PhotonVision release feed still has no alpha-7 tag, and the newest 2027 tag is v2027.0.0-alpha-2 (published 2026-05-27). PhotonVision main is now 47b879e2, 15 commits past 1f419c9d, and still pins WPILib 2027.0.0-alpha-7. allwpilib's newest release is still v2027.0.0-alpha-7.
• The WPILib alpha-7 release notes still say alpha-6 and earlier vendordeps do not work with alpha-7, and that SystemCore image 14, FIRST Driver Station alpha-7, and G++ 14.x are required.
• git diff --check origin/main and scripts/ci/lint.sh, both clean.
• bash -n on the three changed shell scripts. Only their header comments changed.
• No build or hardware test ran. The compatibility claims come from source and release-note review.

Noticed, not fixed

The Jetson build still pins the FRC-Team-4143 PhotonVision fork at d8c9e8e with WPILib 2026.2.1. The patch stack, now photonvision-00 through photonvision-73, and the JNI bridge must be ported before alpha-7 is used on hardware. #2 carries that port.

[Project516]

@allengregoryiv @SpectrumFRC3847 ready for a review.

Rebased onto main at e9b82ed. No conflicts, and the body is updated with today's re-check of the upstream claims (PhotonVision still has no alpha-7 tag, main is still 1f419c9d, and the WPILib alpha-7 notes still require SystemCore image 14, Driver Station alpha-7, and G++ 14.x).

What I would like checked:

• Whether the compatibility reasoning holds. The claim is that a version-only bump to alpha-7 is unsafe because the alpha-2 PhotonLib pins alpha-6, the Jetson fork is on 2026.2.1, and PhotonVision PR #2566 changed the serde hashes. If that reasoning is wrong, the whole migration plan in this PR is aimed at the wrong target.
• Whether the migration order in docs/WPILIB-2027-ALPHA-7.md is right, especially the step ordering around the robot project import and vendordep re-import.

This is documentation and version policy only. It does not port the CUDA detector, which is #2. No build or hardware test ran here, so treat the compatibility claims as source and release-note review rather than proof.

One thing to be aware of: the Jetson build still pins the FRC-Team-4143 fork at d8c9e8e on WPILib 2026.2.1, and the patch stack is now photonvision-00 through photonvision-36. That stack and the JNI bridge have to be ported before alpha-7 touches hardware, which is what #2 starts.

[Copilot]

Copilot review overview

🟢 Approval recommended

The review found only minor non-blocking nits; the compatibility boundary and migration documentation are otherwise complete.

Review effort: Lite
Findings: None

What changed in this PR

Documents WPILib alpha-7 migration limits while retaining the current alpha-6/PhotonLib alpha-2 deployment.

Changes:

• Adds migration requirements and validation gates.
• Updates compatibility guidance in scripts and documentation.
• Records native, protocol, Jetson, and networking constraints.

File	Summary
scripts/​jetson/​04-build-allwpilib.sh	Clarifies the current WPILib build pin.
scripts/​jetson/​03-photonvision.sh	Documents the current installer version.
scripts/​host/​03-build-photonvision-fork.sh	Documents fork compatibility limits.
README.md	Summarizes migration policy and support limits.
docs/​WPILIB-2027-ALPHA-7.md	Adds migration requirements and validation checklist.
docs/​UPSTREAM-PORT.md	Records alpha-7 upstream compatibility constraints.
docs/​TECHNICAL.md	Updates technical compatibility guidance.

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[Project516]

@allengregoryiv ready for a review when you have a moment. Rebased onto main at ab6e086 today with no conflicts, and the description has today's re-check of the PhotonVision and WPILib release claims.

[SpectrumFRC3847]

doc only change