/release

name: Release
description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "make a release", "create a release", "cut a release", "release a new version", "publish a release", or mentions preparing for release. Provides comprehensive workflow for reviewing changes, updating changelog, determining semver bump, and publishing.
version: 0.1.0

Release Workflow

This skill provides a systematic workflow for creating and publishing releases for the linear-cli project. It handles changelog management, version bumping, testing, and tagging.

When to Use

Use this skill when preparing to release a new version of linear-cli. The workflow ensures all changes are documented, tests pass, and versions are properly tagged before publishing.

Prerequisites

Ensure the following tools are available:

• `changelog` skill for changelog management
• `svbump` for version bumping (installed)
• `jj` for version control operations
• `just` for running the release tasks
• `jq` for updating the Claude Code plugin versions

Release Workflow

Step 1: Review Commits Since Last Release

Determine the commits that have been made since the last release:

jj log --ignore-working-copy --git -r 'tags()..@' --no-graph

This shows all commits from the most recent tag to the current commit.

Step 2: Add Changelog Entries

For each commit identified above, evaluate whether it warrants a changelog entry. Focus on user-facing changes:

**Include in changelog:**

• New features
• Bug fixes
• Breaking changes
• Significant improvements
• Deprecations

**Exclude from changelog:**

• Internal refactoring without user impact
• Documentation-only changes
• Build/CI configuration changes
• Chore commits (unless significant)

Use the changelog CLI to add entries. Use `--attribute-pr` with the commit SHA to automatically look up the associated PR and add attribution, excluding `schpet` and `schpetbot`:

changelog add --type <type> "<description>" --attribute-pr <commit-sha> --exclude-users schpet,schpetbot

Omit `--attribute-pr` for commits without an associated PR or when attribution isn't relevant.

Types match Keep a Changelog categories:

• `added` - New features
• `changed` - Changes in existing functionality
• `deprecated` - Soon-to-be removed features
• `removed` - Removed features
• `fixed` - Bug fixes
• `security` - Security improvements

Step 3: Verify Changelog with User

After adding all relevant changelog entries, show the unreleased section of CHANGELOG.md to the user and ask them to review it:

1. Read the CHANGELOG.md file 2. Show the `[Unreleased]` section 3. Ask: "Please review these changelog entries. Are there any changes needed before release?" 4. Make any requested adjustments

Step 4: Determine Semver Bump

Based on the types of changes in the changelog, determine and recommend the appropriate semantic version bump:

**Major (X.0.0):**

• Breaking changes
• Removed features
• Significant API changes

**Minor (0.X.0):**

• New features (added)
• Deprecations
• Backward-compatible functionality additions

**Patch (0.0.X):**

• Bug fixes
• Security fixes
• Minor improvements with no new features

Present the recommendation to the user:

Based on the changelog entries, I recommend a <MAJOR/MINOR/PATCH> version bump because:
- [reason 1]
- [reason 2]

Current version: <current>
Proposed version: <proposed>

Should I proceed with this version bump?

Wait for user confirmation before proceeding.

Step 5: Run Changelog Release

Once the user confirms the version bump, run the changelog release command with the appropriate semver level:

changelog release <major|minor|patch>

This updates CHANGELOG.md, converting the Unreleased section to a versioned release.

Step 6: Execute Tag Process

After the changelog is released, run the tag recipe:

just tag

It does the whole release in order, stopping at the first failure:

1. **Quality checks** (`just check`): `cargo fmt --all --check`, `cargo clippy --locked --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings`, and `cargo test --locked --workspace` 2. **Version bump:** writes the latest changelog version to `workspace.package.version` in `Cargo.toml` with `svbump`, then refreshes `Cargo.lock` with `cargo update --workspace` 3. **Skill docs** (`just skill-docs`): regenerates `skills/linear-cli/SKILL.md` and its references from the CLI's help 4. **Plugin versions** (`just plugin-version`): sets `version` in `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` and both `version` and `plugins[0].version` in `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` 5. **Commit and tag:** `jj commit -m "chore: Release linear-cli version <version>"`, then moves the `main` bookmark and sets the `v<version>` tag on that commit (`@-`) 6. **Push:** `jj git push --bookmark main`, then `git push origin --tags`

When it finishes it prints `released v<version>`.

Error Handling

If any step fails:

• **Quality checks fail:** Fix the issues before continuing. Do not proceed with release if tests fail or linting errors exist.
• **Version bump fails:** Verify the version format and files exist.
• **Push fails:** Check authentication and remote access.

Always stop and report errors clearly. Never continue the release process if a critical step fails.

Important Notes

• The justfile `tag` recipe runs every step above; there is no need to run them by hand
• Use `jj` for all version control operations (per the project AGENTS.md)
• Always use `--ignore-working-copy` for read-only jj operations
• The workflow creates a commit on the parent (@-) and then creates a new working commit
• Both `jj git push` and `git push origin --tags` are needed (jj for bookmark, git for tags)

Post-Release

After successful release:

1. Verify the tag appears on GitHub 2. Check that the GitHub Actions release workflow (`.github/workflows/release.yml`) builds the binaries and publishes the Homebrew formula and npm package 3. Confirm the new version is published

Refe