/pre-release-verification

name: pre-release-verification
description: Use when a release candidate needs final checks before tagging, publishing, or production deployment.

Purpose

Block releases until the repository state, CI status, local validation, and publish metadata are known and reproducible.

When to Use

• Before creating a release tag.
• Before deploying to production.
• Before approving a release candidate prepared by another agent.
• When CI is green but local package or catalog checks still need proof.

Do not use as a substitute for fixing failures. If any gate fails, stop and report the blocker.

Inputs

• Intended version or deployment identifier
• Current branch and commit
• CI status for the release commit
• Project-specific build, lint, test, and packaging commands

Workflow

1. Confirm the working tree is clean:

git status --short

2. Confirm the release commit and recent history:

git log --oneline --decorate -n 10

3. Confirm CI is green for the exact commit. For GitHub:

gh run list --limit 5
gh run view <run-id> --json conclusion,status,headSha,url

4. Run local validation. Use the project's documented commands, for example:

npm run build
npm test
python scripts/validate-skills.py
python scripts/validate-catalog.py

5. Check for secrets or accidental local files:

git diff --stat
git status --short

6. Report go/no-go with exact evidence.

Output

RELEASE VERIFICATION: go / no-go
Commit: <sha>
CI: <status and URL>
Local checks: <commands and results>
Blockers: <none or list>
Next action: <tag / deploy / stop>

Verification

• [ ] Working tree was clean or dirty files were reported.
• [ ] CI status was tied to the exact release commit.
• [ ] Local validation commands exited 0.
• [ ] No secrets or accidental local files were included.
• [ ] Go/no-go recommendation included evidence, not confidence.

Failure Modes

• Releasing from an uncommitted or untracked local state.
• Checking CI for a different commit than the release candidate.
• Treating lint/build success as full test coverage.
• Continuing after a failed gate because the release is "small".