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

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, execute the complete tag process from the justfile. This includes:

1. Run quality checks:

   deno check src/main.ts
   deno fmt --check
   deno lint
   deno task test
   

2. Update version files:

   # Get the latest version from changelog
   LATEST_VERSION=$(changelog version latest)
   
   # Write version to deno.json
   svbump write "$LATEST_VERSION" version deno.json
   
   # Read version from deno.json and write to dist-workspace.toml
   DENO_VERSION=$(svbump read version deno.json)
   svbump write "$DENO_VERSION" package.version dist-workspace.toml
   

3. Regenerate skill documentation:

   # Generate updated skill docs (includes version from deno.json)
   deno task generate-skill-docs
   
   # Update Claude Code plugin versions
   FINAL_VERSION=$(svbump read version deno.json)
   svbump write "$FINAL_VERSION" version .claude-plugin/plugin.json
   svbump write "$FINAL_VERSION" version .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
   # marketplace.json also has version inside plugins[0] — svbump can't do array paths,
   # so use jq or edit it manually to match
   

4. Create commit and tag:

   # Get the final version
   FINAL_VERSION=$(svbump read version deno.json)
   
   # Create commit
   jj commit -m "chore: Release linear-cli version $FINAL_VERSION"
   
   # Set main bookmark to parent commit
   jj bookmark set main -r @-
   
   # Create tag on the parent commit
   jj tag set "v$FINAL_VERSION" -r @-
   

5. Push to remote:

   # Push the bookmark
   jj git push --bookmark main
   
   # Push tags (using git)
   git push origin --tags
   

6. Report completion:

   Released v$FINAL_VERSION successfully!
   

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 handles the complete process from line 5-21
• Use jj for all version control operations (per project CLAUDE.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 GitHub Actions release workflow triggers (if configured)
3. Confirm the new version is published

Reference

See justfile lines 5-21 for the complete tag recipe implementation.