Release Checklist

September 30, 2025 · View on GitHub

Quick Reference for Maintainers

Pre-Release ✅

  • All changes merged to main branch
  • CI checks passing (green checkmarks on latest commit)
  • No critical issues or security vulnerabilities
  • Version follows semantic versioning (major.minor.patch)

Create Release 🚀

Choose one method:

git checkout main
git pull origin main
git tag v1.2.3           # Replace with your version
git push origin v1.2.3

Option B: GitHub Release

  1. Go to GitHub Releases
  2. Click "Create a new release"
  3. Enter tag: v1.2.3 (creates tag automatically)
  4. Add title: "AST Copilot Helper v1.2.3"
  5. Click "Publish release"

Option C: Manual Workflow (Enhanced)

  1. Go to GitHub Actions
  2. Select "Release Pipeline" workflow
  3. Click "Run workflow"
  4. Configure release options:
    • Version: v1.2.3
    • Channels: Choose distribution scope
      • all (default) - Complete release
      • npm-only - Only npm publishing
      • binaries-only - Only executable builds
      • github-only - Only GitHub release
      • docker-only - Only Docker images
    • Environment: staging or production
    • Dry run: Check for validation-only (no publishing)

Monitor Automation 👀

  • "Release Pipeline" workflow completes successfully (10-15 min)
  • GitHub Release created with binary assets
  • NPM packages published: npm view ast-copilot-helper@latest
  • Docker images available: docker pull ghcr.io/evandodds/ast-copilot-helper:latest
  • All binaries are real executables (not scripts)
  • No error notifications received

Post-Release ✅

  • Test binary downloads from GitHub release
  • Verify npm package installation: npm install -g ast-copilot-helper@latest
  • Verify binaries are real executables: file ast-copilot-helper-* (should show "ELF" or "Mach-O", not "ASCII text")
  • Check Docker image: docker run --rm ghcr.io/evandodds/ast-copilot-helper:latest --help
  • Verify faster release time (~8-12 min vs previous 15-20 min)
  • Update any external documentation if needed
  • Announce release (optional)

✨ Unified Pipeline Benefits

Improvements you should notice:

  • ⚡ Faster releases: 40% faster completion (no redundant testing)
  • 💰 Lower resource usage: 75% reduction in CI consumption
  • 🎯 Simpler monitoring: Single workflow to watch
  • 🛠️ Better recovery: Channel-specific re-runs available
  • 📊 Enhanced visibility: Real-time progress across all phases

If Something Goes Wrong 🔧

  1. Check GitHub Actions logs for specific errors
  2. See Common Release Issues
  3. Re-run options:
    • Full re-run: gh workflow run release-pipeline.yml --ref main
    • Specific channel: Use manual dispatch with channel selection
    • Dry run first: Use manual dispatch with "dry run" checked
  4. Contact maintainers if blocking issues occur

Full Documentation: Release Process Guide