Versioning Skill

Semantic versioning automation based on conventional commits. Automatically manages version bumps, changelogs, and git tags using standard-version.

When to Use

•Before releasing a new version
•When preparing a deployment
•To generate/update CHANGELOG.md
•When the user asks about version management
•Setting up versioning for a new project

Prerequisites

•Conventional commits enforced (recommended: lefthook)
•Node.js project with package.json

Setup (One-Time)

1. Install standard-version

bash

npm install --save-dev standard-version

2. Add scripts to package.json

json

{
  "scripts": {
    "release": "standard-version",
    "release:minor": "standard-version --release-as minor",
    "release:major": "standard-version --release-as major",
    "release:patch": "standard-version --release-as patch",
    "release:first": "standard-version --first-release"
  }
}

3. Create .versionrc config (optional but recommended)

json

{
  "types": [
    {"type": "feat", "section": "✨ Features"},
    {"type": "fix", "section": "🐛 Bug Fixes"},
    {"type": "perf", "section": "⚡ Performance"},
    {"type": "refactor", "section": "♻️ Refactoring"},
    {"type": "docs", "section": "📚 Documentation", "hidden": true},
    {"type": "style", "section": "💄 Styling", "hidden": true},
    {"type": "chore", "hidden": true},
    {"type": "test", "hidden": true},
    {"type": "ci", "hidden": true},
    {"type": "build", "hidden": true}
  ],
  "commitUrlFormat": "https://github.com/{{owner}}/{{repository}}/commit/{{hash}}",
  "compareUrlFormat": "https://github.com/{{owner}}/{{repository}}/compare/{{previousTag}}...{{currentTag}}",
  "tagPrefix": "v"
}

How Version Bumps Work

Based on conventional commits since last tag:

Commit Type	Version Bump	Example
`feat:`	MINOR (0.x.0)	`feat: add user auth` → 0.1.0 → 0.2.0
`fix:`	PATCH (0.0.x)	`fix: null check` → 0.1.0 → 0.1.1
`feat!:` or `BREAKING CHANGE:`	MAJOR (x.0.0)	`feat!: new API` → 0.1.0 → 1.0.0
`docs:`, `style:`, `chore:`	No bump	Hidden from changelog

Release Workflow

Standard Release (auto-detect bump)

bash

npm run release

This will:

•Analyze commits since last tag
•Bump version in package.json
•Update CHANGELOG.md
•Create git commit with message chore(release): 0.2.0
•Create git tag v0.2.0

Then push with tags

bash

git push --follow-tags origin main

First Release (from 0.0.0 or 0.1.0)

bash

npm run release:first

Creates initial tag without bumping version.

Force Specific Bump

bash

npm run release:patch  # 0.1.0 → 0.1.1
npm run release:minor  # 0.1.0 → 0.2.0
npm run release:major  # 0.1.0 → 1.0.0

Pre-release (alpha/beta/rc)

bash

npx standard-version --prerelease alpha  # 0.1.0 → 0.2.0-alpha.0
npx standard-version --prerelease beta   # 0.2.0-alpha.0 → 0.2.0-beta.0
npx standard-version --prerelease rc     # 0.2.0-beta.0 → 0.2.0-rc.0
npx standard-version                     # 0.2.0-rc.0 → 0.2.0 (stable)

Dry Run (preview without changes)

bash

npx standard-version --dry-run

Lefthook Integration

Enforce Conventional Commits (pre-requisite)

Add to lefthook.yml:

yaml

commit-msg:
  commands:
    conventional-commit:
      run: |
        msg=$(cat "{1}")
        if ! echo "$msg" | grep -qE "^(feat|fix|docs|style|refactor|perf|test|chore|ci|build|revert)(\(.+\))?: .+"; then
          echo ""
          echo "❌ Invalid commit message format"
          echo ""
          echo "Expected: <type>(<scope>): <subject>"
          echo "Example:  feat(api): add user endpoint"
          echo ""
          echo "Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, perf, test, chore, ci, build, revert"
          echo ""
          exit 1
        fi

Validate Tags on Push (optional)

yaml

pre-push:
  commands:
    version-tag-check:
      run: |
        # Check if HEAD has a version tag (release commit)
        if git describe --exact-match HEAD 2>/dev/null | grep -qE "^v[0-9]"; then
          if ! echo "$*" | grep -q "follow-tags"; then
            echo ""
            echo "⚠️  Release detected but --follow-tags not used"
            echo "   Run: git push --follow-tags origin main"
            echo ""
          fi
        fi

Displaying Version in App

Static Import (build-time)

typescript

import packageJson from '../package.json'

export function VersionDisplay() {
  return <span>v{packageJson.version}</span>
}

Dynamic API (runtime, for deployment builds)

Create /api/version/route.ts:

typescript

import { NextResponse } from 'next/server'

const BUILD_VERSION = process.env.RAILWAY_DEPLOYMENT_ID 
  || process.env.VERCEL_GIT_COMMIT_SHA 
  || process.env.BUILD_VERSION
  || Date.now().toString()

export async function GET() {
  return NextResponse.json(
    { version: BUILD_VERSION },
    { headers: { 'Cache-Control': 'no-store' } }
  )
}

Then fetch in component:

typescript

const [version, setVersion] = useState<string>()

useEffect(() => {
  fetch('/api/version')
    .then(r => r.json())
    .then(d => setVersion(d.version?.slice(0, 8)))
}, [])

Monorepo Considerations

For monorepos with multiple packages:

bash

# Release from specific directory
cd packages/web && npm run release

# Or use workspaces
npx standard-version --path packages/web

Best Practices

•Always use conventional commits - lefthook enforces this
•Release from main branch only - keep releases clean
•Use dry-run first - preview changes before committing
•Push with --follow-tags - ensures tags reach remote
•Don't skip CI on release commits - validate releases too
•Tag format: Use v prefix (v1.0.0) for consistency

Troubleshooting

"No commits since last release"

Your commits may not follow conventional format. Check with:

bash

git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --oneline

Version not bumping as expected

Check commit types. docs: and chore: don't trigger bumps by default.

Tags not appearing on remote

Always use git push --follow-tags origin main

Want to skip version bump on specific commit

Add [skip ci] or use chore: type for housekeeping commits.