Release Automation

Automate the release process for the GitLab Blame MR Link VS Code extension.

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when the user:

•Says "/release" explicitly
•Asks to "create a release"
•Asks to "publish a new version"
•Mentions "bump version" or "release to marketplace"

What This Skill Does

•
Pre-release validation
- •Runs lint, typecheck, and build
- •Ensures all tests pass with coverage thresholds
•
CHANGELOG update
- •Prompts for release notes or auto-generates from commits
- •Updates CHANGELOG.md with new version section
•
Version bump
- •Asks for release type (patch/minor/major)
- •Runs appropriate npm version script
- •Creates commit (tag is created locally but NOT pushed)
•
Push to remote
- •Pushes ONLY the version bump commit to main
- •⚠️ CRITICAL: Does NOT push tags manually
- •Auto-tag workflow automatically detects version change and creates tag after CI passes
•
Monitoring
- •Provides GitHub Actions workflow URL
- •Lists what the automated workflows will do

Usage Examples

User says:

•/release patch → Create patch release
•/release minor → Create minor release
•/release → Ask for release type
•Create a release → Full interactive release process

⚠️ CRITICAL RULE: Never Push Tags Manually

This project uses automated tagging starting from v1.4.0.

✅ ALWAYS DO:

•Push only commits: git push origin main
•Let auto-tag workflow create and push tags
•Wait for CI to pass before tag creation

❌ NEVER DO:

•git push origin v1.x.x (manual tag push)
•git push --tags (push all tags)
•Any manual tag creation after version bump

Why: The auto-tag workflow ensures CI passes before creating tags, preventing broken releases.

Step-by-Step Instructions

When this skill is invoked:

1. Check Git Status

•Ensure working directory is clean
•Ensure on main branch
•Show any uncommitted changes
•If not clean, offer to show status or stash

2. Validation

•Ask if user wants to run validation
•If yes, run npm run validate
•If validation fails, recommend fixing issues before proceeding

3. Update CHANGELOG

•Read CHANGELOG.md
•Check recent commits since last release: git log v{last-version}..HEAD --pretty=format:"- %s (%h)"
•Ask user for release notes OR show auto-generated list
•Add new version section with current date
•Show preview and confirm with user

4. Determine Version Type

•If provided as argument (patch/minor/major), use that
•Otherwise, ask user to choose
•Show current version → new version preview

5. Execute Version Bump

•Commit CHANGELOG first (if modified)
•Run npm run version:{type} (creates commit + tag)
•Show success message

6. Push to Remote

•ONLY run this command: git push origin main
•⚠️ DO NOT run: git push origin v{version} or git push --tags
•Automatic: Auto-tag workflow detects version change and creates tag (after CI passes)
•Automatic: Tag triggers publish workflow
•Confirm to user: "Pushed commits to main. Auto-tag workflow will create tag after CI passes (~1-2 min)"

7. Provide Monitoring Info

•Show GitHub Actions URL: https://github.com/SebastienLeonce/gitlab-blame/actions
•
Explain automation:
1. •Auto-tag workflow detects version change (~30 seconds)
2. •Creates and pushes tag v{version}
3. •Tag triggers publish workflow
4. •
  Publish workflow runs:
  - •Verify version matches tag
  - •Run typecheck, lint, build
  - •Run unit + E2E tests
  - •Publish to Open VSX Registry
  - •Publish to VS Code Marketplace
  - •Create GitHub Release with changelog
•Mention typical completion time (~5-8 minutes total)
•
After workflow completes, verify on both marketplaces:
- •VS Code Marketplace: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=sebastien-dev.gitlab-blame
- •Open VSX Registry: https://open-vsx.org/extension/sebastien-dev/gitlab-blame

Error Handling

•Working directory not clean → Offer to show git status or stash changes
•Not on main branch → Warn and offer to git checkout main
•Validation fails → Offer to skip (--skip-validation) or fix
•Network error during push → Suggest retry
•Tag already exists → Offer to delete and recreate OR bump to next version

Troubleshooting

Auto-Tag Workflow Fails

•Symptom: Version bumped and pushed, but no tag created
•Cause: CI workflow may have failed
•Fix: Check GitHub Actions for CI failure, fix issues, push again

Manual Tag Fallback

If automatic tagging fails:

bash

# Manually create and push tag
git tag v{version}
git push origin v{version}

E2E Tests Fail After Tag Creation

•Symptom: Tag created, but publish workflow fails
•Recovery: Create new patch version with fix

bash

npm run version:patch
git push origin main

Context Files

Reference these files when executing this skill:

•ref/release-process.md - Full release documentation
•.github/workflows/publish.yml - CI/CD workflow details
•package.json - Current version and scripts
•CHANGELOG.md - Release history

Important Notes

•Automatic tagging workflow - Tags created automatically when version bumps pushed to main
•Semantic versioning: patch = bug fixes, minor = features, major = breaking changes
•Quality gates - E2E tests run in CI and must pass before publishing

Example Flow

code

User: /release patch

Claude:
1. ✅ Git status clean, on main branch
2. 🔍 Checking recent commits...
   Found 3 commits since v1.3.0:
   - fix(hover): truncate long MR titles
   - test(provider): add coverage for error cases
   - docs(readme): update installation steps

3. 📝 Updating CHANGELOG.md...
   [Shows preview]

4. ⬆️  Bumping version 1.3.0 → 1.3.1...
   - Commit created: chore(release): bump to v1.3.1

5. 🚀 Pushing to main...
   - Running: git push origin main
   - ✅ Commits pushed successfully

6. 🤖 Automated workflow now running:
   - Auto-tag workflow will detect version change (~1-2 min)
   - Workflow will create and push tag v1.3.1 after CI passes
   - Tag will trigger publish workflow

7. 📊 Monitor progress: https://github.com/.../actions
   - Watch for "Auto-tag" workflow to complete
   - Then "Publish" workflow will start
   - Total time: ~5-10 minutes

   After completion, verify at:
   - VS Code Marketplace: marketplace.visualstudio.com/...
   - Open VSX Registry: open-vsx.org/...