Release Git Local

Execute all git operations required for a local release: stage changes, commit, create annotated tag, and push to remote.

When to use this skill

Use this skill for local releases (running on a developer's machine) after all files have been prepared. This skill:

•Commits release changes to main branch
•Creates annotated git tag
•Pushes commit and tag to remote repository

Do NOT use this skill for PR-based releases - use release-git-pr instead.

How to execute

Step 1: Stage Changes

Stage CHANGELOG.md and any confirmed version files:

bash

git add CHANGELOG.md

If version files were updated:

bash

git add package.json pyproject.toml

Verify staged changes:

bash

git --no-pager diff --cached --name-only

Step 2: Commit Changes

Create commit with release message:

bash

git commit -m "Release vX.Y.Z"

Verify commit was created:

bash

git --no-pager log -1 --oneline

Step 3: Create Annotated Tag

Create an annotated tag (not lightweight):

bash

git tag -a vX.Y.Z -m "Release vX.Y.Z"

Why annotated tags?

•Contain metadata (tagger, date, message)
•Recommended for releases by git best practices
•Required by many CI/CD systems for release triggers

Verify tag was created:

bash

git --no-pager tag -l vX.Y.Z

Step 4: Push Commit to Remote

Push the commit to the remote repository:

bash

git push origin main

Replace main with current branch if different.

Step 5: Push Tag to Remote

Push the tag to trigger release workflows:

bash

git push origin vX.Y.Z

Important: Tag push must be separate from commit push for most CI/CD systems to detect release events.

Step 6: Verify Success

Confirm both commit and tag are on remote:

bash

git ls-remote --tags origin vX.Y.Z
git ls-remote origin main

Output

Provide a summary of git operations:

yaml

success: true
commit_sha: abc123def456
tag: vX.Y.Z
branch: main
remote_url: https://github.com/owner/repo.git

Output fields:

•success: Boolean indicating all operations completed
•commit_sha: SHA of the release commit
•tag: The git tag created and pushed
•branch: Branch that was pushed to
•remote_url: Remote repository URL

Error Handling

Error	Likely Cause	Suggested Action
`nothing to commit`	Files unchanged or not staged	Verify changes were made and staged correctly
`tag 'vX.Y.Z' already exists`	Tag created in previous attempt	Delete local tag: `git tag -d vX.Y.Z`, then retry
`rejected - non-fast-forward`	Remote has commits not in local	Pull latest: `git pull origin main`, then retry
`Permission denied (publickey)`	SSH key not configured	Configure git credentials or use HTTPS
`remote: Permission to repo denied`	No push access to repository	Verify repository permissions
`fatal: tag 'vX.Y.Z' already exists` on remote	Tag already pushed previously	Version conflict - check CHANGELOG.md

Recovery steps:

If commit succeeded but tag creation failed:

bash

# Fix the issue, then resume from Step 3
git tag -a vX.Y.Z -m "Release vX.Y.Z"
git push origin vX.Y.Z

If commit and tag succeeded but push failed:

bash

# Fix the issue, then resume from Step 4
git pull origin main  # if non-fast-forward
git push origin main
git push origin vX.Y.Z

If tag already exists locally:

bash

git tag -d vX.Y.Z  # Delete local tag
# Then retry from Step 3

Notes

•This skill is for local development releases only
•For PR-based workflows, use release-git-pr skill instead
•All operations happen on the local machine with standard git credentials
•Both commit and tag must be pushed for release to be complete
•Tag push typically triggers CI/CD release workflows (GitHub Actions, etc.)
•Never force push (-f) release commits or tags
•If any step fails, stop immediately and report the error - do not continue