bump-release

Bump Release

Release one package or several packages with version bumps, changelog entries, commits, and tags. Supports single-package repositories, workspace monorepos, stable releases, beta releases, and dry runs.

Arguments

• packages: optional package names or directories. Omit in a single-package repository.
• version: optional explicit semver. Valid only for one user-selected package.
• --beta: create or advance a -beta.X prerelease.
• --dry-run: preview without modifying files, committing, or tagging.

Helper Interface

Resolve <skill-dir> from this SKILL.md. Keep helper stdout as JSON and diagnostics on stderr.

node "<skill-dir>/scripts/plan-release.mjs" \
  [--cwd <repo>] [--beta] [--dry-run] [--version <semver>] \
  [--package <name-or-dir>]...

The read-only discovery output has schemaVersion: 2. It reports package identity, complete per-package changedFiles, workspace edges and declared ranges, previous-tag facts, selected targets, and worktree state. changeHints are filename-based, explicitly non-authoritative navigation hints. Never use them to decide release relevance or changelog inclusion.

After the agent decides every stable patch/minor/major version, write discovery JSON to a temporary file and run:

The finalizer performs beta and explicit-version transitions, stable prerelease promotion, npm-range satisfaction, simple dependency-range suggestions, and dependency ordering. It reports complex ranges, peer ranges, dependency cycles, and stable versions not supplied by the agent as unresolved decisions. When an unsatisfied edge adds a dependent, choose that package's release version and rerun with another --version assignment. The finalizer never chooses a regular release magnitude or dependency policy.

For every stable changelog written, validate its deterministic structure:

This checks the expected release and date, heading/category order, allowed categories, list structure, and release-link tag. It does not judge importance, wording, or semantic category.

Workflow

1. Run discovery with the user arguments mapped directly. Exit 2 means the target is not a releasable Git/package repository; exit 64 means invalid input. Stop on either.
2. Require workingTree.clean. Do not absorb unrelated work.
3. Resolve unknown or ambiguous package selection. An explicit user version remains single-package only.
4. Inspect each target's complete changedFiles and the net diff from its previous tag. Decide whether the surviving changes warrant a release. Runtime environments, refactors, documentation, tests, and tooling can all be relevant in context; filenames never decide this.
5. For every relevant stable target without an explicit version, choose patch, minor, or major from the consumer-facing change. For beta releases, let the finalizer compute the mechanical transition.
6. Run the finalizer. Review unsatisfied workspace edges. Accept its suggestion only for a simple dependency range when that policy fits; choose peer and complex range policy explicitly. Add dependents and their agent-chosen release versions, then rerun until the package set and dependency order are resolved.
7. For a dry run, report the ordered package/version plan, range edits, changelog/tag/commit actions, and agent-decided skips. Stop before writes.
8. For a stable release, read references/common-changelog.md and write consumer-facing entries from the bounded net diff. The agent owns entry selection, wording, importance, and category. Beta releases do not update changelogs.
9. Update manifests and accepted dependency ranges. Validate every stable changelog with the helper.
10. Format once using the repository's narrowest established command.
11. Commit and tag dependencies before dependents. Use one commit and one annotated tag per package:
    • single-package commit: docs: release <version>;
    • monorepo commit: docs: release <package> <version>;
    • single-package tag: follow observed v<version> or bare-semver facts;
    • monorepo tag: follow observed package tag facts, defaulting to <package-dir>@<version>.
12. Do not push. Recommend the exact git push origin --tags command after success.

Safety and Completion

Helper failures mean malformed input, violated invariants, or failed validation; an agent decision remaining unresolved is data in the JSON, not a helper failure. Discovery and dry-run are read-only. Do not write changelogs before the final stable package set is known, and do not infer a tag convention when discovery reports observed facts.

Dry-run completion requires a discovery-backed, agent-reviewed action preview with zero writes. Release completion requires validated manifests and stable changelogs, formatting, one commit and annotated tag per package in dependency order, and a report of created commits/tags and agent-decided skips.

Use ### ⛔ Release stopped — working tree is not clean, ### ⚠️ Confirm release plan, ### 🔎 Release preview — no files, commits, or tags written, or ### 🏁 Release complete as applicable. Keep helper JSON, versions, hashes, tags, commands, and changelog text exact and undecorated.