release-process

name	release-process
description	Complete release automation for VS Code Marketplace publishing
lastReviewed	2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z

Release Process Skill

Inheritance: master-only (contains PAT handling, marketplace credentials)

---

Purpose

Comprehensive knowledge for releasing Alex Cognitive Architecture to VS Code Marketplace and managing version lifecycle.

---

Quick Reference

Release Commands

# From repo root
node scripts/release-vscode.cjs                           # Stable release
node scripts/release-vscode.cjs --pre-release              # Pre-release
node scripts/release-vscode.cjs --dry-run                  # Test without publishing

Manual Publishing

cd platforms/vscode-extension
npx vsce publish --pre-release  # Pre-release
npx vsce publish                # Stable release

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PAT (Personal Access Token) Setup

⚠️ IMPORTANT: PATs expire frequently and may only work for a single publish session. Always create a fresh PAT before each release to avoid 401 errors.

Creating a New PAT

1. Via Marketplace (Recommended):

   • Go to: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/manage/publishers/
   • Click your publisher name
   • Click "..." menu → "Generate new token"
   • Copy the token immediately (shown only once)

2. Via Azure DevOps:

   • Go to: https://dev.azure.com/
   • Click User Settings (gear icon) → Personal Access Tokens
   • Click "New Token"
   • Name: vsce-marketplace (or similar)
   • Organization: All accessible organizations
   • Expiration: Set appropriate duration (max 1 year)
   • Scopes: Select Marketplace → Manage
   • Click Create, copy token

Storing the PAT

Option 1: Environment Variable (Session only)

$env:VSCE_PAT = "your-token-here"

Option 2: .env File (Persistent, gitignored)

# Root .env (AlexMaster/.env)
VSCE_PAT=your-token-here

The release scripts read VSCE_PAT from the environment or from root .env.

Option 3: System Environment (Persistent)

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("VSCE_PAT", "your-token", "User")

PAT Troubleshooting

Error	Cause	Solution
401 Unauthorized	PAT expired or invalid	Create new PAT
401 Unauthorized	Wrong scope	Ensure "Marketplace (Manage)" scope
401 Unauthorized	.env not found	Ensure root .env has the token
403 Forbidden	Not publisher owner	Check publisher membership
Token not found	.env not loaded	Check file path, run preflight

Retry After PAT Fix

When publish fails with 401 and you've already built a valid .vsix, skip the full prepublish cycle:

# Set new PAT and publish pre-built package (skips sync/quality-gate/compile)
$env:VSCE_PAT = "new-token"; npx vsce publish --packagePath alex-cognitive-architecture-X.Y.Z.vsix

This saves ~2 minutes vs a full npx vsce publish which re-runs the entire prepublish pipeline.

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Version Strategy

Semantic Versioning

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
  │     │     └── Bug fixes, docs
  │     └──────── New features, non-breaking
  └────────────── Breaking changes

Pre-Release vs Stable

Type	Flag	Visibility	Use Case
Pre-release	--pre-release	Opt-in only	Beta testing
Stable	(none)	Everyone	Production ready

VS Code Marketplace Rule: Pre-release versions must use the --pre-release flag, NOT semver suffixes like -beta.1.

Version Files to Update

When bumping version, these files need synchronization:

1. platforms/vscode-extension/package.json → version field
2. platforms/vscode-extension/.github/copilot-instructions.md → **Version**: line
3. CHANGELOG.md → New ## [X.Y.Z] section

The release-vscode.cjs script handles all of these automatically.

Version Bump Decision Table

Condition	Bump Type	Rationale
Breaking API change (removed command, renamed setting, changed data format)	Major	Users must adapt their workflows
New user-facing feature (command, setting, UI element)	Minor	Additive capability, no breakage
Bug fix for existing behavior	Patch	Same features, better quality
Documentation-only changes (README, wiki, CHANGELOG wording)	Patch	No runtime behavior change
Internal refactor with no user-visible change	Patch	Ship quality improvements incrementally
New brain skill / instruction / prompt (no extension change)	Minor	New cognitive capability available
Brain file content update (currency stamps, decision tables, typos)	Patch	Maintenance, no new capability
Security fix (dependency bump, input validation)	Patch	Ship ASAP, minimize version noise
Deprecation of existing feature (still works, marked for removal)	Minor	Users need warning before removal
Multiple features + fixes in same release	Minor	Highest-impact change determines bump
Heir sync format change (breaks older upgrade-brain.cjs)	Major	Fleet-breaking change
Pre-release / beta testing	Minor + --pre-release	Use marketplace pre-release flag, not semver suffix

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Release Workflow

Automated (Recommended)

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  node scripts/release-vscode.cjs --pre-release                   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│ 0. PAT Check    │───▶│ 1a. Sync Heir   │───▶│ 1b. Preflight   │
│ - Load .env     │    │ - build-pkg.ps1 │    │ - Version sync  │
│ - Validate      │    │ - Master→Heir   │    │ - Build/Lint    │
│                 │    │                 │    │ - Manifest check│
└─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐    ┌─────────────────┐
│ 2. Version Bump │───▶│ 3. CHANGELOG    │───▶│ 4. Git Commit   │
│ - package.json  │    │ - Add entry     │    │ - Commit        │
│ - heir version  │    │ - Date stamp    │    │ - Tag           │
│                 │    │                 │    │ - Push          │
└─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘    └─────────────────┘
         │
         ▼
┌─────────────────┐
│ 5. Publish      │
│ - vsce publish  │
│ - --pre-release │
└─────────────────┘

Definition of Done Verification

Before publishing, verify ALL 8 criteria from ROADMAP.md:

#	Criterion	Validation Method
1	Builds clean	npm run compile exits 0 with zero errors
2	No dead code	All imports resolve, no orphaned modules
3	Counts match reality	Slash commands, tools, skills, trifectas in docs = actual code
4	F5 smoke test passes	Extension activates, welcome view renders, 3 random commands work
5	Version aligned	package.json = CHANGELOG = copilot-instructions
6	Heir sync clean	sync-architecture.cjs runs with 0 errors, no contamination
7	No non-functional features	If in UI/command palette, it works. If broken, removed.
8	CHANGELOG documents delta	Every user-visible change has a line item

Pattern: Use regression checklist as DoD tracker:

• Create a regression checklist (e.g., VXXX-REGRESSION-CHECKLIST.md)
• Track verification status for each criterion
• Document evidence (commit hashes, test counts, sync output)
• Automated tests provide objective quality signal (test count = confidence metric)

Quality Gate: If ANY criterion fails, DO NOT publish. Fix first.

Manual Checklist

If not using the script:

• Run preflight: node scripts/release-preflight.cjs
• Bump version in package.json
• Update heir copilot-instructions.md version
• Add CHANGELOG entry
• Commit: git commit -m "chore: release vX.Y.Z"
• Tag: git tag vX.Y.Z
• Push: git push && git push --tags
• Publish: npx vsce publish [--pre-release]

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Preflight Checks

The release-preflight.cjs script validates:

Check	What It Does
PAT	Verifies VSCE_PAT is available in env or .env
Version Sync	package.json = CHANGELOG = Master instructions = heir instructions
BUILD-MANIFEST	Checks heir was synced recently (warns if > 24h old)
README Skill Count	Verifies documented skill count matches actual
ROADMAP Version	Warns if ROADMAP.md version differs
Build	npm run compile succeeds
Lint	npm run lint passes
Tests	npm test passes (can skip with -SkipTests)
Git Status	Shows uncommitted changes
Git Tags	Warns if tag already exists
Package	Creates VSIX (with -Package flag)

---

File Structure

Alex_Plug_In/
├── scripts/
│   ├── release-preflight.cjs    # Pre-release validation
│   ├── release-vscode.cjs       # Full release automation
│   └── build-extension-package.ps1  # Heir sync
├── platforms/vscode-extension/
│   ├── package.json             # Version source of truth
│   ├── .env                     # PAT storage (gitignored)
│   ├── .github/
│   │   └── copilot-instructions.md  # Heir version
│   └── *.vsix                   # Built packages
└── CHANGELOG.md                 # Version history

---

Common Issues

"The pre-release version is not valid"

Cause: Used semver suffix like 3.7.4-beta.1

Solution: Use plain version 3.7.4 with --pre-release flag

"401 Unauthorized"

Cause: PAT expired, invalid, or wrong scope

Solution:

1. Create new PAT at marketplace.visualstudio.com/manage/publishers
2. Ensure "Marketplace (Manage)" scope
3. Update .env or environment variable

"Version already exists"

Cause: Trying to publish same version twice

Solution: Bump version first, or delete existing version from marketplace

Build succeeds but publish fails

Cause: Often network or auth issues

Solution:

1. Check internet connection
2. Verify PAT is valid
3. Try npx vsce login <publisher-name> first

---

Post-Publish Verification Decision Table (RP4)

After vsce publish or release-full.cjs succeeds mechanically, the listing must be verified semantically. This table separates "did the CLI succeed?" (mechanical) from "does the marketplace represent what we shipped?" (semantic).

#	Check	Pass	Fail	Action on Fail
1	Version match — marketplace version matches package.json version	Versions are identical	Mismatch (stale cache or publish failure)	Wait 5 min for CDN propagation; if still mismatched, investigate publish logs
2	README rendering — marketplace README renders without broken images or layout	All images load; headings, tables, badges display correctly	Broken images, raw markdown visible, or layout collapse	Fix image URLs (must be absolute https:// for marketplace); republish
3	Changelog current — marketplace changelog shows the new version's entry	Latest entry matches shipped version	Missing entry or shows prior version	Update CHANGELOG.md; republish
4	Feature list accuracy — listed features match what's actually in this version	All advertised features are functional	Feature listed but not yet shipped, or shipped but unlisted	Update README feature section; republish if misleading
5	Activation events — extension activates on documented events without errors	Clean activation, no console errors	Activation fails or throws on documented trigger	Debug activation; file hotfix release if blocking
6	Dependencies declared — extensionDependencies in package.json matches actual runtime needs	All required extensions listed; no phantom deps	Extension fails because a dependency isn't declared	Add missing dependency; republish
7	Min VS Code version — engines.vscode matches features used	Extension works on declared minimum version	Uses API unavailable in declared minimum	Bump engines.vscode or remove the newer API call
8	No credential leak — published VSIX contains no tokens, keys, or .env files	.vscodeignore excludes sensitive files; VSIX contents verified	Sensitive file found in VSIX

Automation note: Rows 1, 3, 7, 8, 9 can be checked mechanically (add to release-smoke.test.cjs). Rows 2, 4, 5, 6, 10 require human or LLM review.

Links

• VS Code Publishing Guide
• Marketplace Publisher Portal
• Azure DevOps PAT Docs
• VSCE CLI Reference