release

name	release
description	Use this skill when the user wants to cut a new release.

Release

Overview

This skill guides the agent through the process of cutting a new release for this project. It handles version determination, changelog generation, file updates, and git tagging.

Procedure

1. Preparation & Version Determination

1. Check Branch: Run git branch --show-current. If the output is not main, stop and inform the user that releases must be cut from the main branch.
2. Sync with Remote: Run git fetch origin main. Then verify local is up-to-date by running git rev-list HEAD..origin/main --count. If the count is non-zero, stop and inform the user that their local main is behind origin/main and they need to pull first.
3. Check Working Tree: Run git status --porcelain.
   • CRITICAL: If the command produces ANY output (even for untracked files or documentation changes), you MUST ABORT IMMEDIATELY.
   • DO NOT attempt to analyze the changes.
   • DO NOT ask the user if they want to proceed.
   • STOP and inform the user: "Working tree is not clean. Please commit or stash changes before releasing."
4. Check Current Version: Read epsilon/version.go to find the current version (e.g., "0.0.3").
5. Determine Target Version:
   • User Provided: If the user specified a version, validate it. It must be semantically greater than the current version. If invalid, reject it and explain why.
   • Auto-Increment: If no version was provided, increment the patch level of the current version (e.g., 0.0.3 -> 0.0.4).
6. Confirm: Briefly mention the plan to the user (e.g., "Preparing release for v0.0.4...").

2. Verification

1. Build: Run make build-all (native + Darwin + Windows cross-compile). If any build fails, stop and report the error.
2. Run Tests: Run make test. If tests fail, stop and report the errors.
3. Compare Benchmarks: Find the previous release tag using git describe --tags --abbrev=0. Then run make bench-compare TARGET=. BASE=<last_tag> to compare performance against the last release. Present the results to the user and flag any significant regressions. NOTE: This process can take several minutes as it runs the full benchmark suite twice; ensure a reasonable timeout (e.g., 10m) is applied.

3. Changelog Generation

Only proceed if verification passes.

1. Identify Range: Find the previous release tag using git describe --tags --abbrev=0.

2. Fetch Commits: Run git log --no-merges --pretty=format:"%h %s%n%b" <last_tag>..HEAD.

3. Draft Content: Analyze the commit messages (subject and body) to create a new CHANGELOG entry.

   • Deep Inspection: Look at the commit body for additional context. Squashed PRs often include a detailed list of changes, bullet points, or rationale in the description. Use this to create a more informative summary.

   • Audience: The changelog is for end users. Focus on changes that affect how users interact with the project.

   • Style: Mimic the existing style in CHANGELOG.md.

   • Filtering: Include only changes that matter to users: new features, bug fixes, API changes. Exclude chores, typos, refactoring, CI tweaks, and internal tooling changes.

   • Grouping: Group by category if appropriate (e.g., API Changes, Performance, Fixes).

   • Breaking Changes: Explicitly highlight any breaking changes.

   • Format:

     ## [Version] - YYYY-MM-DD
     
     - Description of change (#PR or commit hash if available).
     - ...
     

4. Review: Present the drafted CHANGELOG entry to the user and ask for confirmation. Do not proceed without user approval.

4. Execution

Only proceed after User Confirmation of the changelog.

1. Update CHANGELOG.md:
   • Read CHANGELOG.md.
   • Insert the new entry at the top of the changelog (after the header section).
   • Write the file.
2. Update Version:
   • Update epsilon/version.go with the new version string.
3. Commit & Tag:
   • Run git add CHANGELOG.md epsilon/version.go.
   • Run git commit -m "Release version <Version>".
   • Run git tag v<Version>.
4. Push:
   • Run git push origin main --tags.
5. Finalize:
   • Inform the user the release is committed, tagged, and pushed.