release

name	release
description	Cut a release — runs the pre-release checklist, bumps the version, generates release notes, creates and tags the release PR. Recommended to run after all in-dev issues are confirmed shippable.
allowed-tools	Bash, Read, Write, Grep
user-invocable	true
argument-hint	[version-tag]
automation	gated
metadata	{"version":"1.0","created":"2026-04-28T00:00:00.000Z","author":"Ability.ai","changelog":["1.0: Initial version — cuts a release: runs the pre-release checklist, bumps the version, generates release notes, and creates and tags the release PR."]}

Release

ℹ️ First, set expectations: before anything else, print one short line with this skill's version and its most recent change — the top entry of metadata.changelog above — e.g. release vX.Y — recent: <summary>. Then proceed.

Automate the release cut process: pre-release checklist, version bump, release notes, PR creation, and tagging.

State Dependencies

Source	Location	Read	Write	Description
GitHub Issues	GitHub repo	✅	✅	In-dev issues to close
Git log	current branch	✅		Commits since last release
Version file	pyproject.toml, package.json, etc.	✅	✅	Version bump
Changelog	docs/memory/changelog.md	✅	✅	Release notes

Arguments

• $ARGUMENTS: Version tag (e.g., v1.2.0, cli-v0.4.0). If omitted, suggests next version based on git tags.

Process

Step 1: Determine Version

If no version argument provided:

# Get latest tag
git describe --tags --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null || echo "No tags yet"

Suggest next version following semver. Confirm with user before continuing.

Step 2: Pre-Release Checklist

Run validation gates. Do NOT proceed if any CRITICAL item fails.

# 1. No open P0 issues
gh issue list --label "priority-p0" --state open --json number,title

# 2. No open P1 issues that are blocking
gh issue list --label "priority-p1,status-blocked" --state open --json number,title

# 3. Tests pass
# (invoke test-runner or check CI status)
gh run list --limit 5 --json status,conclusion,name

Present checklist:

## Pre-Release Checklist

- [ ] No open P0 issues
- [ ] No blocked P1 issues  
- [ ] Tests passing (CI green)
- [ ] In-dev issues confirmed shippable

GATE: Ask user to confirm checklist before continuing.

Step 3: Collect In-Dev Issues

gh issue list --label "status-in-dev" --state open --json number,title

These issues will be closed by the release PR via Closes #N.

Step 4: Generate Release Notes

# Commits since last tag
LAST_TAG=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null || echo "")
if [ -n "$LAST_TAG" ]; then
  git log ${LAST_TAG}..HEAD --oneline --no-merges
else
  git log --oneline --no-merges -20
fi

Format release notes:

## Release [version] — [date]

### What's in this release
[group commits by type: features, fixes, refactors, docs]

### Issues closed
Closes #N #M #P ...

Step 5: Update Changelog

Prepend the release notes to docs/memory/changelog.md.

Step 6: Commit Release Prep

git add docs/memory/changelog.md
git commit -m "chore: release $VERSION"

Step 7: Create Release PR

gh pr create \
  --title "Release $VERSION" \
  --body "$(cat release-notes.md)" \
  --base main

GATE: Show the PR URL and ask:

"PR created at [url]. Review it, then tell me to tag when ready."

Step 8: Tag After Merge

After user confirms the PR is merged:

git checkout main
git pull
git tag $VERSION
git push --tags

Step 9: Summary

## Release Complete: [version]

| Step | Status |
|------|--------|
| Pre-release checklist | ✅ |
| Release notes generated | ✅ |
| Changelog updated | ✅ |
| PR created | ✅ #[pr-number] |
| Tag pushed | ✅ [version] |
| Issues to close | #N, #M, #P (auto-closes on PR merge) |

Completion Checklist

• Version determined
• Pre-release checklist passed
• In-dev issues collected
• Release notes generated
• Changelog updated
• Release PR created
• Tag pushed after merge