nvidia-nemoclaw-maintainer-cut-release-tag

name	nvidia-nemoclaw-maintainer-cut-release-tag
description	Cut a new semver release — bump all version strings via bump-version.ts, open a release PR, and after merge tag main and push. Use when cutting a release, tagging a version, shipping a build, or preparing a deployment. Trigger keywords - cut tag, release tag, new tag, cut release, tag version, ship it.
license	Apache-2.0 AND CC-BY-4.0
metadata	{"user_invocable":true,"author":"NVIDIA"}

Cut Release Tag

Bump all version strings, open a release PR, and after merge create annotated semver + latest tags on origin/main.

This skill delegates the version-bump work to scripts/bump-version.ts (invoked via npm run bump:version). That script updates package.json (root + plugin), blueprint.yaml, installer defaults, docs config, and versioned doc links — then runs the build and tests before opening a PR.

Prerequisites

• You must be in the NemoClaw git repository.
• You must have push access to origin (NVIDIA/NemoClaw).
• The nightly E2E suite should have passed before tagging. Check with the user if unsure.

Step 1: Determine the Current Version

Fetch all tags and find the latest semver tag:

git fetch origin --tags
git tag --sort=-v:refname | grep -E '^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$' | head -1

Parse the major, minor, and patch components from this tag.

Step 2: Ask the User Which Bump

Present the options with the patch bump as default:

• Patch (default): vX.Y.(Z+1) — bug fixes, small changes
• Minor: vX.(Y+1).0 — new features, larger changes
• Major: v(X+1).0.0 — breaking changes

Show the concrete version strings. Example prompt:

Current tag: v0.0.2

Which version bump?

1. Patch → v0.0.3 (default)
2. Minor → v0.1.0
3. Major → v1.0.0

Wait for the user to confirm before proceeding. If they just say "yes", "go", "do it", or similar, use the patch default.

Step 3: Show What's Being Tagged

Show the user the commit that will be tagged and the changelog since the last tag:

git log --oneline origin/main -1
git log --oneline <previous-tag>..origin/main

Ask for confirmation before proceeding.

Step 4: Run the Version Bump Script

First, preview the plan with --dry-run:

npm run bump:version -- <version-without-v-prefix> --dry-run

Show the dry-run output to the user. After confirmation, ask the user which mode they want:

Option A: PR mode (default, recommended)

npm run bump:version -- <version-without-v-prefix>

This will:

1. Update all version strings across the repo
2. Run the build and tests
3. Create a release/<version> branch and open a release PR against main

In PR mode, tagging is deferred — proceed to Step 5 after the PR merges.

Option B: Direct mode (no PR)

npm run bump:version -- <version-without-v-prefix> --no-create-pr --push

This will:

1. Update all version strings across the repo
2. Run the build and tests
3. Commit directly on main
4. Create annotated v<version> and latest tags
5. Push the commit and both tags to origin

In direct mode, tagging and pushing are handled by the script — skip to Step 6.

If the user wants to skip tests (e.g., they already ran them), add --skip-tests to either mode.

Step 5: Create and Push Tags (PR mode only, after PR merge)

Skip this step if you used direct mode in Step 4 — the script already tagged and pushed.

Once the release PR is merged into main, create the annotated tag, move latest, and push:

git fetch origin main --tags
git tag -a <new-version> origin/main -m "<new-version>"

# Move the latest tag (delete old, create new)
git tag -d latest 2>/dev/null || true
git tag -a latest origin/main -m "latest"

# Push both tags (force-push latest since it moves)
git push origin <new-version>
git push origin latest --force

Step 6: Verify

git ls-remote --tags origin | grep -E '(<new-version>|latest)'

Confirm both tags point to the same commit on the remote.

Important Notes

• NEVER tag without explicit user confirmation of the version.
• NEVER tag a branch other than origin/main.
• Always use annotated tags (-a), not lightweight tags.
• The latest tag is a floating tag that always points to the most recent release — it requires --force to push.
• The version string passed to npm run bump:version should NOT have a v prefix (e.g., 0.0.3, not v0.0.3). The script adds the v prefix for tags internally.