create-manifest

name	create-manifest
description	Create a Trellis migration manifest and matching docs-site changelogs for a target release by analyzing commits since the previous release. Use when preparing a patch, beta, rc, or minor release manifest.

Create Migration Manifest

Create a migration manifest for a new patch, beta, rc, or minor release based on commits since the previous release.

Arguments

• $ARGUMENTS - Target version, for example 0.5.15 or 0.6.0-beta.14. If omitted, ask the user.

Package release model

Trellis currently publishes two npm packages from the same git tag:

• @mindfoldhq/trellis
• @mindfoldhq/trellis-core

Both packages must always share the exact same version and npm dist-tag. Source uses workspace:*; the packed CLI must depend on the exact published core version.

Official npm publishing is CI-only. Never use local npm publish or pnpm publish to compensate for a failed or partial release. Local verification may use pnpm pack, release-preflight, tests, lint, typecheck, and npm view.

Step 1: Identify Last Release

git tag --sort=-v:refname | head -5

Pick the most recent release tag on the current release line, for example v0.5.14 or v0.6.0-beta.13.

Step 2: Gather Changes

git log <last-release-tag>..HEAD --oneline
git log <last-release-tag>..HEAD --oneline -- packages/cli/src/ packages/core/src/
git log <last-release-tag>..HEAD --oneline -- packages/cli/scripts/ .github/workflows/ package.json packages/*/package.json pnpm-lock.yaml

User-facing changelog coverage should focus on source behavior under packages/cli/src/ and packages/core/src/. Release wiring, workflow, or package dependency changes belong in Internal only when users can observe the behavior, for example install/update reliability or multi-package availability.

Step 3: Analyze Each Relevant Commit

For each commit that touches relevant source or release behavior:

1. Read the diff:

   git diff <parent>...<commit> -- packages/cli/src/ packages/core/src/ --stat
   git diff <parent>...<commit> -- packages/cli/scripts/ .github/workflows/ package.json packages/*/package.json pnpm-lock.yaml --stat
   

2. Classify as feat, fix, refactor, or chore.
3. Write a one-line changelog entry in conventional commit style.

Drop pure spec edits, mechanical refactors, and internal-only cleanup unless they materially change what users observe.

Step 4: Draft Changelog

Voice: technical reference doc. Short, clear, plain. Not a story, not a sales pitch. Follow .trellis/spec/docs-site/docs/style-guide.md -> "Changelog / Release Notes Voice".

Do:

• Lead each ### section with one sentence stating what changed. Then table, code, or bullets. Done.
• Use feature names as headings, for example ### Joiner onboarding task.
• Include grep-able identifiers: file paths, function names, flag names, migration entries.
• Mirror English and Chinese 1:1 in docs-site changelogs: same sections, same tables, same code blocks; only prose translated.

Do not:

• Add "Why", "Background", or "Rationale" paragraphs.
• Add a Tests section or test counts.
• Add Internal entries unless users can observe the behavior.
• Use rhetorical questions, emotional framing, filler adverbs, or marketing voice.
• Use outcome-phrased headings that age badly or are not grep-able.

Length cap: each ### section should stay under about 120 words.

Allowed top-level sections, ordered:

1. Enhancements
2. Bug Fixes
3. Internal only if user-observable
4. Upgrade

Skip empty sections.

Manifest changelog field:

• Use one string with real \n separators.
• Group with bold prefixes: **Enhancements:**, **Bug Fixes:**, **Internal:**.
• Keep it shorter than the MDX changelog because it prints in terminal during trellis update.

Step 5: Determine Manifest Fields

Field	How to decide
breaking	Any breaking API or behavior change. Default false for patch/prerelease fixes.
recommendMigrate	Any rename/delete migration the user should run. Default false for patch fixes. When breaking=true and recommendMigrate=true, trellis update exits 1 without --migrate.
migrations	List of rename, rename-dir, delete, or safe-file-delete actions. Usually [] for patch fixes.
migrationGuide	Mandatory when breaking=true and recommendMigrate=true. Human migration guide inserted into the generated migration task PRD.
aiInstructions	Strongly recommended with migrationGuide. Instructions for AI migration assistance.
notes	Brief terminal guidance shown during update.

Breaking releases without migrationGuide produce a broken upgrade experience. packages/cli/scripts/create-manifest.js validates this.

Step 5a: Per-Migration Entry Fields

Field	Purpose	Required
type	rename, rename-dir, delete, or safe-file-delete	yes
from	Source path relative to project root	yes
to	Target path	yes for renames
description	What the migration does, shown in the confirm prompt	recommended
reason	Version-specific context for modified-file prompts	optional
allowed_hashes	Known-pristine SHA256 hashes for safe deletion	required for safe-file-delete

rename uses the project-local .trellis/.template-hashes.json; it does not use manifest allowed_hashes.

Use:

• rename when a file moved and has a replacement path.
• safe-file-delete when a file was removed and has no replacement.
• safe-file-delete plus notes when a removed file was folded into another command.

Step 6: Create Manifest

Pipe JSON through stdin:

cat <<'EOF' | node packages/cli/scripts/create-manifest.js
{
  "version": "<version>",
  "description": "<short description>",
  "breaking": false,
  "recommendMigrate": false,
  "changelog": "<changelog text with real newlines>",
  "notes": "<notes>",
  "migrations": []
}
EOF

For breaking releases with many rename entries, generate the entries with a small temporary Node script and pipe the final JSON into create-manifest.js.

Step 7: Create Docs-Site Changelogs

This step is mandatory for every release.

Create both files:

1. docs-site/changelog/v<version>.mdx
2. docs-site/zh/changelog/v<version>.mdx

Use the format from recent changelog files. English and Chinese structure must match 1:1.

Update docs-site/docs.json:

• Add "changelog/v<version>" to the English changelog pages list at the top.
• Add "zh/changelog/v<version>" to the Chinese changelog pages list at the top.
• Update navbar changelog links to the new version.

When a <Note> or <Warning> block contains a markdown list, the closing tag must start at column 0:

<Note>
- bullet
</Note>

Step 8: Docs Lifecycle

The docs-site root path is stable. Development cycles live under beta/ or rc/.

Transition	Script	When
Start a new beta	docs-site/scripts/docs-beta-start.sh	Before the first beta of a new minor/major, for example 0.6.0-beta.0.
Beta to RC	docs-site/scripts/docs-beta-to-rc.sh	Before the first rc, for example 0.6.0-rc.0.
RC to GA	docs-site/scripts/docs-promote.sh	Before pnpm release:promote.

Per-patch releases (-beta.1, -rc.1, 0.5.1) do not run lifecycle scripts. Write changelog MDX, update docs.json, commit/push docs-site, then bump the main repo submodule pointer.

Full reference: .trellis/spec/docs-site/docs/release-lifecycle.md.

Step 9: Preflight Before Release

Run local verification only; do not publish locally.

node packages/cli/scripts/check-docs-changelog.js --type <beta|rc|promote>
node packages/cli/scripts/release-preflight.js check-versions
node packages/cli/scripts/release-preflight.js verify-packed-cli
node packages/cli/scripts/release-preflight.js publish-plan
pnpm lint
pnpm typecheck
pnpm test

Skip check-docs-changelog only for stable patch releases where that command is not required by the release type.

Step 10: Review and Confirm

Verify:

1. packages/cli/src/migrations/manifests/<version>.json exists and has valid JSON.
2. Manifest changelog renders as real newlines.
3. Both docs-site changelog MDX files exist and match 1:1.
4. Docs-site submodule commit is pushed before the main repo pointer commit.
5. @mindfoldhq/trellis and @mindfoldhq/trellis-core versions still match.

Step 11: Publish Through CI

Use the project release script so the tag starts CI:

pnpm release
pnpm release:beta
pnpm release:rc
pnpm release:promote

After CI succeeds, verify public npm:

npm view @mindfoldhq/trellis@<version> version dist-tags --json --registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/
npm view @mindfoldhq/trellis-core@<version> version dist-tags --json --registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/

If CI fails or npm visibility is wrong, fix the workflow/scripts and re-run the CI path. Do not use local publish to fill the gap.

Dogfooding

Breaking releases must run end-to-end migration in a throwaway directory:

mkdir /tmp/migrate-test && cd /tmp/migrate-test && git init -q .
npx -y trellis-he@<last-ga> init -y -u test --claude --cursor --<platforms>
node <repo>/packages/cli/dist/cli/index.js update --migrate --dry-run
yes | node <repo>/packages/cli/dist/cli/index.js update --migrate --force
yes | node <repo>/packages/cli/dist/cli/index.js update

Watch for orphan files, idempotency churn, and backup bloat.