release

name	release
description	Cut a new Rerun release — version bump, changelog, build, notarize, publish.

Cut a new Rerun release. This skill handles the human-judgment parts (version decision, changelog writing, version string updates) then hands off to scripts/release.sh for the mechanical work (build, sign, notarize, DMG, tag, GitHub release, appcast).

Arguments provided: $ARGUMENTS

If arguments are provided and look like a version number (e.g. 0.2.0), use that as the target version and skip the version suggestion in Step 2 (still confirm with the user).

Rules

• Never retry on failure. If any step fails, stop immediately and report what happened. Do not attempt to fix, retry, or work around.
• Never skip user confirmation for version or changelog entries.
• Never proceed past a failed prerequisite.
• Changelog entries must be human-readable — rewrite commit messages, don't echo them verbatim.

---

Step 1: Verify Prerequisites

Run these checks in order. Stop on the first failure and explain how to fix it.

1. .env exists: Check that .env exists at the repo root. If missing: "Copy .env.example to .env and fill in your credentials."
2. Notarytool credentials: Run xcrun notarytool history --keychain-profile "AC_PASSWORD". If it fails: "Set up notarytool credentials — see .env.example for instructions."
3. Clean working tree: Run git status --porcelain. If there is output: "Working tree is dirty. Commit or stash changes first."
4. On main branch: Run git branch --show-current. If not main: "Switch to the main branch before releasing."
5. GitHub CLI authenticated: Run gh auth status. If it fails: "Run gh auth login to authenticate."

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Step 2: Determine Version

1. Read current version from app/Sources/RerunCore/Rerun.swift — extract the string from public static let version = "...".

2. Find the latest release tag:

   git describe --tags --abbrev=0 --match 'v*' 2>/dev/null
   

   If no tags exist, note this is the first release.

3. Get commits since the last tag (or all commits if no tags):

   git log <tag>..HEAD --oneline --no-merges
   

4. Inspect full commit subjects + bodies for semver signals using the same range:

   git log <tag>..HEAD --no-merges --format='%s%n%b%x00'
   

   If there are no tags yet, use git log --no-merges --format='%s%n%b%x00'.

5. Suggest a version based on conventional commit prefixes and bodies:

   • Any subject starting with feat!: or fix!: → bump major
   • Any commit body/footer containing BREAKING CHANGE → bump major
   • Any subject starting with feat: → bump minor
   • Any subject starting with fix: → bump patch
   • If only chore:, docs:, refactor:, test:, etc. → bump patch
   • Apply the highest signal found.

6. Confirm with the user using mcp__conductor__AskUserQuestion:

   • Show the subject-only commit list from Step 3 and the suggested version
   • Options: the suggested version, and "Enter a different version"
   • If arguments included a version number, present that as the default instead

7. Edge case — same version: If the chosen version equals the current version in Rerun.swift (e.g., first release shipping 0.1.0), note that version string updates in Step 4 will be skipped since they already match.

---

Step 3: Update CHANGELOG.md

1. Read commits since the last tag (use the subject list from Step 2.3 and the full subject/body scan from Step 2.4).

2. Draft user-facing changelog entries. Rewrite each commit message for humans:

   • Strip conventional-commit prefixes (feat:, fix:, chore:, etc.)
   • Remove PR numbers and commit hashes
   • Write in plain English, present tense
   • Example: feat: add floating chat panel with global hotkey (#14) → Floating chat panel accessible via global hotkey

3. Group entries under Keep a Changelog categories. Only include categories that have entries:

   • ### Added — new features
   • ### Changed — changes to existing functionality
   • ### Fixed — bug fixes
   • ### Removed — removed features

4. Confirm with the user using mcp__conductor__AskUserQuestion:

   • Show the full drafted changelog section
   • Options: "Looks good" and "I'll provide edits"
   • If the user provides edits, incorporate them

5. Edit CHANGELOG.md using the Edit tool:

   • Find ## [Unreleased]
   • Insert below it: a blank line, then ## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD (today's date), then the approved entries
   • The ## [Unreleased] line stays at the top, untouched

---

Step 4: Update Version Strings

If the new version is different from the current version, update these four files using the Edit tool:

1. app/Sources/RerunCore/Rerun.swift

   • Change: public static let version = "OLD" → public static let version = "NEW"

2. app/bundle.sh

   • Change: VERSION="${VERSION:-OLD}" → VERSION="${VERSION:-NEW}"

3. app/dev.sh

   • Change: <string>OLD</string> (the line after <key>CFBundleShortVersionString</key>) → <string>NEW</string>

4. app/Tests/RerunCoreTests/RerunCoreTests.swift

   • Change: #expect(Rerun.version == "OLD") → #expect(Rerun.version == "NEW")

If the new version equals the current version, skip this step entirely.

---

Step 5: Update Website Version

Edit website/src/data/version.json to contain:

{ "version": "X.Y.Z" }

---

Step 6: Commit and Push

Stage all modified files explicitly — do not use git add -A or git add .:

git add CHANGELOG.md \
  app/Sources/RerunCore/Rerun.swift \
  app/bundle.sh \
  app/dev.sh \
  app/Tests/RerunCoreTests/RerunCoreTests.swift \
  website/src/data/version.json

Commit:

git commit -m "chore: bump version to vX.Y.Z"

Push:

git push origin main

After pushing, verify the tree is clean with git status --porcelain. If not clean, stop and report.

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Step 7: Run the Release Script

./scripts/release.sh X.Y.Z

This is a long-running command (build + two rounds of notarization = several minutes). Let it run.

If the script exits non-zero, stop immediately. Report the error output. Do not retry, do not attempt to fix, do not continue.

Note: The release script will commit appcast.xml updates and try to update version.json (but will skip since it already matches). This is expected.

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Step 8: Report

After the release script completes successfully, report:

• The GitHub release URL: https://github.com/usererun/rerun/releases/tag/vX.Y.Z
• The version shipped
• Remind: "If this isn't the first release, verify the Sparkle update flow: install the previous version, then check for updates to confirm the new version is offered."