release-binaries

name	release-binaries
description	Cross-compile Go/Rust binaries and automate releases with GoReleaser or cargo-dist. Use when setting up cross-compilation, configuring GoReleaser, stripping binaries, or publishing artifacts with checksums. Do not use for Homebrew/deb/rpm packaging (prefer packaging-installers) or CI pipeline setup beyond release jobs.
license	Apache-2.0
compatibility	{"clients":["openai-codex","gemini-cli","opencode","github-copilot"]}
metadata	{"owner":"codex","domain":"release-binaries","maturity":"draft","risk":"low","tags":["release","binaries","cross-compile"]}

Purpose

Cross-compile binaries for multiple OS/arch targets and automate release publishing with GoReleaser or cargo-dist.

When to use this skill

• setting up cross-compilation for Go (GOOS/GOARCH) or Rust (--target)
• configuring GoReleaser for automated GitHub releases
• stripping symbols, compressing binaries, or embedding version info
• publishing release artifacts with checksums and signatures

Do not use this skill when

• packaging into Homebrew/deb/rpm — prefer packaging-installers
• building Docker images — different workflow
• the project is a library, not a binary

Procedure

1. Define target matrix — linux/amd64, linux/arm64, darwin/amd64, darwin/arm64, windows/amd64.
2. Configure GoReleaser — create .goreleaser.yaml with builds, archives, checksum, release.
3. Set ldflags — -ldflags "-s -w -X main.version={{.Version}} -X main.commit={{.Commit}}".
4. Local build — goreleaser build --snapshot --clean. Check output in dist/.
5. CI workflow — GitHub Actions on tags: v* using goreleaser/goreleaser-action@v5.
6. Checksums — GoReleaser auto-generates. Manual: sha256sum dist/* > checksums.txt.
7. Sign — cosign sign-blob or GPG on checksums file.
8. Verify — download each artifact, check checksum, run --version.

GoReleaser config

version: 2
builds:
  - env: [CGO_ENABLED=0]
    goos: [linux, darwin, windows]
    goarch: [amd64, arm64]
    ldflags: [-s, -w, "-X main.version={{.Version}}"]
archives:
  - format_overrides:
      - goos: windows
        format: zip
checksum:
  name_template: checksums.txt

Rust cross-compilation

rustup target add x86_64-unknown-linux-musl aarch64-unknown-linux-musl
cargo build --release --target x86_64-unknown-linux-musl
strip target/x86_64-unknown-linux-musl/release/mytool

Decision rules

• CGO_ENABLED=0 for Go static binaries — avoids glibc issues.
• musl target for Rust static binaries on Linux.
• Always include sha256 checksums.
• -s -w (Go) or strip (Rust) reduces binary size ~30%.
• Tag as v1.2.3 (semver with v prefix) — GoReleaser expects this.

References

• https://goreleaser.com/
• https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/config.html

Related skills

• packaging-installers — Homebrew/deb/rpm packaging
• cli-development-go — building the Go CLI
• cobra-go — command structure for the binary