prepare-code-freeze

# Prepare Code Freeze Use this skill when the user asks to start, prepare, or automate a NeMo Relay code freeze. ## Workflow This workflow assumes `upstream` is the NVIDIA repository remote (`NVIDIA/NeMo-Relay`). The `origin` remote can be a maintainer's personal fork. 1. Confirm or infer the target release version from `upstream/main:Cargo.toml`. Derive the release branch as `release/<major>.<minor>`. 2. Prompt for `<next-version>` if the user did not provide it. This is the version that `main` moves to after the release branch is cut. 3. Fetch the latest `main` and create the release branch from `upstream/main`: ```bash git fetch upstream main git branch release/<major>.<minor> upstream/main git push upstream release/<major>.<minor> ``` If the remote release branch already exists, verify it points where expected before continuing. 4. Create a PR branch from latest `upstream/main`, for example `chore/version-bump-<major>.<minor>`. 5. Update `.github/nightly-alpha-branches.yaml` to include the new release branch. 6. Run `just set-version <next-version>` to update all project-owned unified-release version surfaces on `main`, including Cargo, Python, Node, plugins, lockfiles, and coding-agent manifests. Regenerate the dynamic worker-plugin fixture lockfile so its path dependencies use the new workspace version: ```bash cargo generate-lockfile --manifest-path crates/core/tests/fixtures/worker_plugin/Cargo.toml ``` 7. Search documentation source for references to the old version and update current-version install commands, package examples, and configuration examples to `<next-version>` where appropriate: ```bash rg -n '<old-version>' README.md docs fern --glob '!docs/_build/**' || true ``` Review matches before changing them. Leave intentional historical references alone, such as release notes, changelogs, generated build output, and third-party dependency attribution entries. 8. Validate with targeted checks: ```bash ruby -e 'require "yaml"; YAML.load_file(".github/nightly-alpha-branches.yaml"); YAML.load_file(".github/workflows/nightly-alpha-tag.yaml")' just set-version <next-version> cargo generate-lockfile --manifest-path crates/core/tests/fixtures/worker_plugin/Cargo.toml cargo build --locked --manifest-path crates/core/tests/fixtures/worker_plugin/Cargo.toml rg -n '<old-version>' README.md docs fern --glob '!docs/_build/**' || true git diff --check ``` Any remaining documentation matches for `<old-version>` should be intentional and called out in the PR description. 9. After explicit approval to publish, open a PR targeting `main` using `.github/pull_request_template.md`. The PR must mention: - the new release branch - the nightly alpha branch config update - the `just set-version <next-version>` bump - documentation old-version reference updates or intentional leftovers - that subsequent release-bound PRs target the new `release/*` branch ## Guardrails - Do not create release tags. Code freeze only creates the branch and the main PR. - Do not target the code-freeze PR at the release branch. It targets `main`. - Do not leave uncommitted user changes mixed into the code-freeze PR branch.