prerelease

name	prerelease
description	Create a RUNSTR pre-release. Use when the user says "prerelease", "pre-release", "create a release", "build release", "release the app", or "ship it". Handles changelog, version bumps, APK build, and GitHub release creation.
version	1.0.0
metadata	{"tags":"release, build, apk, github, changelog, version"}

RUNSTR Pre-Release Skill

Creates a pre-release for RUNSTR: updates changelog, bumps version numbers across all config files, builds the Android APK, and creates a GitHub pre-release with the APK attached.

Pre-Release Workflow

When invoked, execute these steps in order:

Step 1: Determine Version

Check the current branch name and version numbers:

git branch --show-current

The branch name IS the version (e.g., v1.7.0). Extract the version string (without the v prefix for files that need it).

Step 2: Gather Changes

Get all commits since the last release tag to build the changelog:

# Find the previous release tag
git tag --list --sort=-v:refname | head -5

# List commits since last release
git log <last-tag>..HEAD --oneline

Group commits by type using their prefix (Fix:, Feature:, Refactor:, Chore:, Docs:).

Step 3: Update CHANGELOG.md

Read /Users/dakotabrown/runstr.project/CHANGELOG.md and update (or create) the entry for the current version at the top of the file.

Format:

## [VERSION] - YYYY-MM-DD - Short Title

### Features
- Feature description (from Feature: commits)

### Bug Fixes
- Fix description (from Fix: commits)

### Improvements
- Improvement description (from Refactor:/Chore: commits)

Use today's date. Write concise, user-facing descriptions (not raw commit messages). Group related changes together.

Step 4: Sync Version Numbers

Update ALL of these files to match the release version. Missing even one causes build failures.

File	Fields	Example
package.json	version	"1.7.0"
app.json	expo.version	"1.7.0"
app.json	expo.android.versionCode	170 (increment by 1 from previous)
ios/RUNSTR/Info.plist	CFBundleShortVersionString	1.7.0
ios/RUNSTR/Info.plist	CFBundleVersion	170 (match versionCode)
android/app/build.gradle	versionCode	170
android/app/build.gradle	versionName	"1.7.0"

Version code strategy: Use the version without dots as an integer. Example: 1.7.0 = 170, 1.7.1 = 171, 1.8.0 = 180.

IMPORTANT: app.json versionCode and build.gradle versionCode MUST match. Info.plist CFBundleVersion should also match.

Step 5: Run Typecheck

npm run typecheck

Verify no new errors introduced. Pre-existing errors are OK.

Step 6: Commit Version Bump

# Stage only the version/changelog files
git add package.json app.json ios/RUNSTR/Info.plist android/app/build.gradle CHANGELOG.md

# Commit
git commit -m "Chore: Bump version to VERSION and update changelog"

# Push
git push -u origin BRANCH_NAME

Step 7: Build Android APK

export JAVA_HOME="/Applications/Android Studio.app/Contents/jbr/Contents/Home"

# Clean and build (takes 3-5 minutes)
cd /Users/dakotabrown/runstr.project/android && ./gradlew clean && ./gradlew assembleRelease && cd /Users/dakotabrown/runstr.project

Output: android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk

Verify the APK was built:

ls -lh android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk

Step 8: Create GitHub Pre-Release

Copy the APK with a versioned name and create the release:

# Copy APK with version name
cp android/app/build/outputs/apk/release/app-release.apk /tmp/RUNSTR-vVERSION.apk

# Create pre-release with APK attached
gh release create vVERSION \
  --title "RUNSTR vVERSION - SHORT_TITLE" \
  --prerelease \
  --notes-file - \
  /tmp/RUNSTR-vVERSION.apk <<'EOF'
## What's New in VERSION

CHANGELOG_CONTENT_HERE

---

### Install
Download the APK below and install on Android. iOS builds available via TestFlight.

### Report Issues
https://github.com/RUNSTR-LLC/RUNSTR/issues
EOF

Step 9: Verify

# Confirm release exists
gh release view vVERSION

# Confirm APK is attached
gh release view vVERSION --json assets --jq '.assets[].name'

Report the release URL to the user.

Important Notes

• Always build from the version branch, not main. Main gets the code via PR merge after testing.
• Pre-releases use the --prerelease flag. Only remove it for production releases.
• APK signing uses the debug keystore (fine for direct distribution, not Play Store).
• iOS builds are handled separately via Xcode/TestFlight — this skill only builds Android APK.
• If the APK build fails, check that JAVA_HOME is set correctly and Android SDK is installed.
• The versionCode must always increase — Google Play and Android both reject downgrades.