| name | release-prep |
| description | Prepare a leather release: auto-detect next version from git history, insert CHANGELOG section, update docs, commit and push. USE FOR: cutting a new release; bumping version after feature or fix work. DO NOT USE FOR: tagging the release (use release-tag after this skill completes). |
| compatibility | Designed for Claude Code and similar coding agents working in the leather repository. |
| metadata | {"argument-hint":"Optional explicit version, e.g. \"v0.2.0\". Omit to auto-detect from commits.","user-invocable":"true"} |
leather-release-prep
Prepares the leather repository for a new release. Run this skill first;
run release-tag after it to push the annotated tag and trigger
the automated release pipeline.
Step 1 — Determine NEXT_VERSION
If the user supplied an explicit version string (e.g. v0.2.0), use it.
Otherwise auto-detect:
- Find the most recent semver tag:
git tag --list 'v*' --sort=-version:refname | head -1
- List commits since that tag:
git log <last-tag>..HEAD --oneline
- Categorise every commit subject using these rules (first match wins):
| Pattern in subject | Bump |
|---|
BREAKING, !: in conventional-commit type, or breaking change in body | MAJOR |
New CLI command or flag added (e.g. add leather foo, feat(cli):, cli: add) | MINOR |
| Everything else | PATCH |
- Apply the highest bump to LAST_VERSION to get NEXT_VERSION.
- State the version and the bump reason to the user before continuing.
See references/version-examples.md for worked examples.
Step 2 — Insert CHANGELOG section
Open CHANGELOG.md. The file follows Keep a Changelog.
- Find the
[Unreleased] section (or the top of the file if absent).
- Insert a new
## [NEXT_VERSION] — YYYY-MM-DD section immediately after
the [Unreleased] header (or at the top if no Unreleased section).
- Populate it with every commit since LAST_TAG grouped under the appropriate
heading (
### Added, ### Changed, ### Fixed, ### Removed).
- Write human-readable bullet points, not raw commit subjects.
- Omit
chore: commits unless they are user-visible.
- Leave the
[Unreleased] section blank (or remove it if empty).
- Update the comparison link at the bottom of the file:
[NEXT_VERSION]: https://github.com/TGPSKI/leather/compare/LAST_TAG...NEXT_VERSION
Step 3 — Update version references in docs
Search for the previous version string and update to NEXT_VERSION in:
README.md — badge URLs, install examples, version pinning in code blocksdocs/GUIDE.md — any version calloutsdocs/OPERATIONS.md — any version callouts
Use grep -rn "LAST_VERSION" to find any other version-pinned references.
Step 4 — Update SECURITY.md
Open SECURITY.md and update the Supported Versions table:
- Add a new row for
NEXT_VERSION_MINOR.x (the X.Y portion of
NEXT_VERSION) with :white_check_mark:.
- If LAST_VERSION was on a different minor line (e.g. LAST_TAG = v0.2.x
and NEXT_VERSION = v0.3.0), mark the old minor line as
:x: (end of
support) — leather supports only the current minor line.
- If NEXT_VERSION is a patch on the same minor (e.g. v0.2.1 on v0.2.x),
no row change is needed; the existing row already covers it.
Step 5 — Verify subcommand tables are current
Confirm that every Run* function in internal/cli/cli.go has a corresponding
row in each of these tables:
README.md commands tabledocs/GUIDE.md commands tabledocs/modules/cli.md Public API table.subagents/AGENTS-SERVE.md subcommand reference table
If any row is missing, add it before committing.
Step 6 — Commit and push
Stay on the current branch — do not switch to or push directly to main.
Stage all changed files and create one commit:
CURRENT_BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
git add CHANGELOG.md README.md SECURITY.md docs/ .subagents/
git commit -m "chore(release): prepare NEXT_VERSION"
git push origin "$CURRENT_BRANCH"
If the current branch already has an open PR, the commit is added to it
automatically. If not, open a new PR targeting main:
gh pr create --title "chore(release): prepare NEXT_VERSION" --body "..."
Do not tag in this step. Tagging is the job of leather-release-tag.
Checklist before handing off
