release-crate

name	release-crate
description	Publish a crate release to crates.io with changelog, git tag, and GitHub release. Use when releasing a new version of any workspace crate.

Crate Release

When to Use

• When the user says "release", "publish", or invokes /release <crate>
• The argument is the crate directory name: build-infra, tui, cmdr, analytics_schema
  • The crate name begins with r3bl- prefix for binary crates and r3bl_ prefix for library crates - the prefix is applied to the folder name of the crate (e.g., r3bl_tui crate is in tui folder, and r3bl-cmdr crate is in the cmdr folder).
  • Always look at the Cargo.toml file of the crate to verify the crate name and version before invoking the release skill.

Prerequisites

Before starting a release, verify:

• All code changes are complete and tested
• ./check.fish --full passes (or equivalent checks have been run recently)
• You know the new version number (ask the user if not specified)

Release Workflow

Follow these steps in order. Reference docs/release-guide.md for canonical examples.

Step 1. Determine crate and version

• Identify the crate directory from the argument
• Read <crate>/Cargo.toml to find the current version
• Determine the new version (ask the user if not specified)
• Identify if this is a binary crate (build-infra, cmdr) or library crate (tui, analytics_schema)

Step 2. Bump version in <crate>/Cargo.toml

• Update the version field to the new version

Step 3. Update CHANGELOG.md

• Add the new version entry under the crate's section (before existing entries)
• Follow the existing format: ### vX.Y.Z (YYYY-MM-DD) with summary, Fixed/Added/Changed sections
• Update the TOC at the top of the file to include the new entry

Step 4. Update docs/release-guide.md

• Update the version number in the script block for the crate being released
• Update the git commit and tag lines to reflect the new version

Step 5. Run build, test, docs, clippy, fmt

./check.fish --full

Or if check.fish is unavailable, run manually:

cd <crate>
cargo build && cargo test && cargo doc --no-deps && cargo clippy --fix --allow-dirty --allow-staged && cargo fmt --all

Step 6. Generate README

cd <crate> && cargo readme > README.md

Note: If cargo-readme is not installed, skip this step and inform the user.

Step 7. Dry-run publish

cd <crate> && cargo publish --dry-run --allow-dirty --no-verify

The --no-verify flag skips re-compilation of the packaged tarball, which fails with the wild linker configured in .cargo/config.toml. The build/test/clippy checks in step 5 already verify correctness.

Verify the dry-run succeeds before proceeding.

Step 8. Ask user permission before publishing

IMPORTANT: Use AskUserQuestion to ask the user for explicit permission before running cargo publish. This is a non-reversible action that publishes to crates.io.

Present:

• The crate name and version being published
• A summary of changes from the changelog entry
• Ask: "Ready to publish to crates.io?"

Step 9. Git commit and tag

git add -A
git commit -m "vX.Y.Z-<crate>"
git tag -a vX.Y.Z-<crate> -m "vX.Y.Z-<crate>"

Note: Do NOT use -S for signing - follow the project's git workflow conventions.

Step 10. Publish to crates.io

cd <crate> && cargo publish --no-verify --allow-dirty

Step 11. Push to remote

git push && git push --tags

Step 12. Create GitHub release

Use gh release create with release notes following the structure in docs/release-guide.md:

gh release create vX.Y.Z-<crate> --title "vX.Y.Z-<crate>" --notes "$(cat <<'EOF'
<release notes>
EOF
)"

Release notes structure:

[Crate description]. Install with `cargo install <crate-name>`.

- tool-highlight - Brief description.

## vX.Y.Z (YYYY-MM-DD)

[One-liner summary from CHANGELOG]

**Fixed:**

- Item 1

**Added:**

- Item 1

## Full Changelog

- [crate vX.Y.Z](https://github.com/r3bl-org/r3bl-open-core/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md#anchor)

Crate-specific notes:

• binary crates (build-infra, cmdr): Include install instructions (cargo install <crate>)
• library crates (tui): No install instructions needed

Step 13. Install binary (binary crates only)

For binary crates (build-infra, cmdr):

cargo install --path <crate> --force

Checklist Summary

1. Version bumped in Cargo.toml
2. CHANGELOG.md updated (entry + TOC)
3. docs/release-guide.md updated (version in script block)
4. Build/test/docs/clippy/fmt pass
5. README generated
6. Dry-run publish succeeds
7. User permission obtained for cargo publish
8. Git commit + tag created
9. Published to crates.io
10. Pushed to remote (commits + tags)
11. GitHub release created
12. Binary installed (if applicable)

Related Commands

• /release - Explicitly invokes this skill