pre-release-npm-package

name	pre-release-npm-package
description	Prepare npm packages for pre-release publishing. Supports two modes — pre-releasing already-published packages from the react release group, or adding private library packages to the release group for pre-release. Keywords: prerelease, pre-release, publish, npm, private, release group.

Pre-Release NPM Package Preparation

This skill prepares packages for pre-release publishing. It supports two modes:

• Published packages only — Pre-release existing public packages already in the react Nx release group. No code changes needed; the skill validates the branch and guides the user to trigger the CI workflow.
• Include private packages — Add private library packages to the react release group (removing their "private": true flag), so they are pre-released alongside the already-published packages. Code changes are committed on the pre-release branch.

After this skill completes, the Publish Prerelease NPM GitHub Actions workflow (.github/workflows/publish-prerelease.yml) can be triggered to build, version, and publish the packages to npm.

---

Step 1: Validate or Create Pre-Release Branch

Check the current git branch:

git branch --show-current

If the branch matches release/pre/react-icons/<feature-name>:

• Confirm with the user that they want to proceed on this branch.

If the branch does NOT match:

• Ask the user for the <feature-name> (kebab-case, e.g., sprite-subsetting).
• Create and checkout the branch:

git checkout -b "release/pre/react-icons/<feature-name>"

Important: The branch MUST follow the release/pre/react-icons/<feature-name> naming convention. The publish-prerelease workflow blocks execution on main.

---

Step 2: Choose Pre-Release Mode

Ask the user which mode they want:

1. Published packages only — Pre-release the packages already in the react release group (no code changes). Skip to Step 5: Next Steps.
2. Include private packages — Also add private library packages to the release group. Continue to Step 3.

---

Step 3: Discover Eligible Private Packages

This step only applies when the user chose "Include private packages" in Step 2.

Scan all packages in the packages/ directory and filter to those that meet ALL of the following criteria:

1. Has package.json with "private": true
2. Has project.json with "projectType" set to a value that is NOT "application"

Packages that are ineligible (skip these):

• Packages without a package.json
• Packages where "private" is false or not set (already public)
• Packages without a project.json (no verifiable project type)
• Packages where "projectType" is "application" (apps are not publishable libraries)

Use the discovery script to find eligible packages:

node .github/skills/pre-release-npm-package/scripts/discover-eligible-packages.js

The script outputs a JSON array of objects with dirName, npmName, and projectType fields. See scripts/discover-eligible-packages.js for the full filtering logic.

Present the eligible packages to the user as a list showing the npm name and directory name.

If no eligible packages are found, inform the user and fall back to "Published packages only" mode (skip to Step 5).

Prompt User to Select Packages

Ask the user which eligible packages to add to the pre-release. They may select one or more.

Workflow Compatibility Warning

The publish-prerelease.yml workflow discovers projects using:

npx nx show projects -p 'react-*' --exclude 'react-native-icons'

If any selected package's Nx project name (the directory name under packages/) does NOT start with react-, warn the user:

⚠️ Package <package-name> has Nx project name <dir-name> which does not match the react-* glob used by the publish-prerelease workflow. This package will be added to the release group but will NOT be picked up for building/publishing unless the workflow is also updated.

Let the user decide whether to proceed despite the warning.

---

Step 4: Apply Changes and Commit

This step only applies when the user chose "Include private packages" in Step 2.

For each selected package, make two modifications:

4a. Add to nx.json React Release Group

Read nx.json and add the package path to release.groups.react.projects array.

The path format is: packages/<dir-name> (e.g., packages/react-icons-atomic-webpack-loader).

Only add if not already present in the array.

Example — before:

{
  "release": {
    "groups": {
      "react": {
        "projects": [
          "packages/react-icons",
          "packages/react-icons-font-subsetting-webpack-plugin",
          "packages/react-native-icons"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

After adding react-icons-atomic-webpack-loader:

{
  "release": {
    "groups": {
      "react": {
        "projects": [
          "packages/react-icons",
          "packages/react-icons-font-subsetting-webpack-plugin",
          "packages/react-native-icons",
          "packages/react-icons-atomic-webpack-loader"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

4b. Remove "private": true from package.json

Edit the selected package's package.json to remove the "private": true field entirely.

Do not modify any other fields in the package.json.

4c. Stage and Commit

Stage all modified files and create a commit:

git add nx.json <paths-to-modified-package.json-files>
git commit -m "feat: prepare packages for pre-release - <comma-separated npm package names>"

The commit message should use the npm package names (e.g., @fluentui/react-icons-atomic-webpack-loader).

Example:

git add nx.json packages/react-icons-atomic-webpack-loader/package.json packages/react-icons-svg-sprite-subsetting-webpack-plugin/package.json
git commit -m "feat: prepare packages for pre-release - @fluentui/react-icons-atomic-webpack-loader, @fluentui/react-icons-svg-sprite-subsetting-webpack-plugin"

---

Step 5: Next Steps

Inform the user of next steps:

1. Push the branch to GitHub: git push -u origin release/pre/react-icons/<feature-name>
2. Navigate to Publish Prerelease NPM workflow
3. Click Run workflow, select the pre-release branch, choose preid (alpha/beta/rc), and optionally enable dry-run
4. For detailed instructions, see Prerelease Publishing Guide