pre-release

name	pre-release
description	Creates a pre-release for AspireC4. Use this skill when asked to create a pre-release, publish an early-access version, increment the pre-release counter, or run the pre-release process.

AspireC4 Pre-Release Process

Use just release prerelease (backed by scripts/release.mts) to create a pre-release.

Prerequisites (all must pass)

• On a development branch — NOT main and NOT release/*
• Working tree is clean — all changes committed
• Up to date with origin/main

Check readiness first:

just release-help

Steps

1. Commit all changes to the development branch:

   just lintfix
   just test
   git add -A
   git commit -m "fix: <description>"
   

2. Run the pre-release:

   just release prerelease
   

The script will:

• Read the Aspire version from src/Directory.Packages.props (MAJOR.MINOR locked to Aspire.Hosting)
• If already on a pre-release, increment the counter (e.g. 13.3.0-prerelease.7 → 13.3.0-prerelease.8)
• If on a stable version, create X.Y.(Z+1)-prerelease.0
• Auto-generate a changeset from conventional commits if none exist
• Run npx changeset version to write CHANGELOG.md and package.json
• Create release/vX.Y.Z-prerelease.N branch, commit (chore: release vX.Y.Z-prerelease.N), push, and open a PR to main

After the PR is merged

The CD pipeline (.github/workflows/cd.yml) runs automatically on main and:

1. Packs the NuGet package with the pre-release version (marked as pre-release on GitHub)
2. Creates a GitHub Release with .nupkg / .snupkg assets

Version rules

• MAJOR.MINOR is always locked to Aspire.Hosting (check src/Directory.Packages.props)
• Pre-release counter increments within the same X.Y.Z base (e.g. .7 → .8)
• A new PATCH base is used only when moving from stable → pre-release or when Aspire MAJOR.MINOR changes
• Never manually edit package.json version — always let just release prerelease manage it

Local NuGet testing (optional)

To test a pre-release package locally before pushing:

dotnet pack src/src/AspireC4/AspireC4.csproj -c Release -o "p:\_sync-projects\.local-nuget\" "/p:Version=X.Y.Z-prerelease.N"

Then clear the NuGet global cache for that version:

# Remove from NuGet global-packages cache
$cache = dotnet nuget locals global-packages --list | ForEach-Object { $_ -replace "global-packages: ", "" }
Remove-Item "$cache\aspirec4.hosting\X.Y.Z-prerelease.N" -Recurse -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue

# Remove Aspire restore cache (if cached with stale DLL)
Get-ChildItem "C:\Users\$env:USERNAME\.aspire\packages\restore\" | ForEach-Object {
  $libs = Join-Path $_.FullName "libs"
  if ((Test-Path $libs) -and (Get-ChildItem $libs -Filter "AspireC4.dll" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
    Remove-Item $_.FullName -Recurse -Force
  }
}

Troubleshooting

If the release branch already exists:

git branch -D release/vX.Y.Z-prerelease.N
git push origin --delete release/vX.Y.Z-prerelease.N   # if pushed
just release prerelease