release

name	release
description	Create a new Prose release with automated testing, GitHub release, and local verification.

Release Manager

Manages the full release workflow for Prose across two distribution channels:

• Mac App Store — signed .pkg uploaded via Transporter → TestFlight → App Store
• GitHub Releases — signed .dmg + .zip published to GitHub for direct download + auto-update

Usage

/release [command]

Commands

Command	Description
/release	Show current version, build number, and release status
/release mas	Build and prepare MAS .pkg for Transporter upload
/release github	Build DMG and create GitHub Release
/release bump-build	Increment buildVersion and rebuild MAS .pkg
/release bump-version <version>	Bump marketing version (e.g., 1.1.0)
/release smoke	Build the DMG and walk 7 critical paths (~5 min) — fast pre-release sanity check
/release status	Check TestFlight processing, GitHub Release, and CI status
/release checklist	Run the full pre-release verification checklist

---

Architecture

Version Numbers

Two version numbers, managed independently:

• Marketing version (CFBundleShortVersionString): Set in package.json "version". Example: 1.0.0. This is what users see. Must match the App Store Connect record.
• Build number (CFBundleVersion): Set in electron-builder.yml "buildVersion". Example: "2". Incremented for each upload to App Store Connect. GitHub Releases don't care about this.

Signing Identities

Build	Identity	Profile
DMG (direct download)	Developer ID Application	None (notarized via CI)
MAS (App Store)	Apple Distribution (via team ID 8PT2Y7QQ2F)	build/Prose_Distribution.provisionprofile
MAS .pkg installer	3rd Party Mac Developer Installer	N/A

Bundle ID

ist.solo.prose — used across all builds. Must match provisioning profiles and App Store Connect.

Key Files

File	Purpose
package.json	Marketing version ("version")
electron-builder.yml	Build number (buildVersion), signing config, targets
build/entitlements.mac.plist	DMG entitlements (includes network.server for MCP)
build/entitlements.mas.plist	MAS entitlements (sandbox, no network.server)
build/entitlements.mas.inherit.plist	Child process entitlements for MAS
build/Prose_Distribution.provisionprofile	MAS distribution profile
build/afterPack.cjs	Electron fuse flipping
.github/workflows/release.yml	CI: builds signed DMG on v* tag push

---

Workflow: MAS Release (/release mas)

1. Pre-flight

git branch --show-current          # Must be on release branch or main
git status --porcelain             # Must be clean
node -p "require('./package.json').version"   # Current marketing version
grep buildVersion electron-builder.yml        # Current build number

2. Build

# Clean previous builds
rm -rf dist/mas-arm64

# Build with MAS_BUILD flag (gates HTTP MCP server, auto-updater)
npm run build:mas

3. Verify

# Check .pkg exists
ls -la dist/mas-arm64/*.pkg

# Verify version strings
plutil -p dist/mas-arm64/Prose.app/Contents/Info.plist | grep -E "CFBundleVersion|CFBundleShortVersion"

# Verify code signature
codesign --verify --deep --strict dist/mas-arm64/Prose.app

# Verify entitlements
codesign -d --entitlements - dist/mas-arm64/Prose.app 2>&1 | head -20

Entitlements must include: app-sandbox, allow-jit, network.client, files.user-selected.read-write, bookmarks.app-scope

Entitlements must NOT include: network.server, get-task-allow

4. Upload to App Store Connect

xcrun altool --upload-app \
  --type macos \
  --file dist/mas-arm64/Prose-1.0.0-arm64.pkg \
  --apiKey 73DLM4525G \
  --apiIssuer f46c81a3-3264-4e9d-9b2f-93de6a302175

The API key .p8 file lives at ~/.appstoreconnect/private_keys/AuthKey_73DLM4525G.p8.

5. Report

## MAS Build Uploaded

- **Version:** <version> (build <N>)
- **Package:** dist/mas-arm64/Prose-<version>-arm64.pkg
- **Signed:** Apple Distribution + 3rd Party Mac Developer Installer
- **Delivery UUID:** <from upload output>

### Next steps
1. Wait for processing in App Store Connect (~10 min)
2. Test via **TestFlight** on your Mac
3. **HUMAN ONLY:** When satisfied, submit for App Store review manually in App Store Connect

⚠️ **NEVER submit for App Store review programmatically.** This is always a human decision. The automated workflow stops at TestFlight upload.

---

Workflow: GitHub Release (/release github)

1. Pre-flight

git branch --show-current          # Should be main (after PR merge)
git status --porcelain             # Must be clean

2. Build

rm -rf dist/mac-arm64
npm run build:mac

3. Verify

# Check outputs
ls -la dist/Prose-*-arm64.dmg dist/Prose-*-arm64-mac.zip

# Verify signature
codesign --verify --deep --strict dist/mac-arm64/Prose.app

# Verify entitlements include network.server (MCP)
codesign -d --entitlements - dist/mac-arm64/Prose.app 2>&1 | grep network.server

4. Generate Release Notes

# Commits since last release
git log $(git tag --list 'v*' --sort=-v:refname | head -1)..HEAD --oneline --no-merges

Write release notes from commits. Template:

# Prose v<version>

<One sentence description.>

## What's New

- <Feature or fix>

## Installation

### Mac App Store
Available on the [Mac App Store](link).

### Direct Download
Download `Prose-<version>-arm64.dmg`, open, and drag to Applications.
The app is signed and notarized — no security bypass needed.

### Auto-Update
Existing users will be prompted to update automatically.

## Requirements

- macOS (Apple Silicon)
- Anthropic API key for AI features ([get one](https://console.anthropic.com/))

5. Tag and Publish

VERSION=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")

# Create tag
git tag "v${VERSION}"
git push origin "v${VERSION}"

The tag push triggers release.yml which builds, signs, notarizes, and publishes the DMG + ZIP to GitHub Releases automatically.

If CI is not available or you want to publish manually:

gh release create "v${VERSION}" \
  --title "Prose v${VERSION}" \
  --notes-file RELEASE_NOTES.md \
  "dist/Prose-${VERSION}-arm64.dmg" \
  "dist/Prose-${VERSION}-arm64-mac.zip"

---

Workflow: Quick Smoke Test (/release smoke)

Fast (~5 min) verification before tagging a GitHub release. Exercises the signed/notarized artifact users will actually receive — not dev mode. Use this for routine releases. Escalate to /release checklist if the release touches:

• Main-process IPC handlers or new IPC channels
• Entitlements (build/entitlements.*.plist)
• Sandbox / contextIsolation / nodeIntegration settings
• First build after an Electron major upgrade

1. Build (skip if fresh)

rm -rf dist/mac-arm64
npm run build:mac

2. Verify artifact

VERSION=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
ls -la "dist/Prose-${VERSION}-arm64.dmg" "dist/Prose-${VERSION}-arm64-mac.zip"
codesign --verify --deep --strict dist/mac-arm64/Prose.app
codesign -d --entitlements - dist/mac-arm64/Prose.app 2>&1 | grep network.server   # expect a match (MCP)

3. Launch the built app

open dist/mac-arm64/Prose.app

Do NOT use npm run dev — the smoke test must exercise the signed bundle.

4. Walk the 7 critical paths

#	Path	Pass criteria
1	App launches	Window renders, no crash dialog, no console error storm
2	Editor round-trip	New file → type a paragraph → Cmd+S → close → reopen, content intact
3	Settings dialog	Opens cleanly, no outline/focus artifacts, closes cleanly
4	API key test	Settings → LLM → "Test API Key" returns success with current key
5	Chat streaming	Send a message in chat panel, response streams in fully
6	Skill download	Help → Download Prose Skill (or Settings → Integrations) downloads the .zip
7	prose:// scheme	Trigger a prose:// URL (Claude artifact → Open in Prose) and confirm the app handles it

5. Clean up

rm -f electron-screenshot-*.jpeg

6. Report

## Smoke Test Results — v<version>

- [x] App launches
- [x] Editor round-trip
- [x] Settings dialog
- [x] API key test
- [x] Chat streaming
- [x] Skill download
- [x] prose:// scheme

Ready to tag.

If any path fails, fix before tagging. Do not ship on red smoke.

---

Workflow: Bump Build Number (/release bump-build)

Used when you need to re-upload to App Store Connect (Transporter rejects duplicate version + build combos).

1. Read current

grep buildVersion electron-builder.yml

2. Increment

Edit electron-builder.yml: increment buildVersion (e.g., "2" → "3").

3. Rebuild and verify

rm -rf dist/mas-arm64
npm run build:mas
plutil -p dist/mas-arm64/Prose.app/Contents/Info.plist | grep CFBundleVersion

4. Commit

git add electron-builder.yml
git commit -m "chore(build): bump build number to <N>"
git push origin <branch>

5. Upload

xcrun altool --upload-app \
  --type macos \
  --file dist/mas-arm64/Prose-1.0.0-arm64.pkg \
  --apiKey 73DLM4525G \
  --apiIssuer f46c81a3-3264-4e9d-9b2f-93de6a302175

Report the delivery UUID and wait for App Store Connect processing.

---

Workflow: Bump Marketing Version (/release bump-version <version>)

1. Update package.json

npm version <version> --no-git-tag-version

2. Leave buildVersion alone

Do not reset buildVersion. This project uses a global monotonic build counter across marketing versions (e.g., 1.0.0 ended at build 20; first 1.0.1 MAS upload will be build 21). App Store Connect treats version+build as unique either way, and continuous numbering matches the established pattern.

3. Commit

git add package.json package-lock.json
git commit -m "chore: bump version to <version>"

---

Workflow: Pre-release Checklist (/release checklist)

Run through this before any release:

## Pre-release Checklist

### Build
- [ ] `npm run build` succeeds with no errors
- [ ] `npm run build:mac` produces signed DMG
- [ ] `npm run build:mas` produces signed .pkg
- [ ] `codesign --verify --deep --strict` passes on both builds

### App Verification (DMG build)
- [ ] App launches from dist/mac-arm64/Prose.app
- [ ] Editor: create file, type, save, reopen
- [ ] Settings dialog opens and closes without outline
- [ ] API key test passes (Settings > LLM > Test)
- [ ] Chat works with valid API key
- [ ] Feature flags: Google Docs and reMarkable hidden
- [ ] File explorer: no Google/reMarkable tabs
- [ ] Body does not scroll off screen

### MAS-specific
- [ ] HTTP MCP server disabled (check console for log message)
- [ ] MCP install returns error in MAS build
- [ ] Auto-updater disabled in MAS build

### Security
- [ ] No plaintext secrets in ~/.prose/settings.json
- [ ] DMG entitlements: allow-jit (not allow-unsigned-executable-memory)
- [ ] MAS entitlements: app-sandbox, no network.server
- [ ] Fuses flipped (RunAsNode, NodeOptions, CliInspect all false)

### CI
- [ ] E2E tests pass on PR
- [ ] Code review clean (no blocking issues)

---

Troubleshooting

Transporter rejects upload

• "Duplicate version": Bump buildVersion in electron-builder.yml and rebuild
• "Invalid signature": Check that Apple Distribution cert is in keychain and not expired
• "Missing provisioning profile": Verify build/Prose_Distribution.provisionprofile exists and bundle ID matches ist.solo.prose

MAS build fails at signing

• "Cannot find valid 3rd Party Mac Developer Installer": Use team ID (8PT2Y7QQ2F) as identity in mas: block, not cert name
• afterPack error "Unsupported platform: mas": Ensure build/afterPack.cjs handles the mas case

DMG build hangs

• Notarization hanging locally: Don't set notarize: true in config. Notarization happens in CI via env vars (APPLE_ID, APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD). Local builds skip it.

GitHub Release workflow fails

• Missing secrets: Verify CSC_LINK, CSC_KEY_PASSWORD, APPLE_ID, APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD, APPLE_TEAM_ID, SENTRY_AUTH_TOKEN are set in repo secrets
• Signing fails in CI: CSC_LINK must be the base64-encoded .p12 containing the Developer ID Application cert

TestFlight build won't install

• "App can't be opened": Distribution-signed MAS builds cannot run locally. Only TestFlight or App Store installs work.