release

name	release
description	Cut a new zdx release. Use when the user asks to release, cut a release, ship a version, publish a build, bump the version, or generate release notes / changelog for zdx. Orchestrates version bump, changelog, and dispatching the manual GitHub Release workflow.

Release zdx

zdx releases are manual and intentional — cut one when a set of features/fixes is ready, not on every commit. The mechanical build+publish lives in .github/workflows/release.yml (workflow_dispatch only). This skill is the human-facing flow that wraps it: pick a version, write a changelog, dispatch, verify.

Source of truth

• Version: root Cargo.toml → [workspace.package] version. All crates inherit it via version.workspace = true, and zdx --version reports it (clap reads CARGO_PKG_VERSION). Bump it in this one place.
• Tag convention: v<version> (e.g. version 0.4.0 → tag v0.4.0).
• Binaries built by the workflow: aarch64-apple-darwin (macOS), x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu.

Flow

1. Review what changed since the last release

git fetch --tags
last=$(git tag --sort=-v:refname | head -1)
echo "Last release: ${last:-<none>}"
git log --oneline ${last:+$last..}HEAD

Group commits into a short changelog (Features / Fixes / Other). Prefer the user's framing of "what shipped" over raw commit subjects. If nothing meaningful changed, say so and stop.

2. Pick the next version

Semver on root Cargo.toml → [workspace.package] version. Pre-1.0 (0.y.z), so y acts like "major" and z like "patch". Decide by scanning the conventional-commit types in git log <last-tag>..HEAD:

Commits since last release	Bump	Example
Any feat, or any breaking change (! / BREAKING CHANGE)	minor	0.4.0 → 0.5.0
Only fix / perf / refactor / chore / docs / test / build / ci (nothing users can newly invoke, nothing breaking)	patch	0.4.0 → 0.4.1

Rule of thumb: one feat or ! anywhere in the range forces a minor; an all-fixes/chores/docs range is a patch. Pre-1.0 keeps breaking changes in the minor slot (no major bump until 1.0). Confirm the version with the user if unsure.

This type-based decision assumes every commit follows Conventional Commits (type(scope): summary), which the git-workflow skill already enforces. If the range has non-conventional subjects you can't classify, fall back to judging by actual user-visible behavior — any new user-invocable capability → minor; otherwise patch — and lean on the user's framing of "what shipped" from step 1.

3. Bump the version and commit

Edit the root Cargo.toml → [workspace.package] version. Every crate inherits it via version.workspace = true, so this is the only file to touch. Then keep the lockfile in sync and verify:

cargo update -p zdx --precise <new-version>   # refreshes all workspace members in Cargo.lock
just ci-fast

Commit only the version bump:

git add Cargo.toml Cargo.lock
git commit -m "release: v<new-version>"

Push to master (ask first — pushing is remote-touching):

git push origin master

4. Dispatch the release workflow

The workflow tags the current master HEAD, builds the binaries, and publishes a GitHub Release with auto-generated notes.

gh workflow run release.yml -f tag=v<new-version>
# add -f prerelease=true for a pre-release

Watch it:

gh run watch "$(gh run list --workflow=release.yml --limit 1 --json databaseId -q '.[0].databaseId')"

5. Enrich the changelog (optional)

--generate-notes gives a baseline. To replace it with the curated changelog from step 1:

gh release edit v<new-version> --notes "<curated changelog markdown>"

6. Verify

gh release view v<new-version>

Confirm both .tar.gz assets are attached and the tag points at the intended commit. Report the release URL back to the user.

Notes & future extensions

• The workflow is workflow_dispatch only by design — no automatic per-commit or nightly releases. Keep it that way unless the user explicitly wants automation.
• Possible future add-ons (not built yet): auto-post a release announcement (e.g. Twitter/X, Telegram), richer templated changelogs, Linux arm64 / Intel-mac / Windows targets, cargo-binstall metadata.
• The token is the built-in GITHUB_TOKEN; no secrets needed for the build+publish itself.