Release Skills
Universal release workflow supporting any project type with multi-language changelog.
Quick Start
Just run /release-skills
- auto-detects your project configuration.
Supported Projects
Project Type Version File Auto-Detected
Node.js package.json ✓
Python pyproject.toml ✓
Rust Cargo.toml ✓
Claude Plugin marketplace.json ✓
Generic VERSION / version.txt ✓
Options
Flag Description
--dry-run
Preview changes without executing
--major
Force major version bump
--minor
Force minor version bump
--patch
Force patch version bump
Workflow
Step 1: Detect Project Configuration
-
Check for .releaserc.yml (optional config override)
-
Auto-detect version file by scanning (priority order):
-
package.json (Node.js)
-
pyproject.toml (Python)
-
Cargo.toml (Rust)
-
marketplace.json or .claude-plugin/marketplace.json (Claude Plugin)
-
VERSION or version.txt (Generic)
-
Scan for changelog files using glob patterns:
-
CHANGELOG*.md
-
HISTORY*.md
-
CHANGES*.md
-
Identify language of each changelog by filename suffix
-
Display detected configuration
Language Detection Rules:
Filename Pattern Language
CHANGELOG.md (no suffix) en (default)
CHANGELOG.zh.md / CHANGELOG_CN.md / CHANGELOG.zh-CN.md
zh
CHANGELOG.ja.md / CHANGELOG_JP.md
ja
CHANGELOG.ko.md / CHANGELOG_KR.md
ko
CHANGELOG.de.md / CHANGELOG_DE.md
de
CHANGELOG.fr.md / CHANGELOG_FR.md
fr
CHANGELOG.es.md / CHANGELOG_ES.md
es
CHANGELOG.{lang}.md
Corresponding language code
Output Example:
Project detected: Version file: package.json (1.2.3) Changelogs: - CHANGELOG.md (en) - CHANGELOG.zh.md (zh) - CHANGELOG.ja.md (ja)
Step 2: Analyze Changes Since Last Tag
LAST_TAG=$(git tag --sort=-v:refname | head -1) git log ${LAST_TAG}..HEAD --oneline git diff ${LAST_TAG}..HEAD --stat
Categorize by conventional commit types:
Type Description
feat New features
fix Bug fixes
docs Documentation
refactor Code refactoring
perf Performance improvements
test Test changes
style Formatting, styling
chore Maintenance (skip in changelog)
Breaking Change Detection:
-
Commit message starts with BREAKING CHANGE
-
Commit body/footer contains BREAKING CHANGE:
-
Removed public APIs, renamed exports, changed interfaces
If breaking changes detected, warn user: "Breaking changes detected. Consider major version bump (--major flag)."
Step 3: Determine Version Bump
Rules (in priority order):
-
User flag --major/--minor/--patch → Use specified
-
BREAKING CHANGE detected → Major bump (1.x.x → 2.0.0)
-
feat: commits present → Minor bump (1.2.x → 1.3.0)
-
Otherwise → Patch bump (1.2.3 → 1.2.4)
Display version change: 1.2.3 → 1.3.0
Step 4: Generate Multi-language Changelogs
For each detected changelog file:
-
Identify language from filename suffix
-
Detect third-party contributors:
-
Check merge commits: git log ${LAST_TAG}..HEAD --merges --pretty=format:"%H %s"
-
For each merged PR, identify the PR author via gh pr view <number> --json author --jq '.author.login'
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Compare against repo owner (gh repo view --json owner --jq '.owner.login' )
-
If PR author ≠ repo owner → third-party contributor
-
Generate content in that language:
-
Section titles in target language
-
Change descriptions written naturally in target language (not translated)
-
Date format: YYYY-MM-DD (universal)
-
Third-party contributions: Append contributor attribution (by @username) to the changelog entry
-
Insert at file head (preserve existing content)
Section Title Translations (built-in):
Type en zh ja ko de fr es
feat Features 新功能 新機能 새로운 기능 Funktionen Fonctionnalités Características
fix Fixes 修复 修正 수정 Fehlerbehebungen Corrections Correcciones
docs Documentation 文档 ドキュメント 문서 Dokumentation Documentation Documentación
refactor Refactor 重构 リファクタリング 리팩토링 Refactoring Refactorisation Refactorización
perf Performance 性能优化 パフォーマンス 성능 Leistung Performance Rendimiento
breaking Breaking Changes 破坏性变更 破壊的変更 주요 변경사항 Breaking Changes Changements majeurs Cambios importantes
Changelog Format:
{VERSION} - {YYYY-MM-DD}
Features
- Description of new feature
- Description of third-party contribution (by @username)
Fixes
- Description of fix
Documentation
- Description of docs changes
Only include sections that have changes. Omit empty sections.
Third-Party Attribution Rules:
-
Only add (by @username) for contributors who are NOT the repo owner
-
Use GitHub username with @ prefix
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Place at the end of the changelog entry line
-
Apply to all languages consistently (always use (by @username) format, not translated)
Multi-language Example:
English (CHANGELOG.md):
1.3.0 - 2026-01-22
Features
- Add user authentication module (by @contributor1)
- Support OAuth2 login
Fixes
- Fix memory leak in connection pool
Chinese (CHANGELOG.zh.md):
1.3.0 - 2026-01-22
新功能
- 新增用户认证模块 (by @contributor1)
- 支持 OAuth2 登录
修复
- 修复连接池内存泄漏问题
Japanese (CHANGELOG.ja.md):
1.3.0 - 2026-01-22
新機能
- ユーザー認証モジュールを追加 (by @contributor1)
- OAuth2 ログインをサポート
修正
- コネクションプールのメモリリークを修正
Step 5: Group Changes by Skill/Module
Analyze commits since last tag and group by affected skill/module:
-
Identify changed files per commit
-
Group by skill/module:
-
skills/<skill-name>/* → Group under that skill
-
Root files (CLAUDE.md, etc.) → Group as "project"
-
Multiple skills in one commit → Split into multiple groups
-
For each group, identify related README updates needed
Example Grouping:
baoyu-cover-image:
- feat: add new style options
- fix: handle transparent backgrounds → README updates: options table
baoyu-comic:
- refactor: improve panel layout algorithm → No README updates needed
project:
- docs: update CLAUDE.md architecture section
Step 6: Commit Each Skill/Module Separately
For each skill/module group (in order of changes):
Check README updates needed:
-
Scan README*.md for mentions of this skill/module
-
Verify options/flags documented correctly
-
Update usage examples if syntax changed
-
Update feature descriptions if behavior changed
Stage and commit:
git add skills/<skill-name>/* git add README.md README.zh.md # If updated for this skill git commit -m "<type>(<skill-name>): <meaningful description>"
Commit message format:
-
Use conventional commit format: <type>(<scope>): <description>
-
<type> : feat, fix, refactor, docs, perf, etc.
-
<scope> : skill name or "project"
-
<description> : Clear, meaningful description of changes
Example Commits:
git commit -m "feat(baoyu-cover-image): add watercolor and minimalist styles" git commit -m "fix(baoyu-comic): improve panel layout for long dialogues" git commit -m "docs(project): update architecture documentation"
Common README Updates Needed:
Change Type README Section to Check
New options/flags Options table, usage examples
Renamed options Options table, usage examples
New features Feature description, examples
Breaking changes Migration notes, deprecation warnings
Restructured internals Architecture section (if exposed to users)
Step 7: Generate Changelog and Update Version
-
Generate multi-language changelogs (as described in Step 4)
-
Update version file:
-
Read version file (JSON/TOML/text)
-
Update version number
-
Write back (preserve formatting)
Version Paths by File Type:
File Path
package.json $.version
pyproject.toml project.version
Cargo.toml package.version
marketplace.json $.metadata.version
VERSION / version.txt Direct content
Step 8: User Confirmation
Before creating the release commit, ask user to confirm:
Use AskUserQuestion with two questions:
Version bump (single select):
-
Show recommended version based on Step 3 analysis
-
Options: recommended (with label), other semver options
-
Example: 1.2.3 → 1.3.0 (Recommended) , 1.2.3 → 1.2.4 , 1.2.3 → 2.0.0
Push to remote (single select):
- Options: "Yes, push after commit", "No, keep local only"
Example Output Before Confirmation:
Commits created:
- feat(baoyu-cover-image): add watercolor and minimalist styles
- fix(baoyu-comic): improve panel layout for long dialogues
- docs(project): update architecture documentation
Changelog preview (en):
1.3.0 - 2026-01-22
Features
- Add watercolor and minimalist styles to cover-image
Fixes
- Improve panel layout for long dialogues in comic
Ready to create release commit and tag.
Step 9: Create Release Commit and Tag
After user confirmation:
Stage version and changelog files:
git add <version-file> git add CHANGELOG*.md
Create release commit:
git commit -m "chore: release v{VERSION}"
Create tag:
git tag v{VERSION}
Push if user confirmed (Step 8):
git push origin main git push origin v{VERSION}
Note: Do NOT add Co-Authored-By line. This is a release commit, not a code contribution.
Post-Release Output:
Release v1.3.0 created.
Commits:
- feat(baoyu-cover-image): add watercolor and minimalist styles
- fix(baoyu-comic): improve panel layout for long dialogues
- docs(project): update architecture documentation
- chore: release v1.3.0
Tag: v1.3.0 Status: Pushed to origin # or "Local only - run git push when ready"
Configuration (.releaserc.yml)
Optional config file in project root to override defaults:
.releaserc.yml - Optional configuration
Version file (auto-detected if not specified)
version: file: package.json path: $.version # JSONPath for JSON, dotted path for TOML
Changelog files (auto-detected if not specified)
changelog: files: - path: CHANGELOG.md lang: en - path: CHANGELOG.zh.md lang: zh - path: CHANGELOG.ja.md lang: ja
Section mapping (conventional commit type → changelog section)
Use null to skip a type in changelog
sections: feat: Features fix: Fixes docs: Documentation refactor: Refactor perf: Performance test: Tests chore: null
Commit message format
commit: message: "chore: release v{version}"
Tag format
tag: prefix: v # Results in v1.0.0 sign: false
Additional files to include in release commit
include:
- README.md
- package.json
Dry-Run Mode
When --dry-run is specified:
=== DRY RUN MODE ===
Project detected: Version file: package.json (1.2.3) Changelogs: CHANGELOG.md (en), CHANGELOG.zh.md (zh)
Last tag: v1.2.3 Proposed version: v1.3.0
Changes grouped by skill/module: baoyu-cover-image: - feat: add watercolor style - feat: add minimalist style → Commit: feat(baoyu-cover-image): add watercolor and minimalist styles → README updates: options table
baoyu-comic: - fix: panel layout for long dialogues → Commit: fix(baoyu-comic): improve panel layout for long dialogues → No README updates
Changelog preview (en):
1.3.0 - 2026-01-22
Features
- Add watercolor and minimalist styles to cover-image
Fixes
- Improve panel layout for long dialogues in comic
Changelog preview (zh):
1.3.0 - 2026-01-22
新功能
- 为 cover-image 添加水彩和极简风格
修复
- 改进 comic 长对话的面板布局
Commits to create:
- feat(baoyu-cover-image): add watercolor and minimalist styles
- fix(baoyu-comic): improve panel layout for long dialogues
- chore: release v1.3.0
No changes made. Run without --dry-run to execute.
Example Usage
/release-skills # Auto-detect version bump /release-skills --dry-run # Preview only /release-skills --minor # Force minor bump /release-skills --patch # Force patch bump /release-skills --major # Force major bump (with confirmation)
When to Use
Trigger this skill when user requests:
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"release", "发布", "create release", "new version", "新版本"
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"bump version", "update version", "更新版本"
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"prepare release"
-
"push to remote" (with uncommitted changes)
Important: If user says "just push" or "直接 push" with uncommitted changes, STILL follow all steps above first.