# Release process
RepoPilot releases are prepared in the repository, verified locally and in CI, tagged from `main`, and published to crates.io manually by the maintainer.
## 1. Prepare the release
Update:
- `Cargo.toml` version
- `Cargo.lock` package version, if needed
- `CHANGELOG.md`
- `README.md` if user-facing behavior changed
Use the current date for the release entry in `CHANGELOG.md`.
## 2. Verify locally
```bash
cargo fmt --check
cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings
cargo test
cargo package --list
cargo publish --dry-run
```
Review the package contents from `cargo package --list` before publishing.
## 3. Create release branch
```bash
git checkout -b release/vX.Y.Z
```
## 4. Commit
```bash
git add .
git commit -m "chore: prepare vX.Y.Z release"
```
## 5. Merge after CI passes
Open a pull request, wait for CI, review the package metadata and docs, then merge into `main`.
## 6. Tag
```bash
git checkout main
git pull
git tag vX.Y.Z
git push origin vX.Y.Z
```
The tag workflow builds GitHub Release artifacts and runs `cargo publish --dry-run`. It does not publish to crates.io.
## 7. Publish to crates.io
After the tag workflow passes and the maintainer has reviewed the release:
```bash
cargo publish
```
Do not publish from a dirty worktree. Publish from the exact tagged commit.
## 8. Create GitHub Release
Title:
```text
RepoPilot vX.Y.Z — short release name
```
Include:
- highlights;
- install command;
- upgrade command;
- example usage;
- link to [CHANGELOG.md](../CHANGELOG.md).
Example release body:
````md
## Highlights
- ...
## Install
```bash
cargo install repopilot
```
## Upgrade
```bash
cargo install repopilot --force
```
## Example
```bash
repopilot review . --base origin/main
```
See [CHANGELOG.md](https://github.com/MykytaStel/repopilot/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md) for details.
````