Files
nanoclaw/RELEASING.md
glifocat 8ea451aced docs(releasing): soften per-bump policy and document release channels
Two revisions in RELEASING.md based on review feedback:

1. Soften the "release per bump" claim. The policy is aspirational and
   release publication is manual, so the opening now states the goal
   ("publish a GitHub Release for every package.json version bump that
   lands on main") and acknowledges that there can be lag between a bump
   merging and the release being cut. Intent: timeliness, not strict 1:1.

2. Add a "Channels and stability" section that explicitly states NanoClaw
   ships a single channel today, distinguishes latest/stable/pinned for
   consumers, and reserves space for a future pre-release channel without
   inventing structure that does not yet exist. Folds the previous Pinning
   section into the new structure as the Pinned bullet.
2026-05-15 20:24:47 +02:00

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Markdown

# Releasing NanoClaw
Starting with v2.0.63, the goal is to publish a GitHub Release for every `package.json` version bump that lands on `main`. Releases are cut manually by a maintainer, so there can be lag between a bump merging and its release being published. The intent is *timeliness*, not strict 1:1 correlation with every bump.
Each release ships:
- A tagged commit on `main` (`vX.Y.Z`).
- A `CHANGELOG.md` entry under `## [<version>] - <YYYY-MM-DD>`.
- A GitHub Release whose body mirrors the CHANGELOG entry plus a contributors section.
## When to cut a release
A release is cut by a maintainer publishing it. The trigger is a `package.json` bump on `main`, but the publish step is manual — there is no fixed schedule, and bumps that land back-to-back may be rolled into a single release (as v2.0.55 through v2.0.63 were). Cutting more frequently is preferable to batching: smaller releases are easier to read, pin, and revert.
## What goes in a release
`CHANGELOG.md` is the canonical record of user-visible change. The release body on GitHub mirrors it. Aim for:
- **Bold lead-ins** per major feature or fix, then a sentence-case prose explanation.
- **`[BREAKING]` prefix** for any change that requires user action. Always include the workaround inline — never link to a separate doc for the fix.
- **Doc links** for major features (relative paths into the repo, e.g. `[setup/lib/install-slug.sh](setup/lib/install-slug.sh)`).
- **Inline commands** for actionable steps, in backticks.
- **Minor items** as single plain bullets at the bottom of the entry, no bold lead-in.
- **No PR numbers** in the user-facing prose. PR references can live in the GitHub Release's `## Contributors` section.
## Publishing the release
1. Bump `package.json` and add a `CHANGELOG.md` entry in the same commit (commit message: `chore: bump version to vX.Y.Z`).
2. Once the bump commit lands on `main`, open a draft GitHub Release:
- **Tag:** `vX.Y.Z`, target `main`.
- **Title:** `vX.Y.Z` (bare version — descriptive content lives in the body, matching the CHANGELOG header pattern).
- **Body:** copy the CHANGELOG entry verbatim. Append a `## Contributors` section listing every PR author who landed work in the release window. Append a `**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw/compare/<prev-tag>...vX.Y.Z` line at the bottom.
3. If anyone in the window opened their first NanoClaw PR, add a `## New Contributors` section above `## Contributors`, with each first-timer's first PR link and an invite to Discord.
4. Publish (not just save draft).
## Rollup releases
If multiple `package.json` bumps land between two GitHub Releases (as happened between v2.0.54 and v2.0.63), the next release is a rollup: its CHANGELOG entry covers everything merged since the last released tag, and the body opens with a one-line "Rollup release covering vX.Y.Z through vX.Y.W." note. After the catchup, return to one release per bump.
## Channels and stability
NanoClaw currently ships a single channel: every published release is a stable release.
- **Latest** — the most recent release on `main`, shown as "Latest release" on the GitHub Releases page. Consumers that want auto-bump follow GitHub's `/releases/latest` pointer.
- **Stable** — currently identical to latest. NanoClaw has no separate stable branch and no pre-release/RC channel.
- **Pinned** — any tagged release. Reproducible and the recommended choice for packagers and forks; published tags are not moved or retracted.
If a pre-release channel is introduced later (e.g. `vX.Y.Z-rc.N`), those releases will be marked "Pre-release" on GitHub so they do not become the `latest` pointer, and this section will be updated to describe the promotion path.
The tag is the source of truth — a GitHub Release's `target_commitish` always points to a tagged commit.