Release

cargo release

When to Use

• When you want to cut a new release
• When asked to "release", "cut a version", or "ship it"

When NOT to Use

• If you just want to check readiness: use

  release-check

  instead
• If you just want to update the changelog: use

  release-notes

  instead

Prerequisites

• cargo-release

  must be installed:

  cargo install cargo-release

• gh

  CLI must be authenticated:

  gh auth status

• release.toml

  must have

  pre-release-replacements

  configured for CHANGELOG.md

• CHANGELOG.md

  must exist with

  <!-- next-header -->

  marker

• .github/workflows/ci.yml

  must exist

Process

Step 1: Run Release Check

release-check

skills/release-check/SKILL.md

Step 2: Run Release Notes

release-notes

skills/release-notes/SKILL.md

Step 3: Recommend Version

[Unreleased]

CHANGELOG.md

grep '^version' Cargo.toml | head -1 | sed 's/.*"\(.*\)"/\1/'

"Current version: v0.4.0 Changelog has: 2 Added, 1 Fixed, 1 Changed Recommendation: v0.5.0 (minor — new features added)

Accept this version, or specify a different bump level? (major/minor/patch)"

Step 4: Commit Changelog

CHANGELOG.md

git add CHANGELOG.md
git commit -m "docs: update changelog for vX.Y.Z"

X.Y.Z

Step 5: Final Confirmation

Release Summary
===============
Version:   v0.5.0 (minor)
Changelog: 2 Added, 1 Fixed, 1 Changed
Checks:    all green (1 warning)
Command:   cargo release minor --execute

This will:
  1. Bump version in Cargo.toml to 0.5.0
  2. Rename [Unreleased] to [0.5.0] - 2026-04-04 in CHANGELOG.md
  3. Add new [Unreleased] section
  4. Create release commit: "chore: release v0.5.0"
  5. Create tag: v0.5.0
  6. Push commit and tag to origin

Proceed? (yes/no)

cargo release

Step 6: Execute Release

cargo release {major|minor|patch} --execute

{major|minor|patch}

cargo release

Step 7: Post-Release Verification

git tag -l "vX.Y.Z"
git ls-remote --tags origin "refs/tags/vX.Y.Z"

"Release v0.5.0 tagged and pushed. GitHub Actions will now:

• Build release binaries for all targets
• Create the GitHub Release with artifacts
• Update the Homebrew tap

Monitor at: https://github.com/jackin-project/jackin/actions/workflows/release.yml"

Error Recovery

• Before

  cargo release

  : Safe to fix and re-run

  /release

  . The skill re-validates everything.
• During

  cargo release

  : Check what was committed/tagged. If the tag was created but not pushed, you can push it manually:

  git push origin vX.Y.Z

  . If the version bump commit was created but not tagged, you may need to reset and retry.
• After

  cargo release

  : The release is done. If CI fails, check the GitHub Actions workflow.