Prepare Release

Prepare release

Cut a release for touchdesigner-mcp. The job has one non-obvious core: the repo has two independent version axes, and npm version bumps both — the API axis must be reverted when the release has no server/API contract change. Read references/version-policy.md before touching any version file.

Land the release via a development → main PR (historical flow; PR title is the version, e.g. v1.4.13). Do not merge or publish — stop at the opened PR.

Step 0 — preflight

git fetch --tags
LAST_TAG=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)   # e.g. v1.4.12
git log "$LAST_TAG"..HEAD --oneline           # the unreleased commits
git diff "$LAST_TAG"..HEAD --stat             # the unreleased surfaces

If the range is empty, there is nothing to release — stop and say so.

Step 1 — audit integration-test coverage first

Before writing anything, confirm the release diff is adequately tested. Invoke the release-test-audit skill: it walks the API/MCP surface changes in the unreleased range and reports coverage gaps. Resolve (or consciously waive) gaps via the integration-test-guard skill before cutting the release. Don't bump a release with an untested API/MCP surface change.

Step 2 — decide the two version axes

Read references/version-policy.md and decide, from the Step 0 diff:

• Package version — always bumps. Pick patch / minor / major from the change set (features → minor, fixes/deps → patch, breaking → major).
• MCP API version — bumps only if the diff changes the server/API contract (src/api/**, contract-changing src/features/tools/** or td/modules/mcp/**, src/server/**, src/tdClient/**, src/transport/**). Otherwise it stays put and must be reverted after npm version.

State the decision out loud before proceeding — it drives both the bump and the CHANGELOG wording.

Step 3 — write the CHANGELOG entry

Follow references/changelog-format.md. Group the Step 0 commits into Keep-a-Changelog sections, write impact-first prose, reference the merged PRs, and include the mandatory "Released version … across …" bullet whose last sentence records the Step 2 API-axis decision.

Two sections bracket the entry (both defined in changelog-format.md):

• ### Upgrade Notes first — required whenever the API axis moves, and whenever the release otherwise changes what existing users experience. Derive it from the Node-side vs TD-side split of the diff.
• ### Contributors last — credit every human contributor, cross-checking commit authors, Co-Authored-By trailers, and PR authors (squash merges can hide a contributor behind the maintainer's commit email).

Step 4 — bump the version-bearing files

Per references/version-policy.md:

npm run build:mcpb                       # must precede version:mcp (it hashes the bundle)
npm version <patch|minor|major> --no-git-tag-version

If the API axis stays put (Step 2), revert the three API files and the expectedApiVersion field now:

git checkout HEAD -- src/api/index.yml td/modules/utils/version.py pyproject.toml
npm pkg set mcpCompatibility.expectedApiVersion=<OLD_API_VERSION>

Then verify the split is correct:

grep -H version package.json src/api/index.yml pyproject.toml
grep MCP_API_VERSION td/modules/utils/version.py
grep -A3 mcpCompatibility package.json
# package.json version = NEW package version; the API-axis files AND
# mcpCompatibility.expectedApiVersion = OLD API version (unless Step 2 bumped them)

The server.json fileSha256 will not match the CI-rebuilt release asset — that mismatch is a known, expected issue. See version-policy.md.

Step 5 — commit and open the release PR

git checkout -b <release-branch>   # if not already on the release/development branch
git add -A
git commit -m "release: v<X.Y.Z>"
git push -u origin <release-branch>
gh pr create --base main --title "v<X.Y.Z>" --body "<CHANGELOG excerpt for this version>"

Use the new version's CHANGELOG section as the PR body. Stop here — the release is published by CI (release.yml) after the maintainer merges to main. Do not merge, tag, or npm publish yourself.

Guardrails

• Never bump the API axis on a deps-only / refactor-only / docs-only release.
• Never edit the six version files by hand — let npm version write them, then revert the API trio if needed. Hand edits drift from the sync scripts.
• build:mcpb before version:mcp, always.
• Don't "fix" the server.json SHA256 mismatch during a release.