Hex Release

Hex Release

Interactive guide for releasing AgentJido packages to Hex.pm. Supports both automated (GitHub Actions) and manual release workflows.

Pre-flight Checks

Run all pre-flight checks before proceeding with either release path. Stop and report if any check fails.

1. Identify Package

# Read mix.exs to get package name and current version
grep -E '(version:|@version|app:)' mix.exs

Record the current version and package name for later steps.

2. Check for Blocked Dependencies

# Look for git or path dependencies that prevent Hex publish
grep -E '(git:|path:|github:)' mix.exs mix.lock

If any git or path dependencies exist, stop. These must be replaced with published Hex dependencies before release.

3. Verify Git Status

# Must be on main branch with a clean working tree
git status --porcelain
git branch --show-current

• Working tree must be clean (no uncommitted changes)
• Must be on main branch
• Must be up to date with remote: git pull --ff-only

4. Check for Releasable Commits

# List commits since last tag
git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null || echo "HEAD~20")..HEAD --oneline

If there are no commits since the last tag, there is nothing to release.

5. Run Tests and Quality Checks

mix deps.get
mix test
mix quality

All tests must pass. If mix quality is not available, run:

mix format --check-formatted
mix credo --strict
mix dialyzer

6. Dry-Run Hex Publish

mix hex.publish --dry-run

Review the output carefully:

• Confirm the listed files are correct (no secrets, no build artifacts)
• Confirm the package metadata is accurate
• Confirm the version is what you expect

Path A: Automated Release (GitHub Actions)

Use this path when the repository has a release.yml workflow configured.

1. Trigger the Release Workflow

# Standard release
gh workflow run release.yml

# With options
gh workflow run release.yml -f dry_run=true
gh workflow run release.yml -f hex_dry_run=true
gh workflow run release.yml -f skip_tests=true

Available flags:

• dry_run — Run the full workflow without publishing or pushing
• hex_dry_run — Run mix hex.publish --dry-run instead of actual publish
• skip_tests — Skip the test suite (use only if tests were just run locally)

Always run with dry_run=true first to verify the workflow completes successfully before doing a real release.

2. Monitor Workflow Progress

# Watch the most recent run
gh run list --workflow=release.yml --limit=1
gh run watch

3. Verify Completion

# Check the release was created
gh release list --limit=1

# Verify the package is on Hex
mix hex.info <package_name>

Path B: Manual Release

Use this path when GitHub Actions are not available or when you need more control over the release process.

1. Preview Version Bump

# Dry-run to see what version would be created
mix git_ops.release --dry-run

Review the proposed version bump:

• fix: commits → patch bump (0.1.0 → 0.1.1)
• feat: commits → minor bump (0.1.0 → 0.2.0)
• BREAKING CHANGE: → major bump (0.1.0 → 1.0.0)

If the proposed bump is not what you want, you can force a specific version:

mix git_ops.release --new-version=X.Y.Z --dry-run

2. Execute Version Bump

mix git_ops.release
# or with a specific version:
mix git_ops.release --new-version=X.Y.Z

This will:

• Update the version in mix.exs
• Update CHANGELOG.md with categorized commits
• Create a git commit with the version bump
• Create a git tag vX.Y.Z

3. Review CHANGELOG.md

# Review the generated changelog entry
head -50 CHANGELOG.md

Verify:

• The version header is correct
• Commit messages are properly categorized
• No sensitive information is included
• Breaking changes are clearly documented

If edits are needed:

# Amend the release commit with changelog fixes
# Edit CHANGELOG.md as needed, then:
git add CHANGELOG.md
git commit --amend --no-edit
git tag -f vX.Y.Z

4. Push Release

# Push the commit and tag
git push origin main
git push origin vX.Y.Z

5. Publish to Hex

mix hex.publish

Confirm the publish when prompted. Verify the package is available:

mix hex.info <package_name>

6. Create GitHub Release

# Extract the changelog entry for this version
# Create a GitHub release with the changelog as the body
gh release create vX.Y.Z \
  --title "vX.Y.Z" \
  --notes-file <(awk '/^## v?X\.Y\.Z/{found=1;next} /^## v?[0-9]/{if(found)exit} found' CHANGELOG.md)

Alternatively, create the release interactively:

gh release create vX.Y.Z --generate-notes

Rollback Instructions

Pre-Push Rollback

If you haven't pushed yet, undo the release commit and tag:

git tag -d vX.Y.Z
git reset --soft HEAD~1

This preserves your changes in the staging area so you can fix and re-release.

Post-Push Rollback

If you've pushed but haven't published to Hex:

# Revert the release commit
git revert HEAD
git push origin main

# Delete the remote tag
git push origin --delete vX.Y.Z
git tag -d vX.Y.Z

# Delete the GitHub release if created
gh release delete vX.Y.Z --yes

Post-Publish Rollback

If you've already published to Hex, you have 24 hours to revert:

mix hex.publish --revert X.Y.Z

After 24 hours, a published version cannot be reverted. You must publish a new patch version with the fix instead.

Also revert the git and GitHub release:

git revert HEAD
git push origin main
git push origin --delete vX.Y.Z
gh release delete vX.Y.Z --yes

Invocation

$ hex-release

DO / DON'T

DO

• Always run --dry-run first before any actual release
• Verify CHANGELOG.md is accurate and complete before pushing
• Run the full test suite before releasing
• Check for git/path dependencies before attempting Hex publish
• Confirm you are on main with a clean working tree
• Review the files included in the Hex package during dry-run

DON'T

• Force-push release commits — use git revert instead
• Skip pre-flight checks, even for "small" releases
• Release from a branch other than main
• Publish to Hex before pushing the git tag
• Delete and re-create tags on the remote — this confuses downstream users
• Release if any git or path dependencies exist in mix.exs