# Rseng Software Publishing > Covers publishing research software through its distribution channels: packaging for and releasing on package indexes (PyPI, conda-forge, CRAN and ecosystem equivalents), registering in research software registries, submitting to software journals (JOSS-style), and choosing the channel mix for a project's audience. Use when the user wants their software installable by others, asks how to publish on PyPI, CRAN or conda-forge, wants the software listed where researchers search, or when a mature project is only obtainable by cloning its repository. (Cutting versioned releases and DOIs: rseng-publishing-releasing; the JOSS review process: rseng-software-peer-review; preservation: rseng-archiving.) - Skill: `fdiblen/rseng-software-publishing` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add fdiblen/rseng-software-publishing` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/fdiblen/rseng-software-publishing/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Research & Search - License: CC-BY-4.0 - Author: fdiblen (https://skillmd.com/u/fdiblen) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/fdiblen/rseng-software-publishing --- # Publishing research software "Available on request" and "clone the repo" are not distribution. Publishing puts software where its users already look - the package index they install from, the registry they search, the journal that tells them it was reviewed - and each channel has its own rules. The neighboring skills own the mechanics this skill orchestrates: rseng-publishing-releasing (versioned releases, changelogs, DOIs), rseng-project-scaffolding (installable package structure), rseng-software-peer-review (the JOSS process itself), rseng-archiving (preservation). This skill is the channel strategy and the index-specific craft. ## Choose the channel mix by audience - Users who pip/conda/install: a package index is non-negotiable - it is the difference between a dependency and a science project. - Researchers who search by domain: a Research Software Directory instance and domain registries (rseng-software-reuse lists them) - where discovery happens for people who do not know the package name. - Reviewers, citers, funders: a software journal entry (JOSS-class) plus the archived, DOI'd release (rseng-archiving). A healthy mature project typically has all three; a young one starts with the index and adds the rest at first stable release. State the recommended mix and why, then build it channel by channel. ## Package indexes: the craft per ecosystem Common core across ecosystems: complete metadata (description, license, URLs, authors - the index page IS a landing page: rseng-fair-software's findability applied), semantic versioning (rseng-publishing-releasing), and automated publication from CI with provenance rather than laptop uploads (rseng-ci-cd, rseng-security's trusted-publishing staircase). - PyPI (Python): modern pyproject.toml packaging per the PyPA guide (rseng-project-scaffolding's template does this); test on TestPyPI first; use trusted publishing from CI; wheels plus sdist; never delete released versions - yank instead. - conda-forge: the community channel for the scientific stack and the path when binaries/native deps matter (rseng-hpc-computing users often live here); publication is a recipe PR to staged-recipes, then a feedstock you maintain - it is a community process with reviewers, not an upload. - CRAN (R): the strictest gate - read the repository policies before submitting; R CMD check --as-cran must pass cleanly on multiple platforms, submissions are human-reviewed, and policy violations get packages archived. rOpenSci's guide (and its review - rseng-software-peer-review) is the community on-ramp. - Other ecosystems follow the same shape (npm, crates.io, Julia General registry): find the community's packaging guide, meet its gate, automate the release. Version-support policy belongs to publishing: which language/ dependency versions you support, tested in CI matrices, stated in metadata (rseng-maintenance-sustainability owns the deprecation half). ## Registries: be found by field, not name Register at first citable release, and keep entries alive: - RSD instances harvest most metadata from the repository when CITATION.cff and codemeta.json exist (rseng-citation-metadata) - the entry is cheap if the metadata hygiene is there. - Update triggers: new major release, changed maintainership, publication of the software paper - a stale registry entry pointing at a moved repository is worse than none. - Link everything: registry entry <-> index page <-> repository <-> paper DOI <-> archive - the same both-ways discipline as rseng-archiving and rseng-open-science-practices. ## The publication checklist Before announcing any channel as live, verify as a user would: 1. Fresh-environment install from the index succeeds (rseng-reproducible-environments provides the clean room). 2. Index page renders correctly - description, links, license, badges. 3. Import/run smoke test passes on the installed (not cloned) artifact. 4. Citation instructions resolve (CITATION.cff shipped, DOI live). 5. The announcement is drafted (rseng-science-communication) and the aidecl.yaml reflects AI involvement in the release (rseng-ai-declaration). ## Working with this skill This skill is source-independent: its authority is the packaging guides and index policies linked below. It orchestrates the channel-specific end of the publishing chain. Learn more (verified): - https://packaging.python.org - Python Packaging User Guide - https://pypi.org - PyPI - https://conda-forge.org - conda-forge - https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/policies.html - CRAN repository policies - https://devguide.ropensci.org - rOpenSci packaging guide - https://joss.theoj.org - Journal of Open Source Software - https://research-software-directory.org - Research Software Directory ## Related skills Check whether any of these applies before moving on: - rseng-ci-cd - trusted publishing from CI - rseng-citation-metadata - registries harvest CITATION.cff/codemeta - rseng-project-scaffolding - installable package structure - rseng-publishing-releasing - release mechanics behind each channel - rseng-reproducible-environments - fresh-install verification clean room - rseng-software-peer-review - JOSS submission pathway