Patch Release

Patch Release Skill

User-invocable only. Run emergency patch releases for critical hotfixes.

Invoke: /patch-release or user explicitly requests patch release workflow.

DO NOT use during /release — this skill is for emergency hotfixes only.

When to use

• Security vulnerabilities requiring immediate fix
• Critical production bugs affecting customers
• Showstopper issues that cannot wait for next stable release

Steps

1. Create release-base branch

gh workflow run create-patch-release-branch.yml -f baseVersion="67.12.0" --repo forcedotcom/salesforcedx-vscode

Creates release-base/v67.12.x from stable tag; copies latest version helpers from develop.

2. Check out branch locally

git fetch origin
git checkout release-base/v67.12.x

3. Apply fixes

Make code changes, commit with conventional messages (fix:, feat:, etc.), push to branch:

git commit -m "fix: <message>"
git push origin release-base/v67.12.x

4. Build patch release

gh workflow run build-and-release-patch-branch.yml -f releaseBranch="release-base/v67.12.x" --repo forcedotcom/salesforcedx-vscode

Auto-calculates patch version (v67.12.0 → v67.12.1), tags exact commit from branch HEAD, builds VSIXs.

5. Test VSIX files

Download and install locally for testing:

gh release download v67.12.1 --dir ~/Downloads/v67.12.1 --pattern '*.vsix' --repo forcedotcom/salesforcedx-vscode
find ~/Downloads/v67.12.1 -type f -name "*.vsix" -exec code --install-extension {} \;

Run manual QA tests. See docs/release-testing-guide.md for testing checklist.

6. Publish to marketplace

If tests pass, dispatch both workflows for full coverage (VS Code Marketplace + Open VSX):

gh workflow run publishVSCode.yml -f version="v67.12.1" -f isHotfix=true --repo forcedotcom/salesforcedx-vscode
gh workflow run publishOpenVSX.yml -f release-tag="v67.12.1" -f isHotfix=true --repo forcedotcom/salesforcedx-vscode

7. Cherry-pick fixes to develop

Merge functional fixes back to develop (NOT version bumps):

git checkout develop && git pull origin develop
git cherry-pick <commit-sha>  # functional fixes only, NOT "chore: bump versions"
git push origin develop

See docs/release-testing-guide.md for detailed cherry-pick workflow.

8. Cleanup (after publishing)

Delete the release-base branch:

git push origin --delete release-base/v67.12.x

Multiple patches on same base

Reuse the same release-base/v67.12.x branch for multiple patches:

1. Make additional fixes on the branch
2. Run build-and-release-patch-branch.yml again (auto-increments to v67.12.2, v67.12.3, etc.)
3. Test and publish each patch
4. Cherry-pick all functional fixes to develop
5. Delete branch after final patch

Emergency Pre-release Hotfix (Marketplace in ~5 min)

For immediate marketplace hotfix as pre-release (bypasses stable testing):

Step 1: Build emergency pre-release VSIXs

# From hotfix branch
gh workflow run build-release.yml \
  -f publishAsPrerelease=true \
  -f startFromRef="hotfix/security-fix" \
  --repo forcedotcom/salesforcedx-vscode

# From specific commit
gh workflow run build-release.yml \
  -f publishAsPrerelease=true \
  -f startFromRef="abc123def456" \
  --repo forcedotcom/salesforcedx-vscode

Creates GitHub pre-release with VSIXs. Uses version from source's package.json files (must be unique, not already published to marketplace). No automated version bump — tags source ref with nightly format tag.

Validation: Unit tests (compile + test) run at the authoritative gate: promote-to-prerelease.yml tests exact hotfix commit being promoted when isHotfix=true. E2E & full PR review skipped; ensure ref carefully reviewed before use.

Step 2: Publish to marketplace as pre-release

gh workflow run promote-to-prerelease.yml \
  -f releaseTag="v67.13.7-nightly.develop.20260820" \
  -f isHotfix=true \
  --repo forcedotcom/salesforcedx-vscode

Publishes VSIXs to marketplace (Microsoft + Open VSX) as pre-release.

Timeline: 3 min build + ~2 min promote = **5 min total to marketplace**.

Alternative: Formal Version from Arbitrary Ref

For time-critical fixes requiring proper version tracking (not nightly format):

# Build from hotfix branch with version bump
gh workflow run build-release.yml \
  -f startFromRef="hotfix/security-fix" \
  -f releaseVersion="67.12.1" \
  --repo forcedotcom/salesforcedx-vscode

# Build from specific commit with version bump
gh workflow run build-release.yml \
  -f startFromRef="abc123def456" \
  -f releaseVersion="67.12.1" \
  --repo forcedotcom/salesforcedx-vscode

Creates isolated release-staging/v67.12.1 branch with version bump. publishVSCode.yml and publishOpenVSX.yml test the commit (compile + test, isHotfix=true) before publishing. E2E tests and full PR review are skipped. Test VSIXs and publish as stable release.

References

• Testing guide: docs/release-testing-guide.md
• Standard release: ../release/SKILL.md
• Publishing details: contributing/publishing.md