# Rhdh Prow Release Branch

> Commissions or decommissions the openshift/release Prow configuration for a single RHDH release branch: the ci-operator config `redhat-developer-rhdh-release-{version}.yaml`, the jobs `make update` generates from it, the `release-{version}` branch-protection block in `_prowconfig.yaml`, and the `#rhdh-e2e-alerts-X-Y` Slack channel and `rhdh-send-alert` Vault webhook. Use for "set up CI for release 1.11", "commission the 1.12 branch jobs", or "decommission 1.8". Prow configuration for a release branch only — the release itself is rhdh-release-status, rhdh-release-schedule, and rhdh-release-announce.

- Skill: `redhat-developer/rhdh-prow-release-branch` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 5 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add redhat-developer/rhdh-prow-release-branch`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/redhat-developer/rhdh-prow-release-branch/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Integrations & APIs
- Author: redhat-developer (https://skillmd.com/u/redhat-developer)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/redhat-developer/rhdh-prow-release-branch

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# RHDH release-branch Prow configuration

Turn the CI configuration for one `release-{version}` branch of
`redhat-developer/rhdh` on or off in `openshift/release`. Both directions need a
local checkout because both end in `make update`.

This skill is about Prow configuration, not about the product release. What is
open against a release is `/rhdh-release-status`, its milestone dates are
`/rhdh-release-schedule`, and its freeze announcement is `/rhdh-release-announce`.
Individual test entries and cluster pools on a branch that already has jobs
belong to `/rhdh-prow-jobs`.

## Route

| Intent | Load |
|---|---|
| Create CI configuration for a new release branch | `workflows/commission-release.md` |
| Remove CI configuration for an end-of-life release branch | `workflows/decommission-release.md` |

`references/release-branch-config.md` holds the file paths, the release-vs-main
differences, and the Slack alert setup that both workflows use. Read it with
whichever workflow you loaded.

## Local preparation and publication

Creating the local review branch, copying or deleting the config, editing
`_prowconfig.yaml`, and running `make update` are local preparation authorized by
the user's commission or decommission request. Make and validate those local
changes without a write gate.

Follow `/mutation-gate` for commit, push, and pull request creation only. Treat
them as one ordered publication set, name every reviewed path and external
target, and stop before each later operation when an earlier one fails.

- Never hardcode the branch-protection block or the release-branch adjustments.
  Read the latest existing release branch and copy its current shape; required
  status-check contexts and presubmit settings change over time.
- Confirm the version-specific values with the user before finalizing: which OCP
  test entries to include, `MAPT_KUBERNETES_VERSION`, the OSD version,
  `releases.latest.release`, and the `build_root` tag.
- Decommissioning is destructive. Name every file and block to be removed, and
  the rollback, before removing anything.
- The Slack channel, its incoming webhook, and the Vault key
  `SLACK_ALERTS_WEBHOOK_URL_{X}_{Y}` are human steps outside the repository. Ask
  the user to perform them; do not treat the config change as finished while
  `reporter_config.channel` points at a channel that does not exist.

## Completion

Commissioning is complete when
`ci-operator/config/redhat-developer/rhdh/redhat-developer-rhdh-release-{version}.yaml`
exists with `zz_generated_metadata.branch` set to `release-{version}`, the
release-branch adjustments from the reference have been applied, the
`release-{version}` branch-protection entry sits in version order in
`_prowconfig.yaml`, `make update` has run, and the generated
`ci-operator/jobs/redhat-developer/rhdh/redhat-developer-rhdh-release-{version}-*.yaml`
files are listed by name. State the Slack channel and Vault key status, and note
that the jobs will not fire until the `release-{version}` branch itself exists in
`redhat-developer/rhdh`.

Decommissioning is complete when the config file is deleted, the
`release-{version}` block is gone from `_prowconfig.yaml` with surrounding
indentation intact, `make update` has removed the generated job files, and every
removed file and block is named alongside its rollback. In both directions, state
the push and pull-request state explicitly — including "not pushed".