Freeflow Release

FreeFlow Release

Overview

Use this skill to prepare a FreeFlow release from the local repository. FreeFlow releases are semver-tag driven: pushing a tag like v0.3.1 triggers .github/workflows/release.yml, which stamps the app bundle, extracts the matching CHANGELOG.md section, builds/signs/notarizes the DMG, and creates the GitHub Release.

Every release prep must update CHANGELOG.md by comparing the previous public semver release with the current release target. The changelog section should describe the user-visible changes that shipped since the previous release, not just summarize the final release-prep commit.

Ground Rules

• Treat CHANGELOG.md as the release notes source of truth, and update it before any release commit or tag.
• Keep changelog language user-facing. Avoid implementation details unless they affect maintainers or troubleshooting.
• Do not edit README.md or unrelated docs unless the user explicitly asks.
• Do not push tags or branches until the user has approved the exact release version and changelog.
• Never use git reset --hard or destructive cleanup while preparing a release.
• Preserve unrelated working tree changes. If unrelated changes exist, report them and avoid staging them.

Release Workflow

1. Inspect current state:

   git status --short --branch
   git log --oneline --decorate -n 20
   

2. Find the previous public release:

   git tag --list 'v[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*' --sort=-version:refname
   git describe --tags --match 'v[0-9]*.[0-9]*.[0-9]*' --abbrev=0
   git log --oneline --decorate -- Info.plist CHANGELOG.md .github/workflows/release.yml
   git blame -L 11,14 Info.plist
   

   Use the latest reachable public semver tag, such as v0.3.2, as the previous-release boundary. If tags are missing or inconsistent, fall back to the commit that introduced the prior CHANGELOG.md section or changed CFBundleShortVersionString/CFBundleVersion, and state that fallback explicitly.

3. Determine the next version:

   • PATCH for fixes, polish, release-system updates, and small user-visible improvements.
   • MINOR for notable new user-facing capabilities.
   • MAJOR only for breaking behavior or major compatibility changes. Confirm the version with the user if it was not specified.

4. Build and write the CHANGELOG.md entry from the previous release to the current release target:

   git log --first-parent --reverse --oneline <previous-release-tag>..HEAD
   git log --reverse --oneline <previous-release-tag>..HEAD
   git diff --stat <previous-release-tag>..HEAD
   git diff --name-status <previous-release-tag>..HEAD
   

   Prefer first-parent merge commits for feature grouping, then inspect individual commits and relevant diffs for details. Write a concise section near the top of CHANGELOG.md, above the previous release:

   ## [0.3.1] - YYYY-MM-DD
   
   ### Added
   - User-facing new capabilities.
   
   ### Improved
   - User-facing improvements and reliability work.
   
   ### Fixed
   - User-visible bugs and update/release fixes.
   

   Include only categories that have entries. If the release contains mostly internal work, describe the user-facing effect, such as reliability, update behavior, packaging, or troubleshooting improvements. Do not include raw commit hashes in the changelog.

5. Validate locally before commit/tag:

   .github/scripts/changelog-section.sh <version>
   .agents/skills/freeflow-release/scripts/freeflow-release-check.sh <version>
   git diff --check
   make clean
   make ARCH="$(uname -m)" CODESIGN_IDENTITY=-
   

6. Commit only release-prep files:

   git add CHANGELOG.md
   git commit -m "Prepare v<version> release"
   

   Include other files only when they are deliberately part of the release prep.

7. After user approval, tag and push:

   git tag v<version>
   git push origin main
   git push origin v<version>
   

8. After GitHub Actions finishes, verify:

   • GitHub Release v<version> exists and is marked latest.
   • FreeFlow.dmg is attached.
   • Release body starts with the matching CHANGELOG.md section.
   • A previous app version detects the update and shows What’s New.

Helper Script

Run .agents/skills/freeflow-release/scripts/freeflow-release-check.sh <version> from the FreeFlow repo root to check release preconditions. It validates semver shape, required files, changelog extraction, workflow trigger basics, and tag availability.

Source: zachlatta/freeflow — distributed by TomeVault.