docs(release): clarify tagging and merge flow

Update the release documentation to emphasize tagging on develop before merging to main, detail steps for pushing tags to both gitea and github, and explain the back‑merge and remote tag considerations.
This commit is contained in:
claude_code
2026-06-26 19:57:49 +03:00
parent 0db48f1706
commit 69fcccd6e8

View File

@@ -283,37 +283,46 @@ Vite SPA. Code is organized by feature under `apps/client/src/features/*` (mirro
### Cutting a release
The git tag is the source of truth for the displayed version (UI reads `git describe --tags`); the `package.json` bump is metadata only. Steps:
The git tag is the source of truth for the displayed version (the client UI reads `git describe --tags` via `vite.config.ts`); the `package.json` bump is metadata that backs the server `/version` endpoint (`version.service.ts`).
1. Make sure `main` is clean and pushed (`git status`, `git push`).
**Golden rule — tag on `develop` first, merge to `main` afterwards.** Cut the version-bump commit on `develop`, put the tag on *that* commit, and push it. Merge `develop` into `main` later (it does not block the tag or the release). Because the tag is in `develop`'s ancestry from the moment it is created, `git describe` on `develop` — and the `ghcr.io/vvzvlad/gitmost:develop` image — reports the new version immediately, with **no back-merge dance**. Do **not** tag `main`'s merge commit; that is the mistake described in the pitfall below (we hit it twice).
Steps:
1. Make sure `develop` is up to date, clean, and pushed to **both** remotes (`git status`; `git push gitea develop && git push github develop`).
2. Pick `vX.Y.Z` (SemVer): **minor** bump for a batch of features, **patch** for fixes only. Review what landed with `git log <last-tag>..HEAD --no-merges`.
3. Bump `"version"` to `X.Y.Z` in the **root** `package.json`, `apps/client/package.json`, and `apps/server/package.json` (keep all three in sync). Leave `packages/mcp` alone — it is versioned independently. Commit with the bare version as the subject, e.g. `0.91.0` (matches past bump commits).
4. Update `CHANGELOG.md` (Keep a Changelog format): add a `## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD` section summarising `git log vPREV..HEAD --no-merges` grouped by type (Breaking / Added / Changed / Fixed / Removed), and add the `compare/vPREV...vX.Y.Z` link at the bottom. Fold the bump + changelog into the release commit.
5. Tag the release commit with a **lightweight** tag (existing release tags are lightweight): `git tag vX.Y.Z`.
6. Push commit and tag: `git push origin main && git push origin vX.Y.Z`. Pushing the `v*` tag triggers `release.yml` (multi-arch GHCR images + a draft GitHub Release).
7. **Back-merge the release into `develop`** so develop builds report the new version: `git checkout develop && git merge --no-ff main && git push origin develop` (push to Gitea as well if that is the canonical remote).
3. Bump `"version"` to `X.Y.Z` in the **root** `package.json`, `apps/client/package.json`, and `apps/server/package.json` (keep all three in sync). Leave `packages/mcp` alone — it is versioned independently. Commit **on `develop`** with the bare version as the subject, e.g. `0.94.1` (matches past bump commits).
4. For a real release (skip for a bare hotfix tag), update `CHANGELOG.md` (Keep a Changelog format): add a `## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD` section summarising `git log vPREV..HEAD --no-merges` grouped by type (Breaking / Added / Changed / Fixed / Removed), and the `compare/vPREV...vX.Y.Z` link at the bottom. Fold it into the bump commit.
5. Tag that develop commit with a **lightweight** tag (existing release tags are lightweight): `git tag vX.Y.Z`.
6. Push the branch **and** the tag to **both** writable remotes — `git push <branch>` does **not** push tags, and tags are per-remote:
```bash
git push gitea develop && git push gitea vX.Y.Z
git push github develop && git push github vX.Y.Z
```
Pushing the `v*` tag to `github` triggers `release.yml` (multi-arch GHCR images + a draft GitHub Release). The tag *must* exist on `github`, because the `:develop` and release images are built there by GitHub Actions and `git describe` on the runner only sees the tags present on `github` (not your local clone or `gitea`).
7. Merge `develop` into `main` when ready (commonly later — this does not gate the release):
```bash
git checkout main
git merge --ff-only develop # or a merge commit if fast-forward is not possible
git push gitea main && git push github main
```
The tag is already reachable from `main` (it lives in the `develop` history that `main` now contains), so `main` reports `vX.Y.Z` too — no extra tagging needed.
#### Why develop keeps showing the *previous* version (and why step 7 matters)
#### Pitfall: tagging `main` instead of `develop` (the mistake to avoid)
The UI version is `git describe --tags --always` (see `vite.config.ts`), which walks **backwards from the current commit** and picks the **nearest tag reachable in that commit's ancestry**, then appends `-<commits-since-tag>-g<short-hash>`.
`git describe --tags --always` (see `vite.config.ts`) walks **backwards from the current commit** and picks the **nearest tag reachable in that commit's ancestry**, then appends `-<commits-since-tag>-g<short-hash>`.
The release tag (`vX.Y.Z`) is created on **`main`'s release merge commit**, and that commit is **not** in `develop`'s history. So until the release is back-merged, `git describe` on `develop` cannot see the new tag and falls back to the *previous* reachable tag. Result: every develop build — and the `ghcr.io/vvzvlad/gitmost:develop` image — keeps reporting e.g. `v0.91.0-NNN-g<hash>` even though `main` is already tagged `v0.93.0`. This is the classic git-flow pitfall: the version on `develop` does **not** advance just because a release was tagged on `main`.
The wrong flow we fell into twice: merge `develop` into `main` *first*, then tag `main`'s **release merge commit**. That merge commit is **not** in `develop`'s history, so `git describe` on `develop` cannot see the new tag and falls back to the *previous* reachable one. Result: every develop build — and the `ghcr.io/vvzvlad/gitmost:develop` image — keeps reporting e.g. `v0.93.0-NNN-g<hash>` even though a release was "cut". Tagging on `develop` (the golden rule above) avoids this entirely: the tag is in `develop`'s ancestry from the start, and `main` still gets it once `develop` is merged in.
Back-merging `main → develop` (step 7) pulls the tagged release commit into `develop`'s ancestry, after which develop builds correctly show `vX.Y.Z-NNN-g<hash>`. If `develop` already drifted (release tagged but never back-merged), just run step 7 now — no new tag is needed.
Second gotcha — the tag must exist on the remote CI builds from. `git describe` names a tag **ref**, not just a commit. The `:develop` and release images are built by GitHub Actions (`develop.yml` / `release.yml`, `actions/checkout` with `fetch-depth: 0`), so the version they print depends on which tags exist **on the `github` remote** — not on your local clone or on `gitea`. `git push <branch>` does **not** push tags; push them explicitly to **each** remote (`gitea` and `github`). A tag that only lives on `gitea` is invisible to the GitHub build.
##### The tag must also exist on the remote that CI builds from (multi-remote gotcha)
If you already tagged `main` (or `develop` still shows the old version), recover without re-tagging:
`git describe` names a tag **ref**, not just a commit — so the back-merge is *necessary but not sufficient*. The develop image is built by GitHub Actions (`develop.yml`, `actions/checkout` with `fetch-depth: 0`, then `git describe --tags --always`), so the version it prints depends on which tags exist **on the `github` remote**, not on your local clone or on `gitea`.
1. Make the tagged commit reachable from `develop` — either back-merge `main → develop` (`git checkout develop && git merge --no-ff main`), or confirm the tagged commit is already an ancestor of `develop`.
2. Make sure the tag exists on `github`: compare `git ls-remote --tags github` with `gitea`, and push the missing one (`git push github vX.Y.Z` / `git push gitea vX.Y.Z`). Pushing a `v*` tag to `github` also fires `release.yml` — expected, just be aware.
3. Re-run the develop build (`gh workflow run Develop`, or push any commit to `develop`) so `git describe` re-resolves with the tag now in scope.
This repo has two writable remotes — `gitea` (canonical, where commits land) and `github` (where the `:develop` and release images are built) — plus `upstream` (docmost, never push). **`git push <branch>` does NOT push tags**; tags must be pushed explicitly and *to each remote separately*. A release tag that only lives on `gitea` is invisible to the GitHub Actions build: even with the tagged commit fully in `develop`'s history (step 7 done), `git describe` on the GitHub runner falls back to the previous tag it *does* have, so the develop image keeps showing e.g. `v0.91.0-NNN` while `git describe` locally already says `v0.93.0-NN`.
Fix / checklist when develop still shows the old version after a back-merge:
1. Confirm the tag is missing on github: `git ls-remote --tags github` (compare with `gitea`).
2. Push it there: `git push github vX.Y.Z` (and `git push gitea vX.Y.Z` if it is missing on gitea too). Note: pushing a `v*` tag to `github` also triggers `release.yml` (multi-arch GHCR images + draft Release) — expected, but be aware.
3. Re-run the develop build (`gh workflow run Develop`, or push any commit to `develop`) so `git describe` re-resolves with the tag now present.
(The `git push origin ...` in steps 6–7 above is shorthand — there is no `origin` remote here; substitute `gitea` **and** `github` as appropriate, and always push release tags to both.)
(There is no `origin` remote here — push to `gitea` **and** `github` explicitly, and always push release tags to both.)
## Planning docs