bitsocialnet/release

Release

End-to-end release automation for 5chan.

Usage

The user provides a version bump (patch, minor, major, or explicit x.y.z). If omitted, ask which bump level they want.

Workflow

Copy this checklist and track progress:

Release Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Analyze commits
- [ ] Step 2: Write release body (longer sentence)
- [ ] Step 3: Write blotter message (concise keywords)
- [ ] Step 4: Bump version in package.json
- [ ] Step 5: Generate changelog
- [ ] Step 6: Update blotter file
- [ ] Step 7: Verify blotter
- [ ] Step 8: Commit, tag, push

Step 1 — Analyze commits

git tag --sort=-creatordate | head -1

Then list commits since that tag:

git log --oneline <tag>..HEAD

If there are no new commits, stop — nothing to release.

Categorize by Conventional Commits prefix (feat:, fix:, perf:, refactor:, chore:, etc.).

Step 2 — Write the release body one-liner

Edit oneLinerDescription in scripts/release-body.js (around line 105).

Rules:

• Start with "This version..." or "This release..."
• One sentence, no bullets
• Lead with the biggest features/fixes, group minor ones
• Plain language (user-facing)
• End with a period

Good examples:

• "This version adds backlinks for quoted posts, a copy user ID menu item, and several bug fixes."
• "This release adds pseudonymity mode support per-reply and fixes timezone display issues."

Step 3 — Write the blotter message

This is a separate, shorter summary used for the in-app blotter banner.

Rules:

• Comma-separated key highlights, no full sentence
• Omit "This version..." prefix — the blotter script prepends vX.Y.Z: automatically
• Aim for ~60–80 characters after the version prefix
• Only genuinely novel or noteworthy items — things a user would find interesting or exciting
• Skip regression fixes (restoring something that previously worked), routine bug fixes, minor z-index/modal/layout tweaks, test improvements, CI changes, and anything that isn't a new capability or a significant user-facing improvement
• If something was already a known feature and just got fixed/restored, it does not belong in the blotter
• Fewer strong items beat many weak items; 2–4 highlights is ideal
• Lead with the most impressive item

Good examples (the part you write, without the vX.Y.Z: prefix):

• "Board pagination, multi-provider uploads, mod queue redesign, catalog sorting"
• "Syncs board dirs from GitHub, macOS icon, reply perf"
• "Quote links, backlinks, pseudonymityMode, release artifacts"

Save this string — you will pass it to the blotter script in Step 6.

Step 4 — Bump version

Read package.json, compute the new version from the bump level, and update the "version" field.

| Bump | Effect | |------|--------| | patch | 0.6.7 → 0.6.8 | | minor | 0.6.7 → 0.7.0 | | major | 0.6.7 → 1.0.0 | | x.y.z | Set exactly |

Step 5 — Generate changelog

yarn changelog

This regenerates CHANGELOG.md from conventional commits.

Step 6 — Update blotter

Pass the blotter message from Step 3 (not the release body):

node scripts/update-blotter.js release --message "<blotter message>"

Step 7 — Verify blotter

node scripts/update-blotter.js check

If it fails, fix the issue and re-run.

Step 8 — Commit, tag, push

git add -A
git commit -m "chore(release): v<version>"
git push
git tag v<version>
git push --tags

GitHub Actions triggers on the pushed tag to build release artifacts.

Dry-run mode

If the user says "dry run" or "preview", execute Steps 1–7 but skip Step 8 (git operations). Print a summary of what would be committed so the user can review.