release-check

Release Check

Validates that the package is ready for release via npm version {VERSION}. Run all steps in order and report the result of each check before continuing to the next.

Release Flow Context

Releases follow a two-step sequence:

1. Pre-release (this skill): All checks below must pass.
2. Tag and publish: npm version {VERSION} (auto-bumps package.json, creates a Git commit and tag), then npm publish.

npm version creates the Git tag automatically. Therefore at release-check time, package.json still holds the old version while CHANGELOG.md already documents the new version. The version ahead check relies on this gap.

Procedure

1. Changelog version ahead check

Extract the topmost version from CHANGELOG.md (the first line matching ## vX.Y.Z). Read the version field from package.json. Parse both as semver and verify the changelog version is strictly greater than the package.json version.

Pass: Changelog version > package.json version.
Fail: They are equal (changelog not updated yet) or package.json is ahead (version was bumped without a changelog entry).

2. Git tag gap check

git tag --sort=-v:refname | head -5

Confirm that the changelog top version does not already have a corresponding Git tag (e.g., if changelog says v2.4.0, there must be no v2.4.0 tag). A matching tag means this version has already been released.

Pass: No Git tag exists for the changelog top version.
Fail: Matching tag found — changelog entry is a re-release of an already-tagged version.

3. TypeScript type check

npm run typecheck

Must complete with no errors. Fix all type errors before proceeding.

4. Test suite

npm test

All Vitest tests must pass. Zero failures and zero unresolved errors are required. Skipped tests are acceptable.

5. Build

npm run build

tsup must produce the dist/ output without errors. This confirms the package is publishable and catches any compilation issues not caught by typecheck alone (e.g., tsup-specific entry point resolution).

5a. Plugin artefacts freshness check

After the build completes, check whether any files under plugins/ were modified:

git diff --name-only plugins/
git status --short plugins/

The plugins/ directory contains committed build artefacts (publishable plugin outputs). If the build regenerated them, they are stale and must be committed before the release.

Pass: No modified or untracked files under plugins/.
Fail: One or more files under plugins/ differ from HEAD — commit them and restart the check from step 5.

6. Git working tree

git status --short
git diff --name-only

The working tree must be clean before running npm version. Commit or stash any uncommitted changes first.

Pass Criteria

All 7 checks must pass before proceeding.

Tagging and Publishing

Once all checks pass:

npm version <version>   # e.g. npm version 2.4.0
npm publish

npm version automatically bumps package.json, creates a commit, and creates the Git tag. Push the commit and tag afterward:

git push && git push --tags