name: release description: Release a new version of the DevoxxGenie IntelliJ plugin — prompt for the target version, bump it in the build files, write a curated CHANGELOG.md entry and plugin.xml change-notes from the git/PR history since the last tag, build to verify, then commit, tag, and publish a matching GitHub release. Use this whenever the user wants to cut, ship, publish, or tag a new plugin release, bump the version for a release, or asks to "release vX.Y.Z" / "do a release" / "make a new version".
Release a new DevoxxGenie plugin version
This skill cuts a complete plugin release: version bump → curated changelog → plugin change-notes → build → commit → tag → GitHub release. The goal is a release whose CHANGELOG.md, plugin.xml change-notes, and GitHub release body all tell the same story, written from the actual work done — not a raw dump of PR titles.
The release commit lands on the current default branch (master), matching how prior
releases were cut here. Do not create a feature branch for a release.
Step 1 — Ask for the target version
Never assume the next version. Show the current version and ask the user what to release.
grep -E '^version\s*=' build.gradle.kts | head -n1 # e.g. version = "1.7.4"
Offer patch / minor / major as a guide (e.g. current 1.7.4 → patch 1.7.5, minor
1.8.0, major 2.0.0) but let the user state the exact number. Use it verbatim as
X.Y.Z (tags are vX.Y.Z).
Step 2 — Gather the history since the last release
Find the previous tag, then read what actually changed. You need the substance of each change, so look at PR titles and bodies/commits, not just subject lines.
git describe --tags --abbrev=0 # previous tag, e.g. v1.7.4
git log <prev-tag>..HEAD --oneline # commits to summarise
gh pr list --state merged --base master --limit 30 \
--json number,title,author,mergedAt,body # PR detail + authors
Group changes into the sections the CHANGELOG already uses, by conventional-commit prefix:
| Prefix | CHANGELOG section |
|---|---|
feat / add |
Added |
fix |
Fixed |
refactor / build / perf / style / chore (non-dep) |
Changed |
docs |
Documentation |
test |
Tests |
chore(deps) / bump / upgrade |
Dependencies |
Collect the unique PR authors for a Contributors section (@login).
Write descriptive entries: explain what changed and why it matters for a user or
maintainer, drawing on the PR body/diff — not just the raw commit subject. Keep the
feat(scope): / fix(scope): lead so entries scan consistently, and append issue/PR/task
references like (#1097) or (task-229, #1093). Omit empty sections.
Step 3 — Bump the version
build.gradle.kts: update the top-levelversion = "X.Y.Z"line (around line 18).src/main/resources/application.propertiesis auto-regenerated by the build from the Gradle project version — do not hand-edit it; Step 6's build updates it.plugin.xmlhas no<version>tag (it's injected by the Gradle IntelliJ plugin), so only its change-notes need editing — see Step 5.
Step 4 — Write the CHANGELOG.md entry
Insert a new section at the top of CHANGELOG.md, directly under the # Changelog
header and above the previous version. Match the existing house style exactly:
## vX.Y.Z - YYYY-MM-DD
### Added
- feat(tips): rotating tip line under the prompt placeholder, fetched from a 24h-cached
tips.json with a built-in fallback list (#1099)
### Fixed
- fix(scope): concise but complete description of the fix and its user-visible effect (#NNNN)
### Changed
- refactor(scope): what was restructured and why it's cleaner (#NNNN)
### Dependencies
- chore: upgrade <lib> A.B.C → X.Y.Z
### Contributors
- @stephanj
Use today's date (the current date is available in your context). Keep entries information- dense; a single fix can warrant a long sentence if the behaviour change is subtle (see the v1.7.4 credentials entry for the level of detail that's welcome).
Step 5 — Update plugin.xml change-notes
The Marketplace change-notes are a condensed view — the user-relevant highlights, one
concise <LI> each. Insert a new block immediately after <change-notes><![CDATA[, above
the existing <h2> for the prior version:
<h2>vX.Y.Z</h2>
<UL>
<LI>feat(tips): rotating tip line under the prompt input, fetched from a cached tips.json (#1099)</LI>
<LI>fix(scope): short user-facing summary (#NNNN)</LI>
</UL>
Skip internal-only churn (test-only, pure-refactor, doc) here unless it matters to users. Keep the indentation consistent with the surrounding blocks.
Step 6 — Build to verify
The project requires JDK 21 (JDK 25 breaks the Gradle build). Set JAVA_HOME first:
export JAVA_HOME=/Users/stephan/Library/Java/JavaVirtualMachines/azul-21.0.5/Contents/Home
./gradlew buildPlugin
This regenerates application.properties with the new version and produces
build/distributions/DevoxxGenie-X.Y.Z.zip. Confirm the zip name matches the new version
before continuing — a mismatch means the version bump didn't take.
Step 7 — Commit, tag, and push (confirm first)
Pushing and tagging are hard to undo and are outward-facing, so show the user the staged diff and the planned tag, and get an explicit go-ahead before running this step.
git add build.gradle.kts src/main/resources/application.properties \
src/main/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml CHANGELOG.md
git commit -m "chore: bump version to vX.Y.Z"
git tag -a "vX.Y.Z" -m "Release vX.Y.Z"
git push origin HEAD
git push origin "vX.Y.Z"
Step 8 — Create the GitHub release
The release body is the CHANGELOG section for this version. Prior releases bold the lead
clause of detailed entries (e.g. - **fix(credentials): …** — …) for scanability; apply
that lightly to the heaviest entries. Attach the built zip as the release asset.
Write the body to a temp file (avoids shell-escaping issues), then:
gh release create "vX.Y.Z" \
--title "vX.Y.Z" \
--notes-file /tmp/release-notes-X.Y.Z.md \
build/distributions/DevoxxGenie-X.Y.Z.zip
Finish by printing the release URL gh returns so the user can review it.
Notes
- This skill stops at the GitHub release. Publishing to the JetBrains Marketplace is a
separate, explicit step (
PUBLISH_TOKEN=… ./gradlew publishPlugin) — only do it if the user asks. - If the working tree has unrelated uncommitted changes, surface that before staging so the release commit doesn't sweep them in.