Release a new version

---

name: release description: "Release a new version: bump version, update docs, commit, push, and tag" argument-hint: "<major|minor|patch>"

Release a new version of mdeck.

Input

$ARGUMENTS must be one of: major, minor, patch. If empty or invalid, stop and ask.

Steps

1. Determine the new version

• Read the current version from the version field in the workspace Cargo.toml
• Apply the semver bump based on $ARGUMENTS:
  • patch: 0.2.0 -> 0.2.1
  • minor: 0.2.0 -> 0.3.0
  • major: 0.2.0 -> 1.0.0
• Show the user: "Releasing mdeck v{OLD} -> v{NEW}"

2. Pre-flight checks

• Run cargo update to update dependencies to the latest compatible versions
• Run cargo fmt --all -- --check — abort if formatting issues
• Run cargo clippy --workspace -- -D warnings — abort if warnings
• Run cargo test --workspace — abort if any test fails
• Run git status — abort if there are uncommitted changes that are NOT documentation or version files

3. Verify documentation and spec are up to date

• crates/mdeck/doc/mdeck-spec.md: Review the format spec against current features. Run cargo run -p mdeck -- spec and cargo run -p mdeck -- spec --short to verify the output looks correct and covers all implemented features. If new visualizations, layouts, directives, or keyboard shortcuts have been added since the last release, update the spec (and the short reference in commands/spec.rs) before proceeding.
• README.md: Verify features list, command reference, visualization table, and gallery preview images are current.
• GALLERY.md: If rendering has changed, re-export gallery slides (cargo run -p mdeck -- export sample-presentations/gallery.md --output-dir media/gallery) and verify screenshots reflect current rendering.
• CLAUDE.md: Verify architecture, commands, and patterns sections are accurate.
• If any documentation is out of date, update it now before proceeding to the version bump.

4. Bump version numbers

• Update version in the root Cargo.toml [workspace.package] section

5. Update CHANGELOG

• CHANGELOG.md: Rename the [Unreleased] section to [{NEW_VERSION}] - {TODAY} (YYYY-MM-DD format). If there is no [Unreleased] section, create a new dated entry summarizing changes since the last release

6. Verify the build

• Run cargo build --workspace to ensure everything compiles with the new version
• Run cargo test --workspace once more after version bump

7. Commit, push, and tag

• Stage all changed files: Cargo.toml, Cargo.lock, CHANGELOG.md, and any updated docs
• Commit with message: Release v{NEW_VERSION}
• Push to main: git push
• Create and push tag: git tag v{NEW_VERSION} && git push origin v{NEW_VERSION}

8. Confirm

• Tell the user the release is tagged and pushed
• Remind them that the GitHub Actions release workflow will now build binaries, publish to crates.io, and update the Homebrew tap