Release Management

VerifiedCaution

Automates the release process: determines release type (patch, minor, major), updates version in package.json, adds changelog entries, and checks for pending database migrations. Helps streamline creating new versions and ensuring consistency across releases.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
6/2/2026
Claude Code
#release#version-bump#changelog#migration#semantic-versioning

Recommended for

Automated summary

This skill automates creating a new release for an application, including updating the version number, changelog, and checking database migrations.

Strengths

  • Structured guide with clear steps
  • Integrated database migration checks
  • Semantic versioning compliance
  • User interaction for customizing content

Limitations

  • Tied to specific project structure (package.json, CHANGELOG.md)
  • Requires manual commit and git tag
  • Targeted to a particular application
When to use it

When preparing a new release of the application to coordinate version bump, changelog entries, and migration status.

When not to use it

For projects that do not use semantic versioning or have a different file structure than expected.

Security analysis

Caution
Quality score75/100

The skill instructs the agent to run a shell command (`bun run db:generate`) that relies on a script defined in the project's package.json. This could execute arbitrary code if the script is compromised or unintended, and the skill does not validate or restrict this behavior.

Findings
  • •Runs `bun run db:generate` which executes a script from package.json, potentially allowing arbitrary code execution without prior inspection.
How this analysis is made

Examples

Create a patch release
Create a new patch release for the notes app.
Bump to minor version
Bump the version to a minor release and update the changelog.
Prepare a major release
Prepare a major release with breaking changes.

name: release description: Create a new release version. Use when asked to create a release, prepare a release, bump version, or update the changelog.

Release Skill

This skill guides the process of creating a new release for the notes application.

Instructions

When the user asks to create a release, follow these steps:

Step 1: Determine Release Type

Use the AskUserQuestion tool to ask the user what type of release this is:

Options:

  • Patch (x.x.X) - Bug fixes and minor changes that don't add features
  • Minor (x.X.0) - New features that are backwards compatible
  • Major (X.0.0) - Breaking changes or major new features

Step 2: Calculate New Version

Read package.json to get the current version. Parse the semantic version (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH) and increment the appropriate number:

  • Patch: increment PATCH, keep MAJOR and MINOR
  • Minor: increment MINOR, reset PATCH to 0, keep MAJOR
  • Major: increment MAJOR, reset MINOR and PATCH to 0

Step 3: Ask for Changelog Content

Use AskUserQuestion or ask the user directly what changes should be documented in this release. The changelog follows this format:

## [VERSION] - YYYY-MM-DD

### New Features

- Feature descriptions here

### Improvements

- Improvement descriptions here

### Bug Fixes

- Bug fix descriptions here

### Database Changes

- Any schema changes here (remind to run migrations)

Only include sections that have content.

Step 4: Update Files

  1. Update package.json: Change the version field to the new version number

  2. Update CHANGELOG.md: Add the new version section at the top (after the header), above all existing versions

Step 5: Check Database Migrations

Run the following command to check if there are any pending schema changes:

bun run db:generate

If new migrations are generated:

  • Inform the user that new migrations were created
  • Remind them to run bun run db:push (dev) or bun run db:migrate (prod) after deployment

If no changes are detected, confirm that migrations are up to date.

Step 6: Summary

Provide a summary of what was done:

  • Old version -> New version
  • Changelog entries added
  • Migration status
  • Remind user to commit these changes and create a git tag if desired

Example Changelog Entry

## [0.2.0] - 2026-01-15

### New Features

**Feature Name**

- Description of the feature
- Additional details

### Improvements

**Area of Improvement**

- What was improved

### Database Changes

- Added `column_name` to `table_name` table

> **Note:** Run `bun run db:push` to apply the schema migration.

From the file to a first result

The download contains exactly the content displayed on this page. This copy may differ from the latest version in the source repository.

View the source and supporting files

This download contains SKILL.md only. Any scripts, references, templates and dependencies are not included. Get the required files from the source, preserving their directory structure, before continuing.

1. Download the file

Download SKILL.md

From the root of a test project, save the file as .skill-downloads/release-management-mmh8qr95/SKILL.md, or use the command below. This folder is for inspecting the skill before installation.

Command for macOS/Linux or WSL: requires a POSIX shell and curl. On Windows without WSL, use the download button and create the folder manually.

mkdir -p '.skill-downloads/release-management-mmh8qr95' && curl --fail --show-error --location 'https://skills-guides.com/api/skills/release-management-mmh8qr95/download' --output '.skill-downloads/release-management-mmh8qr95/SKILL.md.part' && mv '.skill-downloads/release-management-mmh8qr95/SKILL.md.part' '.skill-downloads/release-management-mmh8qr95/SKILL.md'

2. Check prerequisites

Read SKILL.md before using it. If it references scripts or external services, inspect them and prepare the required access in your test environment.

No recognized prerequisites section in this file. This does not mean it is self-contained: libraries, tools and access requirements may be mentioned elsewhere in the content or source repository.

The platforms on this page are catalog indications. The paths below follow tool documentation; they do not prove this skill has been run in those tools. No minimum tool version is confirmed for this listing.

3. Load the skill

After inspection, copy the complete folder into your project using one of the commands below, then open a new tool session. The command stops if a folder with the same name already exists: compare the files before replacing it.

Claude Code
test -f '.skill-downloads/release-management-mmh8qr95/SKILL.md' && test -s '.skill-downloads/release-management-mmh8qr95/SKILL.md' && mkdir -p '.claude/skills' && test ! -e '.claude/skills/release' && cp -R '.skill-downloads/release-management-mmh8qr95' '.claude/skills/release'

OpenSkills

OpenSkills must already be installed. The local install/read procedure is checked with OpenSkills 1.5.0, which requires Node.js ≥ 20.6.0. Catalog slugs are not resolved automatically.

Official OpenSkills installation
openskills install './.skill-downloads/release-management-mmh8qr95'

openskills read 'release-management-mmh8qr95'

Reading should display the installed file content and its base directory. It does not run the skill or install its dependencies.

For an agent that reads AGENTS.md, then sync the index. This command changes AGENTS.md: review the diff before using it.

openskills sync

Manual method or another tool: attach SKILL.md to a conversation, or open it in an agent that can read files. Include any required supporting resources. No universal folder is recognized by every tool.

4. Try a first task

Use a short, synthetic input: an API endpoint, a small document or an interface brief. In a new conversation, attach the file or give the agent its path, then adapt this request:

Read .skill-downloads/release-management-mmh8qr95/SKILL.md and apply its instructions to this example: [describe a test input]. Identify any missing files, dependencies or access. Produce the result requested by the skill without inventing data or running unreviewed scripts.

Expected result: output matching the skill instructions, or a precise list of missing prerequisites. A read confirmation alone does not validate a first use. If an external resource is unavailable, that path remains untested.

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