Files
PaperClipAI/scripts/release.sh
T
Devin Foley 71e9d6bb0b feat(release): candidate-branch beta builds and the release checklist (#11209)
> Follow-up to #11208 (merged): rebased onto master and ready for
review.

## Thinking Path

> - Paperclip is the open source app people use to manage AI agents for
work
> - The release channels promote artifacts along canary → nightly → beta
→ stable, with the happy path being promotion of an existing build
> - When one or two targeted fixes are needed before a beta or stable,
the only options today are waiting for the next nightly or absorbing a
whole day of unrelated master changes
> - The channel model was designed with an escape hatch for exactly
this: short-lived candidate branches carrying only cherry-picked fixes
> - This pull request implements candidate-branch beta builds with full
verification, documents the stable fix path through the
soak-justification gate, and adds the release captain's checklist
> - The benefit is that a surgical fix can ship forward without either
delay or blast radius, with its provenance recorded

## Linked Issues or Issue Description

Refs #11008 — completes the fix-path half of the channel model
introduced there.

**Subsystem affected**

Release automation: `scripts/release.sh`,
`.github/workflows/release.yml`, `doc/RELEASING.md`, new
`doc/RELEASE-CHECKLIST.md`, tests.

**Problem or motivation**

Beta promotion only accepts commits that already shipped as a nightly,
and stable promotion expects a soaked beta. There is no supported way to
ship one or two cherry-picked fixes between lanes: an urgent fix must
wait for the nightly cycle or pull in every unrelated master change from
the day. The original channel design called for candidate branches to
cover this, and they were deferred from the initial implementation.

**Proposed solution**

Candidate-branch beta builds: cut `candidate/beta-<target>` from a
nightly's source commit, cherry-pick the fixes, and dispatch `channel:
beta` with the new `candidate_branch` input. Selection enforces the
naming convention, rejects heads that already shipped as a beta or
predate the candidate tooling, and records the cherry-picked commits in
the job summary. Because candidate heads never went through a canary or
nightly, publication is gated on a full `release-verify` run (promoted
nightlies keep skipping re-verification). The stable fix path
(`candidate/release-<target>` as `source_ref`) works through the
existing soak gate: the justification requirement is the deliberate,
recorded trade-off for shipping unsoaked bits, and is now documented as
such.

## What Changed

- `scripts/release.sh`: `--from-candidate` flag (beta only) waives the
shipped-a-nightly requirement while keeping the duplicate-beta guard
- `.github/workflows/release.yml`: `candidate_branch` dispatch input;
candidate mode in `select_beta` (naming validation, duplicate and
tooling-era rejection, cherry-pick recording); new
`verify_beta_candidate` job gating candidate publishes on full
verification
- `doc/RELEASING.md`: beta fix-path and stable fix-path sections
- `doc/RELEASE-CHECKLIST.md` (new): the release captain's checklist for
all four lanes as built
- Tests: dry-run fixture coverage for `--from-candidate` (waives the
nightly guard, keeps the duplicate guard, rejected outside beta) and
wiring tests for candidate validation plus the verification gate

## Verification

- `node --test` on the four affected suites: 42 pass in total (17 + 25
across the two runs), including the 5 new tests
- `bash -n` on `release.sh`; YAML parse of the workflow
- After merge: exercise the path end to end the first time a real
cherry-picked beta is needed — dispatch with a `candidate/beta-*` branch
and confirm the summary records the picks and verification runs

## Risks

- Candidate builds bypass the smoke-tested-nightly provenance by design;
the compensating controls are full verification before publish, the
post-publish beta smoke, the human `npm-beta` gate, and recorded
cherry-picks
- The stable fix path rides the existing justification mechanism rather
than adding a second bypass — one recorded escape hatch, not two

## Model Used

Claude Fable 5 (`claude-fable-5`, Anthropic) in Claude Code, with
extended thinking and full tool use. All changes model-authored under
human direction.

## Checklist

- [x] I have included a thinking path that traces from project context
to this change
- [x] I have specified the model used (with version and capability
details)
- [x] I have checked ROADMAP.md and confirmed this PR does not duplicate
planned core work
- [x] I have searched GitHub for duplicate or related PRs and linked
them above
- [x] I have either (a) linked existing issues with `Fixes: #` / `Closes
#` / `Refs #` OR (b) described the issue in-PR following the relevant
issue template
- [x] I have not referenced internal/instance-local Paperclip issues or
links (only public GitHub `#NNN` / `github.com/paperclipai/paperclip`
URLs)
- [x] My branch name describes the change (e.g. `docs/...`, `fix/...`)
and contains no internal Paperclip ticket id or instance-derived details
- [x] I have run tests locally and they pass
- [x] I have added or updated tests where applicable
- [x] I have updated relevant documentation to reflect my changes
- [x] I have considered and documented any risks above
- [ ] All Paperclip CI gates are green (pending — will confirm before
merge)
- [ ] Greptile is 5/5 with no open P2s, recommendations, or follow-ups
(pending — will confirm before merge)
- [x] I will address all Greptile and reviewer comments before
requesting merge
2026-08-11 10:05:13 -07:00

417 lines
15 KiB
Bash
Executable File

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail
REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
# shellcheck source=./release-lib.sh
. "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/release-lib.sh"
CLI_DIR="$REPO_ROOT/cli"
channel=""
release_date=""
dry_run=false
skip_verify=false
print_version_only=false
from_candidate=false
tag_name=""
cleanup_on_exit=false
usage() {
cat <<'EOF'
Usage:
./scripts/release.sh <canary|nightly|beta|stable> [--date YYYY-MM-DD] [--dry-run] [--skip-verify] [--print-version]
Examples:
./scripts/release.sh canary
./scripts/release.sh canary --date 2026-03-17 --dry-run
./scripts/release.sh nightly --dry-run
./scripts/release.sh beta --dry-run
./scripts/release.sh beta --from-candidate --dry-run
./scripts/release.sh stable
./scripts/release.sh stable --date 2026-03-17 --dry-run
./scripts/release.sh stable --date 2026-03-18 --print-version
Notes:
- Stable versions use YYYY.MDD.P, where M is the UTC month, DD is the
zero-padded UTC day, and P is the same-day stable patch slot.
- Canary releases publish YYYY.MDD.P-canary.N under the npm dist-tag
"canary" and create the git tag canary/vYYYY.MDD.P-canary.N.
- Nightly releases republish a commit that already shipped a canary (HEAD
must carry a canary/v* tag) as YYYY.MDD.P-nightly.N under the npm
dist-tag "nightly", with the git tag nightly/vYYYY.MDD.P-nightly.N.
The version dates the nightly cut, not the source canary.
- Beta releases republish a commit that already shipped a nightly (HEAD
must carry a nightly/v* tag) as YYYY.MDD.P-beta.N under the npm
dist-tag "beta", with the git tag beta/vYYYY.MDD.P-beta.N.
- --from-candidate (beta only) waives the nightly-tag requirement for
cherry-picked candidate-branch builds; callers are responsible for
validating the candidate branch before using it.
- Stable releases publish YYYY.MDD.P under the npm dist-tag "latest" and
create the git tag vYYYY.MDD.P.
- Non-dry-run stable release notes must already exist at releases/vYYYY.MDD.P.md.
- The script rewrites versions temporarily and restores the working tree on
exit. Tags always point at the original source commit, not a generated
release commit.
EOF
}
restore_publish_artifacts() {
if [ -f "$CLI_DIR/package.dev.json" ]; then
mv "$CLI_DIR/package.dev.json" "$CLI_DIR/package.json"
fi
rm -f "$CLI_DIR/README.md"
rm -rf "$REPO_ROOT/server/ui-dist"
for pkg_dir in server packages/adapters/claude-local packages/adapters/codex-local; do
rm -rf "$REPO_ROOT/$pkg_dir/skills"
done
}
cleanup_release_state() {
restore_publish_artifacts
tracked_changes="$(git -C "$REPO_ROOT" diff --name-only; git -C "$REPO_ROOT" diff --cached --name-only)"
if [ -n "$tracked_changes" ]; then
printf '%s\n' "$tracked_changes" | sort -u | while IFS= read -r path; do
[ -z "$path" ] && continue
git -C "$REPO_ROOT" checkout -q HEAD -- "$path" || true
done
fi
untracked_changes="$(git -C "$REPO_ROOT" ls-files --others --exclude-standard)"
if [ -n "$untracked_changes" ]; then
printf '%s\n' "$untracked_changes" | while IFS= read -r path; do
[ -z "$path" ] && continue
if [ -d "$REPO_ROOT/$path" ]; then
rm -rf "$REPO_ROOT/$path"
else
rm -f "$REPO_ROOT/$path"
fi
done
fi
}
set_cleanup_trap() {
cleanup_on_exit=true
trap cleanup_release_state EXIT
}
while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
case "$1" in
canary|nightly|beta|stable)
if [ -n "$channel" ]; then
release_fail "only one release channel may be provided."
fi
channel="$1"
;;
--date)
shift
[ $# -gt 0 ] || release_fail "--date requires YYYY-MM-DD."
release_date="$1"
;;
--dry-run) dry_run=true ;;
--skip-verify) skip_verify=true ;;
--print-version) print_version_only=true ;;
--from-candidate) from_candidate=true ;;
-h|--help)
usage
exit 0
;;
*)
release_fail "unexpected argument: $1"
;;
esac
shift
done
[ -n "$channel" ] || {
usage
exit 1
}
if [ "$from_candidate" = true ] && [ "$channel" != "beta" ]; then
release_fail "--from-candidate only applies to the beta channel."
fi
PUBLISH_REMOTE="$(resolve_release_remote)"
fetch_release_remote "$PUBLISH_REMOTE"
CURRENT_BRANCH="$(git_current_branch)"
CURRENT_SHA="$(git -C "$REPO_ROOT" rev-parse HEAD)"
LAST_STABLE_TAG="$(get_last_stable_tag)"
CURRENT_STABLE_VERSION="$(get_current_stable_version)"
RELEASE_DATE="${release_date:-$(utc_date_iso)}"
PUBLIC_PACKAGE_INFO="$(list_public_package_info)"
PUBLIC_PACKAGE_NAMES=()
while IFS= read -r package_name; do
[ -n "$package_name" ] || continue
PUBLIC_PACKAGE_NAMES+=("$package_name")
done < <(printf '%s\n' "$PUBLIC_PACKAGE_INFO" | cut -f2)
[ -n "$PUBLIC_PACKAGE_INFO" ] || release_fail "no public packages were found in the workspace."
# Pre-fetch published versions for every public package in parallel so the
# version helpers below do not each issue one serial `npm view` call per
# package (see scripts/release-registry-versions.mjs).
RELEASE_PACKAGE_VERSIONS_FILE="$(mktemp)"
export RELEASE_PACKAGE_VERSIONS_FILE
node "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/release-registry-versions.mjs" fetch "${PUBLIC_PACKAGE_NAMES[@]}" > "$RELEASE_PACKAGE_VERSIONS_FILE"
TARGET_STABLE_VERSION="$(next_stable_version "$RELEASE_DATE" "${PUBLIC_PACKAGE_NAMES[@]}")"
TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION="$TARGET_STABLE_VERSION"
DIST_TAG="latest"
if [ "$channel" = "canary" ]; then
require_on_master_branch
TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION="$(next_prerelease_version canary "$TARGET_STABLE_VERSION" "${PUBLIC_PACKAGE_NAMES[@]}")"
DIST_TAG="canary"
tag_name="$(prerelease_tag_name canary "$TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION")"
elif [ "$channel" = "nightly" ]; then
# Nightly promotes an already-shipped canary commit, so it runs from a
# detached checkout of that commit rather than the master branch tip.
require_channel_tag_at_head canary
require_channel_tag_absent_at_head nightly
TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION="$(next_prerelease_version nightly "$TARGET_STABLE_VERSION" "${PUBLIC_PACKAGE_NAMES[@]}")"
DIST_TAG="nightly"
tag_name="$(prerelease_tag_name nightly "$TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION")"
elif [ "$channel" = "beta" ]; then
if [ "$from_candidate" = true ]; then
# Candidate builds carry targeted cherry-picks that never shipped as a
# nightly, so the nightly-tag requirement does not apply; the workflow
# validates the candidate branch identity before invoking this path.
:
else
# Beta promotes an already-shipped nightly commit.
require_channel_tag_at_head nightly
fi
require_channel_tag_absent_at_head beta
TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION="$(next_prerelease_version beta "$TARGET_STABLE_VERSION" "${PUBLIC_PACKAGE_NAMES[@]}")"
DIST_TAG="beta"
tag_name="$(prerelease_tag_name beta "$TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION")"
else
tag_name="$(stable_tag_name "$TARGET_STABLE_VERSION")"
fi
rm -f "$RELEASE_PACKAGE_VERSIONS_FILE"
unset RELEASE_PACKAGE_VERSIONS_FILE
if [ "$print_version_only" = true ]; then
printf '%s\n' "$TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION"
exit 0
fi
NOTES_FILE="$(release_notes_file "$TARGET_STABLE_VERSION")"
require_clean_worktree
require_npm_publish_auth "$dry_run"
if [ "$channel" = "stable" ] && [ "$dry_run" = false ] && [ ! -f "$NOTES_FILE" ]; then
release_fail "stable release notes file is required at $NOTES_FILE before publishing stable."
fi
if [ "$channel" = "canary" ] && [ -f "$NOTES_FILE" ]; then
release_info " ✓ Stable release notes already exist at $NOTES_FILE"
fi
if git_local_tag_exists "$tag_name" || git_remote_tag_exists "$tag_name" "$PUBLISH_REMOTE"; then
release_fail "git tag $tag_name already exists locally or on $PUBLISH_REMOTE."
fi
# Fresh (non-cached) existence check, batched in parallel. Prints the
# offending package@version pairs itself before failing.
node "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/release-registry-versions.mjs" assert-absent "$TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION" "${PUBLIC_PACKAGE_NAMES[@]}" \
|| release_fail "npm version ${TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION} already exists for one or more packages."
release_info ""
release_info "==> Release plan"
release_info " Remote: $PUBLISH_REMOTE"
release_info " Channel: $channel"
release_info " Current branch: ${CURRENT_BRANCH:-<detached>}"
release_info " Source commit: $CURRENT_SHA"
release_info " Last stable tag: ${LAST_STABLE_TAG:-<none>}"
release_info " Current stable version: $CURRENT_STABLE_VERSION"
release_info " Release date (UTC): $RELEASE_DATE"
release_info " Target stable version: $TARGET_STABLE_VERSION"
case "$channel" in
canary) release_info " Canary version: $TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION" ;;
nightly) release_info " Nightly version: $TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION" ;;
beta) release_info " Beta version: $TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION" ;;
*) release_info " Stable version: $TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION" ;;
esac
release_info " Dist-tag: $DIST_TAG"
release_info " Git tag: $tag_name"
if [ "$channel" = "stable" ]; then
release_info " Release notes: $NOTES_FILE"
fi
set_cleanup_trap
# The release flow already prepares ui/dist before packaging. Reuse that output
# so server prepack does not rebuild the UI a second time during preview/publish.
export PAPERCLIP_RELEASE_REUSE_UI_DIST=1
if [ "$skip_verify" = false ]; then
release_info ""
release_info "==> Step 1/7: Verification gate..."
cd "$REPO_ROOT"
pnpm -r typecheck
pnpm test:run
pnpm build
else
release_info ""
release_info "==> Step 1/7: Verification gate skipped (--skip-verify)"
fi
release_info ""
release_info "==> Step 2/7: Building workspace artifacts..."
cd "$REPO_ROOT"
pnpm build
node "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/build-standalone-public-packages.mjs"
bash "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/prepare-server-ui-dist.sh"
for pkg_dir in server packages/adapters/claude-local packages/adapters/codex-local; do
rm -rf "$REPO_ROOT/$pkg_dir/skills"
cp -r "$REPO_ROOT/skills" "$REPO_ROOT/$pkg_dir/skills"
done
release_info " ✓ Workspace build complete"
release_info ""
release_info "==> Step 3/7: Rewriting workspace versions..."
set_public_package_version "$TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION"
release_info " ✓ Versioned workspace to $TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION"
release_info ""
release_info "==> Step 4/7: Building publishable CLI bundle..."
"$REPO_ROOT/scripts/build-npm.sh" --skip-checks --skip-typecheck
release_info " ✓ CLI bundle ready"
VERSIONED_PACKAGE_INFO="$(list_public_package_info)"
VERSION_IN_CLI_PACKAGE="$(node -e "console.log(require('$CLI_DIR/package.json').version)")"
if [ "$VERSION_IN_CLI_PACKAGE" != "$TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION" ]; then
release_fail "versioning drift detected. Expected $TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION but found $VERSION_IN_CLI_PACKAGE."
fi
VERIFY_ATTEMPTS="${NPM_PUBLISH_VERIFY_ATTEMPTS:-12}"
VERIFY_DELAY_SECONDS="${NPM_PUBLISH_VERIFY_DELAY_SECONDS:-5}"
release_info ""
if [ "$dry_run" = true ]; then
release_info "==> Step 5/7: Previewing publish payloads (--dry-run)..."
while IFS=$'\t' read -r pkg_dir _pkg_name _pkg_version; do
[ -z "$pkg_dir" ] && continue
release_info " --- $pkg_dir ---"
cd "$REPO_ROOT/$pkg_dir"
publish_tool="$(package_publish_tool)"
if [ "$publish_tool" = "npm" ]; then
publish_dir="$(mktemp -d "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/paperclip-release-package.XXXXXX")"
node "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/prepare-bundled-package.mjs" "$REPO_ROOT/$pkg_dir" "$publish_dir"
cd "$publish_dir"
run_bundled_npm_pack pack --pack-destination "$publish_dir" 2>&1 | tail -3
rm -rf "$publish_dir"
else
pnpm publish --dry-run --no-git-checks --tag "$DIST_TAG" 2>&1 | tail -3
fi
done <<< "$VERSIONED_PACKAGE_INFO"
release_info " [dry-run] Would create git tag $tag_name on $CURRENT_SHA"
else
release_info "==> Step 5/7: Publishing packages to npm..."
while IFS=$'\t' read -r pkg_dir pkg_name pkg_version; do
[ -z "$pkg_dir" ] && continue
release_info " Publishing $pkg_name@$pkg_version"
cd "$REPO_ROOT/$pkg_dir"
publish_tool="$(package_publish_tool)"
if [ "$publish_tool" = "npm" ]; then
publish_dir="$(mktemp -d "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/paperclip-release-package.XXXXXX")"
node "$REPO_ROOT/scripts/prepare-bundled-package.mjs" "$REPO_ROOT/$pkg_dir" "$publish_dir"
cd "$publish_dir"
fi
if ! publish_package_to_npm_and_wait \
"$DIST_TAG" \
"$pkg_name" \
"$pkg_version" \
"$publish_tool" \
"$VERIFY_ATTEMPTS" \
"$VERIFY_DELAY_SECONDS"; then
if [ "$publish_tool" = "npm" ]; then
rm -rf "$publish_dir"
fi
release_fail "stopping release: npm did not publish and expose ${pkg_name}@${pkg_version}"
fi
if [ "$publish_tool" = "npm" ]; then
rm -rf "$publish_dir"
fi
release_info " ✓ Published version is registry-visible"
done <<< "$VERSIONED_PACKAGE_INFO"
release_info " ✓ Published the full package set under dist-tag $DIST_TAG"
fi
release_info ""
if [ "$dry_run" = true ]; then
release_info "==> Step 6/7: Skipping npm verification in dry-run mode..."
else
release_info "==> Step 6/7: Confirming npm package availability and dist-tag integrity..."
REGISTRY_STATE_VERIFY_ATTEMPTS="${NPM_REGISTRY_STATE_VERIFY_ATTEMPTS:-12}"
REGISTRY_STATE_VERIFY_DELAY_SECONDS="${NPM_REGISTRY_STATE_VERIFY_DELAY_SECONDS:-5}"
release_info " ✓ Every version was registry-visible before the next package publish"
verify_args=(
--channel "$channel"
--dist-tag "$DIST_TAG"
--target-version "$TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION"
)
while IFS=$'\t' read -r _pkg_dir pkg_name _pkg_version; do
[ -z "$pkg_name" ] && continue
verify_args+=(--package "$pkg_name")
done <<< "$VERSIONED_PACKAGE_INFO"
release_info " Waiting for npm dist-tags and package metadata to converge..."
if wait_for_release_registry_state \
"$REGISTRY_STATE_VERIFY_ATTEMPTS" \
"$REGISTRY_STATE_VERIFY_DELAY_SECONDS" \
"${verify_args[@]}"; then
:
else
verify_status=$?
if [ "$verify_status" -eq 2 ]; then
release_fail "publish completed, but registry verification failed immediately for ${TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION}; dist-tag state is wrong or requires operator intervention"
fi
release_fail "publish completed, but npm dist-tags or registry metadata never converged for ${TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION}"
fi
release_info " Installing paperclipai@$DIST_TAG into a clean prefix..."
if ! verify_npm_installable "paperclipai@$DIST_TAG" "$TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION"; then
release_fail "paperclipai@$DIST_TAG did not install cleanly at expected version ${TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION}"
fi
release_info " ✓ Clean-prefix install resolved ${TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION}"
fi
release_info ""
if [ "$dry_run" = true ]; then
release_info "==> Step 7/7: Dry run complete..."
else
release_info "==> Step 7/7: Creating git tag..."
git -C "$REPO_ROOT" tag "$tag_name" "$CURRENT_SHA"
release_info " ✓ Created tag $tag_name on $CURRENT_SHA"
fi
release_info ""
if [ "$dry_run" = true ]; then
release_info "Dry run complete for $channel ${TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION}."
else
case "$channel" in
canary|nightly|beta)
release_info "Published $channel ${TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION}."
release_info "Install with: npx paperclipai@$channel onboard"
release_info "Next step: git push ${PUBLISH_REMOTE} refs/tags/${tag_name}"
;;
*)
release_info "Published stable ${TARGET_PUBLISH_VERSION}."
release_info "Next steps:"
release_info " git push ${PUBLISH_REMOTE} refs/tags/${tag_name}"
release_info " ./scripts/create-github-release.sh $TARGET_STABLE_VERSION"
;;
esac
fi