Claude Command: Obsidian Release

Usage

/obsidian.release beta     # Create beta release for BRAT
/obsidian.release rc       # Create release candidate
/obsidian.release stable   # Prepare stable release (via Release Please)
/obsidian.release          # Interactive - ask which type

Release Types

Beta Release ([beta])

For BRAT users to test in-progress changes:

• Triggered by [beta] keyword in commit message
• Creates prerelease like 1.2.0-beta.5+abc1234
• Available immediately via BRAT
• Can push multiple betas without version bump

Release Candidate ([rc])

For final testing before stable:

• Triggered by [rc] keyword in commit message
• Creates prerelease like 1.2.0-rc.1
• Cleans up previous beta releases
• Signals "ready for stable" to testers

Stable Release

For production/community plugin listing:

• Managed by Release Please PR
• Merge the "chore(main): release X.Y.Z" PR
• Automatically builds and uploads assets
• Cleans up all prereleases for this version

Step-by-Step Process

1. Pre-flight Checks

Before any release:

# Verify clean working directory
git status

# Ensure tests pass
npm test

# Ensure build succeeds
npm run build

# Check current version
cat manifest.json | jq '.version'

# Check for open Release Please PR
gh pr list --state open --search "chore(main): release"

2. Beta Release

# Option A: Add [beta] to new commit
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add new feature [beta]"
git push

# Option B: Amend last commit with [beta]
git commit --amend -m "$(git log -1 --format=%B) [beta]"
git push --force-with-lease

The beta-release.yml workflow will:

1. Detect [beta] keyword
2. Generate version: {next-version}-beta.{commit-count}+{short-sha}
3. Update manifest.json temporarily
4. Build plugin
5. Create GitHub prerelease
6. Upload main.js, manifest.json, styles.css

3. Release Candidate

# Add [rc] to commit message
git commit -m "chore: prepare release candidate [rc]"
git push

The rc-release.yml workflow will:

1. Detect [rc] keyword
2. Generate version: {next-version}-rc.{count}
3. Delete all beta releases for this version
4. Create RC prerelease

4. Stable Release

# Check for Release Please PR
gh pr list --state open --search "chore(main): release"

# Review the PR changes
gh pr view {pr-number}

# Merge when ready
gh pr merge {pr-number} --merge

Release Please will:

1. Update CHANGELOG.md
2. Bump version in package.json and manifest.json
3. Update versions.json
4. Create GitHub release
5. Upload assets
6. Delete all prereleases for this version

Checking Release Status

# List recent releases
gh release list --limit 10

# View specific release
gh release view v1.2.0

# Check GitHub Actions status
gh run list --limit 5

Fixing Release Issues

Beta didn't trigger

Check commit message includes [beta]:

git log -1 --format=%B
# If missing, amend:
git commit --amend -m "$(git log -1 --format=%B) [beta]"
git push --force-with-lease

Version mismatch in BRAT

BRAT requires manifest.json version to match release tag:

# Check release assets
gh release view v1.2.0-beta.1 --json assets

# Re-upload fixed manifest if needed
gh release upload v1.2.0-beta.1 manifest.json --clobber

Delete bad release

# Delete release and tag
gh release delete v1.2.0-beta.1 --yes --cleanup-tag

Force versions.json update

If versions.json is out of sync:

# Get current version
VERSION=$(jq -r '.version' manifest.json)
MIN_VERSION=$(jq -r '.minAppVersion' manifest.json)

# Update versions.json
jq --arg v "$VERSION" --arg m "$MIN_VERSION" '. + {($v): $m}' versions.json > tmp.json
mv tmp.json versions.json

git add versions.json
git commit -m "chore: update versions.json for $VERSION"
git push

BRAT Installation Instructions

For testers installing via BRAT:

1. Install BRAT from Community Plugins
2. Open BRAT settings
3. Click "Add Beta Plugin"
4. Enter: {github-username}/{repo-name}
5. Enable the plugin

Version Numbering Guide

Change Type	Version Bump	Example
Breaking change	Major	1.0.0 → 2.0.0
New feature	Minor	1.0.0 → 1.1.0
Bug fix	Patch	1.0.0 → 1.0.1
Beta	Prerelease	1.1.0-beta.1
RC	Prerelease	1.1.0-rc.1

Use conventional commits:

• feat: → minor bump
• fix: → patch bump
• feat!: or BREAKING CHANGE: → major bump

Output Summary

After triggering release:

🚀 Release triggered!

Type: Beta
Version: 1.2.0-beta.5+abc1234
Commit: feat: add new feature [beta]

📋 Next steps:
   - Monitor: gh run watch
   - Verify: gh release view 1.2.0-beta.5+abc1234
   - Test: Install via BRAT

🔗 BRAT install: username/repo-name