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Agent skill

Release

by joa23 in joa23/linear-cli

Pre-release checklist to ensure CHANGELOG, version numbers, tests, and documentation are updated before cutting a release.

MITAuto-check passedDevelopment

Install Release

skills CLI
$ npx skills add joa23/linear-cli --skill release -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install joa23/linear-cli release --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/joa23/linear-cli.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/.claude/skills/release .claude/skills/release && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
release
GitHub stars
144
Token cost
~3.2k tokens
SKILL.md length
658 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
8
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Pre-release checklist to ensure CHANGELOG, version numbers, tests, and documentation are updated before cutting a release.

  • Works in 9 steps: Determine Release Version → Update CHANGELOG.md → Update Version Numbers → …
  • Tasks that involve Feature launches and release readiness
  • SKILL.md covers When to Use, The Problem, Pre-Release Checklist and Release Checklist Template, plus 7 more sections
  • Calls git, make and brew; reaches github.com

What it does

Release is an agent skill from joa23/linear-cli. Pre-release checklist to ensure CHANGELOG, version numbers, tests, and documentation are updated before cutting a release.

Its SKILL.md is about 3.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Development, covering Feature launches and release readiness and Changelog and release notes. The repository describes itself as: A token-efficient CLI for Linear. The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Tasks that involve Feature launches and release readiness
  • Tasks that involve Changelog and release notes

Example prompts

  • “/release”

Workflow steps

9 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Determine Release Version
  2. Update CHANGELOG.md
  3. Update Version Numbers
  4. Verify Documentation
  5. Run All Tests
  6. Check for Uncommitted Changes
  7. Build and Smoke Test
  8. Execute Release
  9. Install and Verify

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 575c6f0. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    Shell commands in SKILL.md call:

    • git
    • make
    • brew
    • gh

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    Hosts in commands or code, which the agent is likely to contact:

    • github.com

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Release loads about 3.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 33 tokens; SKILL.md has 658 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~33
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~3.2k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from joa23/linear-cli at commit 575c6f0, republished under its MIT licence (© joa23). 658 words, ~3,159 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/release/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
release
description
Pre-release checklist to ensure CHANGELOG, version numbers, tests, and documentation are updated before cutting a release.

Release Skill - Pre-Release Validation

You are an expert at preparing software releases and ensuring no critical steps are missed.

When to Use

Use this skill before cutting any release to validate:

  • CHANGELOG is updated with all changes
  • Version numbers are consistent across files
  • All tests pass
  • Documentation reflects new features
  • No uncommitted changes exist

The Problem

Releases often ship with:

  • ❌ Missing CHANGELOG entries
  • ❌ Inconsistent version numbers
  • ❌ Outdated documentation
  • ❌ Failing tests
  • ❌ Uncommitted changes

This skill provides a systematic checklist to prevent these issues.

Pre-Release Checklist

Step 1: Determine Release Version
bash
# Check current version
git describe --tags --abbrev=0

# Check recent commits for release type
git log --oneline $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD

Semantic Versioning:

  • MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 1.2.0)
  • MAJOR: Breaking changes
  • MINOR: New features (backwards compatible)
  • PATCH: Bug fixes only

Next version for this release:

  • Breaking changes? → Bump MAJOR (2.0.0)
  • New features? → Bump MINOR (1.3.0)
  • Bug fixes only? → Bump PATCH (1.2.1)
Step 2: Update CHANGELOG.md

CRITICAL: This must be done BEFORE creating the release.

bash
# 1. Read CHANGELOG.md
cat CHANGELOG.md

# 2. Check what's changed since last release
git log --oneline $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --pretty=format:"%s"

# 3. Categorize commits
#    - feat: → Added section
#    - fix: → Fixed section
#    - docs: → Changed section
#    - refactor/perf: → Changed section
#    - BREAKING: → mention in description

CHANGELOG Format:

markdown
## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD

### Added
- New features go here
- Each feature as a bullet point
- Use present tense ("Add feature" not "Added feature")

### Changed
- Breaking changes
- Improvements to existing features
- Documentation updates

### Fixed
- Bug fixes
- Security patches

### Removed
- Deprecated features removed

[X.Y.Z]: https://github.com/USER/REPO/compare/vX.Y.Z-1...vX.Y.Z

What to Include:

  • ✅ All user-facing changes
  • ✅ New commands, flags, features
  • ✅ Bug fixes that users would notice
  • ✅ Breaking changes (ALWAYS mention these)
  • ✅ New skills or major documentation
  • ❌ Internal refactoring (unless it improves performance)
  • ❌ Code cleanup that doesn't affect users
  • ❌ Test-only changes
Step 3: Update Version Numbers

Check and update version in all files:

bash
# 1. Homebrew formula
grep "version" Formula/linear-cli.rb

# 2. Any version constants in code
grep -r "version.*=.*\"" --include="*.go" .

# 3. Package files (if applicable)
grep "version" package.json 2>/dev/null

Files to check:

  • Formula/linear-cli.rb - version field
  • Any version constants in Go code
  • README badges (if version is shown)
Step 4: Verify Documentation

README.md:

bash
# Check README mentions new features
grep -i "search" README.md  # Example: check new feature is documented

CLAUDE.md:

bash
# Check AI agent documentation is current
cat CLAUDE.md | head -100

Questions to ask:

  • Does README showcase new features?
  • Are new commands in the help output?
  • Do examples use the latest syntax?
  • Are new skills listed?
Step 5: Run All Tests
bash
# Run full test suite
make test

# Check for test failures
echo $?  # Should be 0

If tests fail:

  • ❌ DO NOT proceed with release
  • Fix the failing tests first
  • Commit the fixes
  • Run tests again
Step 6: Check for Uncommitted Changes
bash
git status

Must show:

On branch main
nothing to commit, working tree clean

If there are uncommitted changes:

  • Review them carefully
  • Commit if they should be in the release
  • Discard if they're experimental
Step 7: Build and Smoke Test
bash
# Build the binary
make build

# Test critical commands
./bin/linear --help
./bin/linear search --help
./bin/linear skills list

# Test a real command (if auth is configured)
./bin/linear issues list --limit 1
Step 8: Execute Release

Only after ALL previous steps pass.

CRITICAL: Do NOT run goreleaser locally

bash
# ❌ DON'T do this - causes duplicate upload errors:
goreleaser release --clean

# ✅ DO this instead - let GitHub Actions build:
git tag vX.Y.Z && git push origin vX.Y.Z
gh run watch --exit-status
gh release download vX.Y.Z --pattern checksums.txt --output -

Running goreleaser locally AND having GitHub Actions run it causes duplicate artifact uploads and release failures.

bash
# 1. Commit any pending changes (CHANGELOG, code fixes)
git add -A
git commit -m "fix: Description of changes

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>"
git push origin main

# 2. Create and push tag (this triggers GitHub Actions)
git tag vX.Y.Z && git push origin vX.Y.Z

# 3. Wait for GitHub Actions to complete (~2 minutes)
gh run watch --exit-status

# 4. Get checksums from the release
gh release download vX.Y.Z --pattern checksums.txt --output -

# 5. Update Homebrew formula with new version and SHA256 checksums
# Edit Formula/linear-cli.rb:
#   - version "X.Y.Z"
#   - Update all sha256 values for each platform

# 6. Commit and push formula
git add Formula/linear-cli.rb
git commit -m "chore: Update formula to vX.Y.Z"
git push origin main
Step 9: Install and Verify
bash
# 1. Update the local Homebrew tap
cd /opt/homebrew/Library/Taps/joa23/homebrew-linear-cli && git pull && cd -

# 2. Upgrade via Homebrew
brew upgrade linear-cli

# 3. Verify version
linear --version

# 4. Test the fix (example: if you fixed state filtering)
linear issues list --state "In Progress" --team TEST --limit 1

# 5. Test critical functionality
linear --help
linear issues list --limit 1

If upgrade fails or wrong version:

bash
# Force reinstall
brew uninstall linear-cli
brew install linear-cli

Release Checklist Template

Copy this checklist before each release:

markdown
## Release vX.Y.Z Checklist

### Pre-Release
- [ ] Determined version number (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH)
- [ ] Updated CHANGELOG.md with all changes
  - [ ] Added section
  - [ ] Changed section
  - [ ] Fixed section
  - [ ] Version link at bottom
- [ ] Verified version numbers consistent
  - [ ] Formula/linear-cli.rb
  - [ ] Code constants (if any)
- [ ] Documentation updated
  - [ ] README.md includes new features
  - [ ] CLAUDE.md current
  - [ ] Help text accurate
- [ ] All tests pass (`make test`)
- [ ] No uncommitted changes (`git status`)
- [ ] Built and smoke tested (`make build`)

### Release
- [ ] Committed all changes with proper message
- [ ] Pushed to main
- [ ] Created and pushed tag (`git tag vX.Y.Z && git push origin vX.Y.Z`)
- [ ] Waited for GitHub Actions (`gh run watch --exit-status`)
- [ ] Downloaded checksums (`gh release download vX.Y.Z --pattern checksums.txt --output -`)
- [ ] Updated Homebrew formula
  - [ ] Version number
  - [ ] All SHA256 checksums (Darwin arm64, Darwin x86_64, Linux arm64, Linux x86_64)
  - [ ] Committed and pushed formula

### Post-Release
- [ ] Updated local Homebrew tap (`cd /opt/homebrew/.../homebrew-linear-cli && git pull`)
- [ ] Upgraded via Homebrew (`brew upgrade linear-cli`)
- [ ] Verified `linear --version` shows correct version
- [ ] Manually tested the fix/feature
- [ ] Smoke tested critical commands

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Show full SKILL.md (265 more words)Show less
❌ Forgetting CHANGELOG

Problem: Users don't know what changed.

Solution: ALWAYS update CHANGELOG BEFORE creating tag.

❌ Inconsistent Versions

Problem: Formula says v1.2.0 but tag is v1.3.0.

Solution: Grep for all version references before tagging.

❌ Releasing with Failing Tests

Problem: Broken release shipped to users.

Solution: make test must pass before release.

❌ Missing Documentation

Problem: New feature exists but isn't documented.

Solution: Update README and skills before release.

❌ Wrong Semantic Version

Problem: Bug fix released as MINOR version.

Solution: Review commit log to classify changes:

  • New features = MINOR
  • Bug fixes = PATCH
  • Breaking changes = MAJOR

Rollback Procedure

If you need to rollback a bad release:

bash
# 1. Delete the GitHub release
gh release delete vX.Y.Z --yes

# 2. Delete the tag locally and remotely
git tag -d vX.Y.Z
git push origin :refs/tags/vX.Y.Z

# 3. Fix the issues
# ... make fixes ...

# 4. Start release process again with same version (or bump to vX.Y.Z+1)

Automation Notes

What could be automated:

  • ✅ Version bump in files (script)
  • ✅ CHANGELOG generation from commits (partially - needs human review)
  • ✅ Running tests (CI/CD)
  • ❌ Writing good CHANGELOG descriptions (needs human judgment)
  • ❌ Deciding what's user-facing vs internal (needs context)

This skill focuses on the human judgment parts that can't be automated.

Example Release Session

User: I want to cut a new release for the search feature we just added.
Assistant (using /release skill):
  Let me guide you through the pre-release checklist for cutting a release.

  **Step 1: Determine Version**
  Current version: v1.0.1
  Commits since last release:
  - feat: Add unified search command
  - feat: Add dependency filtering
  - feat: Add /link-deps skill
  - docs: Update documentation
  - fix: Token sanitization

  This contains new features (search, link-deps skill), so we should bump MINOR version.
  → Next version: v1.2.0

  **Step 2: CHANGELOG Check**
  Let me read CHANGELOG.md...
  
  ❌ CHANGELOG.md is missing v1.2.0 section!
  
  I need to add a section for v1.2.0. Let me review commits to categorize:
  
  Added:
  - Unified search command
  - Dependency filters (--blocked-by, --blocks, etc.)
  - /link-deps skill
  - Enhanced documentation
  
  Changed:
  - All skills updated with search references
  
  Fixed:
  - Token sanitization
  
  Let me update CHANGELOG.md now...
  [Updates CHANGELOG]
  
  ✅ CHANGELOG.md now includes v1.2.0
  
  **Step 3: Version Numbers**
  Checking Formula/linear-cli.rb... shows v1.1.1
  ❌ Needs update to v1.2.0 (but this happens AFTER goreleaser)
  
  **Step 4: Documentation**
  Checking README.md... ✅ Search feature documented
  Checking CLAUDE.md... ✅ Current
  Checking --help output... ✅ Up to date
  
  **Step 5: Tests**
  Running: make test
  ✅ All tests pass
  
  **Step 6: Uncommitted Changes**
  Running: git status
  
  Modified files:
  - CHANGELOG.md
  
  ❌ We have uncommitted CHANGELOG changes
  → Commit these before proceeding
  
  [User commits CHANGELOG]
  
  **Step 7: Build and Smoke Test**
  Running: make build
  Testing: ./bin/linear search --help
  ✅ Build successful, commands working
  
  **Step 8: Execute Release**
  ✅ All checks passed! Executing release:

  1. git add -A && git commit -m "..." && git push origin main
  2. git tag v1.2.0 && git push origin v1.2.0
  3. gh run watch --exit-status  # Wait for GitHub Actions
  4. gh release download v1.2.0 --pattern checksums.txt --output -
  5. [Update Formula/linear-cli.rb with checksums]
  6. git add Formula/linear-cli.rb && git commit && git push

  **Step 9: Install and Verify**
  cd /opt/homebrew/Library/Taps/joa23/homebrew-linear-cli && git pull && cd -
  brew upgrade linear-cli
  linear --version  # Shows v1.2.0
  linear search --help  # Test the new feature
  ✅ Release complete!

This systematic approach caught the missing CHANGELOG entry!

Quick Reference

Before EVERY release, run through this:

bash
# 1. What version?
git log --oneline $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD

# 2. CHANGELOG updated?
grep -A 20 "## \[.*\]" CHANGELOG.md | head -30

# 3. Tests pass?
make test

# 4. Clean git state?
git status

# 5. Build works?
make build && ./bin/linear --help

If ANY check fails, stop and fix it before creating the tag.

Best Practices

  1. Update CHANGELOG first - Don't wait until after tagging
  2. Review every commit - Understand what's actually changing
  3. Test the build - Don't assume it works
  4. Document new features - Users need to know what's new
  5. Use semantic versioning - Breaking changes = MAJOR bump

Success Criteria

After using this skill, you should have:

  • ✅ Complete CHANGELOG entry for the new version
  • ✅ All version numbers updated
  • ✅ All tests passing
  • ✅ Documentation current
  • ✅ Clean git state
  • ✅ Confidence that the release is ready

Never skip the checklist. Ever.

© joa23, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in .claude/skills/release of joa23/linear-cli.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 575c6f0

Compare with similar skills

Release next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Release compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Release this skilljoa23/linear-cli144—~3.2kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Herdr Pre-Release Auditherdrdev/herdr43k—~289Automated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Desktop What's New Dialogcline/cline70k—~1.5kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0
Megaphone ReleaseKuberwastaken/megaphone169—~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Create Release Checklistsoftware-mansion/smelter732—~1.9kAutomated safety check: NotesCustom licence
ReleasingOdradekAI/bundles-forge229—~3.3kAutomated safety check: PassApache-2.0

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Categories

Questions about Release

What does Release do?

Pre-release checklist to ensure CHANGELOG, version numbers, tests, and documentation are updated before cutting a release. Release is an agent skill from joa23/linear-cli. Pre-release checklist to ensure CHANGELOG, version numbers, tests, and documentation are updated before cutting a release.

When should I use Release?

Release fits situations like: tasks that involve Feature launches and release readiness; tasks that involve Changelog and release notes.

How do I install Release in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add joa23/linear-cli --skill release -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (.claude/skills/release in joa23/linear-cli) into .claude/skills/release in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Release in Codex?

Run `npx skills add joa23/linear-cli --skill release -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (.claude/skills/release in joa23/linear-cli) into .agents/skills/release in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Release in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add joa23/linear-cli --skill release -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/release, .gemini/skills/release, .github/skills/release and .opencode/skills/release in your project.

What does Release need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, Release needs the command-line tools its instructions call (git, make, brew and gh).

Does Release access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. In commands or code: github.com; the agent is likely to contact it when it follows the instructions. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Release safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Release use?

Release is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Release use?

About 3.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 13k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Release?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Release: Herdr Pre-Release Audit (herdrdev/herdr, 43k stars), Desktop What's New Dialog (cline/cline, 70k stars), Megaphone Release (Kuberwastaken/megaphone, 169 stars) and Create Release Checklist (software-mansion/smelter, 732 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Release?

joa23 (a GitHub user) maintains it in joa23/linear-cli, which has 144 GitHub stars. The repository holds 8 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 13, 2026.

Source: joa23/linear-cli on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.