vrg-prepare-release

Installed as: vrg-prepare-release (Python console script)

Source: src/vergil_tooling/prepare_release.py

Automates release preparation for library repositories: creates a release branch, generates the changelog, creates a PR to main, and enables auto-merge.

Usage

vrg-prepare-release --issue 42

Arguments

Argument	Required	Description
--issue	Yes	GitHub issue number for release tracking

Prerequisites

• Must be on the develop branch
• Working tree must be clean
• Local develop must match origin/develop
• Required tools: gh, git-cliff

Ecosystem Detection

The tool auto-detects the project ecosystem to find the version:

Ecosystem	Version Source
Python	pyproject.toml
Maven	pom.xml
Go	**/version.go
VERSION file	VERSION (fallback)

Release Steps

1. Precondition checks -- verifies branch, clean tree, and tool availability.
2. Create release branch -- release/{version} from current develop HEAD.
3. Merge main -- incorporates prior release history to prevent changelog conflicts. Uses -X ours for auto-resolution.
4. Generate changelog -- runs git-cliff with a boundary tag, validates the generated output.
5. Push branch -- pushes release/{version} to origin.
6. Create PR -- creates a PR targeting main with Ref #{issue} linkage.
7. Enable auto-merge -- configures merge (not squash) strategy.
8. Return to develop -- checks out develop after completion.

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Release preparation complete
Non-zero	Precondition failure or tool error