GoReleaser Cross-Platform Release Automation

Automate software releases with GoReleaser — build cross-platform binaries, create Docker images, generate changelogs, and publish to GitHub/GitLab/Gitea in a single command. Works for Go projects and beyond.

Overview

GoReleaser is a release automation tool originally built for Go projects that now supports any language through its nix and build customization features. With over 15,000 GitHub stars and active daily development, it handles the entire release pipeline: compiling binaries for multiple OS/architecture combinations, packaging them as archives, building Docker images, generating changelogs from git history, signing artifacts, and publishing to GitHub Releases, GitLab, Gitea, Homebrew taps, Scoop buckets, Snapcraft, and package registries.

The tool is configured through a .goreleaser.yaml file that defines builds, archives, Docker images, Homebrew formulas, and publishing targets. A single goreleaser release command reads this config, runs all build steps in parallel, and publishes everything. GoReleaser supports CGo cross-compilation, universal macOS binaries, reproducible builds, and SBOM generation with Syft. It also integrates with Cosign for keyless signing via Sigstore.

For CI/CD, GoReleaser provides official GitHub Actions (goreleaser/goreleaser-action), GitLab CI templates, and works in any CI system that can run a binary. The check command validates your config before running a release, and the snapshot command creates a full release locally without publishing — useful for testing. The build command compiles binaries without packaging or publishing.

This skill enables agents to set up and manage GoReleaser configurations for projects. Agents can scaffold .goreleaser.yaml files, add build targets for new platforms, configure Docker multi-arch builds, set up Homebrew tap publishing, generate changelog templates, troubleshoot build failures, and optimize release pipelines. The skill outputs release artifacts, configuration files, and CI pipeline definitions.

GoReleaser integrates with GitHub Actions, Cosign/Sigstore for artifact signing, Syft for SBOM generation, Docker Buildx for multi-platform images, and Homebrew/Scoop/Snapcraft for package distribution. It is available via Homebrew, apt, go install, and as a Docker image, distributed under the MIT license.

Installation

Any Agent