Preflight. Run gh auth status, git fetch, and git describe --tags --abbrev=0. Note the tag style (v1.2.3 or 1.2.3) from git tag --sort=-v:refname | head -1 and keep it. If the branch is behind its remote (git rev-list --count HEAD..@{u} is not 0), stop: a release must not race someone else's push. No tag at all means a first release; read the version from the version file in step 4, or use v0.1.0. Done when you are authenticated, hold the last tag, and the branch is not behind.
Commit this session's work. Only files you created, edited, or deleted in this conversation; git status --porcelain lines you did not touch belong to a parallel session and stay out. Changes under .claude/agent-memory/ are always yours too, whoever wrote them: they are the notes of agents with memory: project, not a parallel session's work in progress, so they ride along in your commit (git add -- .claude/agent-memory). git add -- <new-path> each new file, then git commit --only -m "<type(scope): subject>" -- <path> … (options before the --). Never git add -A, git add ., or commit -a. A file that mixes your hunks with foreign ones is left out and named in the report. Skip this step when there is nothing of yours to commit. Done when git status --porcelain shows none of your files.
Choose the version. git log <last-tag>..HEAD --format='%h %s'. No commits means nothing to release. When step 2 left changes out as not this session's, ask once which to commit (they are often the user's own earlier work): AskUserQuestion where available, multiSelect: true with one option per file (at most 4 per question, further questions for the rest); otherwise list them in chat and wait. Commit the picked ones as step 2 does and continue. Otherwise say so and stop. Bump from $0 when given; otherwise from the subjects: ! or BREAKING CHANGE → major (minor while still 0.x), any feat → minor, anything else → patch. Done when the new version is stated with the rule that chose it.
Bump the version file. Find the one file whose version string equals the last tag: .claude-plugin/marketplace.json, package.json, pyproject.toml, Cargo.toml, VERSION, or whatever the repo uses. Replace exactly that string; assert it matched once. Commit it alone: git commit --only -m "chore(release): <version>: <summary>" -- <file>. The summary is $1 when given, otherwise the headline change in six words or fewer, matching the style of earlier release commits. A repo with no version file is versioned by its tags alone; skip the commit. Done when HEAD is the release commit or there was nothing to bump.
Tag and push. A pushed tag cannot be taken back, so first draft the step 6 notes and ask the user to confirm (AskUserQuestion where available: one single-select question, Tag and publish first, its preview showing the version, the rule that chose the bump, and the drafted notes; otherwise show the same in chat and wait). Act only on a yes. Then git tag -a <version> -m "<version>: <summary>", then git push origin <branch> <version> in one command. First check that the tag is free with git tag -l <version> (empty output means free); stop if it already exists. Never probe with a bare git tag <version>: that creates a lightweight tag instead of checking. Done when the push reports both refs.
Publish the confirmed notes. Write the notes from the diff, not from the subjects: one bullet per user-visible change, grouped under ## headings by area (the scopes in the subjects are a good start), the release commit itself omitted, no attribution trailers. --generate-notes alone is too thin; use it only to append the compare link. gh release create <version> --title "<version>: <summary>" --notes "$(cat <<'EOF' … EOF)". Done when gh release view <version> returns a URL.
Report. The release URL, the two commit subjects with short SHAs, and any files deliberately left out of step 2 and why. When step 4 bumped .claude-plugin/marketplace.json, also print the command that refreshes the installed Claude Code plugin, using that file's name and the plugin name: claude plugin marketplace update <marketplace> then claude plugin update <plugin>@<marketplace>. For this repo that is claude plugin marketplace update leek-agent-skills && claude plugin update leek-skills@leek-agent-skills. The running session keeps the previous plugin until it restarts.

Guardrails

Release the current branch as it stands. No branch switching, no amend, no rebase, no stash, no reset: a parallel session's uncommitted work is unrecoverable if discarded.
Never force-push, and never move or delete a tag. A wrong version gets the next version.
If the push in step 5 fails, leave the local tag in place and report the error; do not retry with different flags.

release

Release

Process