Inspect the current version, latest published/tagged version, public APIs, release notes, and project-specific release rules. Identify which artifacts are actually versioned.
Compare the change with the existing public contract:
- MAJOR (X.0.0): incompatible public API or behavior change.
- MINOR (0.X.0): backwards-compatible public functionality.
- PATCH (0.0.X): backwards-compatible bug fix.
For 0.y.z, remember that SemVer treats the public API as unstable. Still use the project's documented compatibility policy and communicate breaking changes explicitly rather than silently treating every change as a patch.
Use prerelease identifiers for prerelease builds (for example, 2.1.0-rc.1) and build metadata only for build identification; build metadata does not affect precedence.
If the impact is ambiguous, explain the uncertainty and ask before changing version files or creating a tag. If the user supplies a version, validate it and flag any mismatch instead of silently substituting another.

Conventional Commits integration

When the project uses Conventional Commits for automated release selection, verify the configured mapping. Common defaults are feat → MINOR, fix → PATCH, and ! / BREAKING CHANGE: → MAJOR. These are signals, not a substitute for checking the actual compatibility impact and the project's release rules.

Apply a version change safely

Update every authoritative version declaration required by the project, including manifests, package metadata, generated constants, and release configuration as applicable.
Update lockfiles only when the project's package manager or release process requires it; do not hand-edit generated lock data.
Keep tags, changelog entries, artifacts, and published metadata aligned with the chosen version.
Do not create/push a release tag or publish artifacts unless the user authorized that operation.
Report the old and new versions, the SemVer rationale, changed version sources, and any release steps still pending.

semantic-versioning

Semantic Versioning

Determine the correct version