Release Action

Automated release workflow for multi-package repositories.

Overview

This action analyzes commits since the last release tag, automatically determines the version bump type (major/minor/patch), and:

• PR mode: Creates a release PR
• Direct mode: Commits and creates tags immediately
• Merge mode: Creates tags + GitHub releases (after PR merge)

Features

• Analyzes commits since last release tag
• Auto-detects bump type from commit messages ([feat], [fix], breaking changes)
• Supports manual version bump override
• Three release modes: PR, direct, or merge
• Skips release if no new commits since last release
• Creates git tags with configurable prefix

Usage

jobs:
  release:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: libnudget/release@v1.0.0
        with:
          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          packages: '[{"path": "lib/pkg1", "name": "pkg1"}, {"path": "lib/pkg2", "name": "pkg2"}]'

Inputs

Input	Description	Required	Default
token	GitHub token for API access	Yes	-
release_token	Separate token for PR creation	No	token
packages	JSON array of packages to release	Yes	-
version_bump	Manual version bump override	No	patch
tag_prefix	Prefix for git tags	No	``
release_mode	pr, direct, or merge	No	pr

Outputs

Output	Description
released	Whether a release was created (true/false)
versions	JSON object with package versions

Package Format

[
  {"path": "lib/pkg1", "name": "pkg1"},
  {"path": "lib/pkg2", "name": "pkg2"}
]

Mode: PR

Creates a PR with version bumps. Tag creation happens when PR is merged (via webhook or manual trigger).

- uses: libnudget/release@v1.0.0
  with:
    token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    release_mode: pr

Mode: Direct

Commits version bumps to main and creates git tags immediately.

- uses: libnudget/release@v1.0.0
  with:
    token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    release_mode: direct

Mode: Merge

Creates git tags and GitHub releases from merged PR versions. Use after PR merge to create tags and releases.

- uses: libnudget/release@v1.0.0
  with:
    token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    release_mode: merge

Trigger Commands

Each mode can be triggered via GitHub CLI or workflow_dispatch:

PR Mode (create release PR)

gh workflow run release.yml -f version_bump=patch -f release_mode=pr
gh workflow run release.yml -f version_bump=minor -f release_mode=pr
gh workflow run release.yml -f version_bump=major -f release_mode=pr

Direct Mode (commit + tag immediately)

gh workflow run release.yml -f release_mode=direct

Merge Mode (create tags + releases after PR merge)

gh workflow run release.yml -f release_mode=merge

Full Example

name: Release

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
    paths: ['lib/**']
  pull_request:
    types: [closed]
    branches: [main]
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      version_bump:
        type: choice
        options: [patch, minor, major]
      release_mode:
        type: choice
        options: [pr, direct, merge]

jobs:
  release-pr:
    if: github.event_name == 'push' || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: libnudget/release@v1.0.0
        with:
          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          packages: '[{"path": "lib/harper-core", "name": "harper-core"}, {"path": "lib/harper-ui", "name": "harper-ui"}]'
          version_bump: ${{ github.event.inputs.version_bump || 'patch' }}
          release_mode: ${{ github.event.inputs.release_mode || 'pr' }}

  create-tags:
    if: github.event_name == 'pull_request' && github.event.action == 'closed' && github.event.pull_request.merged == true
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: libnudget/release@v1.0.0
        with:
          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          packages: '[{"path": "lib/harper-core", "name": "harper-core"}, {"path": "lib/harper-ui", "name": "harper-ui"}]'
          release_mode: merge

Version Bump Logic

1. Major: If any commit contains !: or BREAKING
2. Minor: If any commit contains [feat] or feat:
3. Patch: Default (or manual override)

License

MIT