Use this skill when releasing OpenSpec: audit merged work and changeset coverage, decide whether a catch-up changeset PR is needed, prepare or resume the Changesets Version Packages PR, cut a beta or stable release, verify publishing, and polish GitHub release notes. Also use when asked whether an o

Release OpenSpec Run the OpenSpec release workflow as a resumable state machine. Inspect live GitHub state on every invocation and take only the next safe action. Do not assume an earlier invocation completed. Principles Treat Fission AI/OpenSpec and origin/main as the release source of truth. Default to a read only audit when the user asks for status, readiness, or advice. Treat a request to release, prepare a release, continue, or resume as authorization to perform the applicable release actions. Preserve the user's checkout. Never discard unrelated changes or switch their current branch just to prepare a changeset. Use a temporary worktree from current origin/main for release authored commits when the checkout is dirty or not on main . Never approve your own PR. Human review is a deliberate gate. Treat merge queue entry as an intermediate state, not a merge. Advance only after GitHub reports mergedAt and the commit is present on main . Never create the automated Version Packages PR manually. The Changesets action owns it. Never push an empty commit merely to retrigger CI. Diagnose the failed or missing run first. Report URLs, the state reached, and the exact human action needed whenever pausing. Know the two PR types Keep these distinct in output and decisions: Changeset PR : A normal human authored PR that adds one or more .changeset/ .md files. Prefer adding a changeset to the feature/fix PR; create a catch up changeset PR only for already merged work that should be included. Version Packages PR : The automated changeset release/main PR titled chore(release): version packages . Merging or adding changesets to main updates this same PR. Merging it publishes the stable release. An open Version Packages PR does not prohibit a catch up changeset PR. It means a catch up PR is useful only when the audit finds missing release worthy work. Once that PR merges, wait for the existing Version Packages PR to update. Start with a release audit 1. Verify the repository and tools: Resolve the GitHub repository with gh repo view json nameWithOwner,url . Require authenticated gh , git , and pnpm before write actions. Stop before release mutations if the canonical repository is not Fission AI/OpenSpec . 2. Refresh without modifying the worktree: Do not fetch every tag indiscriminately. This repository may contain a conflicting historical local tag, which can make git fetch tags fail even though origin/main fetched successfully. 3. Find the latest stable GitHub release. Exclude drafts and prereleases; do not use git describe , because a beta tag may be newer than the stable baseline. Ensure that exact stable tag resolves locally before using it as a git log boundary. Fetch only that tag if it is missing. If a same named local tag disagrees with the canonical remote, report the mismatch and use a separately resolved canonical commit; never force rewrite the user's tag as part of an audit. 4. Find open release related PRs: Identify the Version Packages PR by headRefName == "changeset release/main" , not title alone. Separately list likely changeset PRs and inspect their files; require positive additions to .changeset/ .md . Do not mistake the Version Packages PR's changeset deletions for authored changesets, and do not rely on titles because a feature/fix PR may add release tracking. 5. Read the live release policy in .changeset/README.md , pending .changeset/ .md files on origin/main , and the Version Packages PR body/files when it exists. 6. List first parent commits since the latest stable tag: 7. Map release worthy merged PRs to existing changesets. Use PR files and changeset history; do not infer coverage from similar wording alone. 8. Classify the audit as: missing tracking : user facing work intended for this release lacks a changeset; awaiting changeset review : a suitable changeset PR already exists; awaiting merge queue : an approved changeset or Version Packages PR is queued but has not landed on main ; awaiting version update : required changesets are on main , but the Version Packages PR has not incorporated them; awaiting version review : the Version Packages PR is current but lacks approval; ready to publish : the Version Packages PR is current, approved, and green; publishing : the Version Packages PR merged but artifacts are incomplete; needs finalization : npm, tag, and GitHub Release exist but notes are still raw; complete : package, tag, GitHub Release, and polished notes agree. Present a compact audit with the stable baseline, proposed version, covered changes, possible omissions, intentionally skipped internal/docs work, open PRs, and next action. Decide changeset coverage Follow .changeset/README.md rather than assuming every merged PR needs a changeset. Include work selected for release tracking, especially: new user facing features or commands; notable fixes or hotfixes; breaking changes or deprecations; user visible performance improvements. Normally skip documentation only work, tests, CI/tooling, and internal refactors. Flag ambiguous user visible changes instead of silently excluding them. Ask the user only when the ambiguity materially changes release scope or the semantic version; otherwise use best judgment and let PR review be the approval gate. Create or continue a changeset PR Do this only for missing tracking . 1. If an open changeset PR already covers the missing work, reuse it. Inspect its headRefName , head repository, and maintainerCanModify ; fetch that exact head branch from its owning repository into a temporary worktree, make the update there, and push back to the same PR head. Stop if the branch is not writable. Do not create a duplicate PR or replacement branch. 2. Read .changeset/README.md immediately before authoring. 3. Only when no suitable PR exists, create a short changeset <scope branch from current origin/main . Use a temporary worktree so the operator's checkout remains untouched. 4. Prefer one changeset per coherent release unit. A single catch up changeset may summarize several small items selected for the same release. 5. Use the exact package name "@fission ai/openspec" , the highest required semantic bump, only relevant headings, and user focused descriptions. 6. Validate before pushing: 7. Commit, push, and open a PR whose body lists the covered merged PRs and explains why the catch up is needed. 8. Stop after returning the PR URL and request human approval. Do not approve it yourself. On a later invocation, if the PR is approved and checks are green, merge or enqueue it only when the user asked to continue or complete the release. If GitHub uses a merge queue, inspect mergeQueueEntry , queue checks, and mergedAt ; remain in awaiting merge queue until the PR actually lands on main . Then wait for the Changesets action on main to update the existing Version Packages PR. Poll with concise progress updates; do not push an empty commit or another branch update, because that can dismiss approval and restart the queue. Validate the Version Packages PR Before calling it ready: 1. Confirm it targets main from changeset release/main and is generated by the expected automation. 2. Enumerate every pending .changeset/ .md file on current main , excluding .changeset/README.md . Verify the PR consumes every one and contains the corresponding changelog content. If any pending changeset should be deferred, stop: remove or revise it through a separately reviewed change and wait for automation to regenerate the Version Packages PR before continuing. 3. Fetch baseRefOid and headRefOid with gh pr view , require baseRefOid to equal current origin/main , and create clean detached temporary worktrees for both revisions. If the head object is missing locally, fetch the immutable pull/<number /head ref first. Never validate from the operator's current worktree. 4. In the base worktree, run pnpm exec changeset status output changeset status.json and read the expected package/version from that file. Install locked dependencies in the temporary worktree first if the Changesets CLI is unavailable. 5. Compare the base status and complete pending changeset set against the head worktree: package.json , CHANGELOG.md , removed changeset files, PR body, and proposed version must all agree. This is a base to head comparison because the head has already consumed the changesets and cannot calculate the pending release itself. 6. Remove the temporary worktrees after validation, then inspect all required checks and review state with gh pr view / gh pr checks . If current but unapproved, return the URL and pause for human approval. If approved and green, merge or enqueue only when the user asked to release or continue. With merge queue enabled, do not treat approval, auto merge enablement, or queue entry as the stable publish trigger; wait for mergedAt and confirmation that the merge reached main . Verify stable publishing After the Version Packages PR merges: 1. Find the release workflow run for the merge commit and wait for completion. 2. Verify all three artifacts independently: npm view @fission ai/openspec@<version version remote tag v<version points at the expected commit; gh release view v<version exists and is not a prerelease. The release's assets include the 8 openspec standalone binaries and SHA256SUMS , attached by the Binaries workflow ( binaries.yml ) about 10 minutes after the release is published. Until SHA256SUMS is there, the install scripts keep installing the previous release, so users are never left without one. 3. If only some artifacts exist, report partial state and resume verification before retrying any publish action. Never republish a version already on npm. Missing binaries never need an npm action: re run binaries.yml with workflow dispatch and the release tag to attach them. 4. Once all artifacts exist, read [references/release notes.md](references/release notes.md), polish the GitHub Release, and verify the saved title/body. Cut a beta Only enter this path when the user explicitly asks for a beta or prerelease. 1. Run the same audit and confirm pending changesets produce a next stable version. 2. Explain that beta publishing does not consume changesets or replace the stable Version Packages PR. 3. Trigger the existing release prepare.yml workflow on main ; do not calculate or set the beta version locally. 4. Verify the workflow selected version, npm beta dist tag, remote tag, and prerelease GitHub Release. 5. Do not merge the stable Version Packages PR as part of a beta request. Handle failures For failed CI, inspect the failing check and logs before proposing a rerun or code change. For a stale Version Packages PR, first confirm a successful push run of release prepare.yml occurred after the latest changeset reached main . For branch divergence, let the Changesets action update its branch. Do not force push changeset release/main . For a queued PR, inspect merge group checks and queue state. Do not re enqueue, update the branch, or rerun unrelated checks while it is progressing normally. For a version that already exists on npm, stop and reconcile the tag/GitHub Release rather than incrementing or republishing implicitly. For missing GitHub permissions or required review, report the exact gate and URL; preserve the detected state so the next invocation can resume by inspection. Completion report Report: released version and stable/beta channel; changeset PR and Version Packages PR URLs, when applicable; release workflow result; npm package, tag, and GitHub Release verification; release notes finalization status; any intentionally deferred changes.

release-openspec