Agent skill · software engineering · github
github-release
Guides IA through releasing a new version of a GitHub library end-to-end. Handles SemVer versioning and Keep a Changelog formatting automatically.
Why this skill is useful
Adds a complete automation script for the GitHub release process, including versioning and changelog formatting that the AI cannot generate on its own.
What it needs
Requires gh, git installed locally. About 9k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 37,534 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
GitHub Release Skill This skill automates the full release workflow for a single-package GitHub repository, from analysis through changelog authoring and PR creation. It relies exclusively on gh (GitHub CLI) and git no other tools needed. Steps 1 - 4 are read-only reconnaissance nothing is written to the repo until Step 5, once the version number is confirmed. When to Use This Skill Use this skill whenever the user wants to cut a new release, publish a new version, bump a version, create a release branch, generate a changelog, or open a release PR on a GitHub repository. Trigger even if the user says something casual like "let's ship a new version" or "time to release". --- Prerequisites Examples below include both Bash and PowerShell variants; Windows users should prefer the PowerShell blocks. Before starting, verify the environment: If any check fails, stop and tell the user what to fix before continuing. Then ask the user one question: "Which directory contains your library's public-facing source code? (e.g. src/, lib/, pkg/ - used to focus the diff on what consumers actually see. Press Enter to scan the whole repo.)" Store the answer as PUBLICPATH. If empty, PUBLICPATH is . (repo root). Exclude these paths from all diffs regardless: tests/, test/, spec/, tests/, docs/, .lock, -lock.json, .sum, generated files (files with a "do not edit" header comment), and build artefacts. --- The 9-Step Release Workflow Work through every step in order. Show the user what command you're about to run and its output. Pause and ask for confirmation only when explicitly noted. --- Step 1 - Ensure main is up to date Stay on main for now. The release branch is created in Step 5, after the version is confirmed. --- Step 2 - Grab the latest version tag Why not gh release list? GitHub Releases are an optional layer on top of Git tags. Many repos tag releases with git tag without ever creating a GitHub Release, so gh release list can return empty even when version tags exist. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills github/github-release