Release Prep

release-prep

Walk through an 8-step guided release readiness workflow — milestone closure, PR inclusion, CI verification, security checks, release notes, checklist sign-off, and saved documentation.

When to Use It

• Planning a release and want a checklist-driven process
• Leading a release review meeting and need a structured walkthrough
• Ensuring all release gates are satisfied before tagging
• Generating a release prep artifact for audit trails

How to Launch It

In GitHub Copilot Chat:

/release-prep owner/repo v2.1.0

Or without a version to auto-detect:

/release-prep owner/repo

What to Expect

The agent walks through 8 steps in sequence, completing each one and confirming before moving to the next.

Step 1: Milestone Verification

Check if a milestone for the target version exists and is properly configured:

• Issue count open vs. closed
• Any overdue issues that block the milestone
• Recommendation: close, defer, or block the release

Step 2: PR Inclusion Review

Confirm all intended PRs are merged and nothing critical is still open:

• PRs merged since last release
• Open PRs targeting this release
• PRs in review that may or may not make the cut

Step 3: CI Verification

Confirm all CI checks are green on the release branch or main:

• All required workflow runs passing
• No flaky tests in the last 7 days
• Branch protection status

Step 4: Security Check

Verify no unpatched critical or high vulnerabilities:

• Open Dependabot alerts by severity
• Pending security-related PRs
• Any known CVEs in dependencies

Step 5: Release Notes Draft

Generate or review release notes (delegates to /draft-release):

• Auto-categorized changes
• Breaking changes prominently surfaced
• Upgrade instructions if needed

Step 6: Checklist Sign-off

Interactive sign-off checklist:

Release Checklist — v2.1.0:
  [ ] Milestone closed
  [ ] All required PRs merged
  [ ] CI green on main
  [ ] No critical Dependabot alerts
  [ ] Release notes written
  [ ] CHANGELOG.md updated
  [ ] Stakeholders notified

Step 7: Save Documentation

Both .md and .html saved to .github/reviews/releases/release-prep-{version}-{date}.*:

• Full checklist sign-off state
• Included PR list
• CI and security summary

Step 8: Next Actions

After sign-off:

• Tag and publish GitHub Release
• Link release to milestone
• Announce (if configured)

Output Files

File	Contents
.github/reviews/releases/release-notes-{version}-{date}.md	Release notes
.github/reviews/releases/release-notes-{version}-{date}.html	Accessible HTML version

Example Variations

/release-prep owner/repo v2.1.0              # Full guided workflow
/release-prep owner/repo                     # Auto-detect version
/release-prep owner/repo step 4              # Jump to security step

Connected Agents

Agent	Role
daily-briefing agent	Executes this prompt

Related Prompts

• draft-release — generate release notes only
• ci-status — CI status check during step 3
• security-dashboard — security check during step 4