Cut a New Release

Guide for cutting a new release of the Detail CLI. The release workflow is fully automated via GitHub Actions — all you need to do is bump the version and merge to main.

How It Works

The release.yml workflow triggers on pushes to main that change Cargo.toml. It:

1. Reads the version from Cargo.toml.
2. Creates a git tag v{version} if one doesn't already exist.
3. Builds platform artifacts with cargo-dist (macOS, Linux, Windows).
4. Publishes a GitHub Release with the built artifacts and installers.

Step 1: Decide the New Version

Always bump the patch version (the last number) unless the user explicitly requests otherwise:

• Patch (default): 0.2.2 -> 0.2.3
• Minor (only if requested): 0.2.2 -> 0.3.0
• Major (only if requested): 0.2.2 -> 1.0.0

Step 2: Bump the Version

Update the version field in Cargo.toml at the workspace root:

[package]
name = "detail-cli"
version = "X.Y.Z"   # <-- update this

Then run cargo check to ensure Cargo.lock is updated and everything compiles.

Step 3: Create the PR

Create a pull request targeting main with:

• Title: chore: release vX.Y.Z
• Branch: release/vX.Y.Z

Wait for CI to pass (formatting, clippy, tests, vendored artifact checks).

Step 4: Merge and Verify

Once CI is green and the PR is approved, merge it. The release workflow will automatically:

1. Create the vX.Y.Z tag.
2. Build all platform binaries.
3. Publish a GitHub Release.

After merging, verify the release was created at:

https://github.com/usedetail/cli/releases/tag/vX.Y.Z