Release Process¶

This document describes the release workflow for Forge.

Overview¶

Releases follow a notes-first pattern: release notes land in main via PR, then the pipeline validates the build before the release branch is cut.

Steps¶

1. Create Release Notes¶

Use the /create-release Copilot prompt to generate release notes:

@workspace /create-release {version}

This will: - Analyze commits since the last release tag - Generate docs/release-notes/{version}.md and docs/release-notes/_announcements/{version}.md - Create a release-notes/{version} branch and PR into main

2. Merge to Main¶

Review the release notes PR and merge it into main.

3. Run Pipeline¶

Run the CI/CD pipeline from main to validate the build.

4. Post Announcement¶

Post the content from docs/release-notes/_announcements/{version}.md to the #forge-releases Teams channel.

5. Create Release Branch¶

Cut the release branch from main:

git checkout main
git pull
git checkout -b releases/{major}.{minor}
git push -u origin releases/{major}.{minor}

The pipeline will create the release tag from this branch.

6. Bump Version on Main¶

Update .azdo/vars/vars.yml on main to increment MinorVersion for the next release:

variables:
  - name: MajorVersion
    value: 3
  - name: MinorVersion
    value: 5
  - name: PatchVersion
    value: 0

Commit and push directly or via PR. Only change MajorVersion when preparing a new major release.

Patch Releases¶

For patches against an existing release:

Create a branch off main and fix the issue
Merge the fix to main
Backport the fix using the /create-backport prompt:
```
@workspace /create-backport commit:{sha} target:releases/{major}.{minor}
```
This cherry-picks the commit, resolves conflicts, and creates a PR into the release branch.
Merge the backport PR into releases/{major}.{minor}
Run /create-release {patch-version} for the patch release notes and merge to main
Run the pipeline off the releases/{major}.{minor} branch to create the patch tag

Version Format¶

Forge uses semantic versioning: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 3.4.0).

Version is defined in .azdo/vars/vars.yml as static values (MajorVersion, MinorVersion, PatchVersion).