nyron release

Create GitHub releases with auto-generated changelogs based on commits between nyron-release tags.

Usage

npx @nyron/cli release

Preview changelog without creating release

npx @nyron/cli release --dry-run

Skip tag creation (use existing tag)

npx @nyron/cli release -n

Options

`-d, --dry-run`

Optional. Preview the changelog without creating an actual GitHub release.

npx @nyron/cli release --dry-run

`-n, --no-tag`

Optional. Skip creating a new nyron-release tag. Use this when:

You already created a tag with push-tag command
Running in CI/CD after tag was pushed locally
You want to use a GPG-signed tag created manually

Important: When using -n, the command fetches commits BETWEEN the previous tag and the latest tag (the one you just pushed). Without -n, it fetches commits FROM the latest tag to HEAD.

npx @nyron/cli release -n

Example: Using with push-tag

# Create GPG-signed tag locally
npx @nyron/cli push-tag

# Create release without creating another tag
# This will use commits BETWEEN the previous tag and the tag you just pushed
npx @nyron/cli release -n

How It Works

The release command works by:

Determining which tags to use - Finds the latest nyron-release tag (and previous tag if using -n flag)
Fetching commits - Gets commits between tags (with -n) or from latest tag to HEAD (without -n)
Parsing conventional commits - Extracts features, fixes, and other changes
Reading version information - Loads version data from the .nyron/ directory
Generating a changelog - Creates markdown changelog from parsed commits
Creating a GitHub release - Publishes the release with the changelog as the description
Creating a new nyron-release tag - Only when running without -n flag and not in dry-run mode. This tag marks the boundary for the NEXT release.

Prerequisites

Required: A GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable must be set
Required: At least one nyron-release tag must exist (created by push-tag)
Required: Commits must follow conventional commit format

What It Does

The release command:

Creates a GitHub release on your repository
Uses an auto-generated changelog as the release description
Groups commits by type (Features, Bug Fixes, Chores, etc.)
Includes author information and commit links
Creates a new nyron-release tag (only without -n flag) - This tag is created AFTER the release and marks the boundary for the NEXT release, not the current one

Tag Creation Behavior

Without -n flag: Creates a new nyron-release tag AFTER the release is published. This tag marks where the NEXT release will start from.
With -n flag: Does NOT create a new tag. Uses the existing tag you pushed with push-tag command.
Dry-run mode: Does NOT create a tag (or release), only previews what would be created.

Examples

Create a release

npx @nyron/cli release

Preview what will be released

npx @nyron/cli release --dry-run

Sample output:

📍 Step 1: Finding latest release tag...
✓ Found tag: nyron-release@2024-01-15@14-30-25.123

📍 Step 2: Fetching commits since last release...
✓ Found 5 commit(s)

📍 Step 3: Parsing commits...
✓ Parsed commits into groups (features, fixes, etc.)

📍 Step 4: Reading version information...
✓ Loaded version data for 2 package(s)

📍 Step 5: Generating changelog...
✓ Changelog generated (1,234 characters)

📍 Step 6: Preview (DRY RUN - no release created)
📍 Step 7: (Skipped in dry-run mode - would create new nyron-release tag)
================================================================================
## Features
- **api**: add OAuth2 login ([@username](https://github.com/username)) [[a1b2c3d](https://github.com/owner/repo/commit/a1b2c3d)]

## Bug Fixes  
- **auth**: resolve token refresh issue ([@username](https://github.com/username)) [[e4f5g6h](https://github.com/owner/repo/commit/e4f5g6h)]
================================================================================

✅ Dry run completed - no release was created

Typical Workflow

Manual Workflow

The release command is typically used as the final step:

# 1. Bump version and generate changelog
npx @nyron/cli bump --type minor --prefix v

# 2. Commit changes
git add .
git commit -m "chore: bump version to 1.2.0"

# 3. Create and push nyron-release tag
npx @nyron/cli push-tag

# 4. Create GitHub release (use -n since tag already exists)
# This creates the release and does NOT create another tag
npx @nyron/cli release -n

Note: If you run release without -n after pushing a tag, it will create a duplicate tag. Always use -n when you've already pushed a tag with push-tag.

Automated Workflow (Recommended)

Alternatively, set up a GitHub Actions workflow to automatically run the release command when you push a nyron-release tag:

# 1. Bump and commit
npx @nyron/cli bump --type minor --prefix v
git add . && git commit -m "chore: bump version to 1.2.0"

# 2. Push tag (triggers automated release)
npx @nyron/cli push-tag

# ✨ The GitHub release is created automatically by CI/CD!

This workflow requires a .github/workflows/release.yml file in your repository. See the automated workflow guide for setup instructions.

Error Handling

No nyron-release tag found:

Error: No nyron release tag found
   → Make sure to push the tag with nyron tool

Run npx @nyron/cli push-tag first.

No commits found:

⚠️  No commits found between tags - skipping release

This means there are no new commits since the last release.

Missing GitHub token:

Error: GITHUB_TOKEN environment variable is required

Set your GitHub token in a .env file or environment variable.

Next Steps

Learn about nyron push-tag command
Understand the complete workflow
Set up GitHub repository settings

nyron release

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