Release pipeline

Maintainer workflow for versioning and publishing the A2C workflow product (a2c-core, a2c-cli, a2c-tui).

Normative policy: ADR-0009 (supersedes ADR-0004). Python registry publishing: ADR-0010.

Package publishing details: package-publishing.md.

Script index: scripts/README.md. Implementation plan: plans/release-orchestration.md.

Automated release (recommended)

From a clean checkout with GITLAB_TOKEN set:

python scripts/publish_release.py --align-develop

Dry-run:

python scripts/publish_release.py --dry-run --bump patch

The orchestrator creates release/X.Y.Z, runs bump_release.py, waits for Development CI, pushes the tag, waits for Release CI (including ADR-0010 publish jobs), then ff-merges master (and develop with --align-develop).

Partial steps: --from-step, --stop-after. See python scripts/publish_release.py --help.

Branch and CI profiles (ADR-0009)

Ref	Role	CI profile
Feature branch or develop	Day-to-day work	Development CI
release/X.Y.Z	Release bump and qualification	Development CI
Tag vX.Y.Z	Canonical release marker	Release CI (build, publish, binaries)
master	Integrated history	Master CI (light, non-gating)

Normal development (untagged → master)

1. Work on a feature branch or develop
2. Wait for green Development CI
3. Fast-forward merge to master (untagged, code_clean)

Release steps (release/X.Y.Z → tag → master)

1. Land features; ff-merge code_clean commits to master

2. Create release branch from master:

   git checkout master && git pull origin master
   git checkout -b release/X.Y.Z

3. Run python scripts/bump_release.py on the release branch

4. Push release/X.Y.Z

5. Wait for green Development CI on the release branch

6. Tag and push: git push origin vX.Y.Z

7. Wait for green Release CI on the tag

8. Fast-forward master from the release branch

If Release CI fails: fix on release/X.Y.Z, rerun Development CI, move tag if needed, retry.

CI on tags (Release CI)

Job	Purpose
release:verify	Tag matches VERSION and a2c_core.__version__
package:build	Build six final-release artifacts at X.Y.Z; twine check
package:a2c-cli-binary	PyInstaller a2c linux x64 (permanent artifact)
package:a2c-cli-binary-linux-arm64	PyInstaller a2c linux arm64
package:a2c-tui-binary	PyInstaller a2c-tui linux x64
package:a2c-tui-binary-linux-arm64	PyInstaller a2c-tui linux arm64
package:smoke	Install wheels from dist/ at X.Y.Z
publish:gitlab	GitLab package registry upload (X.Y.Z)
publish:testpypi	Query TestPyPI, publish unused X.Y.ZrcU, automatic
package:smoke-testpypi	Install X.Y.ZrcU from TestPyPI
publish:pypi	Assert X.Y.Z absent on PyPI, upload final release, automatic
package:smoke-pypi	Install X.Y.Z from PyPI — released gate

Fast-forward master only after package:smoke-pypi succeeds.

Master CI (light)

Job	Purpose
master:integration-record	Non-gating audit on master pushes

Local dry-run

python scripts/bump_release.py --dry-run
python scripts/build_packages.py