Gmacko Release Closure

Finalize release by closing issues, creating GitHub release, and archiving documentation.

When to Use

• Deployment is complete and verified
• Ready to close related issues
• Need to create GitHub release
• Archiving release documentation

Prerequisites

• Deployment verified (web and/or mobile)
• Release summary exists

• gh

  CLI authenticated

Workflow

digraph release_close {
    rankdir=TB;
    node [shape=box];
    
    start [label="Start Closure" shape=ellipse];
    verify [label="1. Verify Deployment"];
    issues [label="2. Close Issues"];
    prs [label="3. Annotate PRs"];
    tag [label="4. Create Git Tag"];
    release [label="5. Create GitHub Release"];
    cleanup [label="6. Cleanup Branches"];
    notify [label="7. Notify Stakeholders"];
    archive [label="8. Archive Documentation"];
    done [label="Release Closed" shape=ellipse];
    
    start -> verify -> issues -> prs -> tag;
    tag -> release -> cleanup -> notify -> archive -> done;
}

Execution Steps

Step 1: Verify Deployment

Confirm all deployments are successful:

## Deployment Verification

### Web (Vercel)
- [ ] Production URL accessible: https://app.example.com
- [ ] Smoke tests passed
- [ ] No error spikes in Sentry

### Mobile (if applicable)
- [ ] iOS build submitted/approved
- [ ] Android build submitted/approved
- [ ] OTA update published (if applicable)

Ask user:

Before closing the release, please confirm:

1. Web production is stable? (yes/no)
2. Mobile apps are approved/live? (yes/no/not-applicable)
3. Any issues reported since deployment? (yes/no)

Step 2: Close Issues

Find and close related issues:

# List issues that should be closed
gh issue list --state open --label "status:in-progress"

# Get issues linked to merged PRs
gh pr list --state merged --json number,title,closingIssuesReferences

Close each issue with comment:

# Close issue with release reference
gh issue close [number] --comment "Released in v[X.Y.Z]. 

Deployment verified on [date].
- Web: https://app.example.com
- Mobile: v[X.Y.Z] on App Store/Play Store"

Track closures:

## Issues Closed

| Issue | Title | Closed |
|-------|-------|--------|
| #100 | [Title] | Yes |
| #101 | [Title] | Yes |
| #102 | [Title] | Deferred (partial) |

Step 3: Annotate PRs

Add release info to merged PRs:

# Add comment to PR
gh pr comment [number] --body "Released in v[X.Y.Z] :rocket:

Production: https://app.example.com
Release Notes: https://github.com/gmacko/project/releases/tag/v[X.Y.Z]"

Step 4: Create Git Tag

Create annotated tag for release:

# Create annotated tag
git tag -a "v[X.Y.Z]" -m "Release v[X.Y.Z]

Features:
- [Feature 1]
- [Feature 2]

Fixes:
- [Fix 1]
- [Fix 2]

See full changelog: docs/ai/releases/[date]-v[version].md"

# Push tag to remote
git push origin "v[X.Y.Z]"

Step 5: Create GitHub Release

Create release with notes:

# Create release from tag
gh release create "v[X.Y.Z]" \
  --title "v[X.Y.Z]" \
  --notes-file /tmp/release-notes.md

# Or with inline notes
gh release create "v[X.Y.Z]" \
  --title "Release v[X.Y.Z]" \
  --notes "## What's New

### Features
- **[Feature]**: Description (#123)

### Bug Fixes
- Fixed [issue] (#124)

### Full Changelog
https://github.com/gmacko/project/compare/v[prev]...v[X.Y.Z]"

For mobile releases, attach build artifacts (optional):

# Upload build artifacts
gh release upload "v[X.Y.Z]" ./app-release.apk

Step 6: Cleanup Branches

Clean up merged branches:

# List merged branches
git branch --merged main | grep -v "main\|staging\|dev"

# Delete local merged branches
git branch --merged main | grep -v "main\|staging\|dev" | xargs git branch -d

# Delete remote merged branches (with confirmation)
# gh api repos/gmacko/project/branches --jq '.[].name' | ...

Ask user before deleting:

The following branches are merged and can be deleted:

• feature/dark-mode
• fix/login-bug

Delete these branches? (yes/no/selective)

Step 7: Notify Stakeholders

Prepare notification:

## Release Notification

**Subject**: v[X.Y.Z] Released

**Body**:
Hi team,

We've just released v[X.Y.Z] to production!

### Highlights
- [Key feature 1]
- [Key feature 2]
- [Important fix]

### Links
- Production: https://app.example.com
- Release Notes: [GitHub Release URL]
- Mobile: Available on App Store / Play Store

### Metrics to Watch
- Error rate in Sentry
- Performance in Vercel Analytics
- User feedback

Let me know if you notice any issues!

[Your name]

Suggest notification channels:

• Slack #releases channel
• Email to stakeholders
• Update status page

Step 8: Archive Documentation

Finalize release documentation:

# Update docs/ai/releases/[date]-v[version].md

## Final Status

- **Released**: [timestamp]
- **GitHub Release**: [URL]
- **Git Tag**: v[X.Y.Z]

## Deployment Summary

| Platform | Status | URL/Version |
|----------|--------|-------------|
| Web | Live | https://app.example.com |
| iOS | Live | v[X.Y.Z] on App Store |
| Android | Live | v[X.Y.Z] on Play Store |

## Issues Closed
[List of closed issues]

## PRs Included
[List of merged PRs]

## Post-Release Observations

### First 24 Hours
- Error rate: [Normal/Elevated]
- Performance: [Normal/Degraded]
- User feedback: [Summary]

### Issues Discovered
- [Any post-release issues and how they were handled]

---

**Release Closed By**: AI Assistant
**Closed At**: [timestamp]

Move handoff docs to archive (optional):

# Move feature handoffs to completed folder
mkdir -p docs/ai/handoffs/completed/v[X.Y.Z]
mv docs/ai/handoffs/[feature]*.md docs/ai/handoffs/completed/v[X.Y.Z]/

Final Summary

Present to user:

RELEASE CLOSED
==============

Version: v[X.Y.Z]
Released: [date]

Actions Completed:
- [x] Deployment verified
- [x] [N] issues closed
- [x] [N] PRs annotated
- [x] Git tag created
- [x] GitHub release published
- [x] [N] branches cleaned up
- [x] Notification prepared
- [x] Documentation archived

Links:
- GitHub Release: [URL]
- Production: [URL]
- Release Summary: docs/ai/releases/[date]-v[version].md

Release cycle complete! 🎉

Red Flags

Rationalization	Correction
"Close issues without verifying deployment"	ALWAYS verify before closing
"Skip GitHub release, tag is enough"	GitHub release enables release notes discovery
"Don't need to notify anyone"	Stakeholders should know about releases
"Documentation can be updated later"	Finalize docs while context is fresh
"Delete branches without checking"	Confirm before deleting any branch

Integration

• Input: Version, deployment verification status
• References: Release summary, merged PRs, closed issues
• Output: GitHub release, closed issues, final documentation
• Next: Monitor post-release, start next sprint