> The Markdown version of [release`: promote merged work to a snapshot or a stable release](release.html) on the aayudha docs site. Every page is listed in [llms.txt](../llms.txt). # `release`: promote merged work to a snapshot or a stable release Merged is not released: shipping puts stories on `dev`, where work integrates. `release` moves a Release issue's work one rung up, `dev` to `rolling` or `rolling` to `main`, after a full gate on the exact commit that will land. | Field | Value | |---|---| | In plain words | Moves shipped work up to a snapshot or stable release, after a full gate, and schedules the measurement. | | Journey stage | [Release it](../journey-7-release.md) | | Accountable seat | [DevOps & DevEx Tinkerer](https://github.com/rahulnakmol/agentic-ayudha/blob/de79988060cd4c1522adb9e991f78cc9e58b9a68/seats/devops-devex-tinkerer/CHARTER.md?utm_campaign=docs-site&utm_medium=docs&utm_source=agentic-ayudha) (Nala) | | Does the work | Nala, the Accountable seat's twin, in the [`chore`](../how-models.md) model lane, with the seat's paired human when it has one | | Consulted | [Quality Architect](https://github.com/rahulnakmol/agentic-ayudha/blob/de79988060cd4c1522adb9e991f78cc9e58b9a68/seats/quality-architect/CHARTER.md?utm_campaign=docs-site&utm_medium=docs&utm_source=agentic-ayudha) (Yama), [Engineering Manager](https://github.com/rahulnakmol/agentic-ayudha/blob/de79988060cd4c1522adb9e991f78cc9e58b9a68/seats/engineering-manager/CHARTER.md?utm_campaign=docs-site&utm_medium=docs&utm_source=agentic-ayudha) (Drona), [Production Engineer](https://github.com/rahulnakmol/agentic-ayudha/blob/de79988060cd4c1522adb9e991f78cc9e58b9a68/seats/production-engineer/CHARTER.md?utm_campaign=docs-site&utm_medium=docs&utm_source=agentic-ayudha) (Shesha) | | Informed | [Marketer & Documenter](https://github.com/rahulnakmol/agentic-ayudha/blob/de79988060cd4c1522adb9e991f78cc9e58b9a68/seats/marketer-documenter/CHARTER.md?utm_campaign=docs-site&utm_medium=docs&utm_source=agentic-ayudha) (Sauti), [Founder](https://github.com/rahulnakmol/agentic-ayudha/blob/de79988060cd4c1522adb9e991f78cc9e58b9a68/seats/founder/CHARTER.md?utm_campaign=docs-site&utm_medium=docs&utm_source=agentic-ayudha) (Atri) | | Layers it can touch | [L09 Platform / operations](../concepts-layers.md) | | Who reasons | no model: it is deterministic | | Writes as | a person's own GitHub identity | | Where it runs | the `aayu` command, a skill in your agent, an MCP tool (only with `[mcp] expose_writes` on) | | The skill your agent reads | [skills/release/SKILL.md](https://github.com/rahulnakmol/agentic-ayudha/blob/de79988060cd4c1522adb9e991f78cc9e58b9a68/skills/release/SKILL.md?utm_campaign=docs-site&utm_medium=docs&utm_source=agentic-ayudha) | ## When to use it - A Release issue (`type:release`) passes Ready and lists the stories, Bugs, or Features it ships. - It is time for a `rolling` snapshot for early adopters: `--to rolling`. - The Release already went to `rolling` and has a `vX.Y.Z` version: `--to main` for a stable release. Work still on a pull request? Merge it first with [`ship`](../skills/ship.md). ## Run it Your agent may run a release under your account, because the gate decides, not the prompt. CI and bot accounts are refused. Promote on your release schedule or when someone asks for a release, never only because the gate is green: ```text Use the release skill to promote Release 120 to rolling: dry-run it first, then run it if the gate is green. ``` ```sh aayu release ``` | Input | Required | What it does | |---|---|---| | `` | yes | Release issue. | | `--to` | yes | Branch to promote to. One of: `rolling`, `main`. | | `--at` | no | With --to rolling: promote this dev commit instead of dev's newest, such as the newest one with tier-2 eval results for every gating group. | Try it first with `aayu release 120 --to rolling --dry-run`: it shows the candidate, the tag, the stories it would stamp, and the release notes, and pushes nothing. > **Needs setup:** each rung dispatches your repository's `ci.yml` workflow on the candidate with a `gate` input. > Without that workflow, `release` refuses and promotes nothing. See [releases](../how-releases.md). ## What you get back The branch moved to the exact candidate commit and a tag: `rolling-` (with `.n` for later snapshots that day) or an annotated `vX.Y.Z` on `main`. Every shipped story stamped `released`, release notes that cite only proven Features, and the Release issue's Shipping evidence section filled in. The Goals and Initiatives above those stories become due for [`measure`](../skills/measure.md) 28 days later. **You should see** the new tag and the stories labelled `released`. A failing gate is re-run once; if it stays red, nothing is promoted and the message names the run. Exit codes: [troubleshooting](../troubleshooting.md). ## Gates It checks these before it acts, and stops when one fails: - **human-identity:** Runs only under a human identity. - **stable-request:** Promoting to main needs a person's stable-release request: their comment "Stable release: \" on the Release issue after its rolling snapshot, or their yes at a terminal. - **halt:** The repository is not halted (aayu halt). Before the candidate, it also reads your reliability targets when you have them: while an error budget is spent, only Bugs ship ([`slo`](../skills/slo.md)). ## What only a person does - It writes under a person's own GitHub identity. - It runs only under a person's identity, never the bot's. - A stable release to main waits for a person's request: their comment on the Release issue, or their yes at a terminal. A stable release is a person's decision. After the rolling snapshot, comment on the Release issue with this first line, from your own account: ```text Stable release: v1.2.0 ``` Agents never write that comment, and the pre-tool hook refuses a command that would post it. At your own terminal, your yes at the prompt is the request. Never release to work around a red gate: fix the cause through `dev`. ## What's next - After the release, find out whether the number moved: [`measure`](../skills/measure.md). - See a real release, step by step: [the release](../journey-7-release.md). - [Every skill](../skills/index.md).