feat: migrate from semantic-release to Release Please

[baleen37]

Summary

Replace semantic-release with Release Please to solve branch protection issues by using a PR-based release workflow instead of direct commits to main.

Problem Solved

• semantic-release creates release commits and tries to push directly to main
• Branch protection requires "CI / test" status check
• New commit doesn't have status yet (chicken-egg problem)
• Push is rejected: "Required status check 'CI / test' is expected"

Solution: Release Please PR-Based Workflow

Release Please creates release PRs instead of pushing commits directly:

1. Release Please bot analyzes conventional commits
2. Creates/updates a release PR with version bump and changelog
3. PR goes through normal CI checks
4. When PR is merged, Release Please creates the GitHub release
5. No branch protection bypass needed - follows normal PR workflow

Changes Made

• ✅ Add Release Please configuration files (.release-please-manifest.json, release-please-config.json)
• ✅ Add Release Please workflow (.github/workflows/release-please.yml)
• ✅ Add marketplace.json sync workflow (.github/workflows/sync-marketplace.yml)
• ✅ Add marketplace version sync script (scripts/sync-marketplace-version.sh)
• ✅ Remove semantic-release dependencies from package.json
• ✅ Remove semantic-release configuration (.releaserc.js)
• ✅ Simplify CI workflow (remove release job, keep only test job)
• ✅ Update tests to validate new Release Please workflows

Benefits

• No branch protection bypass needed - follows normal PR workflow
• Release changes are visible in PR before release
• Can review version bumps and changelog before releasing
• Same CI process for all changes

Breaking Change

⚠️ Release workflow now requires merging Release Please PRs instead of automatic releases on push to main.

Next Steps

1. ⚠️ Install Release Please GitHub App (required for workflows to work)

   • Visit https://github.com/apps/release-please
   • Install to baleen37/claude-plugins repository
   • Grant required permissions (Contents: write, Pull Requests: write)

2. After merging this PR, Release Please will:

   • Detect the new conventional commit
   • Create/update a release PR with version bump
   • Wait for manual merge
   • Create GitHub release when PR is merged

Test Plan

• All pre-commit hooks pass
• All BATS tests pass
• Marketplace sync script tested and working
• YAML files validated
• CI tests pass on this PR
• Release Please App installed (manual step)

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

Summary by CodeRabbit

Release Notes

• Chores
  • Updated release automation infrastructure with an improved system for streamlined version management and release notes generation.
  • Automated marketplace version synchronization to maintain consistency during releases.

[coderabbitai]

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

This PR replaces semantic-release automation with release-please, removing the old release job from CI workflows, adding Release Please and marketplace sync workflows, and updating configuration files and tests accordingly.

Changes

Cohort / File(s)	Summary
Release Automation Migration .github/workflows/ci.yml, .releaserc.js, package.json	Removed semantic-release dependencies and configuration; changed CI workflow permissions to read-only and eliminated the release job entirely.
Release Please Setup .github/workflows/release-please.yml, .release-please-manifest.json, release-please-config.json	Added Release Please workflow configuration and manifest files to manage releases, versioning, and changelog generation on pushes to main.
Marketplace Sync .github/workflows/sync-marketplace.yml, scripts/sync-marketplace-version.sh	Introduced new workflow and script to synchronize plugin versions in marketplace.json when autorelease PRs are created, replacing semantic-release's plugin synchronization logic.
Test Updates tests/github_workflows.bats	Updated workflow tests to validate Release Please and marketplace sync workflows; removed release job assertions; changed CI permission assertions from write to read.

Estimated code review effort

🎯 3 (Moderate) | ⏱️ ~30 minutes

Possibly related PRs

• refactor(releaserc): simplify version sync comment #38: Modifies updatePluginJsons to sync marketplace.json versions; related as this PR replaces that logic with release-please and a dedicated sync script.
• feat(ci): implement dynamic plugin discovery for semantic-release #30: Replaces semantic-release with release-please for release management; directly related as both PRs migrate the same automation system.
• fix(ci): restore PR-based release workflow to comply with branch protection #27: Removes @semantic-release/git plugin from .releaserc.js; related as both PRs modify semantic-release configuration and dependencies.

Poem

🐰 From semantic dreams to release-please delight,
We've hopped away from complexity's night,
The marketplace sync script now takes the lead,
Automating versions with rabbit-speed! 🚀

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 3

✅ Passed checks (3 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Description Check	✅ Passed	Check skipped - CodeRabbit’s high-level summary is enabled.
Title check	✅ Passed	The title 'feat: migrate from semantic-release to Release Please' clearly summarizes the main change—replacing semantic-release with Release Please—which is the primary objective of the changeset.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.

_{✏️ Tip: You can configure your own custom pre-merge checks in the settings.}

✨ Finishing touches

• 📝 Generate docstrings

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests
• Post copyable unit tests in a comment
• Commit unit tests in branch feat/release-please

---

Thanks for using CodeRabbit! It's free for OSS, and your support helps us grow. If you like it, consider giving us a shout-out.

❤️ Share

• X
• Mastodon
• Reddit
• LinkedIn

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands and usage tips.}

[coderabbitai]

Actionable comments posted: 4

🤖 Fix all issues with AI agents

In @.github/workflows/sync-marketplace.yml:
- Around line 31-35: The workflow uses unquoted $GITHUB_OUTPUT in the echo
commands which can cause word-splitting (ShellCheck SC2086); update both echo
lines that write to GITHUB_OUTPUT (the ones echoing "changed=false" and
"changed=true" after the git diff check) to quote the variable as
"$GITHUB_OUTPUT" so the output file path is treated as a single argument.

In `@release-please-config.json`:
- Around line 5-10: The extra-files entry that uses the glob pattern
"plugins/*/.claude-plugin/plugin.json" is missing the "glob": true flag so
Release Please treats the path as a literal; update the JSON object inside the
"extra-files" array (the entry with "type": "json", "path":
"plugins/*/.claude-plugin/plugin.json", "jsonpath": "$.version") to include
"glob": true so the glob pattern is recognized and plugin manifest versions are
updated.

In `@scripts/sync-marketplace-version.sh`:
- Around line 4-14: Validate the VERSION variable returned by jq (VERSION=$(jq
-r '.version' package.json)) before mutating .claude-plugin/marketplace.json:
check if VERSION is empty or equals "null", and if so write a clear error
message to stderr (use >&2) and exit with non-zero status so the script does not
overwrite marketplace.json; only proceed to run the existing jq update and mv
steps when VERSION is valid. Ensure the error message is descriptive and use the
same .claude-plugin/marketplace.json temporary-write flow when proceeding.

In `@tests/github_workflows.bats`:
- Around line 65-131: The tests in tests/github_workflows.bats currently perform
command substitution and direct [[ ... ]] checks (e.g., jobs=$(yaml_get
"$CI_WORKFLOW" ".jobs | keys | .[]"), release_job=$(yaml_get "$CI_WORKFLOW"
".jobs.release"), and workflow_has_trigger/uses checks) instead of using BATS'
run/$status/$output conventions; update each test to invoke the helper commands
with run (for example run yaml_get "$CI_WORKFLOW" ".jobs | keys | .[]"), assert
success with [ "$status" -eq 0 ], and assert expected text using [[ "$output" =~
"expected" ]] (apply this pattern to tests that call yaml_get,
workflow_has_trigger, and file existence checks that can be run and captured,
e.g., run test -f "${WORKFLOW_DIR}/release-please.yml" then check $status, and
similarly replace direct [[ "$uses" == *"...release-please-action@v4"* ]] with a
run of yaml_get and an output regex assertion).

[coderabbitai]

⚠️ Potential issue | 🟡 Minor

Quote $GITHUB_OUTPUT to avoid word splitting.

Shellcheck SC2086 warns here; quoting is the safe default.

✅ Suggested fix

-          if git diff --quiet .claude-plugin/marketplace.json; then
-            echo "changed=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          else
-            echo "changed=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
-          fi
+          if git diff --quiet .claude-plugin/marketplace.json; then
+            echo "changed=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          else
+            echo "changed=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi

📝 Committable suggestion

‼️ IMPORTANT
Carefully review the code before committing. Ensure that it accurately replaces the highlighted code, contains no missing lines, and has no issues with indentation. Thoroughly test & benchmark the code to ensure it meets the requirements.

Suggested change

	run: |
	if git diff --quiet .claude-plugin/marketplace.json; then
	echo "changed=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
	else
	echo "changed=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
	run: |
	if git diff --quiet .claude-plugin/marketplace.json; then
	echo "changed=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
	else
	echo "changed=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
	fi

🧰 Tools

🪛 actionlint (1.7.10)

[error] 31-31: shellcheck reported issue in this script: SC2086:info:2:27: Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting

(shellcheck)

---

[error] 31-31: shellcheck reported issue in this script: SC2086:info:4:26: Double quote to prevent globbing and word splitting

(shellcheck)

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

In @.github/workflows/sync-marketplace.yml around lines 31 - 35, The workflow
uses unquoted $GITHUB_OUTPUT in the echo commands which can cause word-splitting
(ShellCheck SC2086); update both echo lines that write to GITHUB_OUTPUT (the
ones echoing "changed=false" and "changed=true" after the git diff check) to
quote the variable as "$GITHUB_OUTPUT" so the output file path is treated as a
single argument.

[coderabbitai]

⚠️ Potential issue | 🔴 Critical

🧩 Analysis chain

🌐 Web query:

Release Please extra-files glob pattern support documentation

💡 Result:

release-please does support glob patterns for extra-files, but not when extra-files items are plain strings. To use a glob, you must use the object form and set "glob": true (defaults to false). (raw.githubusercontent.com)

Example:

{
  "packages": {
    ".": {
      "release-type": "simple",
      "extra-files": [
        { "type": "generic", "path": "packages/*/version.txt", "glob": true }
      ]
    }
  }
}

Notes:

• Object forms exist for targeted updates too (e.g., {type: "json"|"yaml"|"toml", path, glob, jsonpath} and {type:"xml", path, glob, xpath}), all with the same "glob" boolean. (raw.githubusercontent.com)

Citations:

• 1: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/release-please/main/schemas/config.json
• 2: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/googleapis/release-please/main/schemas/config.json

---

Add "glob": true to enable glob pattern matching.

Release Please requires the "glob": true property to recognize glob patterns in extra-files. Without it, the path plugins/*/.claude-plugin/plugin.json is treated as a literal filename and won't match any files, preventing version updates to plugin manifests.

Corrected configuration

{
  "type": "json",
  "path": "plugins/*/.claude-plugin/plugin.json",
  "jsonpath": "$.version",
  "glob": true
}

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

In `@release-please-config.json` around lines 5 - 10, The extra-files entry that
uses the glob pattern "plugins/*/.claude-plugin/plugin.json" is missing the
"glob": true flag so Release Please treats the path as a literal; update the
JSON object inside the "extra-files" array (the entry with "type": "json",
"path": "plugins/*/.claude-plugin/plugin.json", "jsonpath": "$.version") to
include "glob": true so the glob pattern is recognized and plugin manifest
versions are updated.

[coderabbitai]

⚠️ Potential issue | 🟠 Major

Guard against missing/invalid version to avoid writing “null”.

jq -r '.version' returns null when missing, which would overwrite marketplace versions incorrectly. Add validation and stderr error output before mutation.

🛡️ Proposed fix

-# Get version from package.json
-VERSION=$(jq -r '.version' package.json)
+# Get version from package.json
+VERSION=$(jq -r '.version // empty' package.json)
+if [[ -z "$VERSION" ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: package.json is missing .version" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if [[ ! -f .claude-plugin/marketplace.json ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: .claude-plugin/marketplace.json not found" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+if ! jq -e '.plugins | type=="array"' .claude-plugin/marketplace.json >/dev/null; then
+  echo "ERROR: marketplace.json missing .plugins array" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi

As per coding guidelines: Direct error messages to stderr in hook scripts.

📝 Committable suggestion

‼️ IMPORTANT
Carefully review the code before committing. Ensure that it accurately replaces the highlighted code, contains no missing lines, and has no issues with indentation. Thoroughly test & benchmark the code to ensure it meets the requirements.

Suggested change

	# Get version from package.json
	VERSION=$(jq -r '.version' package.json)
	# Update all plugin versions in marketplace.json
	jq --arg version "$VERSION" \
	'.plugins = [.plugins[] | .version = $version]' \
	.claude-plugin/marketplace.json > .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.tmp
	mv .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.tmp .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
	echo "Updated marketplace.json to version $VERSION"
	# Get version from package.json
	VERSION=$(jq -r '.version // empty' package.json)
	if [[ -z "$VERSION" ]]; then
	echo "ERROR: package.json is missing .version" >&2
	exit 1
	fi
	if [[ ! -f .claude-plugin/marketplace.json ]]; then
	echo "ERROR: .claude-plugin/marketplace.json not found" >&2
	exit 1
	fi
	if ! jq -e '.plugins | type=="array"' .claude-plugin/marketplace.json >/dev/null; then
	echo "ERROR: marketplace.json missing .plugins array" >&2
	exit 1
	fi
	# Update all plugin versions in marketplace.json
	jq --arg version "$VERSION" \
	'.plugins = [.plugins[] | .version = $version]' \
	.claude-plugin/marketplace.json > .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.tmp
	mv .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.tmp .claude-plugin/marketplace.json
	echo "Updated marketplace.json to version $VERSION"

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

In `@scripts/sync-marketplace-version.sh` around lines 4 - 14, Validate the
VERSION variable returned by jq (VERSION=$(jq -r '.version' package.json))
before mutating .claude-plugin/marketplace.json: check if VERSION is empty or
equals "null", and if so write a clear error message to stderr (use >&2) and
exit with non-zero status so the script does not overwrite marketplace.json;
only proceed to run the existing jq update and mv steps when VERSION is valid.
Ensure the error message is descriptive and use the same
.claude-plugin/marketplace.json temporary-write flow when proceeding.

[coderabbitai]

⚠️ Potential issue | 🟡 Minor

Use run + status/output assertions for the new tests.

Current assertions bypass BATS’ run and $status/$output conventions. Apply the pattern below across the new tests.

♻️ Example refactor pattern

-    local jobs
-    jobs=$(yaml_get "$CI_WORKFLOW" ".jobs | keys | .[]")
-
-    [[ "$jobs" == "test" ]]
+    run yaml_get "$CI_WORKFLOW" ".jobs | keys | .[]"
+    [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+    [[ "$output" =~ ^test$ ]]

As per coding guidelines: Use the run command to execute and capture output in BATS tests; Use [$status -eq 0] for exit code assertions; Use [[ "$output" =~ "expected" ]] for output assertions in BATS tests.

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

In `@tests/github_workflows.bats` around lines 65 - 131, The tests in
tests/github_workflows.bats currently perform command substitution and direct [[
... ]] checks (e.g., jobs=$(yaml_get "$CI_WORKFLOW" ".jobs | keys | .[]"),
release_job=$(yaml_get "$CI_WORKFLOW" ".jobs.release"), and
workflow_has_trigger/uses checks) instead of using BATS' run/$status/$output
conventions; update each test to invoke the helper commands with run (for
example run yaml_get "$CI_WORKFLOW" ".jobs | keys | .[]"), assert success with [
"$status" -eq 0 ], and assert expected text using [[ "$output" =~ "expected" ]]
(apply this pattern to tests that call yaml_get, workflow_has_trigger, and file
existence checks that can be run and captured, e.g., run test -f
"${WORKFLOW_DIR}/release-please.yml" then check $status, and similarly replace
direct [[ "$uses" == *"...release-please-action@v4"* ]] with a run of yaml_get
and an output regex assertion).