ci: automate releases with Release Please

.github/workflows/release.yml → .github/workflows/release-please.yml

@@ -1,19 +1,38 @@
-name: Release
+name: Release Please
 
 on:
   push:
-    tags:
-      - "v*"
+    branches: [main]
 
 permissions:
-  contents: write   # required for gh release create
+  contents: write
+  pull-requests: write
+  issues: write
 
 jobs:
-  release:
+  release-please:
+    name: release-please
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    outputs:
+      release_created: ${{ steps.release.outputs.release_created }}
+      tag_name: ${{ steps.release.outputs.tag_name }}
+    steps:
+      - uses: googleapis/release-please-action@v4
+        id: release
+        with:
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+          config-file: release-please-config.json
+          manifest-file: .release-please-manifest.json
+
+  build:
     name: build and publish (windows / py3.12)
+    needs: release-please
+    if: ${{ needs.release-please.outputs.release_created == 'true' }}
     runs-on: windows-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ needs.release-please.outputs.tag_name }}
 
       - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
         with:
@@ -25,7 +44,7 @@ jobs:
           python -m pip install --upgrade pip
           pip install -r requirements.txt -r requirements-build.txt
 
-      # Gate the release on the same test suite CI runs — never ship a broken build.
+      # Gate the published build on the same test suite CI runs.
       - name: Run tests
         env:
           QT_QPA_PLATFORM: offscreen
@@ -34,31 +53,21 @@ jobs:
       - name: Build executable
         run: python -m PyInstaller --noconfirm --clean screamer.spec
 
-      # screamer.spec uses COLLECT (onedir), so the artifact is the dist\Screamer
-      # folder zipped whole — users extract it and run Screamer\Screamer.exe.
+      # screamer.spec uses COLLECT (onedir): zip the whole dist\Screamer folder.
       - name: Package
         shell: pwsh
         run: |
-          $tag = $env:GITHUB_REF_NAME
+          $tag = "${{ needs.release-please.outputs.tag_name }}"
           $zip = "Screamer-$tag-windows-x64.zip"
           Compress-Archive -Path dist\Screamer -DestinationPath $zip
           $hash = (Get-FileHash $zip -Algorithm SHA256).Hash.ToLower()
           "$hash  $zip" | Out-File -FilePath "$zip.sha256" -Encoding ascii
           "ASSET_ZIP=$zip"        | Out-File -FilePath $env:GITHUB_ENV -Append
           "ASSET_SHA=$zip.sha256" | Out-File -FilePath $env:GITHUB_ENV -Append
 
-      # Hyphenated tags (v1.0.0-rc1, v1.2.0-beta) publish as pre-releases.
-      - name: Publish release
+      # Attach the build to the release that release-please already created.
+      - name: Upload assets to release
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
         shell: pwsh
-        run: |
-          $tag = $env:GITHUB_REF_NAME
-          $ghArgs = @(
-            "release", "create", $tag,
-            $env:ASSET_ZIP, $env:ASSET_SHA,
-            "--title", $tag,
-            "--generate-notes"
-          )
-          if ($tag -match "-") { $ghArgs += "--prerelease" }
-          & gh @ghArgs
+        run: gh release upload "${{ needs.release-please.outputs.tag_name }}" $env:ASSET_ZIP $env:ASSET_SHA --clobber

.release-please-manifest.json

@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  ".": "1.0.1"
+}

README.md

@@ -157,26 +157,18 @@ python -m PyInstaller --noconfirm --clean screamer.spec
 
 ## Releases
 
-Pushing a version tag builds and publishes a Windows release automatically:
+Releases are automated with [Release Please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please) from [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/).
 
-```bash
-git tag v1.0.0
-git push origin v1.0.0
-```
-
-The release workflow:
-
-1. Installs dependencies.
-2. Runs the test suite.
-3. Builds Screamer with PyInstaller.
-4. Packages the app as:
+1. Merging commits to `main` keeps a **Release PR** up to date — it bumps the version and updates `CHANGELOG.md`.
+2. Merging that Release PR tags the version (`vX.Y.Z`) and publishes a GitHub Release with generated notes.
+3. A Windows build job then runs the test suite, builds with PyInstaller, and attaches the packaged app:
 
 ```text
-Screamer-v1.0.0-windows-x64.zip
-Screamer-v1.0.0-windows-x64.zip.sha256
+Screamer-vX.Y.Z-windows-x64.zip
+Screamer-vX.Y.Z-windows-x64.zip.sha256
 ```
 
-Hyphenated tags like `v1.0.0-rc1` are published as pre-releases.
+Version bumps follow the commit types: `fix:` → patch, `feat:` → minor, and `feat!:` / `BREAKING CHANGE:` → major.
 
 ## Platform
 

docs/RELEASE_PIPELINE_PLAN.md

@@ -1,5 +1,10 @@
 # Plan — GitHub Release Pipeline
 
+> **Superseded (2026-06):** This tag-triggered `release.yml` pipeline has been replaced by
+> [Release Please](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please). The build/publish steps now live in
+> `.github/workflows/release-please.yml` (run on release creation), and `release.yml` has been removed.
+> See `docs/superpowers/plans/2026-06-04-release-please.md`. Kept below for historical context.
+
 ## Goal
 On a version tag push, automatically build the Windows `.exe`, package it, and publish a GitHub Release with the artifact attached. No manual build/upload steps.