GitHub Release Automation

If you maintain multiple projects or libraries on GitHub and are tired of creating releases manually, the Auto Release Template can help automate the process. It generates a changelog, creates a commit with the new version, tags it, and publishes a GitHub Release. Releases are never published without your confirmation — you always have the chance to review them first. A key advantage is that all changes are immediately visible in the GitHub Release, without a separate link to the full changelog.

How It Works

1. Make changes and name your commits according to Conventional Commits.
2. Run npm run release — the version is updated, CHANGELOG.md is generated, and a commit and tag are created.
3. Push your changes with git push --follow-tags.
4. A GitHub Action triggers on the new tag and creates a GitHub Release with the automatically generated changelog.

Configuration and Customization

You can adjust the commit format, tag prefix, and the types of commits that appear in the changelog. Additionally, you can configure:

• Automatic publishing to npm or GitHub Packages registry;
• Support for pnpm;
• Draft releases;
• Generation of a provenance statement;
• Hooks and inclusion of generated files in your build.

Detailed examples for advanced scenarios are available in the wiki.

Summary

Using the Auto Release Template saves time on creating releases, allows you to pause or roll back at any step, and provides a clean changelog directly in GitHub Releases. With proper GitHub Actions setup, it also enables publishing releases in private and team repositories while keeping full control and transparency over the process.