ActivityPub Release Process
Quick reference for managing releases and changelogs for the WordPress ActivityPub plugin.
Quick Reference
Release Commands
npm run release # Create major/minor release PR.Version File Locations
When updating versions manually, change these files:
activitypub.php- Plugin header (Version: X.Y.Z).readme.txt- WordPress.org readme (Stable tag: X.Y.Z).package.json- npm version ("version": "X.Y.Z").CHANGELOG.md- Changelog file (auto-updated by release script).
Comprehensive Release Guide
See Release Process for complete release workflow and detailed steps.
Release Workflow
Major/Minor Releases
Quick workflow:
# 1. Run release script from plugin root.
npm run release
# Script automatically:
# - Determines version from changelog entries.
# - Updates version numbers in all files.
# - Updates CHANGELOG.md.
# - Creates PR for review.
# 2. Review and merge the release PR.
# 3. Create GitHub release from trunk using the new tag.See Release Process - Major/Minor for detailed steps.
Patch Releases
Quick workflow:
# 1. Create branch from the tag to patch.
git fetch --tags
git checkout -b tags/5.3.1 5.3.0 # Patch 5.3.0 -> 5.3.1
# 2. Cherry-pick merge commits from trunk (note -m 1 flag).
git cherry-pick -m 1 <commit-hash>
# 3. Update changelog and versions.
composer changelog:write
# Manually update versions in:
# - activitypub.php
# - readme.txt
# - package.json
# 4. Push branch and create GitHub release.
git push -u origin tags/5.3.1Important: Use -m 1 flag when cherry-picking merge commits to select the mainline parent.
See Release Process - Patch Releases for detailed steps.
Changelog Management
How It Works
Changelogs are managed automatically through the PR workflow:
- PR Template (
.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md):
- Check "Automatically create a changelog entry" checkbox. - Select significance: Patch/Minor/Major. - Select type: Added/Fixed/Changed/Deprecated/Removed/Security. - Write message ending with punctuation!
- GitHub Action (
.github/workflows/changelog.yml):
- Creates changelog file from PR description. - Validates proper punctuation. - Saves to .github/changelog/ directory.
- Release Process:
- npm run release aggregates all entries. - Updates CHANGELOG.md and readme.txt automatically.
Critical Requirements
Always end changelog messages with punctuation:
✅ Add support for custom post types.
✅ Fix signature verification bug.
❌ Add support for custom post types
❌ Fix signature verification bugWrite end-user friendly messages:
- Focus on user benefit, not implementation details.
- Avoid technical jargon where possible.
- Describe what users can now do, not how it works internally.
✅ Add pre-built block patterns for easy profile and sidebar setup.
✅ Fix follow button not appearing on author pages.
❌ Add register_patterns() method to class-blocks.php.
❌ Refactor User class to use Actors collection.Never mention AI tools or coding assistants in changelog messages.
See PR Workflow - Changelog for complete changelog requirements.
Version Numbering
Semantic versioning:
- Major (X.0.0) - Breaking changes.
- Minor (0.X.0) - New features, backward compatible.
- Patch (0.0.X) - Bug fixes only.
The release script determines version automatically from changelog entry significance levels.