Standard release-please configuration for automated semantic versioning and changelog generation.

Standard Configuration

GitHub Actions Workflow

File: .github/workflows/release-please.yml

name: Release Please

on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

permissions:
  contents: write
  pull-requests: write

jobs:
  release-please:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: googleapis/release-please-action@v4
        with:
          token: ${{ secrets.MY_RELEASE_PLEASE_TOKEN }}

Configuration Files

File: release-please-config.json

{
  "packages": {
    ".": {
      "release-type": "node",
      "changelog-sections": [
        {"type": "feat", "section": "Features"},
        {"type": "fix", "section": "Bug Fixes"},
        {"type": "perf", "section": "Performance"},
        {"type": "deps", "section": "Dependencies"},
        {"type": "docs", "section": "Documentation", "hidden": true},
        {"type": "chore", "section": "Miscellaneous", "hidden": true}
      ]
    }
  },
  "plugins": ["node-workspace"]
}

File: .release-please-manifest.json

{
  ".": "0.0.0"
}

Note: Version 0.0.0 is a placeholder - release-please updates this automatically.

Project Type Variations

Node.js Frontend/Backend

release-type: node
plugins: node-workspace
Updates: package.json version field

Python Service

release-type: python
Updates: pyproject.toml version field, __version__ in code

Infrastructure (Helm)

release-type: helm
Updates: Chart.yaml version field

Multi-package Repository

{
  "packages": {
    "packages/frontend": {
      "release-type": "node",
      "component": "frontend"
    },
    "packages/backend": {
      "release-type": "node",
      "component": "backend"
    }
  },
  "plugins": [
    "node-workspace",
    {
      "type": "linked-versions",
      "groupName": "workspace",
      "components": ["frontend", "backend"]
    }
  ]
}

Required Components

Minimum Requirements

Workflow file: .github/workflows/release-please.yml

Uses googleapis/release-please-action@v4

Token: MY_RELEASE_PLEASE_TOKEN secret
Triggers on push to main
Config file: release-please-config.json

Valid release-type for project

changelog-sections defined
Manifest file: .release-please-manifest.json

Lists all packages with current versions

Token Configuration

The workflow uses MY_RELEASE_PLEASE_TOKEN secret (not GITHUB_TOKEN) because:

Allows release PRs to trigger other workflows
Enables CI checks on release PRs
Maintains proper audit trail

Compliance Checking

Status Levels

| PASS | All three files present with valid configuration

| WARN | Files present but using deprecated action version

| FAIL | Missing required files or invalid configuration

Validation Rules

Workflow validation:

Action version: v4 (warn if older)

Token: Must use secret, not hardcoded
Trigger: Must include push to main
Config validation:

release-type: Must be valid (node, python, helm, simple)

changelog-sections: Must include feat and fix
Manifest validation:

Must be valid JSON

Packages must match config

Protected Files

IMPORTANT: Release-please manages these files automatically:

CHANGELOG.md - Never edit manually
Version fields in package.json, pyproject.toml, Chart.yaml
.release-please-manifest.json - Only edit for initial setup

See release-please-protection skill for enforcement.

Conventional Commits

Release-please requires conventional commit messages:

| feat: | Minor | feat: add user authentication

| fix: | Patch | fix: correct login timeout

| feat!: | Major | feat!: redesign API

| BREAKING CHANGE: | Major | In commit body

Installation

Create workflow file
Create config file
Create manifest file
Add MY_RELEASE_PLEASE_TOKEN to repository secrets
Ensure pre-commit has conventional-pre-commit hook

Troubleshooting

Release PR Not Created

Check conventional commit format
Verify workflow has correct permissions
Ensure token has write access

Version Not Updated

Check manifest file is valid JSON
Verify release-type matches project
Review release-please logs in Actions

CI Not Running on Release PR

Token must be PAT, not GITHUB_TOKEN
Verify workflow trigger includes pull_request

release-please-standards

安装