> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.theroyalglow.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Release Process

> Release Please, changelog, tags, and GitHub Releases.

Release Please prepares version and changelog PRs against **dev**. Release metadata
is validated and promoted with application code, preserving identical commits on
all four branches.

## Normal release

1. Merge reviewed feature and dependency changes into dev.
2. Review the Release Please PR titled `chore(release): release X.Y.Z` against dev.
3. Confirm synchronized workspace versions and merge after checks pass.
4. Run **Promote validated commit** from dev with target prod.
5. Confirm production approval at dispatch; the workflow advances prod only after checks pass.
6. Confirm the production deployment and GitHub Release.

The dev workflow updates the release PR without publishing a release. The prod
workflow publishes without opening another PR, and only while dev and prod match
the run SHA. If dev has advanced, publication waits for a later matching run.
There is no prod-only version commit or reverse-sync PR.

## Authentication

Add a fine-grained `RELEASE_PLEASE_TOKEN` Actions secret with repository Contents,
Pull requests, and Issues read/write access. The workflow falls back to
`GITHUB_TOKEN`, but PRs created with that token do not trigger other Actions, so the
dedicated token is required before enabling the production Ruleset.

The bootstrap SHA in `release-please-config.json` prevents historical commits from
being pulled into the first release proposal. Remove or update it only after reviewing
Release Please's documented bootstrap behavior.

## Commit examples

```text theme={"theme":{"light":"gruvbox-light-medium","dark":"gruvbox-dark-medium"}}
feat(booking): add wait-list capacity
fix(auth): retain the return URL after sign-in
docs(platform): document the release process
```

Breaking changes use `!` and a `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer.

See the official [Release Please Action](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please-action)
and [manifest configuration](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please/blob/main/docs/manifest-releaser.md).


## Related topics

- [Engineering Workflow](/engineering/index.md)
- [Platform Implementation Report](/engineering/platform-implementation-report.md)
- [Background Jobs](/content/docs/api-reference/jobs.md)
- [Changelog](/releases/changelog.md)
- [Versioning](/releases/versioning.md)