Release Checklist

This checklist defines the required release path from code freeze through publish and announcement.

Automation: Most of this checklist is automated by make release VERSION=x.y.z and the tag-triggered .github/workflows/release.yml pipeline. See RELEASE_AUTOMATION.md for the tooling decision (cargo-release) and the operator guide. This checklist remains the authoritative description of the end-to-end process and the manual verification steps.

1. Code Freeze

Confirm release branch and freeze window.
Stop non-release feature merges.
Confirm open blockers are triaged.

2. Changelog Finalization

Ensure root changelog and per-crate changelogs are updated.
Ensure notable breaking changes are explicitly called out.
Verify release notes map to merged changes.

3. Version Bump

Apply lockstep version update across public crates.
Verify crate dependency versions remain aligned.
Re-check Cargo.toml metadata completeness.

4. CI and Local Validation

Run and require success for:

cargo test --workspace
cargo fmt --all -- --check
cargo clippy --workspace -- -D warnings
cargo doc --workspace --no-deps
cargo audit

5. Dry-Run Publish Validation

Run dependency-first dry-runs:

paladin-core
paladin-ports
leaf crates
paladin

Use:

cargo publish --dry-run -p

If upstream crates are not yet on crates.io, execute dry-runs in publish order and expect dependent dry-runs to fail until prerequisites are available.

6. Publish

Publish in dependency-first order:

paladin-core
paladin-ports
leaf crates
paladin

After each publish, verify crate availability on crates.io before continuing.

7. Tag and Announcement

Create and push release tag.
Publish release notes.
Announce release in project communication channels.
Confirm docs.rs build status for published crates.

8. Post-Release Verification

Re-run quick smoke tests on published versions.
Verify dependency resolution for a downstream sample app.
Log follow-up items for next release cycle.

Paladin Framework