
Release Manager
Plan and execute releases from commit history—versioning, notes, and launch coordination—for a small product team of one.
Overview
release-manager is an agent skill most often used in Ship (also Launch distribution) that turns git commit history into structured release planning and launch-ready communication.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/alirezarezvani/claude-skills --skill release-managerWhat is this skill?
- Structures release work around conventional commit-style history (feat, fix, docs) for changelog-ready narratives
- Supports reasoning over multi-author commit batches when drafting release notes
- Fits indie cadence: tie issues (Closes/Fixes) to user-facing release bullets
- Release Management discipline for version bumps and deployment handoff
- Works from existing git log context rather than inventing scope
Adoption & trust: 524 installs on skills.sh; 17.5k GitHub stars; 2/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
What problem does it solve?
You have a pile of merged commits but no clear version story, release notes, or ordered launch checklist.
Who is it for?
Solo SaaS or API maintainers cutting regular releases who want changelog discipline from real git history.
Skip if: Greenfield repos with no commits yet, or orgs that require a proprietary release bot you cannot mirror in chat.
When should I use this skill?
A release window is closing and you need version narrative, notes, and launch coordination from repository history.
What do I get? / Deliverables
You get a release-oriented plan and user-facing notes grounded in commit messages and linked issues, ready for tag and deploy.
- Release notes draft aligned to commits
- Release scope and sequencing recommendations
- Issue-linked summary for user communication
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Spans multiple journey phases - primary shelf plus alternate fits below.
Ship is the primary home for turning merged work into a releasable, documented version; launch subphase covers tagging, notes, and go-live sequencing. Launch under Ship matches release cutover, changelog communication, and pre-flight checks before users see the build.
Where it fits
Draft release notes from the last sprint’s feat/fix commits before creating a git tag.
Turn changelog bullets into email or social copy for a minor version ship.
Sanity-check that merged fixes referenced in commits are called out in the release narrative.
How it compares
Planning and narrative skill for releases—not a CI/CD pipeline substitute or automated semver bumper by itself.
Common Questions / FAQ
Who is release-manager for?
Indie developers and small teams shipping SaaS, CLIs, or APIs who need help drafting releases from git without a full release-management hire.
When should I use release-manager?
In Ship before tagging; in Launch when polishing distribution copy; after a feature/fix batch lands and you need notes and a go-live sequence.
Is release-manager safe to install?
Treat it like any skill that may suggest git or deploy actions—review the Security Audits panel on this page and validate commands before running them.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Release Manager
[ { "hash": "a1b2c3d", "author": "Sarah Johnson <sarah.johnson@example.com>", "date": "2024-01-15T14:30:22Z", "message": "feat(auth): add OAuth2 integration with Google and GitHub\n\nImplement OAuth2 authentication flow supporting Google and GitHub providers.\nUsers can now sign in using their existing social media accounts, improving\nuser experience and reducing password fatigue.\n\n- Add OAuth2 client configuration\n- Implement authorization code flow\n- Add user profile mapping from providers\n- Include comprehensive error handling\n\nCloses #123\nResolves #145" }, { "hash": "e4f5g6h", "author": "Mike Chen <mike.chen@example.com>", "date": "2024-01-15T13:45:18Z", "message": "fix(api): resolve race condition in user creation endpoint\n\nFixed a race condition that occurred when multiple requests attempted\nto create users with the same email address simultaneously. This was\ncausing duplicate user records in some edge cases.\n\n- Added database unique constraint on email field\n- Implemented proper error handling for constraint violations\n- Added retry logic with exponential backoff\n\nFixes #234" }, { "hash": "i7j8k9l", "author": "Emily Davis <emily.davis@example.com>", "date": "2024-01-15T12:20:45Z", "message": "docs(readme): update installation and deployment instructions\n\nUpdated README with comprehensive installation guide including:\n- Docker setup instructions\n- Environment variable configuration\n- Database migration steps\n- Troubleshooting common issues" }, { "hash": "m1n2o3p", "author": "David Wilson <david.wilson@example.com>", "date": "2024-01-15T11:15:30Z", "message": "feat(ui)!: redesign dashboard with new component library\n\nComplete redesign of the user dashboard using our new component library.\nThis provides better accessibility, improved mobile responsiveness, and\na more modern user interface.\n\nBREAKING CHANGE: The dashboard API endpoints have changed structure.\nFrontend clients must update to use the new /v2/dashboard endpoints.\nThe legacy /v1/dashboard endpoints will be removed in version 3.0.0.\n\n- Implement new Card, Grid, and Chart components\n- Add responsive breakpoints for mobile devices\n- Improve accessibility with proper ARIA labels\n- Add dark mode support\n\nCloses #345, #367, #389" }, { "hash": "q4r5s6t", "author": "Lisa Rodriguez <lisa.rodriguez@example.com>", "date": "2024-01-15T10:45:12Z", "message": "fix(db): optimize slow query in user search functionality\n\nOptimized the user search query that was causing performance issues\non databases with large user counts. Query time reduced from 2.5s to 150ms.\n\n- Added composite index on (email, username, created_at)\n- Refactored query to use more efficient JOIN structure\n- Added query result caching for common search patterns\n\nFixes #456" }, { "hash": "u7v8w9x", "author": "Tom Anderson <tom.anderson@example.com>", "date": "2024-01-15T09:30:55Z", "message": "chore(deps): upgrade React to version 18.2.0\n\nUpgrade React and related dependencies to latest stable versions.\nThis includes performance improvements and new concurrent features.\n\n- React: 17.0.2 → 18.2.0\n- React-DOM: 17.0.2 → 18.2.0\n- React-Router: 6.8.0 → 6.8.1\n- Updated all peer dependencies" }, { "hash": "y1z2a3b", "author": "Jennifer Kim <jennifer.kim@example.com>", "date": "2024-01-15T08:15:33Z", "message": "test(auth): add comprehensive tests for OAuth flow\n\nAdded unit and integration tests for the OAuth2 authentication system\nto ensure reliability and prevent regressions.\n\n- Unit tests for OAuth client configuration\n- Integration tests for complete auth flow\n- Mock providers for testing without external dependencies\n- Error scenario testing\n\nTest coverage increased from 72% to 89% for auth module." }, { "hash": "c4d5e6f", "author": "Alex Thompson <alex.thompson@example.com>", "date": "2024-01-15T