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docs(releasing): describe the go-forward release process

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Rewrite RELEASING.md as the reference for the target process rather
than a snapshot of the interim state: semver via changesets for
TypeScript / CalVer for Python, versions changed only by PRs on main,
publishing triggered by creating a GitHub Release, per-package
registry-diff guard, OIDC trusted publishing with no registry tokens,
and the failed-publish retry runbook. Implementation tracked in #4463.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01AViME1R9ES2UXT1uQDx1TG
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cliffhall 2026-07-04 16:32:43 -04:00
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RELEASING.md
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@ -1,28 +1,34 @@
# Releasing
How the packages in this repository are published, and what to do when a publish fails.
How the packages in this repository are versioned and published, and what to do when a publish fails.
> Implementation of this process is tracked in [#4463](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/issues/4463).
## Versioning
- **TypeScript packages** use **semver**, managed by [changesets](https://github.com/changesets/changesets). A PR that changes a TypeScript package includes a changeset file declaring the bump (patch/minor/major) and a changelog line — the changeset bot flags PRs that are missing one. A rolling **"Version Packages" PR** accumulates pending changesets; merging it applies the version bumps and updates each package's `CHANGELOG.md`.
- patch = fixes · minor = new tools/prompts/resources/options · major = breaking changes (tool removed or renamed, schema changes that break clients, protocol or Node floor bump)
- **Python packages** use **CalVer** (`YYYY.M.D`). A prepare-release step stamps the date onto Python packages that changed since their last published version and opens a normal PR.
- **Versions live on `main` and are only changed by pull requests.** No workflow computes a version or pushes a tag.
## How publishing works
All packages publish exclusively from the [`release.yml`](.github/workflows/release.yml) GitHub Actions workflow, gated by the `release` environment (a required reviewer must approve each deployment).
Publishing is triggered by **creating a GitHub Release** on the [releases page](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/releases) (with auto-generated notes). That fires the [`release.yml`](.github/workflows/release.yml) workflow, which is the **only** publish path:
1. Every package is a matrix job, run independently (`fail-fast: false` — one package's failure never blocks another).
2. Each job: checkout at the release tag → install → **skip if the package's version already exists on its registry** → run the package's tests → build → publish.
3. Publish jobs are gated by the `release` environment — a required reviewer must approve the deployment.
Because of the version-exists guard, a release publishes exactly the packages whose versions were bumped since the last release, and re-running is always safe.
**Authentication is OIDC trusted publishing on both registries — there are no registry tokens.**
- **npm** (TypeScript servers): each `@modelcontextprotocol/*` package is registered on npmjs.com with a [trusted publisher](https://docs.npmjs.com/trusted-publishers) bound to this repository, workflow filename `release.yml`, and environment `release`. npm rejects publishes from any other workflow or environment — the binding is case-sensitive. Packages are published with [provenance attestations](https://docs.npmjs.com/generating-provenance-statements) (`NPM_CONFIG_PROVENANCE`).
- **PyPI** (Python servers): published via [PyPI trusted publishing](https://docs.pypi.org/trusted-publishers/) using `pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish`.
A release run:
1. **Detects changed packages** since the last release tag (a package counts as changed if any `.py`, `.ts`, or `.md` file in its directory changed — READMEs ship inside the published artifacts).
2. **Stamps versions and tags** — versions are currently date-based (CalVer, e.g. `2026.7.4`) for all packages. (Planned: the TypeScript packages move to semver managed by changesets, while Python stays CalVer — see [#4463](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/issues/4463).)
3. **Publishes each package as an independent matrix job** (`fail-fast: false` — one package's failure never blocks another): checkout at the release tag → install → *skip if this version already exists on the registry* → **run the package's tests** → build → publish.
4. **Creates the GitHub release** with generated notes.
Runs are triggered by a daily schedule or manually via **workflow_dispatch** on `release.yml`.
- **npm**: each `@modelcontextprotocol/*` package is registered on npmjs.com with a [trusted publisher](https://docs.npmjs.com/trusted-publishers) bound to this repository, workflow filename `release.yml`, and environment `release` (the binding is case-sensitive). Packages publish with [provenance attestations](https://docs.npmjs.com/generating-provenance-statements).
- **PyPI**: published via [PyPI trusted publishing](https://docs.pypi.org/trusted-publishers/) using `pypa/gh-action-pypi-publish`.
## When a publish fails
A failed matrix leg means that one package didn't publish; everything else that succeeded stays published (the version-exists guard makes retries idempotent).
A failed matrix leg means that one package didn't publish; everything that succeeded stays published.
**Preferred: re-run the failed jobs on the same run.**
@ -31,21 +37,17 @@ gh run rerun <run-id> --failed --repo modelcontextprotocol/servers
```
- A re-run is still a `release.yml` run in the `release` environment, so it satisfies the trusted-publisher binding.
- It re-runs only the failed legs, checked out at the original release tag — it publishes exactly the tagged code.
- It re-runs only the failed legs, checked out at the release tag — it publishes exactly the tagged code, and the version-exists guard makes it idempotent.
- It needs a fresh `release` environment approval, and the run must be complete first (approve or reject any pending deployments).
- GitHub's re-run window is ~30 days from the original run, and re-runs execute the *original* workflow snapshot — workflow fixes on main don't apply to a re-run (secrets and registry-side registrations are read fresh).
- GitHub's re-run window is ~30 days from the original run, and re-runs execute the *original* workflow snapshot — workflow fixes on `main` don't apply to a re-run.
**Otherwise: let the next release pick it up.** If the re-run window has closed (or the fix required a workflow change), the failed version simply never exists on that registry — that's benign; npm and PyPI version histories don't need to match. The package publishes at the next version, provided it has a qualifying change since the last tag.
**Otherwise: the next release picks it up.** The unpublished version is still on `main`, so the version-exists guard publishes it on the next release automatically. A version skipped this way simply never exists on that registry — that's benign; npm and PyPI version histories don't need to match.
**Never:**
- Publish manually with an npm token or from a laptop — there are no registry tokens, and manual publishes would break the provenance/trust chain.
- Re-dispatch `release.yml` expecting it to retry a failed version — a fresh run mints a *new* version.
- Edit versions outside a reviewed PR to force a publish.
## Environment approvals
The `release` environment's required-reviewer list is configured in the repository settings (Settings → Environments → `release`). Reviewer rights come only from that list — repository admin does not confer deployment approval.
---
The release process is evolving — see [#4463](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/issues/4463) for planned changes (manual GitHub-release triggering, semver via changesets for the TypeScript packages). This document describes the process as it works today and will be updated when that lands.