Release Skill

Release operations for GitLab using the glab CLI.

Quick Reference

Operation	Command	Risk
List releases	glab release list	-
View release	glab release view <tag>	-
Create release	glab release create <tag>	⚠️
Upload assets	glab release upload <tag> <files>	⚠️
Download assets	glab release download <tag>	-
Delete release	glab release delete <tag>	⚠️⚠️

Risk Legend: - Safe | ⚠️ Caution | ⚠️⚠️ Warning | ⚠️⚠️⚠️ Danger

When to Use This Skill

ALWAYS use when:

• User wants to work with releases
• User mentions "release", "version", "changelog", "tag" (for releases)
• User wants to publish or distribute software versions

NEVER use when:

• User wants to manage git tags directly (use git commands)
• User wants CI/CD operations (use gitlab-ci instead)

Available Commands

List Releases

glab release list [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
-P, --per-page=<n>	Results per page
--all	Get all releases

Examples:

# List all releases
glab release list

# List with more results
glab release list --per-page=50

View Release Details

glab release view <tag> [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
-w, --web	Open release in browser

Examples:

# View release details
glab release view v1.0.0

# Open release in browser
glab release view v1.0.0 --web

Create Release

glab release create <tag> [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
-n, --notes=<notes>	Release notes
-F, --notes-file=<file>	Read release notes from file
-N, --name=<name>	Release name (defaults to tag)
-r, --ref=<ref>	Git ref to create tag from (if tag doesn't exist)
-a, --assets-links=<json>	JSON array of asset links
--milestone=<titles>	Milestone titles to associate

Examples:

# Create simple release
glab release create v1.0.0

# Create with release notes
glab release create v1.0.0 -n "## What's New
- Feature A
- Bug fix B"

# Create with notes from file
glab release create v1.0.0 -F CHANGELOG.md

# Create with name and milestone
glab release create v1.0.0 -N "Version 1.0.0" --milestone="Sprint 5"

# Create from specific commit
glab release create v1.0.0 -r abc123def

Upload Assets

glab release upload <tag> <file>... [options]

Upload files as release assets.

Examples:

# Upload single file
glab release upload v1.0.0 ./dist/app.zip

# Upload multiple files
glab release upload v1.0.0 ./dist/*.tar.gz

# Upload with custom name
glab release upload v1.0.0 ./build/app.exe#windows-binary

Download Assets

glab release download <tag> [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
-D, --dir=<dir>	Download directory
-n, --asset-name=<name>	Download specific asset by name

Examples:

# Download all assets
glab release download v1.0.0

# Download to specific directory
glab release download v1.0.0 -D ./downloads/

# Download specific asset
glab release download v1.0.0 -n "app.zip"

Delete Release

glab release delete <tag> [options]

Options:

Flag	Description
-y, --yes	Skip confirmation
--with-tag	Also delete the associated tag

Warning: This permanently deletes the release.

Examples:

# Delete release (prompts for confirmation)
glab release delete v1.0.0

# Delete release and tag
glab release delete v1.0.0 --with-tag

# Delete without confirmation
glab release delete v1.0.0 --yes

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Standard Release

# 1. Ensure all changes are merged
glab mr list --state=opened

# 2. Verify CI passes
glab ci status --branch=main

# 3. Create release with changelog
glab release create v1.2.0 -F CHANGELOG.md -N "Version 1.2.0"

# 4. Upload binaries
glab release upload v1.2.0 ./dist/*

Workflow 2: Pre-release

# Create pre-release version
glab release create v2.0.0-beta.1 \
  -n "Beta release for testing. Not for production use."

Workflow 3: Hotfix Release

# 1. Create release from hotfix branch
glab release create v1.0.1 -r hotfix/critical-fix \
  -n "Hotfix release:
- Fixed critical security issue"

# 2. Upload patched binaries
glab release upload v1.0.1 ./dist/*

Release Notes Best Practices

Structure your release notes:

## What's New
- Feature descriptions

## Bug Fixes
- Fix descriptions

## Breaking Changes
- Migration notes

## Contributors
- @username

Troubleshooting

Issue	Cause	Solution
Authentication failed	Invalid/expired token	Run glab auth login
Tag already exists	Duplicate release	Use different tag or delete existing
Release not found	Invalid tag	Verify tag with glab release list
Upload failed	File not found	Check file path exists

Related Documentation

• Safeguards
• Quick Reference