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testing releases quickstart

TL;DR - Safe Testing

Section titled “TL;DR - Safe Testing”
Terminal window
# Run this to test without any git changes:
./scripts/test-release.sh arena v0.0.1-test

Three Safe Ways to Test

Section titled “Three Safe Ways to Test”

1. 🧪 Local Dry Run (Start Here)

Section titled “1. 🧪 Local Dry Run (Start Here)”

Zero risk - just shows what would happen

Terminal window
./scripts/test-release.sh arena v0.0.1-test

Outputs:

  • Current go.mod
  • Modified go.mod (without replace directives)
  • Build test results
  • Step-by-step release commands

Does NOT:

  • Create any tags
  • Modify any files
  • Push anything to GitHub

2. 🔬 Test Repository (Full Testing)

Section titled “2. 🔬 Test Repository (Full Testing)”

Best for testing go install - completely isolated

Terminal window
# One-time setup
gh repo create AltairaLabs/promptkit-release-test --private --clone
cd promptkit-release-test
cp -r ../PromptKit/* .
git add .
git commit -m "Initial test setup"
git push origin main


# Now test freely!
git tag runtime/v0.0.1-test
git tag pkg/v0.0.1-test
git push origin runtime/v0.0.1-test pkg/v0.0.1-test


# ... continue with tool release ...


# When done, delete everything
cd ..
gh repo delete AltairaLabs/promptkit-release-test --yes

3. 🌿 Test Branch (CI/CD Testing)

Section titled “3. 🌿 Test Branch (CI/CD Testing)”

Tests GitHub Actions without creating tags

Terminal window
# Create test branch
git checkout -b release-test/arena-v0.0.1
git push origin release-test/arena-v0.0.1


# Watch the workflow run in GitHub Actions


# Clean up
git push origin --delete release-test/arena-v0.0.1
git checkout main
git branch -d release-test/arena-v0.0.1

What NOT to Do

Section titled “What NOT to Do”

❌ Don’t use regular tags for testing

Section titled “❌ Don’t use regular tags for testing”
Terminal window
# BAD - gets cached by Go proxy in 5-10 minutes!
git tag runtime/v0.0.1
git push origin runtime/v0.0.1
# ^ This will be stuck for 24 hours if you change your mind

✅ Do use -test suffix if you must tag

Section titled “✅ Do use -test suffix if you must tag”
Terminal window
# BETTER - clearly marked as test
git tag runtime/v0.0.1-test
git push origin runtime/v0.0.1-test


# Delete within 5 minutes if needed
git push origin --delete runtime/v0.0.1-test

✅ Best: Use separate test repo

Section titled “✅ Best: Use separate test repo”
Terminal window
# BEST - completely isolated, delete anytime
gh repo create PromptKit-release-test --private

Ready for Real Release?

Section titled “Ready for Real Release?”

Once testing looks good:

  1. See release-process.md for the complete step-by-step production release guide
  2. Use semantic versions: v1.0.0, v1.0.1, etc.
  3. Never use test/ prefix for production releases

Need Help?

Section titled “Need Help?”
  • Full testing guide: docs/devops/testing-releases.md
  • Release process: docs/devops/release-process.md (to be created)
  • Run test script: ./scripts/test-release.sh