prepare-release

Release preparation for Stages I-L of the VibeFlow docs-first workflow.

Purpose

This skill guides release preparation through Stages I-L:

• Stage I: Spec Reconciliation (sync docs with implementation)
• Stage J: OP-NOTE Creation (deployment documentation)
• Stage K: Deploy (execute deployment)
• Stage L: Close Loop (update indices, retrospective)

Workflow

Stage I: Spec Reconciliation
    │
    ├── Compare Feature Spec vs actual implementation
    ├── Update SPEC documents with any deviations
    ├── Reconcile ADRs with decisions made
    └── Ensure docs match deployed reality
    │
    ▼
Stage J: OP-NOTE Creation
    │
    ├── Create docs/op-notes/op-<feature>.md
    ├── Document: Preflight, Deploy Steps, Monitoring
    ├── Document: Runbook, Rollback, Post-Deploy Checks
    └── Update op-notes/index.md
    │
    ▼
Stage K: Deploy
    │
    ├── Execute preflight checklist
    ├── Run deployment steps
    ├── Execute post-deploy verification
    └── Monitor for issues
    │
    ▼
Stage L: Close Loop
    │
    ├── Update master indices
    ├── Mark feature complete
    ├── Run retrospective (Large track)
    └── Archive or link documentation

Usage

Check Release Readiness

/prepare-release check

Validates OP-NOTE completeness and spec reconciliation status.

Create OP-NOTE

/prepare-release opnote <feature-slug>

Creates docs/op-notes/op-<feature-slug>.md from template with all required sections.

Reconcile Specs

/prepare-release reconcile <feature-id>

Compares Feature Spec vs actual implementation and updates divergent docs.

Stage Details

Stage I: Spec Reconciliation

Purpose: Ensure documentation matches implementation before release.

Tasks:

1. Compare Feature Spec API Design with actual implementation
2. Update any divergent signatures or behaviors
3. Review SPEC documents for accuracy
4. Update ADRs if decisions changed during implementation
5. Document any deviations discovered

Stage J: OP-NOTE Creation

Purpose: Document everything operators need for deployment.

Required Sections:

• Header (file, date, features covered)
• Preflight (prerequisites, migrations, env vars)
• Deploy Steps (ordered commands with verification)
• Monitoring (dashboards, alerts, SLOs)
• Runbook (symptom → diagnose → remediate)
• Rollback (precise steps, data compatibility)
• Post-Deploy Checks (smoke tests, owners)

Location: docs/op-notes/op-<feature-slug>.md

Stage K: Deploy

Purpose: Execute deployment following OP-NOTE.

Pre-Deploy Checklist:

• OP-NOTE complete and validated
• All preflight items checked
• Rollback plan verified
• On-call notified
• Monitoring dashboards open

Post-Deploy Checklist:

• Health checks passing
• Smoke tests executed
• Error rates nominal
• Performance within SLOs

Stage L: Close Loop

Purpose: Finalize feature lifecycle.

Tasks:

1. Update docs/features/index.md - mark feature complete
2. Update docs/op-notes/index.md - link OP-NOTE
3. Update docs/specs/index.md if new SPECs created
4. Create git tag for release
5. Run retrospective (Large track only)

Indices to Update:

• Feature index with completion status
• OP-NOTE index with deployment link
• SPEC index with version updates
• ADR index with new decisions

Best Practices

1. Never deploy without OP-NOTE: Gate production deployments
2. Keep runbooks actionable: Symptom → Diagnose → Remediate
3. Test rollback procedures: Don't assume they work
4. Update indices promptly: Don't let documentation lag
5. Reconcile specs honestly: Document what was actually built

Validation

• scripts/validate_opnote.py — Validate OP-NOTE completeness
• scripts/reconcile_specs.py — Check spec reconciliation status

References

See assets/:

• opnote-template.md — OP-NOTE template

Manifest Update

After completing each stage, update docs/workflow-state.yaml:

Stage I (Reconcile):

• Set stage: I

Stage J (OP-NOTE):

• Set stage: J
• Set docs.opnote: docs/op-notes/op-<slug>.md

Checkpoint #5 (after Stage J):

• Set checkpoint: 5 after passing validation
• Criteria: OP-NOTE exists with all required sections, spec reconciliation complete

Stage K (Deploy):

• Set stage: K

Stage L (Close):

• Set stage: L

Checkpoint #6 (after Stage L):

• Set checkpoint: 6 after passing validation
• Criteria: Deployment verified, indices updated, git tag created

Git Commit

After completing each stage, ask the user for permission before committing:

Stage I (Reconcile):

git add docs/ docs/workflow-state.yaml
git commit -m "feat(release): reconcile specs with implementation (#ft-<ID>)"

Stage J (OP-NOTE):

git add docs/op-notes/op-<slug>.md docs/workflow-state.yaml
git commit -m "feat(release): create OP-NOTE for <slug> (#ft-<ID>)"

Stage L (Close):

git add docs/workflow-state.yaml
git commit -m "feat(release): close <slug> (#ft-<ID>)"
git tag v<version>-<slug>
gh pr create --title "[ft-<ID>] <Description>" --body "Closes #ft-<ID>"

Replace <slug>, <ID>, <version>, and <Description> with actual values.

Auto-Advance

After each sub-stage commit, directly run /manage-work advance <ID>:

1. After Stage I (Reconcile) commit → advances I→J.
2. After Stage J (OP-NOTE) commit → advances J→K. The advance command will automatically validate Checkpoint #5 at the J→K boundary.
3. After Stage K (Deploy) commit → advances K→L.
4. After Stage L (Close) commit → advances L→DONE. The advance command will automatically validate Checkpoint #6 at the L→DONE boundary.