Fable Release

Prove that the exact commit and artifact users will receive are ready to ship, then distinguish readiness from actual distribution.

Mission

A release is an external state transition. Source tests can be perfect while the package omits files, the tag points at another commit, the registry still serves an old version, or a published artifact cannot start in a clean environment.

This Skill closes that gap by tying release claims to exact version, commit, artifact, workflow, tag, and registry evidence.

Activate When

• preparing a branch for merge or a version for release;
• creating/pushing a version tag;
• publishing npm/package/plugin artifacts;
• finalizing a GitHub Release;
• verifying that a distribution channel actually serves the intended version;
• assessing whether release evidence is current after last-minute changes.

Do Not Activate When

• implementation is still changing (fable-execute/fable-tdd);
• functional verification is incomplete (fable-verify);
• blocking review/security findings remain;
• the user has not authorized an irreversible publish action. Readiness checks may run; publishing itself requires the applicable authorization.

Release Classification

Protocol

Stage 1 — Freeze the candidate

Identify the exact candidate:

• version;
• commit SHA;
• target branch/tag;
• distribution channels;
• required CI/review/security evidence.

Any source/config/package mutation after this point invalidates relevant release evidence and creates a new candidate.

Stage 2 — Validate version semantics

Check:

• version does not already exist in target registry/tag namespace;
• SemVer matches actual compatibility impact;
• all canonical version locations/manifests agree;
• changelog/release notes describe user-visible changes accurately;
• prerelease state is intentional.

Do not choose patch/minor/major purely for convenience.

Stage 3 — Reconfirm fresh quality gates

Verify required functional/build/review/security evidence belongs to the candidate SHA/mutation generation. If evidence was produced before candidate changes, rerun it.

• When available, route branch pushes through the no-mistakes proxy (git push no-mistakes or no-mistakes axi run) to ensure rebase, automated review, tests, lint, and docs pass before remote merge.

Stage 4 — Inspect the artifact boundary

Build/dry-run the exact artifact and inspect its manifest/content.

Check:

• required entrypoints/assets/manifests are present and non-empty;
• secrets, temp files, tests/fixtures/internal holdouts are excluded unless intentionally public;
• generated files are current;
• executable permissions/exports/bin paths are correct;
• dependency/runtime constraints are accurate.

Stage 5 — Clean-environment smoke

Install/use the produced artifact outside the source checkout where feasible.

Prove at least:

• install succeeds;
• primary executable/import resolves;
• version/help/basic smoke works;
• documented quick-start path is not accidentally relying on repo-local files.

Stage 6 — Verify repository release state

Before publishing:

• candidate commit is pushed;
• required CI on the candidate is green;
• tag does not exist or already points to exactly the intended SHA;
• release notes/assets target the same tag/SHA;
• branch is not known-broken relative to base.

Stage 7 — Publish only through an authorized secure path

Prefer configured trusted publishing/OIDC/host automation over introducing long-lived tokens.

Do not print/store credentials or weaken security to make a release pass.

If authorization or authentication is absent, stop at READY_NOT_PUBLISHED with exact remaining action.

Stage 8 — Verify distribution independently

After publish, query the external destination rather than trusting the publish command.

Examples of proof:

• registry reports expected version/dist metadata;
• clean install from registry succeeds;
• Git tag resolves to candidate SHA;
• GitHub Release is actually public, not draft;
• marketplace status reflects submitted/published state.

Stage 9 — Post-release smoke and handoff

Run the user-facing install/invocation path from public distribution. Record rollback/deprecation/follow-up issues if observed.

Release Verdicts

• NOT_READY: required deterministic/review/security/artifact gate fails.
• READY_NOT_PUBLISHED: candidate is sound but publish is unauthorized/unavailable/not requested.
• PUBLISHED_UNVERIFIED: publish command/workflow claims success but external distribution has not been independently confirmed.
• RELEASED: exact candidate is public through intended channels and independently verified.

Do not collapse these states into "done."

Decision Rules

• A dirty worktree does not automatically fail if dirt is explicitly unrelated and release artifact is from a clean candidate SHA; however uncommitted release changes do fail readiness.
• Tag exists at different SHA → hard stop; never move/force a release tag casually.
• Package version already exists in immutable registry → choose a new valid version, do not overwrite.
• Dry-run contents differ from intended public surface → fix package configuration before tagging/publishing.
• Local global install works from repo link but clean tarball/registry install fails → NOT_READY.
• CI green on older commit → stale release evidence.
• GitHub Release draft exists → not public release evidence.
• Publish workflow green but registry not updated yet → PUBLISHED_UNVERIFIED until independently confirmed or known propagation policy is resolved.
• Marketplace requiring manual approval → report submission state accurately; never claim publication.

Invariants

• Release version, commit, tag, artifact, and public metadata refer to one candidate.
• No credential is committed or logged as release evidence.
• Irreversible external writes require applicable authorization.
• Public release claims are externally verified.
• Last-minute mutation invalidates stale candidate evidence.
• Release notes do not claim maturity/features unsupported by fresh proof.

Failure Taxonomy

Artifact omission/pollution

Package misses runtime file or includes secrets/internal material. Fix boundary, rebuild, resmoke.

Version drift

Manifests/changelog/CLI/tag disagree. Reconcile before release.

Candidate drift

CI/evidence points to older SHA after release commit changed. Rerun gates.

Tag mismatch

Existing tag points elsewhere. Stop; investigate rather than force-move.

Publish/auth failure

Candidate may remain READY_NOT_PUBLISHED. Diagnose secure auth/workflow without embedding credentials.

Registry/release mismatch

Publish reports success but public channel serves wrong/old artifact. Keep PUBLISHED_UNVERIFIED and investigate.

Clean-install failure

Artifact depends on repo-local files/dev state. NOT_READY regardless of source tests.

Anti-Patterns

• "tests pass, publish";
• tagging before inspecting artifact contents;
• using source checkout as the only install test;
• force-moving tags;
• adding tokens to config/docs to bypass trusted publishing;
• equating draft release with public release;
• trusting workflow success without registry/release lookup;
• updating docs to claim availability before public verification;
• claiming 100% maturity while changed behavioral evidence is stale.

Release Attestation

Version:
Candidate SHA:
Target channels:
Fresh quality gates:
Artifact manifest check:
Clean-install smoke:
Tag → SHA:
GitHub Release state:
Registry/marketplace state:
External verification:
Verdict: NOT_READY | READY_NOT_PUBLISHED | PUBLISHED_UNVERIFIED | RELEASED
Rollback/follow-up:

Completion Criteria

The Skill's work completes when the requested release stage is accurately attested:

• readiness claims are tied to exact candidate evidence;
• artifact boundary and clean install are proven where applicable;
• tag/release/registry states are consistent;
• public distribution is independently verified before RELEASED;
• missing authorization/external gates are represented as explicit state, never guessed away.

Progressive Resources

• Deep guide: references/artifact-and-distribution-verification.md
• Existing release gates: references/release-gates.md
• Example: examples/release-readiness-audit.md