Update Git Version in GitHub Desktop

This skill guides the user through updating the version of Git that GitHub Desktop ships. This is a multi-repo cascade:

1. desktop/dugite-native — bundles Git binaries for each platform
2. desktop/dugite — Node.js wrapper that consumes dugite-native releases
3. desktop/desktop — the app itself, consumes dugite as an npm dependency

Each step must complete (PR merged + release published) before the next can begin.

Information to Gather

Before starting, use <skill-directory>/check-versions.sh to show the user what's currently shipped and what's available. Then ask the user which components they want to update.

Even if the user only asks about one component (e.g., Git for Windows), proactively check all components and recommend bundling any other available updates. This avoids having to reship dugite-native if a test fails due to a version mismatch in a component the user didn't update.

Gather the following:

• Git version (e.g., v2.48.0) — or latest
• Git for Windows version (e.g., v2.48.0.windows.1) — or latest
• Git LFS version — or skip if not updating (default: skip)
• Git Credential Manager version — or skip if not updating (default: skip)

Step 1: Update Dependencies in dugite-native

Use the helper script to trigger the workflow:

bash <skill-directory>/trigger-workflow.sh dugite-native update-dependencies \
  git=<GIT_VERSION> g4w=<G4W_VERSION> lfs=<LFS_VERSION> gcm=<GCM_VERSION>

This triggers the Update dependencies workflow in desktop/dugite-native which will:

• Update dependencies.json with new URLs and checksums
• Update the git submodule
• Automatically create a PR

Important: The Git and Git for Windows updates are handled by the same workflow step. If you only want to update Git for Windows, you must still pass the current Git version (not skip) for the git input, otherwise the step will be skipped entirely. Use <skill-directory>/check-versions.sh to find the current Git version and pass it as the git input. For example, if Git is currently at v2.53.0 and you only want to update GfW:

bash <skill-directory>/trigger-workflow.sh dugite-native update-dependencies \
  git=v2.53.0 g4w=v2.53.0.windows.2 lfs=skip gcm=skip

Tell the user to:

1. Wait for the workflow to complete — use the script to check status:

   bash <skill-directory>/check-workflow.sh dugite-native

2. When the PR is created, open it in the browser and enable auto-merge:

   bash <skill-directory>/open-pr.sh dugite-native
   gh pr merge --auto --squash <PR_NUMBER> --repo desktop/dugite-native

   Tell the user: "I've enabled auto-merge — please review the PR before CI finishes so it can merge automatically."

Do not proceed to Step 2 until the PR is merged.

Step 2: Publish a dugite-native Release

Use the helper script to trigger the release workflow:

bash <skill-directory>/trigger-workflow.sh dugite-native release \
  version=<VERSION_TAG> draft=false prerelease=false dry-run=true

Suggest running with dry-run=true first. If it succeeds, re-run with dry-run=false.

The version tag should follow Git's versioning scheme:

• v2.48.0 for a new Git version
• v2.48.0-1 if only packaging or other dependencies changed

Tell the user to:

1. Wait for the build to complete across all platforms
2. Review the draft release notes — remove infrastructure-only changes
3. Click Publish on the GitHub release page

Use this to check if the release exists:

bash <skill-directory>/check-release.sh dugite-native <VERSION_TAG>

Do not proceed to Step 3 until the release is published.

Step 3: Update dugite-native Version in dugite

Trigger the Update Git workflow:

bash <skill-directory>/trigger-workflow.sh dugite update-git

No inputs are needed — it automatically fetches the latest dugite-native release.

The workflow creates a PR that updates script/embedded-git.json. Tell the user to:

1. Wait for the workflow to complete
2. When the PR is created, open it in the browser and enable auto-merge:

   bash <skill-directory>/open-pr.sh dugite
   gh pr merge --auto --squash <PR_NUMBER> --repo desktop/dugite

   Tell the user: "I've enabled auto-merge — please review the PR before CI finishes so it can merge automatically."

Do not proceed to Step 4 until the PR is merged.

Step 4: Publish dugite to npm

Trigger the Publish workflow:

bash <skill-directory>/trigger-workflow.sh dugite publish \
  version=<SEMVER_BUMP> tag=latest dry-run=true

• version: minor for a new Git version, patch for bugfix-only
• tag: latest for stable, next for pre-releases

Suggest running with dry-run=true first, then dry-run=false.

Verify the package was published:

bash <skill-directory>/check-npm.sh dugite

Do not proceed to Step 5 until the npm package is published.

Step 5: Update dugite in desktop

Before proceeding, ask the user what they want to do with the dugite update:

1. Just bump dugite — create a PR with the version update on its own
2. Prepare a production release — include the dugite bump in a new production release (e.g., building on an existing beta tag)
3. Prepare a beta release — include the dugite bump in a new beta release off the development branch

Option A: Just bump dugite (standalone PR)

Important: Desktop has a nested package structure. The dugite dependency lives in app/package.json, not the root package.json. Do NOT run yarn upgrade dugite from the repo root — it will add dugite to the wrong package.json.

cd <desktop-repo-path>
git checkout development && git pull
git checkout -b update-dugite-<NEW_VERSION>
# Edit app/package.json to set dugite to "^<NEW_VERSION>"
cd app && yarn install && cd ..
yarn why dugite
git add app/package.json app/yarn.lock
git commit -m "Update dugite to <NEW_VERSION>"
git push origin HEAD
gh pr create --title "Update dugite to <NEW_VERSION> (Git <GIT_VERSION>)" \
  --base development --draft

Option B: Prepare a production release with the dugite bump

If the user wants to cut a production release (e.g., from an existing beta tag like release-3.5.6-beta1):

1. Check out the latest beta tag — production releases are based on the beta, not on development:

   cd <desktop-repo-path>
   git fetch --tags
   git tag --sort=-v:refname | grep "release-.*-beta" | head -1
   git checkout <latest-beta-tag>

2. Draft the production release:

   yarn draft-release production

   This will:
   • Determine the next production version
   • Create a releases/<version> branch from the beta tag
   • Bump app/package.json
   • Generate changelog entries from commits since the last release
3. On the release branch, bump dugite by editing app/package.json directly (see note below about the nested package structure):

   # Edit app/package.json to set dugite to "^<NEW_VERSION>"
   cd app && yarn install && cd ..

4. Review the generated changelog — ensure the dugite/Git update is mentioned (e.g., [Improved] Update Git for Windows to <GFW_VERSION>) and that version numbers reflect what's actually in this release, not what was in the beta
5. Commit all changes:

   git add app/package.json app/yarn.lock changelog.json
   git commit -m "Bump version and add changelog"

6. Push the branch — GitHub Actions will automatically create a release PR
7. Review the release PR — check the changelog and version bump look correct
8. Get the PR reviewed and merge it
9. Verify CI builds pass on the merge commit

If building from a specific tag, ask the user which tag or branch they're basing the release on.

Option C: Prepare a beta release with the dugite bump

1. Bump dugite on the development branch and merge it:

   git checkout development && git pull
   git checkout -b update-dugite-<NEW_VERSION>
   # Edit app/package.json to set dugite to "^<NEW_VERSION>"
   cd app && yarn install && cd ..
   git add app/package.json app/yarn.lock
   git commit -m "Update dugite to <NEW_VERSION>"
   git push origin HEAD
   gh pr create --title "Update dugite to <NEW_VERSION> (Git <GIT_VERSION>)" \
     --base development

   Merge the PR once CI passes.
2. Then draft the beta release:

   yarn draft-release beta

   This will:
   • Determine the next beta version (incrementing beta number or starting a new beta series)
   • Create a releases/<version> branch
   • Bump app/package.json
   • Generate changelog entries
3. Push the branch — GitHub Actions will create a release PR
4. Review the release PR — check the changelog and version bump look correct
5. Get the PR reviewed and merge it
6. Verify CI builds pass on the merge commit

Combining production + beta releases

A common pattern is to release production first, then immediately cut a beta that includes the same changes on the development branch. If the user mentions this, walk them through both in sequence:

1. Draft and release production with the dugite bump on the release branch (Option B) — when the release PR merges, development gets the dugite bump
2. Draft and release beta off development (Option C, skipping the dugite bump since it's already on development from the production merge)

Guidance Style

• Walk through one step at a time — don't dump all steps at once
• After explaining each step, ask the user to confirm when it's done before moving on
• When a workflow creates a PR, open it in the user's browser immediately:

  bash <skill-directory>/open-pr.sh <repo>

• After triggering any workflow, automatically poll for completion every 15–20 seconds using check-workflow.sh and give the user a brief status update each time (e.g., "Still running — 45s elapsed, Linux arm64 building"). Do not wait for the user to ask — keep polling until the workflow completes or fails. When checking individual job status, use:

  gh run view <RUN_ID> --repo desktop/<REPO> --json status,jobs \
    --jq '.jobs[] | select(.status != "completed") | "\(.name): \(.status)"'

• When a workflow creates a PR, immediately open it in the browser and check for CI status
• If something goes wrong, help troubleshoot before continuing
• Use the helper scripts to check status and trigger workflows rather than asking the user to navigate to GitHub manually
• Provide direct links to workflow runs and PRs when available