---
name: Version Bump
slug: version-bump
category: DevOps
description: Version Bump automates semantic versioning and release workflows for Claude Code plugins. It increments versions across manifests, verifies build artifacts, tags and pushes git releases, generates changelogs, and hands off npm publishing to a human maintainer.
github: "https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/tree/main/plugin/skills/version-bump"
language: JavaScript
stars: 90579
forks: 7901
install: "npx degit https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/tree/main/plugin/skills/version-bump ~/.claude/skills/version-bump"
installs_to: ~/.claude/skills/version-bump
source_path: plugin/skills/version-bump/SKILL.md
collection_size: 22
category_size: 798
collection_url: "https://dirskills.com/collections/thedotmack/claude-mem"
added: 2026-08-13T07:35:57.600Z
last_synced: 2026-08-13T07:35:57.600Z
canonical_url: "https://dirskills.com/skills/version-bump"
---

# Version Bump

Version Bump automates semantic versioning and release workflows for Claude Code plugins. It increments versions across manifests, verifies build artifacts, tags and pushes git releases, generates changelogs, and hands off npm publishing to a human maintainer.

**Install:**

```bash
npx degit https://github.com/thedotmack/claude-mem/tree/main/plugin/skills/version-bump ~/.claude/skills/version-bump
```

## README

# Version Bump & Release Workflow

**IMPORTANT:** Plan and write detailed release notes before starting.

**CRITICAL:** Commit EVERYTHING (including build artifacts). At the end of this workflow, NOTHING should be left uncommitted or unpushed. Run `git status` at the end to verify.

## Preparation

1.  **Analyze**: Determine if the change is **PATCH** (bug fixes), **MINOR** (features), or **MAJOR** (breaking).
2.  **Environment**: Identify repository owner/name from `git remote -v`.
3.  **Paths — every file that carries the version string**:
    - `package.json` — **the npm/npx-published version** (`npx claude-mem@X.Y.Z` resolves from this)
    - `plugin/package.json` — bundled plugin runtime deps
    - `.claude-plugin/marketplace.json` — version inside `plugins[0].version`
    - `.claude-plugin/plugin.json` — top-level Claude-plugin manifest
    - `plugin/.claude-plugin/plugin.json` — bundled Claude-plugin manifest
    - `.codex-plugin/plugin.json` — Codex-plugin manifest
    - `plugin/.codex-plugin/plugin.json` — bundled Codex-plugin manifest
    - `openclaw/openclaw.plugin.json` — OpenClaw plugin manifest

    Verify coverage before editing: `git grep -l "\"version\": \"<OLD>\""` should list all eight. If a new manifest has been added since this doc was last updated, update this list.

## Workflow

1.  **Update**: Increment the version string in every path above. Do NOT touch `CHANGELOG.md` — it's regenerated.
2.  **Verify**: `git grep -n "\"version\": \"<NEW>\""` — confirm all eight files match. `git grep -n "\"version\": \"<OLD>\""` — should return zero hits.
3.  **Build and sync**: `npm run build-and-sync` to regenerate artifacts, sync the local marketplace copy, restart the worker, and clear the queue. Do not use plain `npm run build` for release validation because it can leave the local marketplace/worker out of sync.
4.  **Commit**: `git add -A && git commit -m "chore: bump version to X.Y.Z"`.
5.  **Tag**: `git tag -a vX.Y.Z -m "Version X.Y.Z"`.
6.  **Push**: `git push origin main && git push origin vX.Y.Z`.
7.  **Publish to npm — HAND OFF TO HUMAN.** The human maintainer raised npm
    security, so publishing now requires credentials/2FA only they can provide.
    The agent MUST NOT run `npm publish` (or `np` / `npm run release:*`, which
    also publish) itself. **Hand off NPM publishing to the human now:** stop and
    tell them the version is committed, tagged, and pushed, and that they must
    publish to npm to make `npx claude-mem@X.Y.Z` resolve. Give them the command:
    ```bash
    npm publish   # run by the HUMAN — the prepublishOnly script rebuilds the package
    ```
    Wait for the human to confirm they published, then verify it landed:
    ```bash
    npm view claude-mem@X.Y.Z version   # should print X.Y.Z
    ```
    If the publish build touched local artifacts, run `npm run build-and-sync` again afterward.
8.  **GitHub release**: `gh release create vX.Y.Z --title "vX.Y.Z" --notes "RELEASE_NOTES"`.
9.  **Changelog**: Regenerate via the project's changelog script:
    ```bash
    npm run changelog:generate
    ```
    (Runs `node scripts/generate-changelog.js`, which pulls releases from the GitHub API and rewrites `CHANGELOG.md`.)
10. **Sync changelog**: Commit and push the updated `CHANGELOG.md`.
11. **Notify**: Run the Discord notification from `~/Scripts/claude-mem/`, where the `.env` with Discord webhook details lives:
    ```bash
    cd ~/Scripts/claude-mem/ && npm run discord:notify vX.Y.Z
    ```
    Do this even when the release worktree does not have a local `.env`.
12. **Finalize**: `git status` — working tree must be clean.

## Checklist

- [ ] All eight config files have matching versions
- [ ] `git grep` for old version returns zero hits
- [ ] `npm run build-and-sync` succeeded
- [ ] Git tag created and pushed
- [ ] **NPM publishing handed off to the human** (agent does NOT run `npm publish` — human raised security); once they publish, `npm view claude-mem@X.Y.Z version` confirms it (so `npx claude-mem@X.Y.Z` resolves)
- [ ] GitHub release created with notes
- [ ] `CHANGELOG.md` updated and pushed
- [ ] Discord notification run from `~/Scripts/claude-mem/`
- [ ] `git status` shows clean tree