| 1 | --- |
| 2 | name: "versioning-policy" |
| 3 | description: "Semver versioning rules for Squad SDK and CLI — prevents prerelease version incidents" |
| 4 | domain: "release, versioning, npm, CI" |
| 5 | confidence: "medium" |
| 6 | source: "earned (PR #640 workspace resolution incident, PR #116 prerelease leak, CI gate implementation)" |
| 7 | --- |
| 8 | |
| 9 | ## Context |
| 10 | |
| 11 | Squad is a monorepo with two publishable npm packages (`@bradygaster/squad-sdk` and `@bradygaster/squad-cli`) managed via npm workspaces. Version mismatches and prerelease leaks have caused production incidents — most notably PR #640, where a `-build.N` prerelease version silently broke workspace dependency resolution. |
| 12 | |
| 13 | This skill codifies the versioning rules every agent must follow. |
| 14 | |
| 15 | ## 1. Version Format |
| 16 | |
| 17 | All packages use **strict semver**: `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH` |
| 18 | |
| 19 | - ✅ `0.9.1`, `1.0.0`, `0.10.0` |
| 20 | - ❌ `0.9.1-build.4`, `0.9.1-preview.1`, `0.8.6.1-preview` |
| 21 | |
| 22 | No prerelease suffixes on `dev` or `main` branches — ever. |
| 23 | |
| 24 | ## 2. Prerelease Versions Are Ephemeral |
| 25 | |
| 26 | The `scripts/bump-build.mjs` script creates `-build.N` versions (e.g., `0.9.1-build.4`) for **local development testing only**. |
| 27 | |
| 28 | Rules: |
| 29 | - `-build.N` versions are created automatically during local `npm run build` |
| 30 | - They are **never committed** to `dev` or `main` |
| 31 | - The script skips itself in CI (`CI=true` or `SKIP_BUILD_BUMP=1`) |
| 32 | - If you see a `-build.N` version in a PR diff, it is a bug — reject the PR |
| 33 | |
| 34 | ## 3. SDK and CLI Version Sync |
| 35 | |
| 36 | Both `@bradygaster/squad-sdk` and `@bradygaster/squad-cli` **MUST have the same version** at all times. The root `package.json` version must also match. |
| 37 | |
| 38 | `bump-build.mjs` enforces this by updating all three `package.json` files in lockstep (root + `packages/squad-sdk` + `packages/squad-cli`). |
| 39 | |
| 40 | If versions diverge, workspace resolution silently breaks (see §4). |
| 41 | |
| 42 | ## 4. npm Workspace Semver Footgun |
| 43 | |
| 44 | The CLI depends on the SDK via a workspace dependency with a semver range: |
| 45 | |
| 46 | ```json |
| 47 | "@bradygaster/squad-sdk": ">=0.9.0" |
| 48 | ``` |
| 49 | |
| 50 | **Critical:** Per the semver specification, `>=0.9.0` does **NOT** match `0.9.1-build.4`. |
| 51 | |
| 52 | Semver prerelease versions (anything with a `-` suffix) are only matched by ranges that explicitly reference the same `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH` base with a prerelease comparator. A bare `>=0.9.0` range skips all prerelease versions. |
| 53 | |
| 54 | **What happens:** When the local SDK has version `0.9.1-build.4`, npm's workspace resolution fails to match the `>=0.9.0` range. npm then **silently installs a stale published version** from the npm registry instead of using the local workspace link. The build succeeds but runs against old SDK code. |
| 55 | |
| 56 | This is the root cause of the **PR #640 incident**, where workspace packages appeared linked but were actually running against stale registry versions. |
| 57 | |
| 58 | ## 5. Who Bumps Versions |
| 59 | |
| 60 | **Surgeon (Release Manager) owns all version bumps.** |
| 61 | |
| 62 | | Agent | May modify `version` in package.json? | |
| 63 | |-------|---------------------------------------| |
| 64 | | Surgeon | ✅ Yes — sole owner of version bumps | |
| 65 | | Any other agent | ❌ No — unless explicitly fixing a prerelease leak | |
| 66 | |
| 67 | If you discover a prerelease version committed to `dev` or `main`, you may fix it (revert to the clean release version) without Surgeon's approval. This is a safety escape hatch, not a license to manage versions. |
| 68 | |
| 69 | ## 6. Version Bump Lifecycle |
| 70 | |
| 71 | ``` |
| 72 | ┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ |
| 73 | │ Development phase │ |
| 74 | │ Versions stay at current release: 0.9.1 │ |
| 75 | │ bump-build.mjs creates -build.N locally (not committed)│ |
| 76 | ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ |
| 77 | │ Pre-release testing │ |
| 78 | │ bump-build.mjs → 0.9.1-build.1, -build.2, ... │ |
| 79 | │ Local only. Never committed. Never pushed. │ |
| 80 | ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ |
| 81 | │ Release │ |
| 82 | │ Surgeon bumps to next version (e.g., 0.9.2 or 0.10.0) │ |
| 83 | │ Tags, publishes to npm registry │ |
| 84 | ├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤ |
| 85 | │ Post-release │ |
| 86 | │ Versions stay at the new release version (e.g., 0.9.2) │ |
| 87 | │ Development continues on clean version │ |
| 88 | └─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘ |
| 89 | ``` |
| 90 | |
| 91 | ## 7. CI Enforcement |
| 92 | |
| 93 | The **`prerelease-version-guard`** CI gate blocks any PR to `dev` or `main` that contains prerelease version strings in `package.json` files. |
| 94 | |
| 95 | - The gate scans all three `package.json` files for `-` in the version field |
| 96 | - PRs with prerelease versions **cannot merge** until the version is cleaned |
| 97 | - The `skip-version-check` label bypasses the gate — use **only** for the bump-build script's own PR (if applicable), and only with Surgeon's approval |
| 98 | |
| 99 | ## 8. Incident Reference — PR #640 |
| 100 | |
| 101 | **PR #640** is the cautionary tale for this entire policy. |
| 102 | |
| 103 | **What happened:** Prerelease versions (`0.9.1-build.4`) were committed to a branch. The workspace dependency `>=0.9.0` failed to match the prerelease version per semver spec. npm silently installed a stale published SDK from the registry instead of linking the local workspace copy. Four PRs (#637–#640) attempted iterative patches before the root cause was identified. |
| 104 | |
| 105 | **Root cause:** No versioning policy existed. Agents didn't know that prerelease versions break workspace resolution, or that only Surgeon should modify versions. |
| 106 | |
| 107 | **Resolution:** This skill, the `prerelease-version-guard` CI gate, and the team decision to centralize version ownership under Surgeon. |
| 108 | |
| 109 | ## Quick Reference |
| 110 | |
| 111 | | Rule | Summary | |
| 112 | |------|---------| |
| 113 | | Format | `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH` — no prerelease on dev/main | |
| 114 | | Prerelease | `-build.N` is local-only, never committed | |
| 115 | | Sync | SDK + CLI + root must have identical versions | |
| 116 | | Ownership | Surgeon bumps versions; others don't touch them | |
| 117 | | CI gate | `prerelease-version-guard` blocks prerelease PRs | |
| 118 | | Escape hatch | Any agent may revert a prerelease leak to clean version | |
| 119 | | Footgun | `>=0.9.0` does NOT match `0.9.1-build.4` per semver | |