echokit

🤖 Automated Release on Main Branch

EchoKit now has fully automated releases when merging to main!

🚀 How It Works

Workflow Chain

PR Merge to main
    ↓
.github/workflows/auto-release.yml
    ↓ (reads extension/manifest.json version)
    ↓ (creates tag v*.*.* if not exists)
    ↓
.github/workflows/release.yml
    ↓ (triggered by tag)
    ↓ (builds zip)
    ↓ (creates GitHub Release)
    ↓ (uploads to Chrome Web Store)
    ↓
✅ Published!

📋 Publishing a New Version

Option 1: Automated (Recommended)

1. Update version in your PR:

   // extension/manifest.json
   {
     "version": "1.7.0"  // ← Increment this
   }
   

2. Merge PR to main
   • The auto-release.yml workflow detects the version change
   • Automatically creates tag v1.7.0
   • The release.yml workflow is triggered by the tag
   • Extension is built and published to Chrome Web Store
3. Done! 🎉

Option 2: Manual Tag (Legacy)

git tag v1.7.0
git push origin v1.7.0

This triggers release.yml directly (skips auto-release.yml).

⚙️ Configuration

Required GitHub Secrets

For auto-release workflow to trigger release.yml:

• PAT_FOR_WORKFLOWS - Personal Access Token with repo scope
  • Why needed: GitHub’s GITHUB_TOKEN cannot trigger other workflows (security feature)
  • How to create:
    1. Go to https://github.com/settings/tokens/new
    2. Note: “Workflow automation token”
    3. Scopes: Select repo (full control of private repositories)
    4. Expiration: Choose your preference (1 year recommended)
    5. Click “Generate token” and copy it
  • Add to repository:
    1. Go to https://github.com/ravitejakamalapuram/echokit/settings/secrets/actions
    2. Click “New repository secret”
    3. Name: PAT_FOR_WORKFLOWS
    4. Value: Paste your token
    5. Click “Add secret”
  • Optional: If not set, falls back to GITHUB_TOKEN (tag created but release.yml won’t trigger)

For Chrome Web Store publishing to work:

• CWS_EXTENSION_ID
• CWS_CLIENT_ID
• CWS_CLIENT_SECRET
• CWS_REFRESH_TOKEN

See .github/CHROME_WEB_STORE_SETUP.md for setup instructions.

Workflow Triggers

auto-release.yml triggers on:

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
    paths:
      - 'extension/**'
      - '!extension/**/*.md'

release.yml triggers on:

on:
  push:
    tags: ['v*.*.*']

🔍 Monitoring

Check Workflow Status

gh run list --workflow=auto-release.yml --limit 5
gh run list --workflow=release.yml --limit 5

View Workflow Logs

gh run view  # Shows latest run
gh run view <run-id> --log

GitHub Actions UI

https://github.com/ravitejakamalapuram/echokit/actions

🛡️ Safety Features

• ✅ Idempotent: Won’t create duplicate tags for the same version
• ✅ Smart skipping: Only triggers on extension/ changes (not docs)
• ✅ Version sync: Tag name always matches manifest.json version
• ✅ Atomic: Tag creation and release are separate workflows

🎯 Example Workflow

# 1. Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/new-feature

# 2. Make changes + bump version
vim extension/manifest.json  # "version": "1.7.0"
git commit -am "feat: add new feature"

# 3. Push and create PR
git push -u origin feature/new-feature
gh pr create --fill

# 4. Merge PR (via GitHub UI or CLI)
gh pr merge --squash --delete-branch

# 5. Wait ~2 minutes
# ✅ Tag v1.7.0 created automatically
# ✅ GitHub Release created
# ✅ Chrome Web Store updated
# ✅ Extension published!

📊 Version History

Tags and releases: https://github.com/ravitejakamalapuram/echokit/releases

❓ FAQ

Q: What if I merge to main without updating the version?
A: The workflow checks if the tag already exists. If it does, it skips tag creation and does nothing.

Q: Can I still create tags manually?
A: Yes! Manual tags will still trigger release.yml normally.

Q: How do I skip auto-release for a specific commit?
A: Add [skip-release] to your commit message, or only change non-extension/ files.

Q: What if Chrome Web Store secrets are missing?
A: The release.yml workflow will fail with clear instructions on how to set them up.

🔧 Troubleshooting

Tag already exists error

# List existing tags
git tag -l

# Delete tag locally and remotely (if needed)
git tag -d v1.6.0
git push origin :refs/tags/v1.6.0

# Next merge to main will recreate it

Workflow not triggering

1. Check if paths filter matches: extension/** files changed?
2. Check workflow runs: https://github.com/ravitejakamalapuram/echokit/actions
3. Verify you pushed to main (not a different branch)

---

Created: 2026-05-11
Updated: 2026-05-11
Status: ✅ Active