# donder-release-cli
> Quickly create releases on Github from the command line or CI using conventional commits.
Latest version **1.5.5** (published 2026-04-12) · MIT license · 0 weekly downloads
## Install
```sh
npm install donder-release-cli
pnpm add donder-release-cli
yarn add donder-release-cli
bun add donder-release-cli
```
Provides the command `donder-release-cli`.
## Health
**Score 45/100 (D)** — status: active.
Positive: no vulnerabilities.
Warnings: low downloads; no types; no esm support.
## Facts
| | |
|---|---|
| Version | 1.5.5 |
| Published | 2026-04-12 |
| First published | 2022-11-30 |
| Weekly downloads | 0 |
| License | MIT |
| TypeScript types | none |
| Module format | CommonJS |
| Dependencies | 0 |
| Unpacked size | 11.5 KB |
| Known vulnerabilities | 0 |
| Install scripts | yes |
| GitHub stars | 0 |
| Author | Bruno Morgado |
| Maintainers | mstrk |
## Links
- npm: https://www.npmjs.com/package/donder-release-cli
- Repository: https://github.com/south-bay-warriors/donder-release
- Homepage: https://github.com/south-bay-warriors/donder-release#readme
- Issues: https://github.com/south-bay-warriors/donder-release/issues
- npm.io page: https://npm.io/package/donder-release-cli
## Recent versions
- 1.5.5 (latest) — 2026-04-12
- 2.0.0-beta.1 (next) — 2026-04-12
- 1.5.3-beta.1 (beta) — 2026-04-12
- 2.0.0-beta.0 — 2026-04-12
- 1.5.4 — 2026-04-12
- 1.5.3 — 2026-04-12
- 1.5.2 — 2024-05-21
- 1.5.1 — 2023-11-15
- 1.5.0 — 2023-11-08
- 1.4.1-alpha.4 — 2023-09-12
- 1.4.1-alpha.3 — 2023-09-12
- 1.4.1-alpha.2 — 2023-09-12
- 1.4.1-alpha.1 — 2023-09-12
- 1.4.1-alpha.0 — 2023-08-03
- 1.4.0 — 2023-07-27
- … 7 more at https://npm.io/package/donder-release-cli/versions
## README
donder-release
Quickly create releases on Github from the command line or CI using conventional commits.
## Installation
#### With Cargo
```bash
cargo install donder-release
```
#### With Npm
```bash
npm install -g donder-release-cli
```
## Quick start
Initialize a configuration file in your project:
```bash
donder-release --init
```
This creates a `donder-release.yaml` file with commented examples for all options.
Preview a release without publishing:
```bash
donder-release --dry-run
```
Publish a release:
```bash
donder-release
```
## CLI options
```
-i, --init Initialize configuration file
-c, --config Configuration file path [default: donder-release.yaml]
-p, --packages Comma-separated list of monorepo packages to release
--pre-id Pre-release identifier (e.g. alpha, beta, rc)
--dry-run Preview a pending release without publishing
-v, --version Output CLI version
```
## Configuration
All configuration is done in `donder-release.yaml`.
### release_message
The commit message for the release commit. Use `%s` as a placeholder for the version.
```yaml
release_message: "chore(release): %s"
```
### tag_prefix
Prefix for release tags.
```yaml
tag_prefix: v # creates tags like v1.0.0
```
### types
Commit types that trigger a release. `feat`, `fix` and `revert` are reserved types with fixed bump rules (`feat` = minor, `fix`/`revert` = patch). You can override their section names and add custom types with `minor` or `patch` bumps.
```yaml
types:
- { commit_type: feat, section: Features }
- { commit_type: fix, section: Bug Fixes }
- { commit_type: perf, bump: patch, section: Performance Improvements }
```
### bump_files
Files to update with the new version. At least one must be defined. Supported targets: `cargo`, `npm`, `pub`, `android`, `ios`.
```yaml
bump_files:
- { target: cargo, path: }
- { target: npm, path: }
- { target: pub, path: }
- { target: android, path: android }
- { target: ios, path: ios/MyApp }
```
Use `` to target the directory where donder-release is executed.
#### iOS and App Store Connect
App Store Connect only allows version numbers as 3 period-separated integers, no pre-release or build metadata strings. To work around this, donder-release translates pre-release identifiers into numeric values for `CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION`:
| Pre-release | CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION |
| ----------------------- | ----------------------- |
| `alpha.N` | `1.N` |
| `beta.N` | `2.N` |
| `rc.N` | `3.N` |
| Other | `4.N` |
| Stable (no pre-release) | `5.0` |
`MARKETING_VERSION` is always set to the semver version without pre-release info (e.g. `1.2.0`).
For example, a release of `1.2.0-beta.3` sets:
- `MARKETING_VERSION = 1.2.0`
- `CURRENT_PROJECT_VERSION = 2.3`
#### Build metadata
Append an auto-incrementing build number to the version:
```yaml
bump_files:
- { target: npm, path: , build_metadata: true } # e.g. 1.0.0+1, 1.0.0+2
```
Build metadata must be numeric. For `android` and `ios` targets, the build number is always incremented automatically.
### changelog_file
Write release notes to a changelog file:
```yaml
changelog_file: CHANGELOG.md
```
### clean_pre_releases
Delete pre-release tags and GitHub releases when a stable release is published:
```yaml
clean_pre_releases: true
```
### Monorepo support
Mark bump files as individual packages to release them independently. Each package gets its own tags, changelog, and version based on commits under its directory.
```yaml
bump_files:
- { target: npm, path: packages/api, package: true }
- { target: npm, path: packages/web, package: true }
```
Release specific packages:
```bash
donder-release --packages api,web
```
## Pre-releases
Create pre-release versions with the `--pre-id` flag:
```bash
donder-release --pre-id alpha # 1.0.1-alpha.0
donder-release --pre-id beta # 1.0.1-beta.0
donder-release --pre-id rc # 1.0.1-rc.0
```
Subsequent pre-releases auto-increment: `1.0.1-alpha.0` -> `1.0.1-alpha.1`.
## Environment variables
| Variable | Description | Default |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------- |
| `GH_TOKEN` | GitHub personal access token (required for publishing) | |
| `GIT_AUTHOR_NAME` | Git author name | `sbayw-bot` |
| `GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL` | Git author email | `` |
| `GIT_COMMITTER_NAME` | Git committer name | Falls back to `GIT_AUTHOR_NAME` |
| `GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL` | Git committer email | Falls back to `GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL` |
Environment variables can be set in a `donder-release.env` file in your project root.
#### GH_TOKEN permissions
The `GH_TOKEN` must be a personal access token with **Contents: Read and write** permission on the target repository. This allows donder-release to push commits, tags, and create GitHub releases.
If the current branch is protected, the user that created the PAT must be added to the branch protection bypass list (**Settings > Rules > Rulesets** or **Settings > Branches > Allow specified actors to bypass required pull requests**).
## CI / GitHub Actions
Example workflow for manual releases:
```yaml
name: Release
on:
workflow_dispatch:
inputs:
type:
description: Release type
required: true
type: choice
options:
- release
- beta
jobs:
release:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v6
with:
fetch-depth: 0
persist-credentials: false
- uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
- run: cargo install donder-release
- name: Run donder-release
run: |
if [ "${{ inputs.type }}" = "beta" ]; then
donder-release --pre-id beta
else
donder-release
fi
env:
GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_TOKEN }}
```
> **Note:** Use `persist-credentials: false` on checkout so donder-release authenticates with your `GH_TOKEN` instead of the default `GITHUB_TOKEN`.
## Conventional Commits
donder-release follows the [Conventional Commits 1.0.0](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/en/v1.0.0/) specification:
```
():
[optional body]
[optional footer(s)]
```
Version bumps are determined by commit type:
| Commit | Version bump |
| ------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| `fix: ...` | Patch (1.0.0 -> 1.0.1) |
| `feat: ...` | Minor (1.0.0 -> 1.1.0) |
| `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer | Major (1.0.0 -> 2.0.0) |
#### TODO
- Footer links support
- Add support to other git providers(?)
---
_Source: https://npm.io/package/donder-release-cli · Machine-readable twin of the npm.io package page. Health data is recomputed on every publish._