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World C3: Release & Deploy

Automatic versions and changelogs

You will learn: how a robot picks the next version and writes the changelog from your commits.

Checked with GitHub Actions 2026-10 on 31 Oct 2026

The problem

Your boss asks: “What changed in version 1.5?” You scroll through 60 commits. A robot could answer, if commits are clear. Can a robot read these?

Swipe right for good, left for needs work. Or use the buttons.

1 / 4feat: add a search box

Watch

Clear messages pick the next number. The rule is Semantic Versioning (SemVer): Version numbers in three parts: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH.: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH. You are on 1.4.2. Sort each commit by the version it makes.

Drag a card into a box. Or tap the card, then tap the box.

        Watch

        Tap each point on the timeline.

        The robot release-please keeps one release PR: A pull request a robot keeps up to date with the next version number and the changelog. Merge it to release. open. You decide when to release: merge it.

        Try it

        Build the robot’s workflow. It runs on every push to main.

        Tap blocks to add them. Put them in order.

        Blocks

        Your workflow

        Tap a block above to start.

        Workflow file .github/workflows/

        name: Release Please

        What runs

        Nothing to run yet.

        Predict

        You are on 1.4.2. Since then: one fix: and one feat:. What version does the release PR show?

        Check

        Here is part of the changelog it wrote. Tap the line the fix: commit made.

        Tap the line the fix: commit made.

        0 of 1 found

        You did it!

        You can now let a robot pick versions and write changelogs.

        Go deeper (optional)

        semantic-release does the same job with no release PR. It releases on every push to main. One trap: a tag made with GITHUB_TOKEN starts no other workflow. So deploy in the same workflow, after release-please reports a release.

        Real rep (optional): add this workflow to a test repo. Merge a feat: commit and watch the release PR appear.