---
name: start-release
allowed-tools: ["Bash(git-agent:*)", "Bash(git:*)", "Read", "Write"]
description: Begins a new version release using git-flow. This skill should be used when the user asks to "start a release", "create release branch", "prepare a release", "git flow release start", or wants to begin a new version release.
model: haiku
argument-hint: <version>
user-invocable: true
disable-model-invocation: true
---

## Workflow Execution

**Launch a general-purpose agent** that executes all phases in a single task.

**Prompt template**:
```
Execute the start-release workflow.

## Pre-operation Checks
Verify working tree is clean per `${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/references/invariants.md`.

## Phase 0: Validate Version
**Goal**: Ensure `$ARGUMENTS` is a valid next version.
1. Run `git tag --sort=-v:refname | head -1` to get the latest tag
2. Strip the leading `v` prefix for comparison
3. If `$ARGUMENTS` is not strictly greater than the latest tag version (semver), abort: "Version $ARGUMENTS is not greater than the current latest tag <latest>."
4. If no tags exist, skip this check

## Phase 1: Start Release
**Goal**: Create release branch and bump version.
1. Run `git flow release start $ARGUMENTS`
2. Update version in project files (package.json, Cargo.toml, VERSION, etc.)
3. Stage version files: `git add <modified version files>`
4. Determine the correct Claude model name for co-author attribution
   - Valid models: Claude Sonnet 4.6, Claude Opus 4.6, Claude Haiku 4.5
5. Commit with git-agent: `git-agent commit --no-stage --intent "bump version to $ARGUMENTS" --co-author "Claude <Model> <Version> <noreply@anthropic.com>"`
6. On auth error (401), retry with `--free`
7. **Fallback** (git-agent unavailable): `git commit -m "chore: bump version to $ARGUMENTS"` with conventional format and `Co-Authored-By` footer
8. Push the branch: `git push -u origin release/$ARGUMENTS`

**Note**: CHANGELOG.md is updated during finish-release, not here.
```

**Execute**: Launch a general-purpose agent using the prompt template above