# Release Kotlin library > Use when publishing a new Kotlin library version with gradle-maven-publish-plugin. Use when preparing, publishing, or checking readiness for a new Kotlin library version in a repository using gradle-maven-publish-plugin, including release changelog reconciliation, API snapshots, and publication verification. ## Facts - Type: Agent skill - Discipline: Engineering - Author: Chris Banes (https://github.com/chrisbanes) - Upstream: https://github.com/chrisbanes/skills/blob/main/skills/release-kotlin-library/SKILL.md - Source file: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/chrisbanes/skills/main/skills/release-kotlin-library/SKILL.md (7155 bytes, sha256:743e464cb48b42ff2d80fbe72bb6fc175fc02bd2beb2113dbca0354c5e707c6c) - Licence: Apache-2.0 - Upstream copy last changed: 2026-09-23 - Status: listed, not yet ruled on by the curator ## Use it I want to use the Release Kotlin library skill by Chris Banes. This is what it does, in the author's own words: Use when preparing, publishing, or checking readiness for a new Kotlin library version in a repository using gradle-maven-publish-plugin, including release changelog reconciliation, API snapshots, and publication verification. Download the whole folder at https://github.com/chrisbanes/skills/tree/main/skills/release-kotlin-library, SKILL.md and every file beside it, into your skills directory: ~/.claude/skills/release-kotlin-library/ for Claude Code, ~/.agents/skills/release-kotlin-library/ for Codex, ~/.cursor/skills/release-kotlin-library/ for Cursor. Get it from the author's repo, not from startupskills.dev. Then tell me the path you installed it to and how to invoke it. Nothing here is vendored: install from the author's repo, not from this site. A verbatim copy of the author's file follows for reading, under the licence reproduced after it; the current file is in the author's repo. ## Links - Page: https://startupskills.dev/chrisbanes/release-kotlin-library - Author: https://startupskills.dev/chrisbanes - Index: https://startupskills.dev/llms.txt ## The file itself --- name: release-kotlin-library description: Use when preparing, publishing, or checking readiness for a new Kotlin library version in a repository using gradle-maven-publish-plugin, including release changelog reconciliation, API snapshots, and publication verification. --- # Release Kotlin library ## Core principle Publish the prepared, validated, user-approved release commit and call the release complete only after verifying its artifacts and Git state. ## Prerequisite This skill relies on `gradle-maven-publish-plugin` (`com.vanniktech.maven.publish`) for library publication, whether run locally or through tag-triggered CI. API snapshot support assumes Metalava-generated `api/api.txt` files; disable snapshots when the repository does not maintain them. ## Procedure 1. Establish scope and inspect repository instructions, Git state, release history, version properties, publishing configuration and required checks. Confirm published modules apply `com.vanniktech.maven.publish` directly or via a convention plugin; declaration alone is insufficient. If absent or unverified, report it and stop before release mutations; do not install or migrate publishing plugins. Distinguish readiness review, preparation and explicit release authorization; select the matching finish path before proceeding. For recovery or recovery review, select and read the [recovery answer form](references/recovery-output.md) before analysis. For changelog-related review, also read [the changelog procedure](references/changelog.md). For preparation or changelog-only work, read the [preparation answer form](references/preparation-output.md) alone in a standalone command before analysis. Check that the returned output contains the complete form, from its heading through its final sentence; if not, stop and recover that read before proceeding. Keep reviews read-only, including credentials. Follow the existing local or CI publishing mechanism; do not migrate it. Read the [helper contract](references/helper.md) before configuring the bundled script. Stop before mutation on unsupported layouts or ambiguous destinations. 2. Before preparation, read [the changelog procedure](references/changelog.md) completely; resolve baseline, version and coverage ambiguity. Do not guess or create a changelog. 3. Identify repository release checks, including tests and Metalava API generation and compatibility checks where configured. Confirm that API files are current before snapshotting; the helper copies them without running Metalava. Do not treat other API dump formats as Metalava snapshots. Require passing evidence for the release code; a green parent commit is insufficient after relevant changes. For Gradle execution, use [gradle-run](../gradle-run/SKILL.md), with `--no-scan` unless a scan is explicitly authorized. Fix failed checks within authorized scope; otherwise stop with the failing gate and next action. 4. Configure and preflight the helper with explicit versions, paths, heading style, API snapshot applicability, branch, remote, tag and command arguments. Keep configuration and evidence outside tracked release files. Check the index, snapshot collisions and local/remote destinations before writes. Load `~/.env` for local publication as data, never by shell sourcing or printing it. Preserve explicit process environment values. Missing required credentials block local publication; do not request or log their values. For tag-triggered CI, use existing Git authentication and CI-managed publishing secrets without loading or requiring local dotenv values. 5. Prepare the release: update the version, finalize the changelog heading and applicable published-module API snapshots, run configured checks, and commit only release files. When finalizing a stable release entry, group that cycle's original prerelease entries beneath its summary in a `
` block with `Prerelease history`. Preserve their headings, anchors, dates and text, with blank lines around the enclosed Markdown. Leave older stable releases outside the block. If the renderer lacks collapsible HTML, retain expanded entries. Inspect the resulting commit. Bind validation to this state and invalidate it if relevant code changes. The helper must not publish during preparation. 6. Present the prepared release for explicit user approval before publication: release version and tag, finalized changelog (or its absence), next development version, release commit, artifact coordinates and destination, publishing mechanism, and validation results. Provide the actual notes or a directly reviewable diff, not just a claim that they are ready. Explain that this approval gate is required by this skill and wait for the user's decision; a general request to release does not approve unseen release details. Reuse approval already given for this exact prepared release. If the code, versions, notes or publishing scope change, prepare and validate the revised release and obtain approval again. Preparation-only and readiness requests stop at their requested scope without soliciting publication approval. 7. Once the prepared release is approved and all gates pass, publish from that commit via the repository's selected mechanism. Local publication and tag-triggered CI are alternatives; do not run both. Do not publish artifacts, push a release tag or trigger publishing CI before approval. 8. Verify all expected artifact coordinates and versions at the configured destination, along with CI completion when applicable. Verify the remote tag resolves to the prepared commit. A successful command or tag alone is not artifact evidence. Only then advance, commit, push and verify the agreed next development version. Create and read back a GitHub Release only when repository conventions call for it, using the finalized release notes. 9. On partial or uncertain success, stop dependent mutations and report verified, failed and unknown stages without secrets. Inspect live artifact, workflow, tag and branch state before recovery; never blindly repeat publication, overwrite remote tags, delete published artifacts or claim rollback. Resume only a proven remaining action within existing authorization. ## Finish paths - **Preparation, including changelog-only:** Fill the selected preparation answer form. Show actual reviewable notes or diff, remaining checks, and the explicit later publication-approval gate; do not request approval now. - **Recovery/recovery review:** Fill the selected recovery answer form; check every applicable disposition before replying. - **Completed release:** Report release version, commit/tag, validation, artifact readback, next development commit, and conditional GitHub Release URL. Claim completion only when every applicable check passes. 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