Quick Start

Install semrel

go install github.com/SemRels/semrel/cmd/semrel@latest

Create a minimal config

Add a .semrel.yaml at the root of your repository, or run the interactive wizard:

semrel config init

Or create it manually:

schemaVersion: 1

branches:
  - name: main

rules:
  - type: feat
    bump: minor
  - type: fix
    bump: patch
  - type: perf
    bump: patch

Write commits using Conventional Commits

git commit -m "feat: add user authentication"
git commit -m "fix: correct token expiry calculation"

Dry-run to preview the release

semrel release --dry-run

semrel will print the calculated next version and the generated changelog without making any changes:

semrel v0.1.0 – release pipeline (dry-run=true, config=.semrel.yaml)
Next version: v1.1.0
Changelog:
  ## [1.1.0] – 2026-05-23
  ### Features
  - add user authentication
  ### Bug Fixes
  - correct token expiry calculation

Run the real release

semrel release

semrel will create the git tag, publish a GitHub/GitLab release (via the configured provider plugin), and trigger any notification hooks.