RELEASE_PROCESS.md

Release Process

1. Create a Release Branch
   Create a new branch named release/v*.*.* from `main. Use dlp-api version as the branch name, not the dlp version.

2. Update the Crate Versions
   Increment the version in dlp-api/Cargo.toml for the release you are preparing.

   • Incrementing the version in dlp's Cargo.toml is optional, as it will not be published.

3. Align the Release Manifests
   Run bash ./.github/version_align.sh. This will:

   • update the versioned dlp-api entries in the root Cargo.toml to match dlp-api/Cargo.toml
   • keep the magicblock-delegation-program self dev-dependency path-only so the root crate can publish cleanly

4. Commit and Push the Release Branch
   Commit the version updates and aligned manifest, then push the release/v*.*.* branch.

5. Continuous Integration (CI) Dry Run
   The publish workflow runs on release/v* pushes in dry-run mode. Ensure the workflow passes before continuing.

6. Merge and Publish
   Merge the release branch into main, then create a new GitHub Release. This triggers the real publish flow for magicblock-delegation-program-api.

   • Note that magicblock-delegation-program will not be published.

7. Post-Deployment
   Verify that magicblock-delegation-program-api is available as expected after the GitHub Release completes.

Notes

• CRATES_TOKEN must be configured in the repository secrets.
• Manual workflow_dispatch runs default to dry-run. Only set dry_run to false when you intentionally want a real publish.