RELEASE.md

Release Process

Follow these steps when releasing the Nightwatch Browserstack plugin:

1. Merge the corresponding pull request (PR) using squash and merge.
2. Clone a fresh copy of the repository locally to avoid publishing uncommitted files.
3. Run npm install (or npm i) to install dependencies.
4. Run npm audit fix to automatically resolve fixable vulnerabilities.
   Note: This only changes package-lock.json. It is safer than using --force, which may change package versions unexpectedly.
5. Commit and push any changes resulting from npm audit fix.
6. Bump the version in package.json (e.g., 3.6.2 → 3.7.0 for a minor bump).
7. Run npm install again to update package-lock.json after the version bump.
8. Stage and commit the version bump changes.
   Release commit names should match the version number, e.g., 3.7.0.
9. Add a tag:

   git tag v3.7.0

10. Push commits and tags:

    git push origin main --tags

11. Login to npm (if not already authenticated):

    npm login

    Requires an npm account.
12. Publish the package to npm:

    npm publish

    Requires an npm account with permission for this package (typically by joining the Nightwatch organization on npm). For accounts with 2FA, a mobile verification code will be requested.
13. Create a release on GitHub:
    • Select the new tag.
    • Generate release notes.
    • Publish the release.