Release Flow

This document outlines the standard procedure for publishing a new release of RIMAPI. By following these steps, we ensure that version numbers, documentation, and compiled binaries stay perfectly in sync.

Prerequisites

Before starting a release, ensure that:

• All new features and bug fixes have been tested locally in RimWorld.
• The Bruno API collection runs successfully against the new build.
• Documentation for any new endpoints has been added to the respective _api_macroses/controllers/ YAML files.

---

1. Update the Changelog

Before bumping the version, finalize the CHANGELOG.md.

1. Review the ## [Unreleased] section.
2. Change the [Unreleased] header to the new version number and today's date (e.g., ## v1.8.3 - 2026-03-28).
3. Ensure all significant changes (Features, Fixes, Breaking Changes) are accurately categorized.

2. Run the Version Bump Script

RimAPI uses a Python script to enforce a "Single Source of Truth" for versioning. You do not need to manually edit XML or C# files.

From the root directory of the repository, run the bump script with your new version number:

python bump_version.py 1.8.3

What this script does automatically:

• Updates in About/About.xml
• Updates in About/Manifest.xml
• Updates in Source/RIMAPI/RimApi.csproj
• Updates the tool version in .config/dotnet-tools.json
• Updates the documentation metadata in docs/_api_macroses/controllers/_meta.yml
• Stages all modified files in Git (git add -u)

3. Commit and Tag

Once the script finishes and the files are staged, commit the release and create a Git tag. We follow Conventional Commits for our release history.

# Commit the version bump
git commit -m "Release v1.8.3"

# Create an annotated tag
git tag -a v1.8.3 -m "Release v1.8.3"

# Push the commit and the tag to GitHub
git push origin main
git push origin v1.8.3