Merge pull request #2351 from actions/Link-/add-releases-docs

Add docs for the releases workflow

Author: Link-

.github/CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -57,3 +57,8 @@ This will ask you some questions about the new package. Start with `0.0.0` as th
 ```
 
 3. Start developing 😄.
+
+## Releasing Packages
+
+For information on how packages are published to npm, including workflow inputs, dist-tags, and safety guards, see the [release documentation](../docs/release.md).
+

.github/workflows/releases.yml

@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ on:
         type: string
         required: false
         default: 'latest'
-        description: 'npm dist-tag for the release. Use "latest" for main branch releases. For non-main branches, use the package major version (e.g. "v5") to avoid overwriting the latest tag.'
+        description: 'npm dist-tag for the release. Use "latest" for main branch releases. For non-main branches, use a non-semver tag like "v1-longlived". Semver values (e.g. "5.0.0") are not valid dist-tags and will be rejected by npm.'
       test-all:
         type: boolean
         required: false

docs/assets/npm-dist-tags.png

@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+# Releasing Packages
+
+Packages are published to npm via the **Publish NPM** workflow ([`.github/workflows/releases.yml`](../.github/workflows/releases.yml)). The workflow is triggered manually through `workflow_dispatch` from the GitHub Actions UI.
+
+## How it works
+
+The workflow has two jobs:
+
+1. **test** — Checks out the specified branch, installs dependencies, bootstraps the monorepo, builds all packages, runs tests, then packs the target package into a `.tgz` archive and uploads it as a workflow artifact.
+2. **publish** — Downloads the packed artifact and publishes it to npm with `--provenance` (OIDC-based). Sends a Slack notification on success or failure. Requires the `npm-publish` environment.
+
+## Inputs
+
+| Input | Type | Required | Default | Description |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| `package` | choice | **yes** | — | Which package to release. One of: `artifact`, `attest`, `cache`, `core`, `exec`, `github`, `glob`, `http-client`, `io`, `tool-cache`. |
+| `branch` | string | no | `main` | The branch to check out and release from. |
+| `npm-tag` | string | no | `latest` | The npm dist-tag to publish under. See [Dist-tags](#dist-tags) below. |
+| `test-all` | boolean | no | `false` | When `false`, only tests for the selected package are run. Set to `true` to run the full test suite across all packages. |
+
+## Dist-tags
+
+npm dist-tags control which version users get when they `npm install @actions/<package>` (or `@<tag>`).
+
+> **Important:** npm dist-tags **cannot** be valid semver strings. Values like `5.0.0` or `1.2.3` will be rejected by npm. Use a descriptive name instead.
+
+- **`latest`** — The default tag. This is what users get with a plain `npm install`. Should only be used for releases from `main`.
+- **Custom tags** (e.g. `v1-longlived`) — Used for releases from long-lived or experimental branches.
+
+Examples of **valid** dist-tags: `latest`, `next`, `beta`, `v1-longlived`
+Examples of **invalid** dist-tags: `5.0.0`, `1.2.3`, `6.0.0-rc.1` (these are semver and will be rejected)
+
+| ![Screenshot showcasing the npm distribution tags](assets/npm-dist-tags.png) |
+|---|
+| npm distribution tags |
+
+### Safety guard
+
+The workflow **blocks** publishing with the `latest` dist-tag from any branch other than `main`. This prevents accidentally overwriting `latest` with a version from an older or experimental branch. If you're releasing from a non-main branch, use the package's major version as the tag (e.g. `v5`).
+
+## Examples
+
+### Standard release from main
+
+Use default inputs — just pick the package:
+
+| Input | Value |
+|---|---|
+| `package` | `core` |
+| `branch` | `main` (default) |
+| `npm-tag` | `latest` (default) |
+| `test-all` | `false` (default) |
+
+This publishes the version in `packages/core/package.json` on `main` as `@actions/core@latest`.
+
+### Patch release from a long-lived branch
+
+| Input | Value |
+|---|---|
+| `package` | `artifact` |
+| `branch` | `releases/v5` |
+| `npm-tag` | `v5` |
+| `test-all` | `false` (default) |
+
+This publishes the version in `packages/artifact/package.json` on the `releases/v5` branch under the `v5` dist-tag. The `latest` tag remains untouched.
+
+### Release with full test suite
+
+| Input | Value |
+|---|---|
+| `package` | `cache` |
+| `branch` | `main` (default) |
+| `npm-tag` | `latest` (default) |
+| `test-all` | `true` |
+
+Same as a standard release, but runs tests for all packages before publishing.
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+- You must have permission to trigger workflows on this repository.
+- The `npm-publish` environment must be configured with npm credentials and OIDC.
+- The `SLACK` secret must be set for Slack notifications to work.