Accept pre-release tags in deployment validation by BagToad · Pull Request #14193 · cli/cli

BagToad · 2026-08-18T14:38:04Z

Description

The deployment workflow previously rejected any tag with a pre-release suffix. We widened the regular expression to accept an optional one:

# Before
^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$

# Now
^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+(-[0-9A-Za-z-]+(\.[0-9A-Za-z-]+)*)?$

The validator was stricter than the workflow it guards. Three existing steps already handle hyphenated pre-release tags correctly:

The create the release step adds the pre-release flag.
The site publish step skips publishing the documentation site.
The Windows MSI build strips the suffix to keep the product version numeric.

We updated the release process documentation to replace an obsolete warning. That warning cautioned that the release job's pre-release behavior was unreachable because the validator blocked it.

How did you test this change?

I extracted the validation step into a standalone script and tested it manually. I verified 22 test cases in total to exercise the full set of rules. A representative subset is below.

Tag	Expected	Actual
`v2.98.0`	accept	accept
`v2.98.0-rc.1`	accept	accept
`v2.98.0+build.5`	reject	reject
`pre-v2.98.0`	reject	reject
`v2.98.0-`	reject	reject
`v2.98`	reject	reject
`v2.98.0 junk`	reject	reject
`v2.98.0\nrm -rf /`	reject	reject
(empty string)	reject	reject

The newline test case verifies that Bash anchors the string correctly instead of matching line boundaries.

Key points

Build metadata tags like v2.98.0+build.5 are deliberately rejected. Because they lack a hyphen, downstream steps would treat them as final releases, and the Windows MSI build would retain non-numeric characters. Rejecting plus signs avoids this conflict.

The validator accepts a leading zero in a numeric pre-release identifier, such as v2.98.0-01. Enforcing strict semantic versioning here would pointlessly complicate the pattern.

Both scripts that receive the raw tag were checked and needed no changes. The release script passes the tag through unchanged. The macOS packaging script keeps the pre-release suffix, which is correct because pkgbuild --version accepts an arbitrary string.

Notes for reviewers

Start with the validation update in the deployment workflow. The documentation change follows directly from this behavior shift.

Authorship and follow-up

Who wrote this:

A human wrote it.
An agent wrote it under close human direction.
An agent wrote it independently, and no human has guided the implementation beyond the initial prompt.

Who answers review comments:

@BagToad will read and reply directly. Name the account.
An agent will draft replies and @username will read them before they are posted.
Nobody has explicitly committed to replying.

The validate-tag-name job required an exact vX.Y.Z tag, but the rest of the workflow was already written for pre-release tags: the release job adds --prerelease when the tag contains a hyphen, the site publish step skips hyphenated tags, and the Windows MSI build strips the suffix to keep ProductVersion numeric. Because all three build jobs need validate-tag-name, a tag like v2.96.0-test built nothing at all. Widen the regex to allow an optional semver pre-release suffix. Build metadata after a + stays rejected, since the workflow detects pre-releases by looking for a hyphen and would treat such a tag as a final release. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Copilot

Pull request overview

Updates deployment tag validation to support pre-release versions while preserving downstream release behavior.

Changes:

Accepts optional pre-release suffixes such as -rc.1.
Clarifies validation errors, workflow input help, and release documentation.
Continues rejecting build metadata suffixes.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
`.github/workflows/deployment.yml`	Expands tag validation and input guidance.
`docs/release-process-deep-dive.md`	Documents pre-release handling across deployment steps.

Review details

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This MR contains the following updates: | Package | Update | Change | |---|---|---| | [cli/cli](https://github.com/cli/cli) | minor | `v2.97.0` → `v2.98.0` | MR created with the help of [el-capitano/tools/renovate-bot](https://gitlab.com/el-capitano/tools/renovate-bot). **Proposed changes to behavior should be submitted there as MRs.** --- ### Release Notes <details> <summary>cli/cli (cli/cli)</summary> ### [`v2.98.0`](https://github.com/cli/cli/releases/tag/v2.98.0): GitHub CLI 2.98.0 [Compare Source](cli/cli@v2.97.0...v2.98.0) #### Security A security vulnerability has been identified, and fixed, that binds the local forwarded port to all available network interfaces by default. Users of `gh codespace ports forward` are advised to update `gh` to version `v2.98.0` as soon as possible. For more information see: <GHSA-vfhh-p7hm-pxfh> #### Support worktrees in `pr checkout` Users can now checkout a pull request into a git worktree by using the new `--worktree PATH` flag in `gh pr checkout`: ```shell gh pr checkout 12 --worktree ../wt-feature ``` #### Add semantic search to `search issues` The `gh search issues` command now supports semantic search for issues. Users can select the search type by passing the `--search-type` flag: ```shell gh search issues --search-type semantic ... gh search issues --search-type hybrid ... ``` For more information about semantic search see: ["Improved Search for github issues is now generally available"](https://github.blog/changelog/2026-04-02-improved-search-for-github-issues-is-now-generally-available/). #### What's Changed ##### ✨ Features - Add --worktree flag to gh pr checkout by [@tidy-dev](https://github.com/tidy-dev) in [#13946](cli/cli#13946) - Set GH\_EXTENSION=1 when gh invokes an extension by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14072](cli/cli#14072) - Add --search-type flag for semantic and hybrid issue search by [@michaeljacholke](https://github.com/michaeljacholke) in [#14006](cli/cli#14006) ##### 🐛 Fixes - Fix `RESTWithNext` error type, repairing `gh status` and attestation retries by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#13988](cli/cli#13988) - Trim spaces when parsing X-Oauth-Scopes in `gh release create` by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14065](cli/cli#14065) - Fix project item-add output for non-TTY by [@zwick](https://github.com/zwick) in [#14056](cli/cli#14056) ##### 📚 Docs & Chores - Slim down dependabot triage comments by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14019](cli/cli#14019) - Require explicit MR review ownership by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14028](cli/cli#14028) - Collapse spam triage into the agentic issue-triage workflow by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14027](cli/cli#14027) - Run Dependabot triage every hour by [@sergiou87](https://github.com/sergiou87) in [#14030](cli/cli#14030) - Route deploy key requests through api.Client by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#13989](cli/cli#13989) - Route ssh key requests through api.Client by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#13994](cli/cli#13994) - Route gpg key requests through api.Client by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#13997](cli/cli#13997) - Route autolink requests through api.Client by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14013](cli/cli#14013) - Route extension requests through api.Client by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14059](cli/cli#14059) - Route release creation through api.Client by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14062](cli/cli#14062) - Tell agents to use the MR template in AGENTS.md by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14074](cli/cli#14074) - Make Dependabot triage cheaper and more decisive by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14079](cli/cli#14079) - Route release deletions through api.Client by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14077](cli/cli#14077) - Give Dependabot triage a real reachability check by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14087](cli/cli#14087) - Restore automatic spam issue closure by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14088](cli/cli#14088) - Add a scheduled tech debt burndown skill by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14095](cli/cli#14095) - Use reflect.Pointer instead of deprecated reflect.Ptr by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14098](cli/cli#14098) - Clarify what belongs in the MR template's testing section by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14103](cli/cli#14103) - Rename cli-code-reviewer skill to code-review by [@BagToad](https://github.com/BagToad) in [#14116](cli/cli#14116) - Add aw-actions group to dependabot configuration by [@babakks](https://github.com/babakks) in [#14123](cli/cli#14123) - Isolate tests from local machine's auth and git configuration by [@BagToad](https://github.com/BagToad) in [#14128](cli/cli#14128) - Don't ask for feature detection cleanup comments when not needed by [@babakks](https://github.com/babakks) in [#14139](cli/cli#14139) - Accept pre-release tags in deployment validation by [@BagToad](https://github.com/BagToad) in [#14193](cli/cli#14193) - ci: add temporary step to verify Linux repo signing keys by [@babakks](https://github.com/babakks) in [#14202](cli/cli#14202) - Revert "ci: add temporary step to verify Linux repo signing keys" by [@babakks](https://github.com/babakks) in [#14203](cli/cli#14203) - Fix issue triage action compatibility \[skip changelog] by [@tidy-dev](https://github.com/tidy-dev) in [#14207](cli/cli#14207) #####

Dependencies - chore(deps): bump github.com/sigstore/sigstore-go from 1.2.2 to 1.3.0 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14047](cli/cli#14047) - chore(deps): bump the codeql-actions group across 1 directory with 3 updates by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14049](cli/cli#14049) - chore(deps): bump google.golang.org/grpc from 1.82.1 to 1.83.0 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14048](cli/cli#14048) - chore(deps): bump github.com/google/go-containerregistry from 0.21.7 to 0.21.8 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14066](cli/cli#14066) - chore(deps): bump actions/attest from 4.2.1 to 4.2.2 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14100](cli/cli#14100) - chore(deps): bump azure/login from 3.0.0 to 3.0.1 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14101](cli/cli#14101) - chore(deps): bump the codeql-actions group across 1 directory with 3 updates by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14091](cli/cli#14091) - chore(deps): bump github/gh-aw-actions/setup-cli from 0.83.4 to 0.85.4 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14068](cli/cli#14068) - chore(deps): bump github.com/google/go-containerregistry from 0.21.8 to 0.21.9 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14119](cli/cli#14119) - chore(deps): bump github.com/klauspost/compress from 1.19.1 to 1.19.2 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14120](cli/cli#14120) - chore(deps): bump the aw-actions group with 2 updates by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14147](cli/cli#14147) - chore: sign APT repository with both keys by [@babakks](https://github.com/babakks) in [#13271](cli/cli#13271) - chore(deps): bump github.com/yuin/goldmark from 1.8.4 to 1.8.5 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14029](cli/cli#14029) - chore(deps): bump actions/attest from 4.2.0 to 4.2.1 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14050](cli/cli#14050) - Bump golangci-lint in CI to v2.12.2 by [@williammartin](https://github.com/williammartin) in [#14102](cli/cli#14102) - chore(deps): bump the aw-actions group with 2 updates by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14124](cli/cli#14124) - chore(deps): bump google.golang.org/protobuf from 1.36.11 to 1.36.12 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14140](cli/cli#14140) - Upgrade gh-aw workflows to v0.85.4 by [@tidy-dev](https://github.com/tidy-dev) in [#14141](cli/cli#14141) - Bump Go to 1.26.6 by [@github-actions](https://github.com/github-actions)\[bot] in [#14143](cli/cli#14143) - chore: bump go to 1.26.7 by [@babakks](https://github.com/babakks) in [#14205](cli/cli#14205) - chore(deps): bump github.com/stretchr/testify from 1.11.1 to 1.12.1 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14204](cli/cli#14204) - chore(deps): bump the codeql-actions group across 1 directory with 3 updates by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14169](cli/cli#14169) - chore(deps): bump golang.org/x/crypto from 0.54.0 to 0.55.0 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14164](cli/cli#14164) - chore(deps): bump charm.land/lipgloss/v2 from 2.0.5 to 2.0.6 by [@dependabot](https://github.com/dependabot)\[bot] in [#14166](cli/cli#14166) - Bump gh-aw-actions to v0.87.1 and recompile agentic workflows by [@BagToad](https://github.com/BagToad) in [#14210](cli/cli#14210) #### New Contributors - [@sergiou87](https://github.com/sergiou87) made their first contribution in [#14030](cli/cli#14030) - [@michaeljacholke](https://github.com/michaeljacholke) made their first contribution in [#14006](cli/cli#14006) **Full Changelog**: <cli/cli@v2.97.0...v2.98.0> </details> --- ### Configuration 📅 **Schedule**: (UTC) - Branch creation - At any time (no schedule defined) - Automerge - At any time (no schedule defined) 🚦 **Automerge**: Disabled by config. Please merge this manually once you are satisfied. ♻ **Rebasing**: Whenever MR becomes conflicted, or you tick the rebase/retry checkbox. 🔕 **Ignore**: Close this MR and you won't be reminded about this update again. --- - [ ] If you want to rebase/retry this MR, check this box --- This MR has been generated by [Mend Renovate](https://github.com/renovatebot/renovate).

BagToad requested a review from a team as a code owner August 18, 2026 14:38

BagToad requested review from babakks and a balanced review from Copilot August 18, 2026 14:38

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of BagToad August 18, 2026 14:38 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Aug 18, 2026

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babakks approved these changes Aug 18, 2026

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BagToad enabled auto-merge (squash) August 18, 2026 14:45

BagToad merged commit 95d3a1d into trunk Aug 18, 2026
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BagToad deleted the bagtoad/pre-release-tag-validation branch August 18, 2026 14:46

BrewTestBot mentioned this pull request Aug 20, 2026

gh 2.98.0 Homebrew/homebrew-core#299922

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scottames-github-bot Bot mentioned this pull request Aug 26, 2026

chore(deps): update ⬆️ mise-packages scottames/dots#1029

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Accept pre-release tags in deployment validation - #14193

Accept pre-release tags in deployment validation#14193
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BagToad commented Aug 18, 2026

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BagToad commented Aug 18, 2026

Description

How did you test this change?

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