Repository Merge Strategy Configuration

Issue: Multiple Releases per Merge Request

Our merge request should always be a squash so we do not have excessive number of releases being created. We want one and only one release per merge request.

Root Cause

The current setup can create multiple releases because:

1. Version bumping runs on every push to main (smart-version-bump.yml)
2. If PRs are merged with regular merge commits instead of squash, multiple commits can trigger multiple version bumps
3. Each version bump creates a new tag, which triggers a new release

Solution Implementation

1. Repository Settings (Manual Configuration Required)

⚠️ IMPORTANT: These settings must be configured manually in GitHub repository settings.

Go to: https://github.com/pantheon-org/opencode-warcraft-notifications/settings

General Settings → Pull Requests

• ✅ Allow squash merging (should be enabled)
• ❌ Allow merge commits (should be disabled)
• ❌ Allow rebase merging (should be disabled)
• ✅ Automatically delete head branches (recommended)

General Settings → Pull Requests → Merge Button

• ✅ Default to squash merging
• Set default squash merge commit message to: Pull request title and commit details

2. Branch Protection Rules

Configure branch protection for main:

• ✅ Require pull request reviews
• ✅ Require status checks to pass
  • Select: validate, security, pr-analysis (from PR Validation workflow)
• ✅ Require branches to be up to date
• ✅ Restrict pushes that create files larger than 100MB

3. Workflow Improvements

The existing workflows are already well-configured:

Current Good Practices:

• Auto-merge bot already uses --squash (auto-merge.cjs:139)
• Smart version bumping analyzes all commits since last tag
• Release publishing is properly triggered by tags only
• Version sync PRs are handled automatically

Additional Protection

The smart-version-bump.yml workflow already has good protection against duplicate releases:

• Checks if tag already exists locally and remotely (smart-version-bump.yml:233-241)
• Skips version update if tag exists to prevent duplicate releases

Verification Steps

1. Check Repository Settings:

   # Use GitHub CLI to verify current settings
   gh api repos/pantheon-org/opencode-warcraft-notifications --jq '.allow_squash_merge, .allow_merge_commit, .allow_rebase_merge'

2. Test Merge Behavior:

   • Create a test PR with multiple commits
   • Verify that only squash merge option is available
   • Confirm only one release is created after merge

3. Monitor Workflow Execution:

   • Check that smart-version-bump runs only once per squash merge
   • Verify that release-publish creates only one release per version tag

Implementation Checklist

• Configure repository merge settings (manual step required)
• Set up branch protection rules (manual step required)
• Test with a sample PR
• Monitor release creation behavior
• Document the process for team members

Emergency Rollback

If multiple releases are accidentally created:

1. Delete excessive tags: git tag -d v1.x.x && git push origin :v1.x.x
2. Delete excessive releases from GitHub Releases page
3. Manually adjust version in package.json if needed
4. Re-run smart version bump if necessary

Benefits of This Configuration

1. Single Release per PR: Each merged PR creates exactly one commit on main
2. Clean Git History: Linear history makes it easier to track changes
3. Predictable Versioning: One squash commit = one version analysis = one potential release
4. Automated Safety: Existing workflows already protect against duplicate tags/releases