@matrix-rex/release-tool

An interactive release wizard for Node.js projects — bump version, commit, tag, and push in one command.

Features

• ✅ Checks for uncommitted changes before doing anything
• ✅ Detects version mismatch between package.json and Git tags and lets you resolve it
• ✅ Optional build check — run pnpm build before releasing to ensure stability
• ✅ Bumps version — patch, minor, or major
• ✅ Accepts a custom commit message (or uses a sensible auto-generated one)
• ✅ Automatically commits, tags, and pushes to origin
• ✅ Works in any Node.js project with a package.json and Git repository

Installation

Global

You can install it globally to use it in any project:

# Using pnpm (recommended)
pnpm add -g @matrix-rex/release-tool

# Using npm
npm install -g @matrix-rex/release-tool

# Using yarn
yarn global add @matrix-rex/release-tool

Run without installing

npx @matrix-rex/release-tool

Local Dev Dependency

If you want to keep the version locked to a specific project:

pnpm add -D @matrix-rex/release-tool

Then add it to your package.json scripts:

"scripts": {
  "release": "release-it"
}

Now you can run it via pnpm release.

Usage

Navigate to any Node.js project folder and run:

release-it

The wizard will guide you through:

--- Release It ---
Current Package Version: v1.2.3
Latest Git Tag:          v1.2.3

? Select release type:
  ❯ Patch (0.0.x)
    Minor (0.x.0)
    Major (x.0.0)
    Quit

? Enter commit message (leave blank for auto: 'patch release vX.X.X'):

? Run build check before releasing? (y/N)

? Ready to release patch? (Y/n)

Running build...
✔ Build successful!

Bumping version...
New Version: v1.2.4

Pushing changes and tags to origin...

✨ Release v1.2.4 successful! GitHub Actions check has started.

How It Works

1. Checks for uncommitted changes — aborts if the working tree is dirty
2. Reads the current version from package.json and the latest Git tag
3. Detects mismatches — if they differ, asks which to use as the base
4. Runs build check (Optional) — if confirmed, runs pnpm build to verify the build is stable before releasing
5. Bumps the version via pnpm version (updates package.json + creates a Git tag)
6. Pushes the commit and tag to origin

Local Development

Clone and link locally to test changes immediately:

git clone https://github.com/matrix-rex/release-tool.git
cd release-tool
npm link

The release-it command will now point to your local clone. Any edits to bin/release.js are reflected instantly.

Built With

| Package | Purpose | | ------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------- | | enquirer | Interactive prompts | | picocolors | Terminal colors | | execa | Running git/pnpm commands |

License

MIT © Matrix Rex