fix(version-dispatch): keep prereleases in their rc cycle (#86)

A commit-driven \`major\`/\`minor\`/\`patch\` bump on a package whose
current version is itself a prerelease (\`5.0.0-rc.96\`) used to
return \`semver.inc\`'s raw output — for \`major\`, that's \`5.0.0\`,
i.e. drop the rc and ship the long-awaited stable release. That's
almost certainly the wrong policy when a \`refactor!:\` lands on a
package that's been sitting in rc for 96 iterations.

Detect prerelease state from the current version (presence of \`-\`)
and downgrade the bump level to \`prerelease\` so the rc counter
advances instead (\`5.0.0-rc.96\` → \`5.0.0-rc.97\`). Stable
versions are unchanged.

Caught by exodus-hydra#16379's preview comment:
  @exodus/headless | major | 5.0.0-rc.96 | 5.0.0 ← wrong

Now reads:
  @exodus/headless | major | 5.0.0-rc.96 | 5.0.0-rc.97 ← correct

The team must explicitly promote an rc to stable via a separate
workflow when they're ready.

Both the preview's \`nextVersion\` and \`versionPackagesExplicit\`'s
real bump path apply the same downgrade. The \`isMajorBump\` check
(consumer-pin walker) keeps the workspace symlink resolving — an
rc → next-rc bump doesn't move the major, so no consumer pins are
touched.

193/193 tests passing (was 181, +12 across preview.spec and
version-packages.spec — covering rc.X → rc.X+1, no consumer pin
walk, and the stable-version path staying on the original semver.inc).

Author: exo-egor

dist/version-dispatch/index.js

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import {
   PREVIEW_MARKER,
   renderPreviewComment,
 } from './preview'
-import { BUMP_MAJOR, BUMP_MINOR, BUMP_PATCH } from './bumps'
+import { BUMP_MAJOR, BUMP_MINOR, BUMP_PATCH, type Bump } from './bumps'
 
 jest.mock('@actions/core', () => ({
   info: jest.fn(),
@@ -48,8 +48,15 @@ describe('nextVersion', () => {
     expect(nextVersion('1.2.3', BUMP_PATCH)).toBe('1.2.4')
   })
 
-  it('releases a pre-release to its base version on a patch bump', () => {
-    expect(nextVersion('1.2.3-rc.4', BUMP_PATCH)).toBe('1.2.3')
+  it.each<[string, Bump, string]>([
+    ['1.2.3-rc.4', BUMP_MAJOR, '1.2.3-rc.5'],
+    ['1.2.3-rc.4', BUMP_MINOR, '1.2.3-rc.5'],
+    ['1.2.3-rc.4', BUMP_PATCH, '1.2.3-rc.5'],
+    ['5.0.0-rc.96', BUMP_MAJOR, '5.0.0-rc.97'],
+    ['5.0.0-rc.96', BUMP_PATCH, '5.0.0-rc.97'],
+    ['1.0.0-alpha.0', BUMP_MAJOR, '1.0.0-alpha.1'],
+  ])('keeps prerelease bumps in the rc cycle: %s + %s → %s', (current, bump, expected) => {
+    expect(nextVersion(current, bump)).toBe(expected)
   })
 
   it('returns input when the version is unparseable', () => {

dist/version-dispatch/index.js.map

@@ -105,7 +105,16 @@ function readVersion({
 }
 
 export function nextVersion(current: string, bump: Bump): string {
-  return semverInc(current, bump as ReleaseType) ?? current
+  // While a package is in a prerelease cycle (`5.0.0-rc.96`), bump the
+  // prerelease counter rather than dropping the rc — a `feat!:` commit
+  // shouldn't accidentally promote a long-lived rc to a stable release.
+  // The caller can promote to stable via a separate workflow when ready.
+  const effectiveBump = isPrerelease(current) ? 'prerelease' : (bump as ReleaseType)
+  return semverInc(current, effectiveBump) ?? current
+}
+
+function isPrerelease(version: string): boolean {
+  return version.includes('-')
 }
 
 export function renderPreviewComment(rows: PreviewRow[]): string {

dist/version/index.js

@@ -177,6 +177,66 @@ describe('versionPackagesExplicit', () => {
     ).rejects.toThrow(/not present in `packages`/)
   })
 
+  describe('prerelease handling', () => {
+    it.each([
+      ['5.0.0-rc.96', 'major', '5.0.0-rc.97'],
+      ['5.0.0-rc.96', 'minor', '5.0.0-rc.97'],
+      ['5.0.0-rc.96', 'patch', '5.0.0-rc.97'],
+      ['1.0.0-alpha.0', 'major', '1.0.0-alpha.1'],
+      ['2.0.0-beta.3', 'patch', '2.0.0-beta.4'],
+    ])(
+      'bumps the rc counter on %s + %s → %s instead of dropping the prerelease',
+      async (current, bump, expected) => {
+        const pkgDir = writePackageJson('headless', { name: '@exodus/headless', version: current })
+
+        await versionPackagesExplicit({
+          bumps: { '@exodus/headless': bump },
+          packages: [pkgDir],
+        })
+
+        const after = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(pkgDir, 'package.json'), 'utf8'))
+        expect(after.version).toBe(expected)
+      }
+    )
+
+    it('does not walk consumer pins when bumping a prerelease (the rc counter bump is not a major change)', async () => {
+      const headlessDir = writePackageJson('sdks/headless', {
+        name: '@exodus/headless',
+        version: '5.0.0-rc.96',
+      })
+      const consumerDir = writePackageJson('apps/wallet', {
+        name: '@exodus/wallet-app',
+        version: '1.0.0',
+        dependencies: { '@exodus/headless': '^5.0.0-rc.0' },
+      })
+
+      mockGetPaths.mockResolvedValue({
+        '@exodus/headless': headlessDir,
+        '@exodus/wallet-app': consumerDir,
+      })
+
+      await versionPackagesExplicit({
+        bumps: { '@exodus/headless': 'major' },
+        packages: [headlessDir],
+      })
+
+      const consumer = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(consumerDir, 'package.json'), 'utf8'))
+      expect(consumer.dependencies['@exodus/headless']).toBe('^5.0.0-rc.0')
+    })
+
+    it('uses the regular semver.inc path for stable versions (5.0.0 + major → 6.0.0)', async () => {
+      const pkgDir = writePackageJson('headless', { name: '@exodus/headless', version: '5.0.0' })
+
+      await versionPackagesExplicit({
+        bumps: { '@exodus/headless': 'major' },
+        packages: [pkgDir],
+      })
+
+      const after = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(pkgDir, 'package.json'), 'utf8'))
+      expect(after.version).toBe('6.0.0')
+    })
+  })
+
   it('throws when semver.inc rejects the bump level', async () => {
     const pkgDir = writePackageJson('mab', { name: '@exodus/mab', version: '1.0.0' })
 

dist/version/index.js.map

@@ -45,7 +45,12 @@ type ExplicitParams = {
  *      package.json from the supplied `packages` list,
  *   2. compute the next version via `semver.inc(current, bump)` and rewrite
  *      the `"version"` field in package.json in place (preserving every
- *      other byte — formatting, trailing newlines, key order),
+ *      other byte — formatting, trailing newlines, key order). When the
+ *      current version is itself a prerelease (`5.0.0-rc.96`), the bump
+ *      is downgraded to `prerelease` so the rc counter advances
+ *      (`5.0.0-rc.97`) — a commit-driven `major` bump shouldn't promote
+ *      a long-lived rc to a stable release; the team must do that via
+ *      a separate workflow.
  *   3. on major bumps only, rewrite the bumped package's pin in every
  *      workspace package.json that uses a semver range. Minor and patch
  *      bumps don't need a rewrite — the existing caret/tilde range
@@ -107,14 +112,30 @@ export async function versionPackagesExplicit({
       throw new Error(`Cannot read version from package.json for ${pkgName}`)
     }
 
-    const next = semverInc(before.version, bump as ReleaseType)
+    // While a package is in a prerelease cycle (`5.0.0-rc.96`), any
+    // commit-driven bump (`major`/`minor`/`patch`) should bump the rc
+    // counter rather than drop the prerelease. A `feat!:` on a long-lived
+    // rc shouldn't accidentally promote it to a stable release — the team
+    // must promote via a separate workflow when they're ready.
+    const effectiveBump: ReleaseType = isPrerelease(before.version)
+      ? 'prerelease'
+      : (bump as ReleaseType)
+
+    const next = semverInc(before.version, effectiveBump)
     if (!next) {
       throw new Error(
-        `semver.inc rejected bump for ${pkgName}: ${before.version} + "${bump}". Valid bumps: major, minor, patch, premajor, preminor, prepatch, prerelease.`
+        `semver.inc rejected bump for ${pkgName}: ${before.version} + "${effectiveBump}". Valid bumps: major, minor, patch, premajor, preminor, prepatch, prerelease.`
+      )
+    }
+
+    if (effectiveBump === bump) {
+      core.info(`Bumping ${pkgName}: ${before.version} → ${next} (${bump}) in ${pkgDir}`)
+    } else {
+      core.info(
+        `Bumping ${pkgName}: ${before.version} → ${next} (requested ${bump}; downgraded to ${effectiveBump} because current is a prerelease) in ${pkgDir}`
       )
     }
 
-    core.info(`Bumping ${pkgName}: ${before.version} → ${next} (${bump}) in ${pkgDir}`)
     writeVersionField({ pkgDir, next })
 
     const updatedConsumers = isMajorBump(before.version, next)
@@ -237,6 +258,10 @@ function isMajorBump(oldVersion: string, newVersion: string): boolean {
   return oldVersion.split('.')[0] !== newVersion.split('.')[0]
 }
 
+function isPrerelease(version: string): boolean {
+  return version.includes('-')
+}
+
 const NON_SEMVER_PREFIXES = ['workspace:', 'npm:', 'file:', 'link:', 'portal:']
 
 function shouldRewriteRange(value: string): boolean {