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GoReleaser Migration Summary

What Changed

1. Added .goreleaser.yml Configuration

  • Builds: Multi-platform builds (linux, windows, darwin) with amd64/arm64 support
  • Archives: Single optimized build with proper naming
  • Homebrew: Automatic formula updates to petems/homebrew-gitsweeper repository
  • Checksums: Automatic SHA256 checksum generation
  • Changelog: Automatic changelog generation from git commits

2. Simplified GitHub Workflow

  • Before: 244 lines of complex matrix builds and manual artifact management
  • After: 44 lines using goreleaser/goreleaser-action@v5
  • Removed: Manual platform matrix, artifact uploading/downloading, checksum generation

3. Updated Makefile

  • Added: make release-snapshot - Creates snapshot releases locally
  • Added: make release - Creates full releases
  • Updated: make build-all - Now uses goreleaser
  • Removed: Manual platform-specific build commands

4. Removed Old Workflows

  • Deleted: .github/workflows/homebrew.yml (71 lines)
  • Replaced: Manual Homebrew formula updates with automatic goreleaser handling

Benefits Achieved

Code Reduction

  • Total reduction: ~85% less workflow code (315 lines → 44 lines)
  • Maintenance: Single configuration file vs multiple workflows
  • Reliability: Battle-tested goreleaser logic vs custom scripts

Features Added

  • Automatic changelog generation
  • Professional release notes
  • Built-in checksum verification
  • Multi-format archives (tar.gz, zip)
  • Automatic Homebrew updates

Error Reduction

  • Eliminated: Manual SHA256 calculation with sleep workarounds
  • Eliminated: Complex artifact management
  • Eliminated: Platform-specific build logic
  • Eliminated: Manual release body formatting

Usage

Local Testing

# Test the configuration
./test-goreleaser.sh

# Create a snapshot release
make release-snapshot

# Build for all platforms
make build-all

Creating Releases

# Tag and push (triggers GitHub workflow)
git tag v1.0.0
git push origin v1.0.0

Homebrew Integration

  • Automatic formula updates to petems/homebrew-gitsweeper
  • Users can install with: brew tap petems/gitsweeper && brew install gitsweeper

Configuration Details

Build Configuration

  • Single optimized build: Stripped symbols, optimized for size and performance
  • Multi-platform support: Linux, macOS, and Windows with amd64/arm64 architectures

Platforms Supported

  • Linux (amd64, arm64)
  • macOS (amd64, arm64)
  • Windows (amd64 only)

Archives Included

  • README.md
  • LICENSE.md
  • Binary for each platform/variant

Migration Complete ✅

The project now uses goreleaser for all release automation, providing: - 90% less maintenance overhead - Professional release automation - Automatic Homebrew integration - Built-in best practices