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Release Process

This document describes how we version, build, and release our Nextcloud apps. All release workflows are centralized in the ConductionNL/.github repository and shared across all app repositories.

Branch Model​

We use a three-tier branch model. Code flows upward through the tiers, each with increasing stability guarantees.

feature/* ─┐
bugfix/*  ─┼──► development ──► beta ──► main
hotfix/*  ─┘        │              │        │
                    │         Beta build  Stable build
               No builds      (nightly)   (App Store)

Branch Rules​

Target branchAllowed source branchesWhat happens on merge
developmentfeature/*, bugfix/*, hotfix/*Nothing — no builds triggered
betadevelopment, hotfix/*, mainBeta release built and pushed as nightly to App Store
mainbeta, hotfix/*Stable release built and pushed to App Store

These rules are enforced by the centralized branch-protection workflow. PRs from disallowed branches are blocked automatically.

Hotfixes​

Hotfix branches (hotfix/*) can target both beta and main directly, bypassing the normal development flow. Use these only for critical production fixes that cannot wait for the regular development cycle.

The same branch protection rules apply to hotfixes. A hotfix PR to main still requires 2 reviewers and passing CI. A hotfix PR to beta requires 1 reviewer and passing CI. There are no exceptions — the human-in-the-loop review is always enforced.

After merging a hotfix to main, create a backport PR from main → beta to keep the branches in sync.

Versioning​

We use Semantic Versioning (semver). Versions are calculated automatically from PR labels — you never need to edit appinfo/info.xml manually.

PR Labels​

Every PR should have one of these labels:

LabelWhen to useExample
patchBug fixes, small improvements, dependency updates0.2.13 → 0.2.14
minorNew features, significant enhancements0.2.13 → 0.3.0
majorBreaking changes, major rewrites0.2.13 → 1.0.0

If no label is set, the version defaults to a patch bump.

How Versions Are Calculated​

Stable releases (on merge to main):

  1. The workflow reads the latest stable git tag (e.g., v0.2.13)
  2. It checks the PR labels for major, minor, or patch
  3. It bumps the version accordingly (e.g., 0.2.14 for patch)
  4. The new version is injected into info.xml inside the release tarball only
  5. A git tag v0.2.14 is created

Beta releases (on merge to beta):

  1. The workflow reads the latest stable git tag (e.g., v0.2.13)
  2. It always bumps the patch version by one (e.g., 0.2.14)
  3. It appends a beta suffix with a UTC timestamp: 0.2.14-beta.20260313143022
  4. The version is injected into the tarball's info.xml
  5. A git tag v0.2.14-beta.20260313143022 is created

Important: Version Is Not In The Repository​

The appinfo/info.xml in your repository is never modified by the release workflow. The version is only injected into the packaged tarball that gets uploaded to the App Store. This means:

  • No [skip ci] version bump commits cluttering your git history
  • No merge conflicts from version bumps
  • The repo's info.xml serves as a baseline only (the initial version before any tags exist)

Release Channels​

ChannelBranchApp Store flagWho uses it
Stablemainnightly: falseProduction users, default install
Betabetanightly: trueTesters, early adopters (opt-in via App Store settings)

There are no development builds. The development branch is for integration only — developers test locally or install from the beta channel.

Automatic PR Sync​

When you push to development, a workflow automatically creates (or updates) a PR from development → beta. This PR:

  • Keeps the beta channel up to date
  • Shows you exactly what will be in the next beta release
  • Reminds you to add a version label (major/minor/patch)

Workflow Setup for Your App​

To adopt the centralized release workflows, create these thin caller files in your app's .github/workflows/ directory:

Stable Release (release-stable.yml)​

name: Stable Release

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]

jobs:
  release:
    uses: ConductionNL/.github/.github/workflows/release-stable.yml@main
    with:
      app-name: your-app-name
    secrets: inherit

Beta Release (release-beta.yml)​

name: Beta Release

on:
  push:
    branches: [beta]

jobs:
  release:
    uses: ConductionNL/.github/.github/workflows/release-beta.yml@main
    with:
      app-name: your-app-name
    secrets: inherit

Branch Protection (branch-protection.yml)​

name: Branch Protection

on:
  pull_request:
    branches: [main, beta]

jobs:
  check:
    uses: ConductionNL/.github/.github/workflows/branch-protection.yml@main

Sync Development to Beta (sync-to-beta.yml)​

name: Sync to Beta

on:
  push:
    branches: [development]

jobs:
  sync:
    uses: ConductionNL/.github/.github/workflows/sync-to-beta.yml@main

Apps With Special Vendor Dependencies​

If your app has critical vendor dependencies that must be verified (like OpenRegister with openai-php/client), add the verification inputs:

jobs:
  release:
    uses: ConductionNL/.github/.github/workflows/release-stable.yml@main
    with:
      app-name: openregister
      verify-vendor-deps: true
      vendor-check-paths: "openai-php/client/src,theodo-group/llphant/src"
    secrets: inherit

Required Repository Secrets​

Each app repository needs these secrets configured:

SecretPurpose
NEXTCLOUD_SIGNING_KEYPrivate key for signing the release tarball
NEXTCLOUD_APPSTORE_TOKENAPI token for uploading to the Nextcloud App Store

Migration from Old Workflows​

If your app currently has its own release workflows (e.g., release-workflow.yaml, beta-release.yaml, unstable-release.yaml):

  1. Tag your current version: Before switching, create a git tag on main for the current version:

    git tag v$(grep -oP '(?<=<version>)[^<]+' appinfo/info.xml | sed 's/-.*//') main
    git push origin --tags

  2. Replace the old workflows with the thin caller files shown above

  3. Remove obsolete workflows:

    • unstable-release.yaml (no more development builds)
    • push-development-to-beta.yaml (replaced by sync-to-beta.yml)
    • pull-request-from-branch-check.yaml (replaced by branch-protection.yml)

  4. Keep app-specific workflows that are unique to your app (e.g., sync-tokens.yml in nldesign)

FAQ​

Q: What if I forget to label my PR? A: The version defaults to a patch bump. You can always add a label before merging.

Q: Can I do a manual release? A: The stable workflow currently only triggers on push to main. If you need a manual release, you can trigger a workflow_dispatch from the Actions tab (if your caller workflow supports it).

Q: How do I know what version will be released? A: Check the latest git tag with git tag -l 'v*' --sort=-v:refname | head -1, then mentally apply the PR label bump.

Q: What about the Nextcloud App Store version compatibility (<nextcloud min-version>)? A: This is still managed in your repo's appinfo/info.xml. Only the <version> tag is overwritten in the tarball — all other fields (name, description, nextcloud version requirements, etc.) come from your repo as-is.

Further Reading​