July 2026 Patches Merge-back #49754
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| --- | ||||||
| name: azsdk-common-patch-mergeback | ||||||
| license: MIT | ||||||
| metadata: | ||||||
| version: "1.0.0" | ||||||
| distribution: shared | ||||||
| description: 'Prepare a merge-back PR that brings patch-release version, CHANGELOG, and pom.xml updates from a `release/patch/YYYYMMDD` branch back into `main`. **WORKFLOW SKILL**. USE FOR: "merge-back PR", "merge back patches", "patch release merge-back", "bring patch releases into main", "reconcile release/patch branch with main". DO NOT USE FOR: triggering SDK releases, incrementing versions for a new patch, general SDK code generation. INVOKES: eng/versioning/update_versions.py.' | ||||||
| compatibility: "Requires a checked-out azure-sdk-for-java repo with git access to the release/patch branch and Python installed for eng/versioning/update_versions.py." | ||||||
| --- | ||||||
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| # Patch Release Merge-back | ||||||
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| Prepare a PR that merges the version, CHANGELOG, and downstream `pom.xml` | ||||||
| updates produced by a patch release (on a `release/patch/YYYYMMDD` branch) back | ||||||
| into `main`. Patches revert `CHANGELOG.md` and version files to the last stable | ||||||
| release, so a naive merge creates many conflicts. This skill encodes how to | ||||||
| resolve each file type correctly. | ||||||
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| ## Triggers | ||||||
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| WHEN: "merge-back PR", "merge back patches", "patch release merge-back", "bring patch releases into main", "reconcile the patch branch" | ||||||
| DO NOT USE FOR: triggering an SDK release, incrementing versions for a new patch cycle, code generation. | ||||||
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| ## Inputs (variables) | ||||||
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| Two values drive the whole workflow. Both come from the **"Increment versions | ||||||
| for patch releases"** PR (opened by `azure-sdk-automation[bot]`) that targets the | ||||||
| patch branch: | ||||||
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| | Variable | How to determine it | Current value | | ||||||
| | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | | ||||||
| | `RELEASE_BRANCH` | The branch the "Increment versions" PR targets: `release/patch/YYYYMMDD`. | `release/patch/20260701` | | ||||||
| | `PATCH_DATE` | Derived from the branch name `YYYYMMDD` → `YYYY-MM-DD`. Used in CHANGELOG entries. | `2026-07-01` | | ||||||
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| If either value is ambiguous, ask the user to confirm before proceeding. | ||||||
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| ## Critical Rules (read first) | ||||||
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| - **Only the last two commits** of `RELEASE_BRANCH` carry the updates to bring | ||||||
| back. Diff against `RELEASE_BRANCH~2` to scope the change set. | ||||||
| - **Never edit `pom.xml` by hand.** It is regenerated by | ||||||
| `eng/versioning/update_versions.py` **after** `version_client.txt` is correct. | ||||||
| - **Do not touch `README.md` files.** Run the version script with `--skip-readme` | ||||||
| so READMEs are left unchanged (README updates are handled separately). | ||||||
| - **`version_client.txt`:** update only the `dependency-version` of SDK | ||||||
| libraries that changed on the release branch; **always keep the | ||||||
| `current-version` from `main`.** Never reset beta versions to `beta.1`. | ||||||
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There was a problem hiding this comment. Same comment on having a newer stable version on |
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| - **`CHANGELOG.md`:** keep the `PATCH_DATE` entry from the release branch; every | ||||||
| other line must match `main`. Do not invent or edit any other CHANGELOG | ||||||
| content. | ||||||
| - Base the merge-back branch on **`main`**, not on the release branch. | ||||||
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| ## Workflow | ||||||
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| 1. **Confirm inputs** — Establish `RELEASE_BRANCH` and `PATCH_DATE` (see table | ||||||
| above). Fetch the branch: `git fetch origin RELEASE_BRANCH`. | ||||||
| 2. **Create the working branch from `main`:** | ||||||
| `git checkout main && git pull` then | ||||||
| `git checkout -b copilot/merge-back-release-patch-YYYYMMDD`. | ||||||
| 3. **Scope the changes** — List files touched by the last two commits: | ||||||
| `git diff --name-only origin/RELEASE_BRANCH~2 origin/RELEASE_BRANCH`. | ||||||
| Expect three kinds: `eng/versioning/version_client.txt`, many `CHANGELOG.md`, | ||||||
| and many `pom.xml` (+ possibly `README.md`). | ||||||
| 4. **Reconcile `version_client.txt`** — Follow | ||||||
| [references/version-client-resolution.md](references/version-client-resolution.md). | ||||||
| 5. **Reconcile each `CHANGELOG.md`** — Follow | ||||||
| [references/changelog-resolution.md](references/changelog-resolution.md). | ||||||
| 6. **Regenerate `pom.xml`** — From the repo root run the version script with the | ||||||
| `--skip-readme` (`--sr`) flag so `README.md` files are left untouched: | ||||||
| ```bash | ||||||
| python eng/versioning/update_versions.py --skip-readme | ||||||
| ``` | ||||||
| Do not stage any manual pom.xml edits; only the generated output. Confirm no | ||||||
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Member
There was a problem hiding this comment. nit;
Suggested change
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| `README.md` files appear in the resulting diff. | ||||||
| 7. **Review & sanity-check** — Verify no v2 (`*-v2`) or unrelated libraries were | ||||||
| touched, no `current-version` values were altered, and no beta version was | ||||||
| reset to `beta.1`. | ||||||
| 8. **Commit and open the PR against `main`** — Title it like | ||||||
| `<Month> <Year> Patches Merge-back`. Summarize: bumped dependency versions, | ||||||
| inserted `PATCH_DATE` CHANGELOG entries, and auto-generated pom.xml updates | ||||||
| (READMEs intentionally left unchanged via `--skip-readme`). | ||||||
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| ## Examples | ||||||
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| - "Prepare the merge-back PR for `release/patch/20260701` into main." | ||||||
| - "Bring the July 2026 patch releases back into main." | ||||||
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| ## Troubleshooting | ||||||
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| - **`current-version` mismatch after regeneration** (e.g. `2.59.0-beta.1` vs | ||||||
| `2.59.0-beta.2`): you likely overwrote a `current-version`. Restore it from | ||||||
| `main`; only `dependency-version` should change. | ||||||
| - **Unexpected pom.xml diffs:** re-run `update_versions.py` only after | ||||||
| `version_client.txt` is fully correct; stray diffs usually mean the version | ||||||
| file still has a wrong entry. | ||||||
| - **Accidental v2 library changes:** revert them — patch merge-backs only cover | ||||||
| the patched GA/beta libraries listed in the release branch diff. | ||||||
| - **Wrong CHANGELOG "from" versions** in `## X.Y.Z (PATCH_DATE)` dependency | ||||||
| bullets: correct them to match the actual previous release, per the release | ||||||
| branch entry. | ||||||
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| # Reconciling `CHANGELOG.md` files | ||||||
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| Patches revert each library's `CHANGELOG.md` to its last stable release, dropping | ||||||
| the `(Unreleased)` section and any newer entries that exist on `main`. The | ||||||
| merge-back must restore `main`'s content **and** insert the patch entry. | ||||||
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| ## Target structure of the resolved file | ||||||
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| Produce, from top to bottom: | ||||||
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| 1. **The `## X.Y.Z (Unreleased)` section exactly as it is on `main`** — including | ||||||
| any unreleased entries already present there. Do not add, edit, or remove | ||||||
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There was a problem hiding this comment.
Suggested change
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| unreleased content. | ||||||
| 2. **The patch entry from `RELEASE_BRANCH`**, i.e. the `## X.Y.Z (PATCH_DATE)` | ||||||
| section (e.g. `## 12.33.3 (2026-07-01)`). This is the *only* content taken | ||||||
| from the release branch. | ||||||
| 3. **The remainder of the file exactly as it is on `main`** (all previously | ||||||
| released entries, unchanged). | ||||||
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| Concretely: take the `main` version of the file and **insert the release | ||||||
| branch's `PATCH_DATE` entry immediately below the `(Unreleased)` section.** | ||||||
| Nothing else changes. | ||||||
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There was a problem hiding this comment. Sometimes our patches happen and then a beta release occurs, leaving us with an empty Unreleased section followed by said newer beta. Maybe we can update the verbiage here to guide the agent to use the reported release dates instead. |
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| ## Rules | ||||||
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| - The patch entry's heading must carry `PATCH_DATE` (the `YYYY-MM-DD` derived | ||||||
| from the release branch name), not `(Unreleased)`. | ||||||
| - Do not merge, reorder, or de-duplicate other entries. | ||||||
| - Do not modify wording anywhere except inserting the patch block. | ||||||
| - Verify dependency-bump bullets inside the patch entry reference the correct | ||||||
| "from" version (the previously released version). Correct them if the release | ||||||
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Member
There was a problem hiding this comment. What do you mean with the previously released version? The dependency version mentioned in a previous release?
Member
Author
There was a problem hiding this comment. Correct, I'll update the skill to mention that the previously released version is explicitly the version of the library being patched. @copilot Update this skill to be clear that the
Contributor
There was a problem hiding this comment. Updated in commit above — the rule now explicitly states that the "from" version is the version of each dependency present in the release the patch was applied to (the base version the patch built on top of), and notes this is not necessarily the most recent version released to Maven. |
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| branch entry is wrong. | ||||||
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| ## Example (before → after) | ||||||
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| `main` CHANGELOG top: | ||||||
| ``` | ||||||
| ## 12.34.0-beta.1 (Unreleased) | ||||||
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| ### Features Added | ||||||
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| ## 12.33.2 (2026-02-15) | ||||||
| ... | ||||||
| ``` | ||||||
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| `RELEASE_BRANCH` patch entry: | ||||||
| ``` | ||||||
| ## 12.33.3 (2026-07-01) | ||||||
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| ### Bugs Fixed | ||||||
| - Fixed ... | ||||||
| ``` | ||||||
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| Resolved file: | ||||||
| ``` | ||||||
| ## 12.34.0-beta.1 (Unreleased) | ||||||
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| ### Features Added | ||||||
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| ## 12.33.3 (2026-07-01) | ||||||
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| ### Bugs Fixed | ||||||
| - Fixed ... | ||||||
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| ## 12.33.2 (2026-02-15) | ||||||
| ... | ||||||
| ``` | ||||||
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| Repeat for every `CHANGELOG.md` in the last-two-commits diff of the release | ||||||
| branch. | ||||||
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There was a problem hiding this comment. This is assuming we don't have to manually fix anything, right? Have you had instances where you've had to manually intervene to fix conflicts with test recordings or other things? It used to happen to me back in the day every few releases.
Member
Author
There was a problem hiding this comment. Yes, this assumes patches were released without issue. If things need to change then additional edits may need to be included into the Changelog. |
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| Original file line number | Diff line number | Diff line change |
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| # Reconciling `eng/versioning/version_client.txt` | ||
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| ## File format | ||
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| Each SDK line is `<groupId>:<artifactId>;dependency-version;current-version`. | ||
| Read the header of [eng/versioning/version_client.txt](../../../../eng/versioning/version_client.txt) | ||
| for the authoritative explanation. Key points: | ||
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| - **`dependency-version`** — what libraries *outside* the release group use as a | ||
| Maven dependency. A patch release bumps this to the newly released stable | ||
| version. | ||
| - **`current-version`** — the in-development version of the library on `main`. | ||
| This must **not** change during a merge-back. | ||
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| ## Resolution algorithm | ||
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| Compare the file on `main` against the file on `RELEASE_BRANCH`, line by line | ||
| (match by `groupId:artifactId`): | ||
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| 1. If the release branch line has a **different `dependency-version`** than | ||
| `main`, take the release branch `dependency-version`. | ||
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There was a problem hiding this comment. Assuming the version from the patch is not older than what's on main. In a comment I made on the
Member
Author
There was a problem hiding this comment. The goal is to automate the process to a point where the patches can be released, the merge-back PR auto-merged, and BOM released in one smooth motion that would prevent any libraries being released in-between. |
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| 2. **Always keep the `current-version` from `main`**, regardless of what the | ||
| release branch shows (patches revert `current-version` to the stable value). | ||
| 3. Leave every other line exactly as it is on `main`. | ||
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| Resulting line = `groupId:artifactId;<release-branch dependency-version>;<main current-version>`. | ||
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| ## Guardrails | ||
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| - **Do not reset beta versions to `beta.1`.** If a `current-version` on `main` | ||
| is e.g. `1.2.0-beta.4`, it stays `1.2.0-beta.4`. | ||
| - Only touch SDK library lines whose `dependency-version` actually changed on | ||
| the release branch. Do not modify parent/BOM lines or unrelated libraries. | ||
| - Never alter `current-version` values — a changed `current-version` is the most | ||
| common merge-back bug and surfaces later as a pom.xml mismatch. | ||
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| ## Example | ||
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| - `main`: `com.azure:azure-storage-blob;12.33.2;12.34.0-beta.1` | ||
| - `RELEASE_BRANCH`: `com.azure:azure-storage-blob;12.33.3;12.33.3` | ||
| - **Result:** `com.azure:azure-storage-blob;12.33.3;12.34.0-beta.1` | ||
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| Here the dependency-version moves `12.33.2` → `12.33.3` (the patch), while the | ||
| `current-version` stays `12.34.0-beta.1` (from `main`). | ||
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Just out of curiosity, have you invoked the skill locally yourself? Are we planning to use this inside an agentic-workflow or will it only be manually triggered by us?
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I used the skill to create this PR. The end goal is for this to be used within an agentic workflow, but I have to iron out the issues first