[WIP] Update release workflow to create release branch

[Copilot]

Plan for Fixing Release Workflow to Work with Protected Main Branch

• 1. Review current release workflow structure and understand the issue
• 2. Add necessary permissions for pull request creation to the workflow
• 3. Create a release branch after checkout instead of working on main directly
• 4. Update all git push operations to push to the release branch instead of main
• 5. Keep Maven Central deployment before git operations (existing fail-fast behavior)
• 6. Update tag creation to work on the release branch
• 7. Add step to create a pull request from the release branch to main after all commits
• 8. Keep GitHub Release creation step as-is
• 9. Validate the workflow file syntax
• 10. Review final changes to ensure minimal modifications

Original prompt

Problem

The current release workflow in .github/workflows/release.yml fails because it attempts to commit directly to the protected main branch. The error shows:

remote: error: GH006: Protected branch update failed for refs/heads/main.        
remote: - Changes must be made through a pull request.        
remote: - 2 of 2 required status checks are expected.

Solution Required

Modify the release workflow to:

1. Create a release branch instead of committing directly to main
2. Push all changes (release version, tag, and next snapshot version) to this release branch
3. Create a pull request from the release branch to main
4. Keep the Maven Central deployment before any git operations (fail-fast behavior)
5. Keep the tag creation on the release branch
6. Keep the GitHub Release creation

Implementation Details

Changes needed in .github/workflows/release.yml:

1. After checkout, create a new release branch (e.g., release-v{version})
2. Perform all version updates and commits on this release branch
3. Push the release branch and tag to GitHub
4. Create a pull request from the release branch to main
5. The PR should include both commits:
   • Release version commit
   • Next snapshot version commit

Key Requirements:

• Maven Central deployment must happen BEFORE any git operations (existing fail-fast behavior)
• Use secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN for authentication
• The PR should be auto-created with a descriptive title and body
• Tag should be created on the release branch
• GitHub Release should reference the tag
• All existing functionality should be preserved

Suggested approach:

• Use a dedicated release branch name like release-v${{ github.event.inputs.release_version }}
• Use GitHub CLI (gh pr create) or peter-evans/create-pull-request action to create the PR
• Ensure proper permissions are set for the workflow

This pull request was created as a result of the following prompt from Copilot chat.

Problem

The current release workflow in .github/workflows/release.yml fails because it attempts to commit directly to the protected main branch. The error shows:

remote: error: GH006: Protected branch update failed for refs/heads/main.        
remote: - Changes must be made through a pull request.        
remote: - 2 of 2 required status checks are expected.

Solution Required

Modify the release workflow to:

1. Create a release branch instead of committing directly to main
2. Push all changes (release version, tag, and next snapshot version) to this release branch
3. Create a pull request from the release branch to main
4. Keep the Maven Central deployment before any git operations (fail-fast behavior)
5. Keep the tag creation on the release branch
6. Keep the GitHub Release creation

Implementation Details

Changes needed in .github/workflows/release.yml:

1. After checkout, create a new release branch (e.g., release-v{version})
2. Perform all version updates and commits on this release branch
3. Push the release branch and tag to GitHub
4. Create a pull request from the release branch to main
5. The PR should include both commits:
   • Release version commit
   • Next snapshot version commit

Key Requirements:

• Maven Central deployment must happen BEFORE any git operations (existing fail-fast behavior)
• Use secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN for authentication
• The PR should be auto-created with a descriptive title and body
• Tag should be created on the release branch
• GitHub Release should reference the tag
• All existing functionality should be preserved

Suggested approach:

• Use a dedicated release branch name like release-v${{ github.event.inputs.release_version }}
• Use GitHub CLI (gh pr create) or peter-evans/create-pull-request action to create the PR
• Ensure proper permissions are set for the workflow

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