Document merge-commit requirement for release PRs - #4110
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Release, mergeback, and backport PRs must be merged with a merge commit so the branch linkage the release automation depends on is preserved (the mergeback tags the release using the merge commit of the "Merge main into releases/vN" PR, so squashing or rebasing breaks tagging). Add a path-scoped Copilot instructions file scoped to the files that reliably change in these PRs (CHANGELOG.md, src/defaults.json, lib/defaults.json, src/api-compatibility.json), and add an explicit note to the Releasing runbook in CONTRIBUTING.md so the rule is enforced regardless of who merges. Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Copilot-Session: 0dae6e42-7fc6-4fb1-b1ea-15dc17e402a2
henrymercer
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Aug 26, 2026
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Changes to CONTRIBUTING.md make sense. Is there a risk that the applyTo filter for the instructions will mean that the agent doesn't see them when interacting with the release process more indirectly?
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The release process creates a cascade of PRs (
main->releases/vN, then thereleases/vN->mainmergeback, then areleases/vN->releases/v(N-1)backport). These must be merged with a merge commit: the mergeback tags the release using the merge commit of the "Merge main into releases/vN" PR, so squashing or rebasing breaks tagging and the branch linkage the release automation relies on. Today nothing in the repo states this, so it depends on whoever clicks merge remembering the right strategy.This PR bakes the rule into two places:
.github/instructions/release-merge.instructions.md(new) - a path-scoped Copilot instructions file with anapplyToglob targeting the files that reliably change in release/mergeback/backport PRs (CHANGELOG.md,src/defaults.json,lib/defaults.json,src/api-compatibility.json). It tells the agent to merge with a merge commit and arm auto-merge with--merge.CONTRIBUTING.md- the human-facing Releasing runbook. Both automerge steps now say to merge "with a merge commit (gh pr merge --merge)", plus a> [!NOTE]explaining why squash/rebase would break tagging.Docs-only change; no behavior or code paths are affected.
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