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Automate your GitHub release workflow with GitHub Actions—no more manual tagging or UI clicks. In this tutorial, we’ll use the Troubleshooting JavaScript Actions repository as our example, transforming a once-manual process into a seamless pipeline.

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1. Manual Release Workflow

Before automation, releases were created by hand:
  1. Navigate to Releases in your repo.
  2. Select an existing tag or create a new one.
  3. Choose the target branch.
  4. Write release notes and publish.
The image shows a GitHub repository page titled "troubleshooting-js-actions" with a list of files and folders, including .github, .vscode, and README.md.
For each release, you specify the tag, assign the branch, and craft release notes:
The image shows a GitHub interface for creating a new release in a repository, with options to choose a tag, target branch, and write release notes.
Each published release is tied to a Git tag, pointing to a precise code snapshot. Automating this ensures consistency and saves time.

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2. Choosing an Action

GitHub’s Actions Marketplace provides community-maintained workflows. A search for “release” surfaces many options. We’ll use the popular softprops/action-gh-release action:
The image shows a GitHub Marketplace page displaying search results for "release" under the Actions category, listing various GitHub Actions for automating development workflows.
The image shows a GitHub Marketplace page for the "GH Release" action, which is used for creating GitHub Releases on various platforms. It includes details about the action, usage instructions, and links to related resources.
Why softprops/action-gh-release?
  • Automatically creates releases from tags
  • Supports asset uploads
  • Handles prerequisites (permissions, checks)

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3. Minimal Workflow Example

Below is the simplest setup: trigger on semver tags starting with v and create a release. 
name: Create Release
on:
  push:
    tags:
      - "v*.*.*"
jobs:
  release:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
Use tag patterns to control when the workflow runs:
PatternMatches
v*.*.*v1.0.0, v2.3.4, etc.
*All tags

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4. Adding Assets to Your Release

To upload build artifacts (e.g., binaries, docs), extend the workflow: 
name: Create Release with Assets
on:
  push:
    tags:
      - "v*.*.*"
jobs:
  release:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Build Artifact
        run: echo ${{ github.sha }} > release_info.txt
      - name: Create GitHub Release
        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
        if: startsWith(github.ref, 'refs/tags/')
        with:
          files: release_info.txt

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5. Implementing the Auto-Release Workflow

  1. Clone your repo and open it in VS Code.
  2. Create a new workflow file at .github/workflows/autorelease.yaml.
The image shows a Visual Studio Code interface with a file explorer open on the left, displaying various files, and a terminal at the bottom with a command prompt ready for input.
  1. Paste the following content:
name: Auto Release Workflow
on:
  push:
    tags:
      - "*"
permissions:
  contents: write
jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout Repository
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
      - name: Create Release & Upload dist/index.js
        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v2
        with:
          files: dist/index.js
The workflow needs contents: write permission to publish releases and upload assets.
Without it, the release step will fail.

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6. Commit, Tag, and Push

git add .github/workflows/autorelease.yaml
git commit -m "feat: add auto release workflow and upload dist/index.js"
git push origin main
Create and push a new tag to trigger the workflow: 
git tag v1.0.0
git push origin v1.0.0

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7. Verify the Workflow

Navigate to the Actions tab and look for Auto Release Workflow:
The image shows a GitHub Actions interface with a list of workflow runs, including "Auto Release Workflow" and "Troubleshooting JavaScript Action," displaying their status and details.
Open the run to ensure all steps—checkout, release creation, and asset upload—completed successfully:
The image shows a GitHub Actions workflow page where a build job has successfully completed, including steps like creating a release and uploading an artifact.

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8. Review and Publish Your Release

After execution, go to Releases. You’ll see:
  • A new release named v1.0.0
  • Release notes from your git commit message
  • index.js attached under Assets
To push your Action to the Marketplace, click Edit release and follow the Publish to Marketplace prompts:
The image shows a GitHub interface for editing a release in a repository, with options to generate release notes and add a description.
Congratulations—you now have a fully automated GitHub release pipeline!

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References

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