(grails-core) 01/01: Keep the Close Release job going when post-release fails

[jd...@apache.org]

This is an automated email from the ASF dual-hosted git repository.

jdaugherty pushed a commit to branch ci/post-release-manual-fallback
in repository https://gitbox.apache.org/repos/asf/grails-core.git

commit c446533522be82be6d9e53abdd8fe097ce030eb4
Author: James Daugherty <jd...@jdresources.net>
AuthorDate: Fri Oct 2 21:17:28 2026 -0400

    Keep the Close Release job going when post-release fails
    
    The 8.0.0-RC2 Close Release job stopped when GitHub refused the workflow
    token's push of merge-back-8.0.0-RC2, because it considered the branch to
    change .github/workflows/gradle.yml. Every remaining reminder step was then
    skipped, and nothing said how to finish the merge-back by hand.
    
    The post-release step now continues on error. A step that runs only when it
    failed raises a warning and writes the commands to recreate the merge branch
    and pull request to the workflow summary, including that the pull request
    must be merged with a merge commit so the tag reaches the branch history.
---
 .github/workflows/release.yml | 36 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 RELEASE.md                    |  4 +++-
 2 files changed, 39 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index 1b5d83985e..c55c1ea82c 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -684,10 +684,46 @@ jobs:
           ref: ${{ env.TAG }}
           token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
       - name: "⚙️ Run post-release"
+        id: post_release
+        # The release is already published by now, so a failure here must not skip the
+        # remaining reminders. The next step lists what is left to finish by hand.
+        continue-on-error: true
         uses: apache/grails-github-actions/post-release@asf
         env:
           PR_LABELS: skip-changelog
           RELEASE_SCRIPT_PATH: '.github/scripts/setSnapshotGrailsVersion.sh'
+      - name: "🩹 MANUAL - Finish post-release"
+        if: steps.post_release.outcome == 'failure'
+        env:
+          NEXT_VERSION: ${{ steps.post_release.outputs.NEXT_VERSION }}
+        run: |
+          NEXT_VERSION="${NEXT_VERSION:-X.Y.Z}"
+          MERGE_BRANCH="merge-back-${VERSION}"
+          cat >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY" <<EOF
+          ## ⚠️ Post-release did not finish
+
+          The \`⚙️ Run post-release\` step failed; its log shows where it stopped. Anything it did only on the runner is gone, so check each item below and finish the ones that are missing.
+
+          1. The \`${VERSION}\` milestone, if there is one, is closed.
+          2. Branch \`${MERGE_BRANCH}\` exists. To recreate it, run these from a clone with \`${TAG}\` fetched (they need GNU sed), and push with your own credentials, since GitHub refuses the workflow token when it considers the branch to change a file under \`.github/workflows\`:
+
+             \`\`\`
+             git switch -c ${MERGE_BRANCH} ${TAG}
+             sed -i 's/^projectVersion=.*/projectVersion=${NEXT_VERSION}-SNAPSHOT/' gradle.properties
+             NEXT_VERSION=${NEXT_VERSION} GITHUB_WORKSPACE="\$PWD" .github/scripts/setSnapshotGrailsVersion.sh
+             git commit -am '[skip ci] Bump version to ${NEXT_VERSION}-SNAPSHOT'
+             git push <remote for ${REPO_SLUG}> ${MERGE_BRANCH}
+             \`\`\`
+          3. A pull request from \`${MERGE_BRANCH}\` into \`${TARGET_BRANCH}\` is open:
+
+             \`\`\`
+             gh pr create --repo ${REPO_SLUG} --base ${TARGET_BRANCH} --head ${MERGE_BRANCH} --label skip-changelog --title 'chore: merge ${VERSION}->${TARGET_BRANCH}; bump to ${NEXT_VERSION}-SNAPSHOT' --body 'Automated snapshot bump after completing release ${VERSION}'
+             \`\`\`
+          4. It is merged with a merge commit, not a squash or rebase, so \`${TAG}\` becomes part of the \`${TARGET_BRANCH}\` history.
+
+          The automated stages are in https://github.com/apache/grails-github-actions/blob/asf/post-release/entrypoint.sh
+          EOF
+          echo "::warning title=Post-release did not finish::Finish merging ${TAG} back into ${TARGET_BRANCH} by hand; the workflow summary lists what is left."
       - name: "🌎 MANUAL - Create Blog Post"
         run: |
           echo "::group::Blog Post Creation - MANUAL"
diff --git a/RELEASE.md b/RELEASE.md
index abb94be5f6..019c7ca634 100644
--- a/RELEASE.md
+++ b/RELEASE.md
@@ -349,7 +349,9 @@ version from Maven Central.
 
 ### Close out the `grails-core` release
 
-The last step in the `grails-core` release workflow is to run the `Close Release` step.  This will create a merge branch for the original tag with version number and then open a PR to merge back into the next branch.  You will need to merge this PR into the branch after correcting any merge conflict.
+The last step in the `grails-core` release workflow is to run the `Close Release` step.  This will create a merge branch for the original tag with version number and then open a PR to merge back into the next branch.  You will need to merge this PR into the branch after correcting any merge conflict.  Merge it with a merge commit, not a squash or rebase, so that the release tag becomes part of the branch history.
+
+If the post-release step fails, for example because GitHub refuses to let the workflow token push a merge branch that it considers to change a workflow file, the `Close Release` job still runs its remaining steps.  The `🩹 MANUAL - Finish post-release` step then raises a warning, and the workflow summary lists the commands to create the merge branch and PR by hand.
 
 After this PR is merged, deploy the new SNAPSHOT to Forge via https://github.com/apache/grails-core/actions/workflows/forge-deploy-aws.yml (Use workflow from the snapshot branch, slot `snapshot`).