The following can be copied into a new, blank GitHub issue who's title is formatted as Release version X.Y.Z. Once the issue is submitted, the checklist in the body of the issue should be followed to release a new version of the AI plugin. All references to X.Y.Z below should be updated to the actual release version number.
This issue is for tracking changes for the X.Y.Z release. Target release date: **DD Month YYYY.**
## Pre-release steps
- [ ] Review and merge #.
## [Release steps](https://github.com/WordPress/ai/blob/develop/docs/RELEASE_INSTRUCTIONS.md)
- [ ] Branch: Starting from `develop`, cut a release branch named `release/X.Y.Z` for your changes.
- [ ] Version bump: Bump the version number in `ai.php`, `package-lock.json`, and `readme.txt` if it does not already reflect the version being released. In `includes/bootstrap.php`, ensure you're updating the `WPAI_VERSION` version constant.
- [ ] Update `@since`: Find all new `@since x.x.x` lines and update those with the new version number in place of `x.x.x`.
- [ ] Changelog: Add/update the changelog in `CHANGELOG.md` and in `readme.txt`.
- [ ] Props: update `CREDITS.md` file with any new contributors, confirm maintainers are accurate.
- [ ] Readme updates: Make any other readme changes as necessary in `README.md` and `readme.txt`.
- [ ] New files: Check to be sure any new files/paths that are unnecessary in the production version are included in `.gitattributes`.
- [ ] Merge release PR: Make a non-fast-forward merge from your release branch to `develop` (or merge the pull request).
- [ ] Merge develop to trunk: Do the same for `develop` into `trunk`, ensuring you pull the most recent changes into `develop` first (`git checkout develop && git pull origin develop && git checkout trunk && git pull origin trunk && git merge --no-ff develop`). `trunk` now contains the stable development version.
- [ ] Push: Push your trunk branch to GitHub (e.g. `git push origin trunk`).
- [ ] Compare: Check that no results show in [comparing a merge from develop into trunk](https://github.com/WordPress/ai/compare/trunk...develop) as that means the prior steps completed successfully.
- [ ] [Wait for build](https://xkcd.com/303/): Head to the [Actions](https://github.com/WordPress/ai/actions) tab in the repo and wait for it to finish if it hasn't already. If it doesn't succeed, figure out why and start over.
- [ ] Check the build: Check out the `trunk` branch and test for functionality locally.
- [ ] Test: Check the [end-to-end tests](https://github.com/WordPress/ai/actions/workflows/test.yml) are passing. Only proceed if everything tests successfully.
- [ ] Release: Create a [new release](https://github.com/WordPress/ai/releases/new), naming the tag and the release with the new version number, and targeting the `trunk` branch. Paste the changelog for the release from [`CHANGELOG.md`](https://github.com/WordPress/ai/blob/develop/CHANGELOG.md) into the body of the release and include a link to `[View all items closed in the milestone](https://github.com/WordPress/ai/milestone/#?closed=1)`. The release should now appear under [releases](https://github.com/WordPress/ai/releases).
## Post-release steps
- [ ] Close milestone: Edit the [milestone](https://github.com/WordPress/ai/milestone/#) with release date (in the `Due date (optional)` field) and link to GitHub release (in the `Description field`), then close the milestone.
- [ ] Punt incomplete items: If any open issues or PRs which were milestoned for `X.Y.Z` do not make it into the release, update their milestone to `X.Y.Z+1`, `X.Y+1.0`, `X+1.0.0` or `Future Release`.
- [ ] Announce: Publish release announcement post on Make/AI, cross-posting to Make/Core and Make/Test ([example](https://make.wordpress.org/ai/2025/11/27/announcing-the-ai-experiments-plugin-v0-1-0/)).
- [ ] Profile badges: Grant new contributors the `Core AI Contributor` [profile badge](https://make.wordpress.org/ai/wp-admin/tools.php?page=profile-badges).