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+# Release flow
+
+Releases on registries are automatically handled with GitHub Actions, which will only run on the `stable` branch.
+
+Every time we merge on `stable` branch, this happens:
+ - builds and tests core library
+ - publishes core rust library on `crates.io` (which will rebuild main documentation)
+ - builds codemp javascript bindings for windows, linux and macos and publishes it on `npm`
+ - builds codemp python bindings for windows, linux and macos and publishes it on `PyPI`
+ - builds codemp luajit bindings for windows, linux and macos and publishes it on both `LuaRocks` (source) and codemp.dev/releases (binary)
+ - builds codemp java bindings for windows, linux and macos and publishes it on `Maven Central`
+
+# Checklist
+Before merging on `stable`, make sure all these steps have been followed
+
+> do any required change in a branch named `release/vX.Y.Z`, for which a PR can then be opened
+
+- [ ] `Cargo.toml`: bump version
+- [ ] `dist/js/publish/package.json`: make sure version matches with Cargo.toml (also check optionalDependencies! all versions must be the same)
+- [ ] `dist/py/pyproject.toml`: make sure version matches with Cargo.toml
+- [ ] `dist/java/build.gradle`: make sure version matches with Cargo.toml
+- [ ] `dist/lua/codemp-X.Y.Z-1.rockspec`: make sure version matches with Cargo.toml (note that rockspec file contains current version in its name so must be renamed) (note that rockspec versions have a fourth component: "revision". we don't use it so always set is as `1`)
+- [ ] update `Cargo.lock` (basically delete it and re-run `cargo build`. check diff before committing!)
+- [ ] **make sure docs build without warning or errors** (`cargo doc`)
+- [ ] **make sure that core crate builds** with `--release --features=js,py,java,luajit`
+- [ ] **make sure the version you're about to release is available** (on all registries!)
+- [ ] update last tag in "commits since last tag" badge (in README.md)
+- [ ] commit all these changes (in `release/vX.Y.Z` branch), open a PR and have it approved and merged
+- [ ] generate a new tag with same version as the one specified in Cargo.toml. include changelog in its description (use `git log <last-tag>..HEAD --oneline` to get a commit list, but **don't just put it as-is!**). **remember to push the newly generated tag with** (`git push --tags`)
+- [ ] merge on `stable` and start release CIs (from your PC: `git checkout dev`, `git pull`, `git checkout stable`,  `git pull`, `git merge dev`, `git push`, `git checkout dev`)