SAVR - Semantic Automatic Version Releaser

A focused GitHub Action for automated release notes and draft releases, built for teams using conventional commits.

SAVR is a lightweight GitHub Action that does two things really well:

1. Automatically generates and updates draft releases with comprehensive release notes on every push
2. Makes it easy to publish releases manually through GitHub's UI when you're ready

Why SAVR?

While there are many semantic versioning tools available, SAVR was created to solve specific pain points that other tools don't address:

🎯 Focused on What Matters

Most semantic release tools try to do everything: automatically publish releases, manage changelogs, update package versions, and more. SAVR focuses on two core needs:

• Keeping your team informed about upcoming changes through live draft releases
• Making manual releases convenient through GitHub's UI

🔄 Live Release Notes

Unlike tools that only generate release notes when publishing, SAVR maintains an up-to-date draft release on every push. This means:

• Your team can see what's coming in the next release at any time
• No more surprises when releases are published
• Better visibility into project progress

🎮 Manual Release Control

Many tools force automated releases, which can be risky. SAVR:

• Lets you control exactly when to publish releases
• Works seamlessly with GitHub's release UI
• Maintains the flexibility to review and adjust before publishing

💡 Built for Conventional Commits

If you're already using conventional commits, SAVR:

• Leverages your existing commit messages
• Requires no additional configuration
• Keeps your workflow simple and familiar

Features

• 📝 Live Draft Releases: Automatically updates draft releases with the latest changes on every push
• 🔍 Transparent Changes: Team members can easily see what features and fixes will be in the next release
• 🎯 Manual Release Control: Publish releases when you're ready through GitHub's UI
• 🔄 Conventional Commits: Leverages your existing commit messages to generate meaningful release notes
• 🏷️ Semantic Versioning: Automatically suggests the next version based on commit types
• 🧪 Dry-run Mode: Test changes without affecting your repository

Usage

name: Draft Release
on:
  push:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  release:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v5
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0

      - name: Create Release Draft
        uses: 21stdigital/savr-action@v1.0.1
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.PAT_TOKEN }} # Personal Access Token with repo scope
          # Optional configuration:
          # tag-prefix: 'v'
          # dry-run: false
          # release-notes-template: |
          #   ## Release {{version}}
          #   {{#each commits}}
          #   - {{this.message}} ({{this.type}})
          #   {{/each}}

Inputs

Input	Description	Required	Default
github-token	Personal Access Token (PAT) with repo scope for GitHub API authentication. The default GITHUB_TOKEN has insufficient permissions for creating releases.	Yes	-
tag-prefix	The prefix for version tags	No	v
release-branch	The branch to use for the release	No	main
dry-run	Simulate the process without creating releases	No	false
release-notes-template	Template for release notes formatting	No	Default template
initial-version	The initial version to start from	No	1.0.0

Outputs

Output	Description
version	The calculated version for the release
release-url	The URL of the created/updated draft release
release-id	The ID of the created/updated draft release

Version Bump Rules

The action follows these rules to determine version bumps:

• Major (1.0.0): Breaking changes (feat! or BREAKING CHANGE in footer)
• Minor (0.1.0): New features (feat)
• Patch (0.0.1): Bug fixes (fix)
• None: Other changes (no version bump)

Release Notes

Release notes are automatically generated and include:

• ✨ Features
• 🐛 Bug fixes
• 💥 Breaking changes
• Contributors list

The default template format is:

{{#if features}}
  ### ✨ Features
  {{#each features}}
    -
    {{this.message}}
  {{/each}}
{{/if}}

{{#if fixes}}
  ### 🐛 Fixes
  {{#each fixes}}
    -
    {{this.message}}
  {{/each}}
{{/if}}

{{#if breaking}}
  ### 💥 Breaking Changes
  {{#each breaking}}
    -
    {{this.message}}
  {{/each}}
{{/if}}

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT