semver-helper

What This Skill Does

The semver-helper skill is an expert-level advisory tool for OpenClaw that enforces Semantic Versioning (SemVer) 2.0.0 standards. It provides developers and project managers with a reliable decision-making framework for version increments. By analyzing the nature of your changes—ranging from internal refactoring to breaking API modifications—the agent guides you toward the correct MAJOR, MINOR, or PATCH release designation. It eliminates the guesswork inherent in version management by utilizing a clear, logical decision tree that prioritizes API compatibility above all else.

Installation

To install this skill, run the following command in your terminal within the OpenClaw environment: clawhub install openclaw/skills/skills/avegancafe/semver-helper

Use Cases

This skill is designed for software teams maintaining libraries, APIs, or CLI tools. It is particularly valuable during CI/CD pipeline integration, pull request reviews, and release management workflows. Use it when:

• You are unsure if an API change warrants a breaking major version bump.
• You want to standardize release numbering across a team to prevent downstream dependency issues.
• You need to determine the correct version increment for a complex pull request that includes both bug fixes and new feature additions.
• You are preparing release candidates and need to understand the sorting order of pre-release tags like alpha, beta, and rc.

Example Prompts

1. "I am adding a new optional parameter to an existing function without changing the signature. What should my version bump be based on semver-helper?"
2. "I'm refactoring some internal logic and adding a new dependency. The API remains exactly the same. How should I version this?"
3. "My current version is 2.1.4. I just removed a deprecated endpoint and fixed a typo in the documentation. Which part of the version string do I update?"

Tips & Limitations

• The skill prioritizes the hierarchy of versioning: MAJOR > MINOR > PATCH. If a PR contains multiple types of changes, the most significant change determines the bump.
• Remember the 'Golden Rule': Breaking changes always require a MAJOR bump, even if you are also adding features or fixing bugs in the same release.
• While the tool is highly accurate, it is a static analyzer. Always perform manual code audits for subtle breaking changes, such as modifying the default return type in a dynamically typed language, which might escape automated detection.