development · Command reference

`qzx prepareRelease`

What it does

Plans a release metadata update and can atomically update one manifest plus CHANGELOG.md; it never builds, commits, tags, or publishes

Command maturity: Alpha

Available for real use and feedback while its interface and behavior can still evolve. This is the current development-checkout assessment. Every future immutable release tag preserves the exact assessment shipped by that version. Available in PyPI 0.2.2.0.9. This page documents the 0.2.2.0.9 alpha development checkout.

Behavior and built-in protections

Live mode applies the changes you request

Preview mode available

Uses a native tool when needed

Works without network access

Uses your current permissions; results can vary

Preview is the default. Applying requires a fail-closed project backup, one unambiguous manifest, reviewed release notes when updating the changelog, and a clean Git worktree by default. It never runs tests, builds, commits, tags, publishes, or deploys.

QZX creates a recovery archive before live changes; use --dangerously-bypass-approvals-and-sandbox/--yolo only when you deliberately choose to skip it.

This safety classification was reviewed by OpenAI GPT-5.6 Pro against implementation digest sha256:50bb166bd5377dc55fb00399daa06e678700dee990c8e0069b2b75e14bd88a7f on 2026-08-25.

Exact syntax

qzx prepareRelease [bump] [path] [dry_run] [new_version] [release_notes] [update_changelog] [require_clean_git] [manifest] --json

Parameters

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Name	Type	Required	Default	Description
bump	str	No	"patch"	Version increment: patch, minor, or major
path	str	No	"."	Project directory to prepare
dry_run	bool	No	true	Preview the exact metadata changes without writing
new_version	str	No	Not declared	Explicit target version; recommended for pre-releases and projects that do not use three-part SemVer
release_notes	str	No	Not declared	Reviewed changelog text; required when applying with update_changelog=true
update_changelog	bool	No	true	Prepend a reviewed entry to CHANGELOG.md
require_clean_git	bool	No	true	Require the project to be a clean Git worktree before applying changes
manifest	str	No	Not declared	Explicit supported manifest path relative to the project when automatic detection would be ambiguous

Input examples

qzx prepareRelease

Preview the next patch version and all release-preparation preconditions

qzx prepareRelease --new-version 2.0.0rc1 --release-notes "Release candidate with reviewed fixes" --dry-run false

Back up a clean project, then atomically prepare an explicit Python pre-release without committing or tagging

For the complete structured payload, add --json: qzx prepareRelease [bump] [path] [dry_run] [new_version] [release_notes] [update_changelog] [require_clean_git] [manifest] --json

Representative output example

This illustrative JSON is derived from the current implementation-backed result contract. It shows what the command can return without claiming a recorded execution; values vary with inputs, host, permissions, and optional tools.

Example command: qzx prepareRelease --json

{
    "success": true,
    "message": "Plans a release metadata update and can atomically update one manifest plus CHANGELOG.md; it never builds, commits, tags, or publishes. In this illustrative example, the command completed successfully.",
    "meta": {
        "command": "prepareRelease",
        "command_maturity": {
            "stage": "alpha",
            "label": "Alpha",
            "sequence": 2,
            "public_executable": true,
            "stability": "interface_may_change",
            "summary": "Available for real use and feedback while its interface and behavior can still evolve.",
            "promotion_review_required": false,
            "assessment_scope": "development_checkout"
        },
        "duration_ms": 0,
        "schema_version": 1
    },
    "changes_applied": true,
    "details": {
        "summary": "Additional structured context is included here."
    },
    "dry_run": true,
    "plan": "Example value",
    "status": "ok"
}

View the JSON result contract

{
    "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
    "type": "object",
    "required": [
        "success",
        "message",
        "meta"
    ],
    "properties": {
        "success": {
            "type": "boolean"
        },
        "message": {
            "type": "string"
        },
        "meta": {
            "type": "object",
            "required": [
                "command",
                "command_maturity",
                "duration_ms",
                "schema_version"
            ],
            "properties": {
                "command": {
                    "type": "string"
                },
                "command_maturity": {
                    "type": "object",
                    "required": [
                        "stage",
                        "label",
                        "sequence",
                        "public_executable",
                        "stability",
                        "summary",
                        "promotion_review_required",
                        "assessment_scope"
                    ],
                    "properties": {
                        "stage": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "label": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "sequence": {
                            "type": "integer"
                        },
                        "public_executable": {
                            "type": "boolean"
                        },
                        "stability": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "summary": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "promotion_review_required": {
                            "type": "boolean"
                        },
                        "assessment_scope": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "note": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "review": {
                            "type": "object",
                            "required": [
                                "reviewed_on",
                                "rationale",
                                "evidence"
                            ],
                            "properties": {
                                "reviewed_on": {
                                    "type": "string",
                                    "format": "date"
                                },
                                "rationale": {
                                    "type": "string"
                                },
                                "evidence": {
                                    "type": "array",
                                    "minItems": 1,
                                    "items": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                },
                                "replacement": {
                                    "type": "string"
                                }
                            },
                            "additionalProperties": false
                        }
                    },
                    "additionalProperties": true
                },
                "duration_ms": {
                    "type": "number"
                },
                "schema_version": {
                    "type": "integer"
                }
            },
            "additionalProperties": true
        },
        "changes_applied": {
            "type": "boolean"
        },
        "details": [],
        "dry_run": {
            "type": "boolean"
        },
        "error": {
            "type": "string"
        },
        "error_code": {
            "type": "string"
        },
        "plan": [],
        "status": {
            "type": "string"
        }
    },
    "additionalProperties": true
}

Errors and limits

The public contract requires success=false and a descriptive message on failure. This catalog does not yet declare a command-specific error taxonomy; inspect the result and do not invent error codes.

QZX is alpha software. Optional dependencies, permissions, and host capabilities can change the result.

Evidence workflow: requires a controlled privileged environment.

Evidence and provenance

Implementation: src/qzx/commands/development/prepare_release.py
Tests: tests/test_development_commands/test_prepare_release.py
Documentation channel: Development documentation 0.2.2.0.9 · main · sha256:cfba936e39931c286ca23add0ae546693db17d8b316e7cbc3891d26642d9b7e8
Availability: 0.2.2.0.9 or earlier

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