kserve/release/BUMP_VERSION_AGENT.md

Bump Version Agent

Automate the version bump step of a KServe release using GitHub Copilot coding agent.

Instead of running make bump-version locally, create a GitHub issue and let the agent handle it.

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How It Works

1. Create a release issue using the Release issue template
2. Fill in the New Version field (e.g., X.Y.Z-rc0, X.Y.Z)
3. Assign Copilot to the issue
4. The agent creates a PR with all version files updated

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Usage

Step 1: Create a Release Issue

Go to Issues → New issue → Release and fill in the version:

Field	Example
New Version	X.Y.Z-rc0
Additional Notes	(optional)

Step 2: Assign Copilot with the bump-version agent

1. Click Assignees → select Copilot
2. Select the bump-version agent
3. Select the base branch:
   • RC0, RC1+, Final → master (default)
   • Z-release (Z > 0) → release-X.Y

Important:

• You must select the bump-version agent. If you skip this, Copilot runs without the release-specific instructions.
• For z-releases, you must select the release branch as the base branch. Otherwise the PR targets master.

Step 3: Review and Merge

Review the PR, verify CI passes, then merge.

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Version Types and Target Branches

Version	Type	Target Branch	Base ref on assign	cherrypick-approved
X.Y.0-rc0	RC0	master	(default)	No
X.Y.0-rcN (N>0)	RC1+	master	(default)	Yes
X.Y.0	Final	master	(default)	Yes
X.Y.Z (Z>0)	Z-release	release-X.Y	release-X.Y	No

For z-releases, you must specify the release branch when assigning Copilot. Otherwise the PR targets master.

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What the Agent Does

1. Validates version format (X.Y.Z or X.Y.Z-rcN)
2. Determines the correct target branch
3. Reads the prior version from kserve-deps.env
4. Verifies the prior version tag exists
5. Runs make bump-version
6. Runs make precommit for formatting
7. Creates a PR targeting the correct branch

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After the PR Is Merged

Follow the remaining release steps in:

• RELEASE_PROCESS.md (manual)
• RELEASE_PROCESS_copilot.md (Copilot CLI)

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Agent Definition

The agent logic is defined in:

• .github/agents/bump-version.agent.md
• .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/release.yml

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Restarting a Failed or Incorrect Run

If the agent produces a wrong result or you need to retry:

1. Close the PR that the agent created
2. Unassign Copilot from the issue
3. Re-assign Copilot to the issue (select bump-version agent again, and set the base branch for z-releases)

The agent starts fresh on each assignment — it does not resume from a previous attempt.