ci(github): 👷 Trigger automatic publish workflow (#4135)

* ci(github): 👷 Trigger automatic publish after release-please-manifest changes

* docs: 📝 Update release process docs

* Remove unfit description

* Deprecate old release docs

Author: pomfrida

.github/release-please-config.json

@@ -79,6 +79,6 @@
   "bump-minor-pre-major": true,
   "bump-patch-for-minor-pre-major": false,
   "pull-request-title-pattern": "chore: release${component}",
-  "pull-request-header": "## Release PR\n\nThis PR was automatically generated by release-please.\n\n✅ **What happens automatically when merged:**\n- 🚀 npm publish workflows triggered for changed packages\n- 📝 Versions bumped and CHANGELOGs updated\n\n⚠️ **Manual steps required after merge:**\n1. Create GitHub releases (review CHANGELOGs and remove internal changes like chores, CI/CD, build system updates)\n2. Rebase master from develop\n3. Announce in #eds-design-system",
+  "pull-request-header": "## Release PR\n\nThis PR was automatically generated by release-please.\n\n✅ **What happens automatically when merged:**\n- 🚀 npm publish workflows triggered for changed packages\n- 📝 Versions bumped and CHANGELOGs updated\n- 🏷️ GitHub releases created automatically\n\n⚠️ **Manual steps required after merge:**\n1. Rebase master from main\n2. Announce in #eds-design-system",
   "label": "autorelease: pending"
 }

.github/release-please-config.md

@@ -162,18 +162,14 @@ Ensures that breaking changes (indicated by `BREAKING CHANGE:` in commit message
 
 ## GitHub Release Configuration
 
-```json
-"skip-github-release": true
-```
-
-When `true`, release-please will NOT automatically create GitHub releases when the release PR is merged. This means:
+By default, release-please automatically creates GitHub releases when the release PR is merged. This means:
 
 - Release PRs are created automatically ✅
 - Version bumps happen automatically ✅
 - CHANGELOGs are updated automatically ✅
-- GitHub releases must be created manually ❌
+- GitHub releases are created automatically ✅
 
-Set to `false` if you want automatic GitHub release creation.
+The releases include all commit types from the changelog (features, fixes, docs, chores, CI/CD, build system updates, etc.). If you want to skip automatic GitHub release creation, you can add `"skip-github-release": true` to the configuration.
 
 ## How It Works Together
 
@@ -186,7 +182,7 @@ Set to `false` if you want automatic GitHub release creation.
 4. **Team reviews and merges the PR**
 5. **Automatic publish workflow triggers** (separate workflow)
 6. **Packages are published to npm**
-7. **GitHub releases are created manually** (because `skip-github-release: true`)
+7. **GitHub releases are created automatically**
 
 ## Multi-Package Example
 
@@ -205,7 +201,7 @@ Release-please will create ONE PR that:
 - Bumps `eds-tokens` from 0.10.0 → 0.11.0
 - Updates all three CHANGELOGs
 
-When merged, three separate GitHub releases will be created (if `skip-github-release: false`).
+When merged, three separate GitHub releases will be created automatically.
 
 ## Commit Scope Matching
 
@@ -227,6 +223,7 @@ feat(eds-icons, eds-core-react): ...  → both packages
 - **Manifest**: `.github/release-please-manifest.json` (tracks current versions)
 - **Workflow**: `.github/workflows/release-please.yml` (triggers release-please)
 - **Publish**: `.github/workflows/trigger-publish.yml` (publishes after release)
+- **Automated release documentation**: `../documentation/how-to/AUTOMATED_RELEASE.md`
 
 ## Useful Links
 

.github/workflows/trigger_publish.yml

@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 #
 # Flow:
 # 1. Release PR is merged → this workflow runs
-# 2. Checks which package.json files changed
+# 2. Checks which package versions changed in .release-please-manifest.json
 # 3. Triggers individual publish workflows only for changed packages
 # 4. Each publish workflow handles: building, testing, npm publish, and Storybook deployment
 
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ on:
     branches:
       - main
     paths:
-      - ".github/release-please-manifest.json"
+      - '.github/release-please-manifest.json'
 
 # Required permissions
 permissions:
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ jobs:
           echo "should-publish=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
 
   # Job 1: Determine which packages need to be published
-  # Checks git diff to see which package.json files changed in the merged PR
+  # Checks the release-please-manifest.json to see which packages had version changes
   check-releases:
     needs: validate-release
     if: needs.validate-release.outputs.should-publish == 'true'
@@ -67,43 +67,35 @@ jobs:
       tokens: ${{ steps.check.outputs.tokens }}
 
     steps:
-      # Checkout the repository with full PR history
+      # Checkout the repository - we only need the current state
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v4
         with:
-          fetch-depth: 0 # Fetch full history to ensure we can diff properly
+          fetch-depth: 2 # Fetch last 2 commits to compare
 
-      # Check which package.json files were modified in the merge
-      # For each package, sets output to 'true' if its package.json changed, 'false' otherwise
+      # Check which packages had version changes in release-please-manifest.json
+      # This is more reliable than checking package.json files directly
       - name: Check which packages changed
         id: check
         run: |
-          # Use PR base and head SHAs for accurate diff
-          # This works correctly regardless of merge strategy (squash/merge/rebase)
-          # - base.sha: commit where PR branched from main
-          # - head.sha: latest commit in PR branch before merge
-          # This ensures we capture ALL changes in the PR, not just the merge commit
-          BASE_SHA="${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }}"
-          HEAD_SHA="${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}"
-
           echo "## 📝 Detecting Package Changes" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "Comparing: \`$BASE_SHA...$HEAD_SHA\`" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "Analyzing changes in .release-please-manifest.json" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
 
-          # Get list of changed files
-          CHANGED_FILES=$(git diff --name-only $BASE_SHA $HEAD_SHA)
+          # Get the diff of the manifest file from the merge commit
+          MANIFEST_DIFF=$(git diff HEAD^ HEAD -- .github/release-please-manifest.json)
 
-          echo "### Changed files:" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo '```' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
-          echo "$CHANGED_FILES" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "### Manifest changes:" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo '```diff' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          echo "$MANIFEST_DIFF" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo '```' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "### Package detection results:" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
           echo "" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
 
           # Check eds-core-react
-          if echo "$CHANGED_FILES" | grep -q "packages/eds-core-react/package.json"; then
+          if echo "$MANIFEST_DIFF" | grep -q '"packages/eds-core-react":'; then
             echo "core-react=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
             echo "✅ eds-core-react changed"
             echo "- ✅ **eds-core-react** changed" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
@@ -114,7 +106,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
           # Check eds-lab-react
-          if echo "$CHANGED_FILES" | grep -q "packages/eds-lab-react/package.json"; then
+          if echo "$MANIFEST_DIFF" | grep -q '"packages/eds-lab-react":'; then
             echo "lab-react=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
             echo "✅ eds-lab-react changed"
             echo "- ✅ **eds-lab-react** changed" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
@@ -125,7 +117,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
           # Check eds-data-grid-react
-          if echo "$CHANGED_FILES" | grep -q "packages/eds-data-grid-react/package.json"; then
+          if echo "$MANIFEST_DIFF" | grep -q '"packages/eds-data-grid-react":'; then
             echo "data-grid-react=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
             echo "✅ eds-data-grid-react changed"
             echo "- ✅ **eds-data-grid-react** changed" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
@@ -136,7 +128,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
           # Check eds-icons
-          if echo "$CHANGED_FILES" | grep -q "packages/eds-icons/package.json"; then
+          if echo "$MANIFEST_DIFF" | grep -q '"packages/eds-icons":'; then
             echo "icons=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
             echo "✅ eds-icons changed"
             echo "- ✅ **eds-icons** changed" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
@@ -147,7 +139,7 @@ jobs:
           fi
 
           # Check eds-tokens
-          if echo "$CHANGED_FILES" | grep -q "packages/eds-tokens/package.json"; then
+          if echo "$MANIFEST_DIFF" | grep -q '"packages/eds-tokens":'; then
             echo "tokens=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
             echo "✅ eds-tokens changed"
             echo "- ✅ **eds-tokens** changed" >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY

documentation/how-to/AUTOMATED_RELEASE.md

@@ -0,0 +1,214 @@
+# Automated Release Guide
+
+Guide for the automated release process in Equinor Design System using Release Please and GitHub Actions.
+
+## Table of Contents
+
+- [Prerequisites](#prerequisites)
+- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
+- [How It Works](#how-it-works)
+- [Understanding Release PRs](#understanding-release-prs)
+- [Manual Steps After Release](#manual-steps-after-release)
+- [GitHub Releases](#github-releases)
+- [Troubleshooting](#troubleshooting)
+- [Configuration](#configuration)
+- [Resources](#resources)
+
+## Quick Start
+
+1. **Use conventional commits** during development (see [CONVENTIONAL_COMMITS.md](./CONVENTIONAL_COMMITS.md))
+   - `feat(eds-core-react): add new button variant` → minor version bump
+   - `fix(eds-icons): correct icon alignment` → patch version bump
+   - `feat(eds-tokens)!: breaking change` → major version bump
+
+2. **Merge PR to `main`** → Release Please automatically creates/updates a release PR
+
+3. **Review the release PR**:
+   - Check version bumps are appropriate
+   - Verify CHANGELOG entries
+   - Ensure all packages are included
+
+4. **Merge the release PR** → Automatic publishing begins
+
+5. **Verify publishing** - Check GitHub Actions workflows complete successfully
+
+6. **Update master branch** - Rebase `master` from `main`
+
+7. **Announce release** - Post in `#eds-design-system` Slack channel
+
+## How It Works
+
+### Automated
+
+- ✅ Version bumping
+- ✅ CHANGELOG generation
+- ✅ npm publishing
+- ✅ Git tag creation
+- ✅ GitHub releases
+
+### Manual
+
+- ⚠️ Rebasing master
+- ⚠️ Announcements
+
+## Understanding Release PRs
+
+When Release Please detects releasable changes, it creates a special PR with the title pattern "chore: release[component]". This PR contains:
+
+### What's Included
+
+- **Version bumps** in `package.json` files for affected packages
+- **Updated CHANGELOGs** with categorized commits (✨ Added, 🐛 Fixed, etc.)
+- **Release summary** showing all packages being released in the PR description
+
+### How to Review
+
+1. **Check version bumps** - Ensure semantic versioning is correct (especially important if there's breaking changes)
+2. **Review CHANGELOGs** - Verify all important changes are captured
+3. **Validate scope** - Confirm all affected packages are included
+4. **Test if needed** - Run tests or verify builds if uncertain
+
+### When to Merge
+
+- ✅ All automated checks pass
+- ✅ Version bumps look correct
+- ✅ No breaking changes without proper version bump
+- ✅ Ready to publish to npm and announce
+
+### Important Notes
+
+- **One PR for all packages** - Don't expect separate PRs per package
+- **Accumulative** - PR updates automatically with new commits until merged
+- - **No manual editing** - Don't edit the PR content manually; it will be overwritten
+
+## Manual Steps After Release
+
+While most of the release process is automated, these steps still need to be done manually:
+
+### Update Master Branch
+
+- Switch to the `master` branch:
+
+  ```bash
+  git checkout master
+  ```
+
+- Rebase `master` with the latest changes from `main`:
+
+  ```bash
+  git rebase main
+  ```
+
+- Push the updates to the remote repository:
+
+  ```bash
+  git push
+  ```
+
+### Verify Release
+
+- Verify the new version is available on [npmjs](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@equinor/eds-core-react?activeTab=versions).
+- Verify the new [storybook](https://storybook.eds.equinor.com/) is published.
+
+### Announce Release
+
+- Announce the release in #eds-design-system Slack channel
+- Leave out any chores, CI/CD changes, build system updates, and other internal changes that are not relevant to end users
+- Focus on user-facing features, fixes, and breaking changes
+
+Here's a template for future release announcements:
+
+---
+
+We've just released:
+
+- **[package-name-1] v[version-number-1]**
+- **[package-name-2] v[version-number-2]**
+
+### **[Package-Name-1]:**
+
+**Added**
+
+- ✨ [Feature-1]: [Short description of the feature] by @[author]
+- ✨ [Feature-2]: [Short description of the feature] by @[author]
+
+**Fixed**
+
+- 🐛 [Fix-1]: [Short description of the fix] by @[author]
+- 🐛 [Fix-2]: [Short description of the fix] by @[author]
+
+### **[Package-Name-2]:**
+
+**Added**
+
+- ✨ [Feature-1]: [Short description of the feature] by @[author]
+
+> Note: [Include any important dependency or compatibility notes here.]
+
+---
+
+**Best,**  
+The EDS Core Team
+
+---
+
+## GitHub Releases
+
+GitHub releases are now created automatically when the release PR is merged. The releases will include:
+
+- All commit types from the CHANGELOG (features, fixes, docs, etc.)
+- Proper version tags matching the npm packages
+- Release notes generated from conventional commits
+
+If you need to edit a release after it's created:
+
+1. Go to [GitHub Releases](https://github.com/equinor/design-system/releases)
+2. Find the release you want to edit
+3. Click "Edit release"
+4. Make necessary changes and save
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**No release PR created?**
+
+- Check commit format follows conventional commits
+- Verify commits on `main` with package scope
+
+**Wrong version bump?**
+
+- `feat!:` = major
+- `feat:` = minor
+- `fix:` = patch
+
+**Publishing failed?**
+
+- Check workflow logs in GitHub Actions
+- Re-run workflow or publish manually
+
+**Need to skip release?**
+
+- Leave PR open, merge later
+
+**Need to rollback a release?**
+
+If a release has critical issues:
+
+1. **Create hotfix immediately**: Make emergency fix and create new release (recommended approach)
+2. **Deprecate problematic version**: Use `npm deprecate @equinor/package@version "Critical issue - use version X.X.X instead"`
+3. **Communicate quickly**: Announce the issue and hotfix plan in #eds-design-system and affected channels
+4. **Document the incident**: Update release notes to mention the issue and resolution
+
+**Release PR disappeared or corrupted?**
+
+- Release Please recreates PRs automatically on next push to `main`
+- Don't try to manually recreate - let Release Please handle it
+
+## Configuration
+
+- [`.github/release-please-config.md`](../../.github/release-please-config.md) - Detailed config docs
+- [CONVENTIONAL_COMMITS.md](./CONVENTIONAL_COMMITS.md) - Commit guidelines
+
+## Resources
+
+- [Release Please Docs](https://github.com/googleapis/release-please)
+- [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/)