## Summary Clarifies when to add a changeset or a `.server-changes/` file. The friction that keeps coming up is treating these as "I touched a public package or a server app, so I owe a note." They are user-facing release notes that go straight into the changelog customers read, not a catalog of every change. The guidance now leads with the real test: would a user or customer care about this change? Add a note when the change is something they would notice, act on, or want to hear about. Skip it otherwise, even when a public package or server app is touched, for example: - internal-only or admin-only changes, refactors, test-only changes, chores - performance or query tuning with no user-visible behavior change - public packages that are not consumed independently (e.g. `@trigger.dev/redis-worker`), where a version bump means nothing to a user Anyone who wants the exact history reads the commits. Updates every place that encoded the old "touched a package or app, so add a note" rule so they agree: `AGENTS.md`, `.server-changes/README.md`, `CONTRIBUTING.md`, `CHANGESETS.md`, `.claude/rules/server-apps.md`, and `.claude/REVIEW.md` (the last drives automated review flagging, so it stops flagging exactly the changes the new guidance says to skip). Also handles the mixed-PR case where the package change needs no changeset but the server change is user-facing.
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Changesets and Server Changes
Trigger.dev uses changesets to manage package versions and releasing them to npm. For server-only changes, we use a lightweight .server-changes/ convention.
Adding a changeset (package changes)
Changesets and .server-changes/ files are user-facing release notes, not a catalog of every change. Add one only when the change is something a user would notice or act on. Skip it for internal-only changes, refactors, chores, and packages that are not consumed independently (e.g. @trigger.dev/redis-worker). Anyone who wants the exact history reads the commits.
To add a changeset, use pnpm run changeset:add and follow the Changesets adding-a-changeset guide. Please only ever select one of our public packages when adding a changeset.
Adding a server change (server-only changes)
If your PR only changes server components (apps/webapp/, apps/supervisor/, etc.), does NOT change any published packages, AND the change is user-facing, add a .server-changes/ file instead of a changeset:
cat > .server-changes/fix-batch-queue-stalls.md << 'EOF'
---
area: webapp
type: fix
---
Speed up batch queue processing by removing stalls and fixing retry race
EOF
area:webapp|supervisortype:feature|fix|improvement|breaking
For mixed PRs (both packages and server): the changeset covers it, so no .server-changes/ file is needed. If the package change is internal and needs no changeset but the server change is user-facing, add a .server-changes/ file for it.
See .server-changes/README.md for full documentation.
When to add which
Only for user-facing changes. Skip the note entirely for internal-only or admin-only changes, refactors, and chores.
| PR changes | What to add |
|---|---|
Only packages (packages/ or integrations/) |
Changeset (pnpm run changeset:add), if the package change is user-facing |
Only server (apps/) |
.server-changes/ file, if the server change is user-facing |
| Both packages and server | The changeset covers it; if the package change needs no changeset but the server change is user-facing, add a .server-changes/ file |
Release instructions (CI)
Please follow the best-practice of adding changesets in the same commit as the code making the change with pnpm run changeset:add, as it will allow our release.yml CI workflow to function properly:
- Anytime new changesets are added in a commit in the
mainbranch, the changesets-pr.yml workflow will run and will automatically create/update a PR with a fresh run ofpnpm run changeset:version. - The release PR body is automatically enhanced with a clean, deduplicated summary that includes both package changes and
.server-changes/entries. - Consumed
.server-changes/files are removed on thechangeset-release/mainbranch — the same way changesets deletes.changeset/*.mdfiles. When the release PR merges, they're gone from main. - When the version PR is merged into
main, the release.yml workflow will automatically build, release packages to npm, and create a single unified GitHub release.
Pre-release instructions
- Add changesets as usual
pnpm run changeset:add - Switch to pre-release mode by running
pnpm run changeset:next - Create version
pnpm run changeset:version - Release
pnpm run changeset:release - Switch back to normal mode by running
pnpm run changeset:normal
Snapshot instructions
- Update the
.changeset/config.jsonfile to set the"changelog"field to this:
"changelog": "@changesets/cli/changelog",
-
Do a temporary commit (do NOT push this, you should undo it after)
-
Run
./scripts/publish-prerelease.sh prerelease
You can choose a different tag if you want, but usually prerelease is fine.
- Undo the commit where you updated the config.json file.