feat: simplified release process

.github/actions/release/action.yml

@@ -1,13 +1,10 @@
 name: Create Releases
 description: |
-    Wrapper workflow to create GitHub Releases
+    Wrapper workflow to create the GitHub Release
 
 inputs:
-    node_tag:
-        description: "Node Release Tag"
-        required: true
-    signer_tag:
-        description: "Signer Release Tag"
+    tag:
+        description: "Release Tag (e.g. 4.0.0)"
         required: true
     digest_manifest:
         description: "Path to docker digest manifest directory (optional)"
@@ -19,24 +16,13 @@ runs:
     steps:
         # Checkout the code
         - name: Checkout the latest code
-          uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
+          uses: actions/checkout@9c091bb21b7c1c1d1991bb908d89e4e9dddfe3e0 # v7.0.0
           with:
             ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha || github.ref }}
 
-        # Creates the node release
-        - name: Create Node Release
-          if: inputs.node_tag != ''
-          uses: ./.github/actions/release/create-github-release
-          with:
-              tag: ${{ inputs.node_tag }}
-              release_type: stacks-core
-              digest_manifest: ${{ inputs.digest_manifest }}
-
-        # Creates the signer release
-        - name: Create Signer Release
-          if: inputs.signer_tag != ''
+        # Creates the combined release
+        - name: Create Release
           uses: ./.github/actions/release/create-github-release
           with:
-              tag: ${{ inputs.signer_tag }}
-              release_type: stacks-signer
+              tag: ${{ inputs.tag }}
               digest_manifest: ${{ inputs.digest_manifest }}

.github/actions/release/create-github-release/action.yml

@@ -4,10 +4,7 @@ description: |
 
 inputs:
     tag:
-        description: "Release tag (bare version, no 'signer-' prefix for signer releases)"
-        required: true
-    release_type:
-        description: "Release type: stacks-core or stacks-signer"
+        description: "Release tag (e.g. 4.0.0)"
         required: true
     digest_manifest:
         description: "Path to docker digest manifest file (optional)"
@@ -18,51 +15,37 @@ runs:
     using: "composite"
     steps:
         # Downloads the artifacts built in `create-source-binary`
+        #   - the archives contain both the stacks-node and stacks-signer binaries
         - name: Download Artifacts
           uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8.0.1
           with:
-              pattern: "${{ github.sha }}-${{ inputs.release_type }}*"
+              pattern: "${{ github.sha }}-stacks-core*"
               path: release
               merge-multiple: true
 
         # Generate a checksums file to be added to the release page
         - name: Generate Checksums
           uses: ./.github/actions/release/generate-checksum
           with:
-              artifact_download_pattern: "${{ github.sha }}-${{ inputs.release_type }}*"
+              artifact_download_pattern: "${{ github.sha }}-stacks-core*"
 
-        # Generate the release body from the template and changelog
+        # Generate the release body from the template and changelogs
         - name: Draft Release Body
           id: draft
           shell: bash
           env:
-              RELEASE_TYPE: ${{ inputs.release_type }}
+              VERSION: ${{ inputs.tag }}
+              CHANGELOG: CHANGELOG.md
+              SIGNER_CHANGELOG: stacks-signer/CHANGELOG.md
               TEMPLATE: .github/actions/release/create-github-release/release.template
               REPO: ${{ github.repository }}
               DIGEST_MANIFEST: ${{ inputs.digest_manifest }}
-          run: |
-              # Strip "signer-" prefix from tag if present so VERSION is always bare
-              VERSION="${{ inputs.tag }}"
-              VERSION="${VERSION#signer-}"
-
-              if [[ "${RELEASE_TYPE}" == "stacks-signer" ]]; then
-                  CHANGELOG="stacks-signer/CHANGELOG.md"
-              else
-                  CHANGELOG="CHANGELOG.md"
-              fi
-
-              VERSION="${VERSION}" \
-              CHANGELOG="${CHANGELOG}" \
-              TEMPLATE="${TEMPLATE}" \
-              RELEASE_TYPE="${RELEASE_TYPE}" \
-              REPO="${REPO}" \
-              DIGEST_MANIFEST="${DIGEST_MANIFEST}" \
-              bash ./.github/scripts/draft_release.sh
+          run: bash ./.github/scripts/draft_release.sh
 
         # Upload the release archives with the checksums file
         #   - pre-populate the release body text
         - name: Upload Release
-          uses: softprops/action-gh-release@b4309332981a82ec1c5618f44dd2e27cc8bfbfda # v3.0.0
+          uses: softprops/action-gh-release@718ea10b132b3b2eba29c1007bb80653f286566b # v3.0.1
           with:
               name: "Release ${{ inputs.tag }}"
               tag_name: ${{ inputs.tag }}

.github/actions/release/create-github-release/release.template

@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 This release contains bugfixes and improvements to the stacks-node and stacks-signer binaries, ensuring more consistent block production.
 This release is compatible with chainstate directories from ${node_epoch}.
 
-${companion_line}
-
-This release is recommended for all Stacks node operators.
+This release is recommended for all Stacks node and signer operators.
 
 ${changelog_section}
 
+${signer_changelog_section}
+
 ${docker_pulls_with_digests}

.github/scripts/bitcoin_tests.sh

@@ -107,6 +107,8 @@ tests::nakamoto_integrations::large_mempool_next_random_fee
 tests::nakamoto_integrations::larger_mempool
 tests::nakamoto_integrations::check_block_info_rewards
 tests::signer::v0::larger_mempool
+# This test takes too long run in CI
+tests::pox_5_integrations::check_pox_5_register_for_second_bond_no_downtime
 EOF
 
 ## ── Append tests tagged with ci_skip to the exclude list ────────────────────

.github/scripts/check_release.sh

@@ -1,21 +1,24 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 
-# Checks whether the current branch name matches a release pattern and, if so,
-# derives the release tags and validates them against versions.toml.
+# Checks whether the current branch name matches the release pattern and, if so,
+# derives the release tag and validates it against versions.toml.
+#
+# The node and signer share a single version (see versions.toml) and are
+# released together: a single `release/x.x.x` branch produces one combined
+# GitHub release containing both the stacks-core and stacks-signer
+# artifacts/images at that version.
 #
 # Required env vars:
-#   BRANCH  - branch name from github.ref_name (e.g. release/1.0.0.0.0)
+#   BRANCH  - branch name from github.ref_name (e.g. release/4.0.0)
 #
 # Exit behaviour:
-#   - Branch matches a release pattern  → validates versions.toml, writes outputs, exits 0
-#   - Branch does not match             → exits 0 (all outputs empty/false; downstream
-#                                         jobs guard themselves with is_node/signer_release checks)
+#   - Branch matches the release pattern → validates versions.toml, writes outputs, exits 0
+#   - Branch does not match              → exits 0 (all outputs empty/false; downstream
+#                                          jobs guard themselves with is_release checks)
 # Outputs:
 #   GITHUB_OUTPUT  - Path to the GitHub Actions output file (set by runner); prints to stderr if unset (via logging.sh)
-#   node_tag          - node release tag       (e.g. 1.0.0.0.0)         empty for signer-only releases
-#   signer_tag        - signer release tag     (e.g. signer-1.0.0.0.0.0)
-#   is_node_release   - "true" if this is a node release branch
-#   is_signer_release - "true" if this is a signer release branch
+#   tag         - release tag (e.g. 4.0.0)
+#   is_release  - "true" if this is a release branch
 set -euo pipefail
 
 # Load logging functions from logging.sh for color and standardized output
@@ -25,56 +28,36 @@ source "$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)/logging.sh"
 ## ── Validate required inputs ────────────────────────────────────────────────
 : "${BRANCH:?BRANCH is required}"
 
-## ── Release branch patterns ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# Node release:   release/x.x.x.x.x   (5-part version, optional -rcN suffix)
-# Signer release: release/signer-x.x.x.x.x.x  (6-part version, optional -rcN suffix)
+## ── Release branch pattern ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# Release: release/x.x.x   (3-part version, major.minor.revision, optional -rcN suffix)
 versions_file="versions.toml"
-node_key="stacks_node_version"
-signer_key="stacks_signer_version"
+version_key="stacks_node_version"
 
-node_version_regex="([0-9]+\.){4}[0-9]+(-rc[0-9]+)?"
-signer_version_regex="([0-9]+\.){5}[0-9]+(-rc[0-9]+)?"
+version_regex="([0-9]+\.){2}[0-9]+(-rc[0-9]+)?"
 
 release_prefix="release/"
-signer_prefix="release/signer-"
-
-node_release_regex="^${release_prefix}${node_version_regex}$"
-signer_release_regex="^${signer_prefix}${signer_version_regex}$"
+release_regex="^${release_prefix}${version_regex}$"
 
 ## ── Initialise output variables ─────────────────────────────────────────────
-node_tag=""
-signer_tag=""
-is_node_release=false
-is_signer_release=false
+tag=""
+is_release=false
 
-## ── Match branch against release patterns -----------------------------------
-# Signer must be tested first — its prefix (release/signer-) is a superset of
-# the node prefix (release/), so a signer branch would also match the node regex.
-if [[ "${BRANCH}" =~ ${signer_release_regex} ]]; then
-    signer_tag=$(echo "${BRANCH}" | sed "s|^${signer_prefix}||")
-    is_signer_release=true
-elif [[ "${BRANCH}" =~ ${node_release_regex} ]]; then
-    node_tag=$(echo "${BRANCH}" | sed "s|^${release_prefix}||")
-    ## Derive the signer tag by appending an extra .0 version component
-    signer_tag=$(echo "${node_tag}" | sed 's/\(-[^-]*\)*$/.0\1/')
-    is_node_release=true
-    is_signer_release=true
+## ── Match branch against the release pattern ────────────────────────────────
+if [[ "${BRANCH}" =~ ${release_regex} ]]; then
+    tag=$(echo "${BRANCH}" | sed "s|^${release_prefix}||")
+    is_release=true
 else
     # Not a release branch — write empty/false outputs and exit cleanly so that
-    # downstream jobs can evaluate their own is_node/signer_release conditions.
+    # downstream jobs can evaluate their own is_release conditions.
     warn "Branch $(hl "${BRANCH}") does not match a release pattern. Skipping."
     if [[ -n "${GITHUB_OUTPUT:-}" ]]; then
         {
-            echo "node_tag="
-            echo "signer_tag="
-            echo "is_node_release=false"
-            echo "is_signer_release=false"
+            echo "tag="
+            echo "is_release=false"
         } >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
     else
-        info "node_tag="
-        info "signer_tag="
-        info "is_node_release=false"
-        info "is_signer_release=false"
+        info "tag="
+        info "is_release=false"
     fi
     exit 0
 fi
@@ -85,45 +68,28 @@ if [[ ! -f "${versions_file}" ]]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
-node_version=$(grep "^${node_key}" "${versions_file}" | sed -E 's/.*=[[:space:]]*"([^"]+)"/\1/')
-signer_version=$(grep "^${signer_key}" "${versions_file}" | sed -E 's/.*=[[:space:]]*"([^"]+)"/\1/')
-
-if [[ -z "${node_version}" ]]; then
-    error "$(hl "${node_key}") not found in $(hl "${versions_file}")"
-    exit 1
-fi
-
-if [[ -z "${signer_version}" ]]; then
-    error "$(hl "${signer_key}") not found in $(hl "${versions_file}")"
-    exit 1
-fi
+version=$(grep "^${version_key}" "${versions_file}" | sed -E 's/.*=[[:space:]]*"([^"]+)"/\1/')
 
-if [[ "${is_node_release}" == "true" && "${node_version}" != "${node_tag}" ]]; then
-    error "node version in $(hl "${versions_file}") ($(hl "${node_version}")) does not match branch tag ($(hl "${node_tag}"))"
+if [[ -z "${version}" ]]; then
+    error "$(hl "${version_key}") not found in $(hl "${versions_file}")"
     exit 1
 fi
 
-if [[ "${signer_version}" != "${signer_tag}" ]]; then
-    error "signer version in $(hl "${versions_file}") ($(hl "${signer_version}")) does not match branch tag ($(hl "${signer_tag}"))"
+if [[ "${version}" != "${tag}" ]]; then
+    error "version in $(hl "${versions_file}") ($(hl "${version}")) does not match branch tag ($(hl "${tag}"))"
     exit 1
 fi
 
-info "Node version:     $(hl "${node_version}")"
-info "Signer version:   $(hl "${signer_version}")"
-info "Is node release:  $(hl "${is_node_release}")"
-info "Is signer release:$(hl "${is_signer_release}")"
+info "Version:     $(hl "${version}")"
+info "Is release:  $(hl "${is_release}")"
 
 ## ── Write outputs ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 if [[ -n "${GITHUB_OUTPUT:-}" ]]; then
     {
-        echo "node_tag=${node_tag}"
-        echo "signer_tag=${signer_tag}"
-        echo "is_node_release=${is_node_release}"
-        echo "is_signer_release=${is_signer_release}"
+        echo "tag=${tag}"
+        echo "is_release=${is_release}"
     } >> "${GITHUB_OUTPUT}"
 else
-    info "node_tag=${node_tag}"
-    info "signer_tag=${signer_tag}"
-    info "is_node_release=${is_node_release}"
-    info "is_signer_release=${is_signer_release}"
+    info "tag=${tag}"
+    info "is_release=${is_release}"
 fi