fix(release): unblock automated bump-version PR creation (#11)

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -311,7 +311,12 @@ jobs:
     permissions:
       contents: write
       pull-requests: write
+      issues: write
     steps:
+      # Opening the bump PR relies on the repo setting Settings → Actions → General →
+      # "Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests" so the default
+      # GITHUB_TOKEN may open it. If that setting is off, the branch is still pushed and a
+      # tracking issue is opened instead — the bump is never lost. See docs/RELEASING.md.
       - uses: actions/checkout@df4cb1c069e1874edd31b4311f1884172cec0e10 # v6
         with:
           ref: main
@@ -342,9 +347,12 @@ jobs:
           fi
           echo "skip=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
           echo "version=${NEXT}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-      - run: ./mvnw -q versions:set -DnewVersion=${{ steps.next.outputs.version }} -DgenerateBackupPoms=false
+      - name: Apply next snapshot version to pom.xml
         if: steps.next.outputs.skip != 'true'
-      - name: Open bump PR
+        env:
+          NEXT: ${{ steps.next.outputs.version }}
+        run: ./mvnw -q versions:set -DnewVersion="$NEXT" -DgenerateBackupPoms=false
+      - name: Open or update bump PR
         if: steps.next.outputs.skip != 'true'
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
@@ -358,10 +366,63 @@ jobs:
           git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
           git config user.email "41898282+github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
           BRANCH="chore/bump-${NEXT}"
+          TITLE="chore: bump version to ${NEXT}"
+          BODY="Moves \`main\` to \`${NEXT}\` after ${TAG}."
           git checkout -b "$BRANCH"
-          git commit -am "chore: bump version to ${NEXT} after ${TAG}"
-          git push -f origin "$BRANCH"
-          gh pr create --base main --head "$BRANCH" \
-            --title "chore: bump version to ${NEXT}" \
-            --body "Moves main to ${NEXT} after ${TAG}." \
-            || echo "PR already exists"
+          git commit -am "${TITLE} after ${TAG}"
+          # Avoid churning an already-open bump PR (and re-triggering its CI) on release
+          # re-runs: only force-push when the remote branch doesn't already carry this bump.
+          if git fetch origin "$BRANCH" 2>/dev/null && git diff --quiet FETCH_HEAD HEAD; then
+            echo "origin/${BRANCH} already carries this bump; not force-pushing"
+          else
+            git push -f origin "$BRANCH"
+          fi
+
+          # Try to open the PR. This needs the repo setting "Allow GitHub Actions to
+          # create and approve pull requests" (Settings → Actions → General); without it
+          # the default GITHUB_TOKEN cannot open PRs. Distinguish the three outcomes
+          # instead of masking failures:
+          #   - success or an existing PR -> done
+          #   - Actions-not-permitted     -> open a tracking issue (never lose the bump)
+          #   - anything else             -> fail loudly
+          if gh pr create --base main --head "$BRANCH" \
+              --title "$TITLE" --body "$BODY" 2>pr_err.log; then
+            echo "Opened bump PR for ${BRANCH}"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          cat pr_err.log
+
+          if grep -qi "already exists" pr_err.log; then
+            echo "Bump PR for ${BRANCH} already exists; nothing to do"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
+          if ! grep -qi "not permitted to create or approve pull requests" pr_err.log; then
+            echo "::error::Failed to open bump PR for an unexpected reason (see log above)"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+
+          echo "::warning::GitHub Actions is not permitted to open PRs; opening a tracking issue instead. Enable Settings → Actions → General → \"Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests\" to let releases open the bump PR automatically. See docs/RELEASING.md."
+          ISSUE_TITLE="Release follow-up: open bump PR for ${NEXT}"
+          EXISTING=$(gh issue list --state open --limit 100 --json number,title \
+            -q ".[] | select(.title == \"${ISSUE_TITLE}\") | .number" | head -1)
+          if [ -n "$EXISTING" ]; then
+            echo "Tracking issue #${EXISTING} for ${NEXT} already open; nothing to do"
+            exit 0
+          fi
+          gh issue create --title "$ISSUE_TITLE" --body "$(cat <<EOF
+          The release of \`${TAG}\` succeeded, but the automated version-bump PR could
+          not be opened because GitHub Actions is not permitted to create pull requests.
+
+          Branch \`${BRANCH}\` has been pushed with the bump to \`${NEXT}\`. Open the PR
+          to finish moving \`main\` to the next snapshot:
+
+          \`\`\`bash
+          gh pr create --base main --head ${BRANCH} --title "${TITLE}" --body "${BODY}"
+          \`\`\`
+
+          To open this PR automatically on future releases, enable the repo setting
+          **Settings → Actions → General → "Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve
+          pull requests"**. See [docs/RELEASING.md](docs/RELEASING.md).
+          EOF
+          )"

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,6 +8,15 @@ All notable changes to ThrillhouseBot.
 
 - **CI**: consolidated the seven duplicated Trivy scan + SARIF-upload steps across `ci.yml`, `release.yml`, and `security-scan.yml` into a single `.github/actions/trivy-scan` composite action, centralizing the pinned action SHA, Trivy version, `format: sarif`, and the `limit-severities-for-sarif` flag. The CI filesystem scan now applies `limit-severities-for-sarif` like every other scan (closes the gap tracked in #76).
 
+### Fixed
+
+- **Release bump automation**: the `bump-version` job no longer masks the
+  `createPullRequest` permission error. With the repo's "Allow GitHub Actions to
+  create and approve pull requests" setting enabled it opens the bump PR using
+  the default token; otherwise it pushes the branch and opens a tracking issue
+  instead of silently failing. The push is idempotent on release re-runs. New
+  release docs in [docs/RELEASING.md](docs/RELEASING.md).
+
 ## [0.1.0] — 2026-06-12
 
 ### Added

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -62,6 +62,13 @@ LangChain4j's OpenAI-compatible client, so a new provider is configuration: poin
 [README provider table](README.md#provider-support) lists the ones that are known
 to work.
 
+## Releasing
+
+Maintainers cut releases by tagging `vX.Y.Z`; the pipeline promotes images,
+publishes the GitHub release, and opens the next `-SNAPSHOT` bump PR. See
+[docs/RELEASING.md](docs/RELEASING.md) for the full flow and the one-time setup
+that keeps the bump PR fully automated.
+
 ## Reporting security issues
 
 Please **do not** open a public issue — see [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md).

docs/RELEASING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+# Releasing
+
+How a tagged release flows through CI, and how to keep the post-release version
+bump fully automated.
+
+## The release flow
+
+Releases are driven by `.github/workflows/release.yml`, triggered by pushing a
+semver tag (`v[0-9]+.[0-9]+.[0-9]+`) or re-running it via `workflow_dispatch`
+against an existing tag. The jobs run in order:
+
+1. **verify** — validates the tag is semver, checks it matches `pom.xml`, and
+   confirms the CI-built images for that commit already exist in GHCR.
+2. **scan** — Trivy-scans both image variants, gating on CRITICAL/HIGH.
+3. **promote** — retags the commit images to `:vX.Y.Z` (and `:latest` when the
+   tag is the highest release), signs them with cosign, and attests provenance.
+4. **release** — extracts native binaries, signs the tarballs, pulls notes from
+   `CHANGELOG.md`, and creates the GitHub release.
+5. **bump-version** — opens a PR moving `main` to the next `-SNAPSHOT` version.
+
+To cut a release: update `CHANGELOG.md`, set the release version in `pom.xml`,
+merge, then tag the merge commit `vX.Y.Z` and push the tag.
+
+## Automated version bump
+
+After a release that updates `:latest`, the `bump-version` job pushes a
+`chore/bump-<next>-SNAPSHOT` branch and opens a PR to merge it into `main`.
+
+By default, **GitHub Actions cannot open pull requests**: `gh pr create` fails
+with `GitHub Actions is not permitted to create or approve pull requests
+(createPullRequest)`. The job handles this gracefully — it still pushes the
+branch and, when it cannot open the PR, opens a tracking issue
+(`Release follow-up: open bump PR for <next>`) so the bump is never lost. You
+then open the PR manually with the command in that issue.
+
+### Setup — let releases open the bump PR
+
+In **Settings → Actions → General → Workflow permissions**, enable
+**Allow GitHub Actions to create and approve pull requests**. That is the only
+configuration needed: it lets the default `GITHUB_TOKEN` open the bump PR, and
+it stores no token or key (nothing extra for a compromised action to exfiltrate).
+
+### Merging the bump PR
+
+The bump PR still needs a human to merge it, and two `main` ruleset constraints
+shape how:
+
+- **CI does not start on its own.** GitHub's workflow-recursion guard suppresses
+  workflow runs for events the default `GITHUB_TOKEN` triggers, so the required
+  checks (`format`, `test`, `frontend`, `trivy`) stay pending. Re-trigger them by
+  **closing and reopening the PR** (preferred — it keeps your approval, whereas
+  pushing a commit dismisses it under `dismiss_stale_reviews_on_push`).
+- **Merge with squash or a merge commit, not rebase.** The bump commit is made by
+  `github-actions[bot]` and is unsigned; squash/merge produce a GitHub-signed
+  commit that satisfies the `required_signatures` rule, while rebase would replay
+  the unsigned commit and be rejected.
+
+If you would rather the checks run automatically (no close/reopen), open the PR
+with a GitHub App token or a PAT instead of the default `GITHUB_TOKEN` — a
+PR authored by a non-`GITHUB_TOKEN` identity does fire `pull_request` CI. That
+trades the one-time setting for a stored credential; see
+[`actions/create-github-app-token`](https://github.com/actions/create-github-app-token)
+and the guidance in `peter-evans/create-pull-request` / `release-please`. The
+workflow does not wire this up — it deliberately keeps no release secret.
+
+If the setting above is left disabled, the job degrades gracefully: it pushes
+the branch and opens the tracking issue, so the bump is never lost.