fix(release): stop the bump PR when nothing warrants a release

Now that the types carry `effect`, only the `bump` ones can raise a
version, so a cycle of nothing but docs/chore/build/refactor recommends
nothing at all. release-it prints "No new version to release", exits 0
and leaves the tree alone.

The workflow read that as success and carried on: it pushed a branch at
master's head, failed to open a PR against it because there were no
commits between the two, and reported that npm and the tag were already
out when neither was. Gate the step on the version actually moving and
say so in the log instead.

The preset comment claimed a build-only release was "still a patch".
It isn't, and the check next to it already asserted otherwise.

Author: GSTJ

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -79,9 +79,25 @@ jobs:
             args="$args --dry-run"
           fi
 
+          before=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
           pnpm run release $args
-
-          echo "version=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          after=$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")
+
+          echo "version=$after" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+
+          # Now that the changelog types carry `effect`, only the `bump` ones
+          # can raise a version, so a cycle of nothing but docs/chore/build/
+          # refactor commits recommends nothing. release-it prints "No new
+          # version to release", exits 0 and leaves the tree alone. Without
+          # this flag the next step would push an empty branch, fail to open a
+          # PR against it and report that npm and the tag are out when neither
+          # is. Re-run with the `increment` input if a release was the point.
+          if [ "$before" = "$after" ]; then
+            echo "released=false" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+            echo "::notice::No new version to release. Nothing was published or tagged. Dispatch again with an explicit \`increment\` to force one."
+          else
+            echo "released=true" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+          fi
 
       # master requires status checks and a fresh commit has none, so the bump
       # has to arrive as a PR. Merge commit, not squash: the tag points at the
@@ -99,7 +115,7 @@ jobs:
       # npm, the tag and the GitHub release are already out at that point, so
       # only the bump on master is waiting.
       - name: Land the version bump on master
-        if: ${{ !inputs.dry-run }}
+        if: ${{ !inputs.dry-run && steps.release.outputs.released == 'true' }}
         env:
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           VERSION: ${{ steps.release.outputs.version }}

tools/changelog-preset.mjs

@@ -26,8 +26,11 @@
 //             test                   tests are not in `files`
 //
 // `effect: "changelog"` is the point: those types render without entering the
-// bump count, so a release of nothing but `build:` commits is still a patch.
-// Only the `bump` types can raise a version.
+// bump count. Only the `bump` types can raise a version, so a cycle of nothing
+// but `build:` and `docs:` commits recommends no release at all, not a patch.
+// release-it handles that by exiting 0 with "No new version to release" and
+// touching nothing, and the release workflow's `increment` input is there to
+// force a version out anyway when one is wanted.
 //
 // Breaking changes are not configurable here and don't need to be. The
 // preset's writer sets `discard = false` the moment a commit carries a note,