Development Tools & Downloads

Get started with semantic versioning and conventional commits by downloading our pre-configured rule files for Cursor and GitHub Copilot.

📥 Quick Downloads

<h3 className="text-xl font-bold mb-2">🤖 GitHub Copilot Instructions</h3>

<p className="text-muted-foreground mb-4">
  Custom instructions for GitHub Copilot to help with versioning and commit messages.
</p>
<span className="text-primary font-medium">Download copilot-instructions.md →</span>

🎯 Cursor Rules (.mdc)

What's Included

✅ Conventional Commits enforcement - Automatic validation of commit message format
✅ Semantic Versioning rules - Clear guidelines for MAJOR, MINOR, and PATCH bumps
✅ Git tagging protocols - Best practices for annotated tags
✅ Code style preferences - TypeScript, React, and API conventions
✅ Release workflow guidance - Step-by-step release process
✅ Common scenarios - Examples for hotfixes, features, and breaking changes

Installation (Cursor)

1. Download the file:

   • Click the download button above
   • Or download cursor-rules.mdc directly

2. Create the Cursor rules directory:

   mkdir -p /path/to/your/project/.cursor/rules
   

3. Place the file in .cursor/rules/:

   mv ~/Downloads/cursor-rules.mdc /path/to/your/project/.cursor/rules/80-versioning.mdc
   

4. Restart Cursor:

   • Close and reopen Cursor
   • The AI will now enforce these rules automatically

5. Verify it's working:

   • Try writing a commit message
   • Cursor should suggest Conventional Commits format

Note: Cursor uses .mdc (Markdown Cursor) files in the .cursor/rules/ directory. The filename prefix (e.g., 80-) determines loading order.

What Cursor Will Do

Once installed, Cursor will:

• ✅ Format your commit messages automatically
• ✅ Suggest appropriate version bumps
• ✅ Guide you through the release process
• ✅ Enforce code style preferences
• ✅ Catch common versioning mistakes

🤖 GitHub Copilot Instructions

What's Included

✅ Commit message templates - Copilot suggests properly formatted messages
✅ Versioning explanations - Context-aware version bump guidance
✅ Tag creation commands - Proper git tag commands with annotations
✅ Code style guidance - TypeScript and React best practices
✅ Release workflow steps - Complete release process guidance
✅ Troubleshooting help - Common issues and solutions

Installation (GitHub Copilot)

Method 1: Repository-Level Instructions

1. Download the file:

   • Click the download button above
   • Or download copilot-instructions.md directly

2. Place in your repository:

   mkdir -p .github
   mv ~/Downloads/copilot-instructions.md .github/copilot-instructions.md
   

3. Commit the file:

   git add .github/copilot-instructions.md
   git commit -m "docs: add GitHub Copilot instructions"
   git push
   

4. Enable in VS Code (if needed):

   • Open Settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,)
   • Search for "copilot instructions"
   • Enable "Code Generation: Use Instruction Files"

Method 2: Personal Instructions (Your Account Only)

1. In VS Code, open Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P)
2. Type "GitHub Copilot: Edit Personal Instructions"
3. Paste the contents of copilot-instructions.md
4. Save the file

What Copilot Will Do

Once installed, GitHub Copilot will:

• ✅ Suggest properly formatted commit messages
• ✅ Explain version bumps when asked
• ✅ Generate git tag commands with proper annotations
• ✅ Guide you through release workflows
• ✅ Help troubleshoot versioning issues

🚀 Quick Start After Installation

1. Test Commit Message Formatting

Try committing with a simple message:

git add .
git commit -m "updated auth"

With rules installed:

• Cursor: Will suggest proper format like feat(auth): add OAuth2 support
• Copilot: Will offer to rewrite in Conventional Commits format

2. Create Your First Tag

Ask your AI assistant:

"Help me create a tag for my project. I added two new features and fixed a bug."

Expected guidance:

# MINOR bump (new features)
git tag -a v1.6.0 -m "Release v1.6.0: Add new features"
git push origin v1.6.0

3. Generate Release Notes

1. Go to ReleaseRay
2. Connect your repository
3. Select tag range (e.g., v1.5.0 → v1.6.0)
4. Generate persona-specific release notes
5. Publish to GitHub, Intercom, or your changelog

📚 What's the Difference?

Which should I use?

• Using Cursor? → Download cursor-rules.mdc
• Using VS Code + Copilot? → Download copilot-instructions.md
• Using both? → Download both files! They complement each other.

🔧 Advanced Configuration

Customizing Rules

Both files are plain text and fully customizable:

1. Download the file
2. Open in your editor
3. Modify rules to match your team's workflow
4. Save and commit to your repository

Combining with Other Tools

These rules work great with:

• commitlint - Enforce commit format in CI/CD
• husky - Git hooks for pre-commit validation
• semantic-release - Automated versioning and releases
• ReleaseRay - AI-powered release note generation

See our Versioning Guide for complete setup instructions.

📖 Documentation

Full Guides

• Complete Versioning Guide - Comprehensive guide to semantic versioning, conventional commits, and automation
• Semantic Versioning - Official SemVer specification
• Conventional Commits - Commit message convention

Tool Documentation

• Cursor Rules - Official Cursor documentation
• GitHub Copilot Instructions - Official GitHub documentation

💡 Examples

Commit Message Examples

Before (unclear):

git commit -m "updated stuff"
git commit -m "fix"
git commit -m "WIP"

After (clear):

git commit -m "feat(auth): add OAuth2 authentication"
git commit -m "fix(api): handle null user responses"
git commit -m "docs: update setup instructions"

Tagging Examples

Before (lightweight):

git tag v1.2.3

After (annotated):

git tag -a v1.2.3 -m "Release v1.2.3: Add user management

- Add user profile page
- Add user settings
- Fix user avatar upload bug"

🤝 Community

Share Your Customizations

Have you customized these rules for your team? Share them with the community!

• Submit a PR to our examples repository
• Share on Twitter with #ReleaseRay
• Write a blog post about your workflow

Get Help

• Documentation: Versioning Guide
• Issues: Report problems on GitHub
• Support: Email support@releaseray.com

🎉 Ready to Get Started?

Need automated release notes? Try ReleaseRay to generate AI-powered release notes from your git tags.