Update release process documentation and implement optional skip functionality for publishing

Author: hugobessa

README.md

@@ -642,6 +642,11 @@ This project uses a two-step automated release process:
 2. **Update CHANGELOG.md**: Edit manually
 3. **Publish**: `npm run release:publish`
 
+Optional publish skips:
+- `npm run release:publish -- --skip=vintasend-medplum,vintasend-ts-twilio`
+- `npm run release:publish -- --skip-root`
+- `npm run release:publish -- --skip=root,vintasend-medplum`
+
 For detailed instructions, see:
 - [Release Guide](RELEASE_GUIDE.md) - Complete walkthrough with examples
 - [Quick Reference](RELEASE_QUICK_REF.md) - Command cheatsheet

RELEASE_GUIDE.md

@@ -21,6 +21,15 @@ Manually update the changelog with release notes.
 **Step 3: Publish**
 ```bash
 npm run release:publish
+
+# Skip specific implementation packages
+npm run release:publish -- --skip=vintasend-medplum,vintasend-ts-twilio
+
+# Skip root package only
+npm run release:publish -- --skip-root
+
+# Skip root package + specific implementations
+npm run release:publish -- --skip=root,vintasend-medplum
 ```
 
 ## Two-Step Release Process
@@ -120,6 +129,7 @@ npm publish --tag alpha
 ✅ **Building**: Builds all packages before publishing  
 ✅ **Publishing**: Publishes to npm (main package first, then implementations)  
 ✅ **Git Commits**: Creates separate commits for each package  
+✅ **Optional Skip List**: Supports `--skip=<comma-separated-package-names>` and `--skip-root`  
 
 ## What You Do Manually
 

RELEASE_QUICK_REF.md

@@ -15,6 +15,12 @@ Edit the file manually with release notes.
 ### Step 3: Publish
 ```bash
 npm run release:publish
+
+# Skip specific implementation packages
+npm run release:publish -- --skip=vintasend-medplum,vintasend-ts-twilio
+
+# Skip root package
+npm run release:publish -- --skip-root
 ```
 
 ## What Happens

scripts/release-publish.js

@@ -8,6 +8,43 @@ const { readPackageJson, getPackageName } = require('./utils/package-updater');
 const { buildPackage, testPackage, publishPackage } = require('./utils/publisher');
 const { stageFiles, commit } = require('./utils/git-handler');
 
+// Parse command line arguments
+const args = process.argv.slice(2);
+
+function getSkippedPackageNames(cliArgs) {
+  const skippedPackageNames = new Set();
+
+  for (let i = 0; i < cliArgs.length; i++) {
+    const arg = cliArgs[i];
+
+    if (arg === '--skip' && cliArgs[i + 1]) {
+      const listArg = cliArgs[i + 1];
+      listArg
+        .split(',')
+        .map(item => item.trim())
+        .filter(Boolean)
+        .forEach(item => skippedPackageNames.add(item));
+      i += 1;
+      continue;
+    }
+
+    if (arg.startsWith('--skip=')) {
+      arg
+        .slice('--skip='.length)
+        .split(',')
+        .map(item => item.trim())
+        .filter(Boolean)
+        .forEach(item => skippedPackageNames.add(item));
+    }
+
+    if (arg === '--skip-root') {
+      skippedPackageNames.add('root');
+    }
+  }
+
+  return skippedPackageNames;
+}
+
 // Paths
 const rootDir = path.join(__dirname, '..');
 const rootPackageJsonPath = path.join(rootDir, 'package.json');
@@ -73,56 +110,100 @@ async function main() {
 
     const releaseState = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(stateFilePath, 'utf8'));
     const { version, packages } = releaseState;
+    const rootPackage = readPackageJson(rootPackageJsonPath);
+    const rootPackageName = rootPackage.name;
+
+    const requestedSkips = getSkippedPackageNames(args);
+    const rootAliases = new Set(['root', 'main', rootPackageName]);
+    const skipRootPackage = Array.from(requestedSkips).some(name => rootAliases.has(name));
+
+    const implementationPackages = packages.filter(pkg => !requestedSkips.has(pkg.name));
+    const skippedImplementationPackages = packages.filter(pkg => requestedSkips.has(pkg.name));
+
+    const knownPackageNames = new Set([rootPackageName, 'root', 'main', ...packages.map(pkg => pkg.name)]);
+    const unknownSkippedPackages = Array.from(requestedSkips).filter(name => !knownPackageNames.has(name));
+
     logInfo(`Release version: ${version}`);
-    logInfo(`Packages to publish: ${packages.length + 1}`);
+    logInfo(`Packages to publish: ${implementationPackages.length + (skipRootPackage ? 0 : 1)}`);
 
-    // Step 2: Get commit message for main package
-    logStep('2', 'Getting commit message for main package...');
-    const defaultMainCommit = `Release v${version}`;
-    const mainCommitMessage = await question(`Commit message for main package (press Enter for "${defaultMainCommit}"): `);
-    const finalMainCommit = mainCommitMessage.trim() || defaultMainCommit;
-    logInfo(`Main package commit: "${finalMainCommit}"`);
+    if (skipRootPackage || skippedImplementationPackages.length > 0) {
+      logWarning('Some packages were skipped by CLI options');
+      if (skipRootPackage) {
+        logInfo(`Skipped root package: ${rootPackageName}`);
+      }
+      if (skippedImplementationPackages.length > 0) {
+        logInfo(`Skipped implementations: ${skippedImplementationPackages.map(pkg => pkg.name).join(', ')}`);
+      }
+    }
 
-    // Step 3: Test and build main package
-    logStep('3', 'Testing main package...');
-    const testResult = testPackage(rootDir, false);
-    if (testResult.success === false) {
-      logError('Tests failed for main package!');
-      console.log(testResult.error);
-      process.exit(1);
+    if (unknownSkippedPackages.length > 0) {
+      logWarning(`Unknown package names in skip list: ${unknownSkippedPackages.join(', ')}`);
     }
-    logSuccess('Tests passed');
 
-    logStep('4', 'Building main package...');
-    buildPackage(rootDir, false);
-    logSuccess('Build completed');
+    // Step 2: Get commit message for main package
+    let finalMainCommit;
+    if (!skipRootPackage) {
+      logStep('2', 'Getting commit message for main package...');
+      const defaultMainCommit = `Release v${version}`;
+      const mainCommitMessage = await question(`Commit message for main package (press Enter for "${defaultMainCommit}"): `);
+      finalMainCommit = mainCommitMessage.trim() || defaultMainCommit;
+      logInfo(`Main package commit: "${finalMainCommit}"`);
+    } else {
+      logStep('2', 'Skipping main package commit message...');
+      logInfo('Main package was skipped by CLI options');
+    }
 
-    // Step 5: Commit main package
-    logStep('5', 'Committing main package...');
-    stageFiles(['.'], false); // Stage all changes
-    commit(finalMainCommit, false);
-    logSuccess('Main package committed');
+    // Step 3: Test and build main package
+    if (!skipRootPackage) {
+      logStep('3', 'Testing main package...');
+      const testResult = testPackage(rootDir, false);
+      if (testResult.success === false) {
+        logError('Tests failed for main package!');
+        console.log(testResult.error);
+        process.exit(1);
+      }
+      logSuccess('Tests passed');
 
-    // Step 6: Publish main package
-    logStep('6', 'Publishing main package...');
-    logWarning('Publishing main package - this will open a browser for 2FA authorization');
-    logInfo('After authorizing in the browser, you have 5 minutes to publish all packages');
-    publishPackage(rootDir, false);
-    logSuccess(`Published vintasend@${version} to npm`);
+      logStep('4', 'Building main package...');
+      buildPackage(rootDir, false);
+      logSuccess('Build completed');
 
-    logWarning('Please confirm you have authorized npm publish in your browser');
-    await question('Press Enter after authorizing in the browser: ');
-    logSuccess('Authorization confirmed - proceeding with implementation publishing');
+      // Step 5: Commit main package
+      logStep('5', 'Committing main package...');
+      stageFiles(['.'], false); // Stage all changes
+      commit(finalMainCommit, false);
+      logSuccess('Main package committed');
+
+      // Step 6: Publish main package
+      logStep('6', 'Publishing main package...');
+      logWarning('Publishing main package - this will open a browser for 2FA authorization');
+      logInfo('After authorizing in the browser, you have 5 minutes to publish all packages');
+      publishPackage(rootDir, false);
+      logSuccess(`Published ${rootPackageName}@${version} to npm`);
+
+      logWarning('Please confirm you have authorized npm publish in your browser');
+      await question('Press Enter after authorizing in the browser: ');
+      logSuccess('Authorization confirmed - proceeding with implementation publishing');
+    } else {
+      logStep('3', 'Skipping main package test/build/commit/publish...');
+      logWarning('Root package publishing was skipped. Ensure npm auth is valid before publishing implementations.');
+    }
 
     // Step 7: For each implementation, get commit message, test, build, commit, and publish
-    logStep('7', `Publishing ${packages.length} implementation packages...`);
+    logStep('7', `Publishing ${implementationPackages.length} implementation packages...`);
+
+    let publishedImplementations = 0;
 
-    for (let i = 0; i < packages.length; i++) {
-      const pkg = packages[i];
+    if (implementationPackages.length === 0) {
+      logWarning('No implementation packages left to publish after applying skip list');
+    }
+
+    for (let i = 0; i < implementationPackages.length; i++) {
+      const pkg = implementationPackages[i];
       const pkgNum = i + 1;
 
       log(`\n${'─'.repeat(60)}`, 'cyan');
-      log(`Package ${pkgNum}/${packages.length}: ${pkg.name}`, 'bright');
+      log(`Package ${pkgNum}/${implementationPackages.length}: ${pkg.name}`, 'bright');
       log('─'.repeat(60), 'cyan');
 
       // Get commit message for this implementation
@@ -167,6 +248,7 @@ async function main() {
       try {
         publishPackage(pkg.dir, false);
         logSuccess(`Published ${pkg.name}@${version}`);
+        publishedImplementations += 1;
       } catch (error) {
         logError(`Failed to publish ${pkg.name}: ${error.message}`);
       }
@@ -182,7 +264,11 @@ async function main() {
     log('✓ RELEASE COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY!', 'green');
     log('='.repeat(50), 'green');
     console.log(`\nReleased version: ${version}`);
-    console.log(`Packages published: ${packages.length + 1}`);
+    console.log(`Packages published: ${publishedImplementations + (skipRootPackage ? 0 : 1)}`);
+    if (skipRootPackage || skippedImplementationPackages.length > 0) {
+      const skippedCount = skippedImplementationPackages.length + (skipRootPackage ? 1 : 0);
+      console.log(`Packages skipped: ${skippedCount}`);
+    }
     console.log('\nNext steps:');
     console.log('  1. Review the commits: git log');
     console.log('  2. Push to remote: git push');