Remove legacy "Create Release" workflow (release.yml)

.github/workflows/README.md

@@ -48,31 +48,15 @@ The repository uses multiple GitHub Actions workflows. What runs and when:
 3. Runs IntegrationTests with diagnostic output
 4. Uploads logs per-OS
 
-### 4) Create Release (`.github/workflows/release.yml`)
-
-- **Triggers**: `workflow_dispatch` (manual trigger from GitHub Actions UI)
-- **Inputs**:
-  - `release_type`: Choose from `beta`, `rc`, or `stable`
-  - `version_override`: (Optional) Specify exact version number, otherwise GitVersion calculates it
-- **Process**:
-  1. Checks out `main` branch
-  2. Determines version using GitVersion or override
-  3. Creates annotated git tag (e.g., `v2.0.1-rc.1` or `v2.1.0`)
-  4. Creates release commit with message
-  5. Pushes tag and commit to repository
-  6. Creates GitHub Release (marked as pre-release if not stable)
-  7. Automatically triggers publish workflow (see below)
-- **Purpose**: Automates the release process to prevent manual errors
-
-### 5) Publish to NuGet (`.github/workflows/publish.yml`)
+### 4) Publish to NuGet (`.github/workflows/publish.yml`)
 
 - **Triggers**: push to `develop` and tags `v*` (ignores `**.md`)
 - Uses GitVersion to compute SemVer, builds Release, packs Terminal.Gui and Terminal.Gui.Interop.Spectre with symbols, and pushes both to NuGet.org using `NUGET_API_KEY`
-- **Automatically triggered** by the Create Release workflow when a new tag is pushed
+- **Automatically triggered** when a `v*` tag is pushed — typically by the **Finalize Release** workflow after a release PR (from **Prepare Release**) is merged into `main`
 - **Additional actions on tag push** (`v*`):
   - Triggers Terminal.Gui.templates repository update via repository_dispatch (requires `TEMPLATE_REPO_TOKEN` secret)
 
-### 6) Build and publish API docs (`.github/workflows/api-docs.yml`)
+### 5) Build and publish API docs (`.github/workflows/api-docs.yml`)
 
 - **Triggers**: push to `main`
 - Builds DocFX site on Windows and deploys to GitHub Pages

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -336,23 +336,21 @@ foreach (Rune rune in text.EnumerateRunes ())
 
 ### Automated Release Workflow
 
-Releases are now automated using GitHub Actions to prevent manual errors. To create a release:
+Releases are automated using GitHub Actions to prevent manual errors. The flow is PR-based: **Prepare Release** opens a release PR from `develop` → `main`, and merging it runs **Finalize Release**. To create a release:
 
 1. **Navigate to Actions tab** in the GitHub repository
-2. **Select "Create Release" workflow** from the left sidebar
+2. **Select "Prepare Release" workflow** from the left sidebar
 3. **Click "Run workflow"** button
 4. **Configure release parameters:**
-   - **Branch:** Ensure `main` is selected
-   - **Release type:** Choose from `prealpha`, `alpha`, `beta`, `rc`, or `stable`
+   - **Release type:** Choose from `beta`, `rc`, or `stable`
    - **Version override:** (Optional) Specify exact version (e.g., `2.0.0`), otherwise GitVersion calculates it automatically
-5. **Click "Run workflow"** to start the automated release process
-
-The workflow will:
-- Create an annotated git tag (e.g., `v2.0.0-prealpha` or `v2.0.0`)
-- Create a release commit on `main`
-- Push the tag and commit to the repository
-- Create a GitHub Release
-- Automatically trigger the publish workflow to push the package to NuGet.org
+5. **Click "Run workflow"** to create the release PR
+
+Prepare Release creates a `release/vX.Y.Z` branch (with the GitVersion label updated for the release type) and opens a PR into `main`. After CI passes, **review and merge that PR**. Merging triggers **Finalize Release**, which:
+- Creates an annotated git tag (e.g., `v2.0.0-beta.1` or `v2.0.0`)
+- Creates a GitHub Release with auto-generated notes
+- Opens a back-merge PR from `main` → `develop`
+- Triggers the publish workflow (via the `v*` tag) to push the package to NuGet.org
 
 ## What NOT to Do
 

Terminal.Gui/README.md

@@ -111,7 +111,6 @@ All workflows are in [`.github/workflows/`](../.github/workflows/):
 | **[prepare-release.yml](../.github/workflows/prepare-release.yml)** | Manual dispatch | Creates a release PR from `develop` → `main` with label updates |
 | **[finalize-release.yml](../.github/workflows/finalize-release.yml)** | Release PR merged to `main` | Creates tag, GitHub Release, back-merge PR to `develop` |
 | **[publish.yml](../.github/workflows/publish.yml)** | Push to `main` or `develop`, version tags | Builds Release config, packs, and publishes to NuGet.org |
-| **[release.yml](../.github/workflows/release.yml)** | Manual dispatch | **(Legacy)** Direct tag-and-release on `main`; superseded by prepare/finalize |
 | **[build-validation.yml](../.github/workflows/build-validation.yml)** | Push/PR to `main` or `develop` | Builds all configurations to validate compilation |
 | **[unit-tests.yml](../.github/workflows/unit-tests.yml)** | Push/PR to `main` or `develop` | Runs all unit tests |
 | **[api-docs.yml](../.github/workflows/api-docs.yml)** | Push to `develop` | Builds and deploys API docs to GitHub Pages |

Terminal.slnx

@@ -64,7 +64,6 @@
     <File Path=".github/workflows/publish.yml" />
     <File Path=".github/workflows/quick-build.yml" />
     <File Path=".github/workflows/README.md" />
-    <File Path=".github/workflows/release.yml" />
     <File Path=".github/workflows/stress-tests.yml" />
     <File Path=".github/workflows/unit-tests.yml" />
     <File Path="copilot-instructions.md" />