The lifecycle

changeRig follows the @changesets model: contributors describe intent in small markdown files, and a later version step turns the accumulated intent into version bumps and a changelog.

init

changerig init
changerig init --source commits    # changesets | commits | both

Creates the .changeset/ directory with a config.json. The config schema (.changeset/config.json) covers changelog/format specs and ignore globs. --source picks where releases are sourced from — accumulated changeset files, conventional-commit messages, or both (interactive when the flag is omitted).

Where the config lives

init writes the canonical .changeset/config.json, but the config is resolved from one of these locations (at most one — more than one is an error that lists them; a .json + .jsonc pair counts as two):

• .changeset/config.jsonc · .changeset/config.json
• .changeset/changerig.jsonc · .changeset/changerig.json
• changerig.jsonc · changerig.json (repo root)
• a "changerig" (or "changeset") key inside .rig.json
• a "changeset" key inside a shiprig.jsonc / release.jsonc — so a single shiprig config file can carry the changeset config too (see the release pipeline)

.changeset/config.json keeps the @changesets layout so the JS tool reads it too; the alternate names and the .rig.json key are rigsmith conveniences. changerig config set edits whichever single file is in use (when the config lives in a .rig.json key, edit it there).

add

changerig add -p my/pkg --bump minor -m "Add a feature"
changerig add -t fix -m "Stop the crash"   # type-driven bump (suffix ! = breaking)
changerig add                 # interactive: pick packages, bump, message

Writes a .changeset/*.md file in the shared @changesets format: which packages change, at what bump level (major/minor/patch), and a summary line that becomes the changelog entry.

Flags:

Flag	Meaning
-p, --package	Package to include (repeatable)
--bump	Explicit bump: major / minor / patch / auto
-t, --type	Conventional type (feat/fix/…, suffix ! for breaking); the bump derives from it when --bump is omitted
-m, --message	Changeset summary (skip the prompt)
--empty	Write an empty changeset that names no packages
--since <ref>	Preselect packages changed since a git ref in the picker
--open	Open the created changeset in $EDITOR

status

changerig status --verbose

Shows the pending release plan — every package that will bump, the level, and why (including the dependency cascade: a dependent is patch-bumped when one of its dependencies releases). Supports --since and --output.

version

changerig version
changerig version --dry-run        # print the plan without writing files
changerig version --snapshot        # snapshot release (optional tag; bare --snapshot works)
changerig version --independent     # version each package on its own changesets

Consumes the pending changesets and:

1. parses them via the core engine,
2. cascades bumps to dependents (range-aware),
3. applies linked / fixed / lockstep grouping,
4. stamps the new version into each ecosystem's manifest, and
5. writes CHANGELOG.md.

Flags: -n, --dry-run (plan only), --snapshot [tag] and --snapshot-template ({tag}/{commit}/{datetime}/{timestamp} suffix) for snapshot releases, and --independent to version each package separately instead of via a shared version file.

Changelog generators are pluggable — the built-in renderer dogfoods the same JSON contract external plugins speak. Set "changelog": "<plugin>" in config to swap it in.

pre

changerig pre enter next     # enter prerelease mode tagged "next" (1.2.0-next.0)
changerig pre exit           # leave prerelease mode; the next version is a normal release

Prerelease mode makes version produce tagged pre-releases (e.g. -next.N) until you exit. The mode is tracked in .changeset/pre.json.

changelog

Hand-author changelog entries outside the changeset flow — useful for notes that don't map to a version bump:

changerig changelog add -m "Document the new flag" -t docs   # prepend an entry
changerig changelog add -m "…" --version 1.4.0               # file under a release heading
changerig changelog format my/pkg                            # reformat a CHANGELOG.md

add prepends an entry under an Unreleased heading by default (--version files it under a specific release; -t/--type adds a label). format re-runs the native markdown formatter over a package's CHANGELOG.md.

browse, info, config

• changerig browse (alias ls / list) — browse and manage the pending changesets.
• changerig info — show the resolved config and the packages discovered across every ecosystem.
• changerig config — show / get / set / path / edit the .changeset/config.json (comment-preserving writes).