From 6b60589e17e0eb5131d95ce667449dfcae5d6830 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Clay McGinnis <github@clay.sh>
Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:45:24 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] docs: add curl | bash install and release guide

Adds a `curl | bash` one-liner to the README's Installation section
so users don't need to clone the repo to install. Drops the stale
`gh` CLI prerequisite (the installer now uses the GitHub releases
API directly).

Adds RELEASE.md documenting both release channels (rolling
`latest-prerelease` and tagged stable `vX.Y.Z`), since the process
previously lived only in workflow YAML.
---
 README.md  | 21 ++++++++++++---------
 RELEASE.md | 51 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 63 insertions(+), 9 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 RELEASE.md

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index d0222cb..3a4ff6f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -6,23 +6,25 @@ A command-line interface for the [Wherobots](https://wherobots.com) Cloud API. S
 
 - A Wherobots Cloud account and API key
 - **Go 1.25.7+** (only if building from source)
-- **`gh` CLI** (only if installing from a pre-built release)
 
 ## Installation
 
-### From a pre-built release
+### Quick install (curl | bash)
 
-If you have access to the `wherobots/wbc-cli` repository, use the installer script. This requires the [GitHub CLI](https://cli.github.com) (`gh`) with `gh auth login` completed.
+```bash
+curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wherobots/wbc-cli/main/scripts/install-release.sh | bash
+```
+
+This downloads the latest release binary for your OS/arch, verifies its SHA-256 checksum, and installs it to `~/.local/bin/wherobots`.
+
+To pass options (e.g. a custom install directory or release tag), use `bash -s --`:
 
 ```bash
-./scripts/install-release.sh
+curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wherobots/wbc-cli/main/scripts/install-release.sh \
+  | bash -s -- --install-dir /usr/local/bin --tag latest-prerelease
 ```
 
-The script:
-- Detects your OS and architecture automatically.
-- Downloads and verifies the SHA-256 checksum of the binary.
-- Installs to `~/.local/bin/wherobots` by default (override with `--install-dir`).
-- Defaults to the `latest-prerelease` release tag.
+Available flags: `--install-dir`, `--tag`, `--repo`, `--binary-name`, `--skip-checksum`.
 
 ### Build from source
 
@@ -244,3 +246,4 @@ make run ARGS='--tree'   # run without building
 
 - PR validation runs `go test` and `go build` automatically via GitHub Actions.
 - Merges to `main` publish a rolling `latest-prerelease` release with binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows (amd64 and arm64).
+- To cut a stable `vX.Y.Z` release, see [RELEASE.md](./RELEASE.md).
diff --git a/RELEASE.md b/RELEASE.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee6839e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/RELEASE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+# Releasing
+
+Two release channels, both fully automated by GitHub Actions.
+
+## Rolling prerelease (`latest-prerelease`)
+
+Automatic. Every push to `main` triggers `.github/workflows/release.yml`, which:
+
+1. Runs `go test ./...`
+2. Cross-compiles 6 binaries (darwin/linux/windows × amd64/arm64) with `main.buildVersion=latest-prerelease`.
+3. Replaces the `latest-prerelease` tag and GitHub release with the new artifacts + `checksums.txt`.
+
+No action required. This is what `scripts/install-release.sh --tag latest-prerelease` pulls.
+
+## Stable release (`vX.Y.Z`)
+
+Triggered by pushing a tag matching `v*`. From a clean, up-to-date `main`:
+
+```bash
+git checkout main && git pull
+git tag -a vX.Y.Z -m "Release vX.Y.Z"
+git push origin vX.Y.Z
+```
+
+`.github/workflows/tagged-release.yml` then:
+
+1. Runs `go test ./...`
+2. Builds the same 6 binaries with `main.buildVersion=X.Y.Z` (the `v` is stripped).
+3. Creates a GitHub release titled `Release vX.Y.Z` with notes auto-generated from merged PRs since the previous tag. If a release already exists for that tag it's deleted and recreated (the workflow is idempotent).
+
+Default users of `scripts/install-release.sh` (and the README's `curl | bash` one-liner) resolve `latest` via the GitHub API and receive the newest stable `v*` release.
+
+### Picking the version
+
+Semver, bumped from the previous stable tag:
+
+- Patch (`v1.0.0` → `v1.0.1`): bug fixes only.
+- Minor (`v1.0.0` → `v1.1.0`): backward-compatible features.
+- Major (`v1.0.0` → `v2.0.0`): breaking changes to flags, commands, or env vars.
+
+### Previewing release notes
+
+```bash
+gh api repos/wherobots/wbc-cli/releases/generate-notes \
+  -f tag_name=vX.Y.Z -f previous_tag_name=<previous-tag>
+```
+
+### If something goes wrong
+
+- **Workflow failed mid-run:** re-run it from the Actions tab. The "Create GitHub release" step deletes any existing release for the tag, so reruns are safe.
+- **Wrong tag pushed:** delete the remote tag (`git push origin :refs/tags/vX.Y.Z`) and the release (`gh release delete vX.Y.Z`), then push the correct tag.