`charmcraft upload` should allow a user to also release the charm
Metadata
Current evaluation
Feature request to add --release flag to charmcraft upload command. The --release flag is already implemented (PR #255), but auto-uploading resources from upstream-image field in charmcraft.yaml remains unimplemented. Last activity Feb 2025.
Suggested action: close not a bug
Reason: The primary feature requested (adding --release flag to upload command) is already implemented in PR #255 and visible in current code (store.py line 587) and docs (manage-the-current-charmhub-user.rst line 128). The remaining auto-resource-upload from upstream-image field is a separate feature that should be tracked as its own issue.
Impact:
40
Quick Win:
24.0
Staleness:
55
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
75
Support Request:
10
Issue body
### What needs to get done
Currently, to release a charm you have to:
```
charmcraft upload <.charm> # note down the revision number
charmcraft upload-resource <resource> # note down the revision number
charmcraft release ...
```
We should have a way to release a charm right after uploading it; the resource can be uploaded automatically according to the `upstream-image` field in `charmcraft.yaml`.
The approached discussed with @lengau would be to add `--release=latest/edge` flag to the `upload` command. Another option could be to introduce a new command that does both the update and release together.
An example would be something like:
```
`charmcraft upload prometheus.charm prometheus-k8s --resource=prometheus-image:ubuntu/prometheus:9 --release=latest/edge`
```
### Why it needs to get done
In CI, releasing a charm currently translates to those three commands with weird parsing of the revision numbers, and the manual process is extremely error-prone.
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| qwen/qwen3.8-27b |
Impact:
40
Quick Win:
24.0
Staleness:
55
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
75
Support Request:
10
|
close not a bug | Feature request to add --release flag to charmcraft upload command. The --release flag is already implemented (PR #255), but auto-uploading resources from upstream-image field in charmcraft.yaml remains unimplemented. Last activity Feb 2025. | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b |
Staleness:
75
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
85
Support Request:
10
|
needs triage | Feature request to add a --release flag to charmcraft upload for combining upload and release in CI. Currently has an internal ticket but lacks public triage and prioritization. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
85
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
70
Support Request:
10
|
keep open | Feature request to add a --release flag to charmcraft upload for streamlined CI workflows. Currently inactive for over a year with no maintainer implementation, though a community workaround exists. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
85
Complexity:
20
Confidence:
80
Support Request:
5
|
needs triage | Feature request to add a --release flag to charmcraft upload, simplifying CI workflows by combining upload and release steps. Currently unlabelled and unassessed by maintainers. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
75
Complexity:
40
Confidence:
80
Support Request:
10
|
keep open | Feature request to add a --release flag to charmcraft upload for automatic charm and resource release, streamlining CI workflows. Currently under discussion with an internal ticket created and a temporary workaround script in use. Awaiting implementation. |
Update history
No update history recorded yet.
Related work
-
Likely Fixed By:
canonical/charmcraft#255
(confidence 85%)
PR #255 'upload-with-release' added the --release option to the upload command, which is the core feature requested in this issue.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #847 Improve the 'release' response when resources are automatically released with the charm | charmcraft | open | Request to enhance the 'charmcraft release' command output to list resources that Charmhub automatically attaches when a revision is released without explicit --resource flags. Store-side fix was released in 2022, but the client-side message enhancement remains unimplemented. | |
| #368 feature request: charmcraft release=last-revision | charmcraft | closed | Closed as already implemented. The requested auto-release feature already exists via the --release flag on the upload command, as noted by a maintainer. No code changes were needed. | |
| #1313 Make it easier to release charms in CI and in general | charmcraft | open | Feature request to upload and release a charm plus its OCI resources in one command without tracking integer revision IDs. Skopeo integration landed, but upload --resource still requires name:revision format. Maintainers acknowledge it remains applicable and UX is being considered across crafts. | |
| #457 Allow including resources when releasing charms directly in the upload command (CRAFT-381). | charmcraft | merged | Merged. Enables including resources when releasing charms via the upload command, fixing issue #456 and CRAFT-381. Approved by two reviewers with 63 additions across three files. Maintainers prioritized CI workflow improvements. | |
| #255 Add the option to release when uploading a charm or bundle | charmcraft | merged | Merged to add an option for releasing charms or bundles during upload. Approved by one reviewer, the change modifies three files with 80 additions and 8 deletions. |