ShipKit
ShipKit is a zero-config release automation tool. It reads Conventional Commits, bumps semver, generates changelogs, and triggers environment-specific deployment pipelines-all from a single CLI command.
// key outcome
Cut release cycle from 2 hours to 8 minutes, eliminating manual changelog work.
The Problem & User Context
Release processes at small teams were largely manual: bumping versions, writing changelogs, tagging Docker images, and coordinating staging vs. production rollouts all required hand-crafted shell scripts that differed per project.
Approach & Tradeoffs
ShipKit parses git history using Conventional Commits spec, computes the next semver, generates a CHANGELOG.md, publishes to npm and Docker Hub, then triggers Vercel/AWS deployments-all in a single invocation.
Technical Architecture
TypeScript CLI built with Commander.js. GitHub Actions composite action for CI/CD use. Uses @octokit/rest for GitHub API calls. Husky + lint-staged integration for commit validation. Published as both npm package and Docker image.
// tech stack
// architecture diagram
Add your architecture diagram here (Excalidraw, Figma, or SVG)
Screenshots & UI States
Results & Lessons Learned
- Release cycle time down from 2 hours to ~8 minutes
- 950+ stars, 120+ NPM weekly downloads
- Adopted by 3 YC-backed startups as their default release process
- Zero changelog-related post-mortems since adoption
Explore the Code
All source code is open-source on GitHub. Issues, PRs, and feedback are always welcome.