How to Set Up Release Checklists and Launch Validation Processes in Claude Code Game Studios

Use the release-checklist, launch-checklist, and team-release skills to automate pre-release verification, cross-department validation, and coordinated deployment, enforced by the /gate-check release command before advancing to Phase 7.

The Claude Code Game Studios framework treats releases as formal, gated phases requiring rigorous validation. Setting up release checklists and launch validation processes involves configuring three core skills that generate audit trails, coordinate stakeholders, and enforce quality gates before deployment.

Understanding the Release Validation Architecture

The framework implements release management as Phase 7 of the development pipeline. According to the source code in docs/WORKFLOW-GUIDE.md, this phase requires three coordinated components working together to ensure no release proceeds without proper verification.

Core Components

Component	Purpose	Source Location
release-checklist skill	Generates internal pre-release verification (build checks, certification, metadata, legal compliance)	.claude/skills/release-checklist/SKILL.md
launch-checklist skill	Executes cross-department "Go / No-Go" validation across Engineering, Design, Art, QA, Localization, Marketing, Legal, and Infrastructure	.claude/skills/launch-checklist/SKILL.md
team-release skill	Orchestrates release manager, QA lead, DevOps, and community manager through final deployment steps	.claude/agents/release-manager.md

Generating the Internal Release Checklist

The release-checklist skill automates pre-release verification by generating a comprehensive markdown report. This skill is defined in .claude/skills/release-checklist/SKILL.md and writes output to production/releases/release-checklist-<date>.md.

To generate a checklist for version 1.2.0:

/release-checklist v1.2.0

This command creates a dated checklist file containing:

• Build verification steps
• Platform certification requirements
• Store metadata validation
• Legal compliance checks
• Analytics integration verification

View the generated file:

cat production/releases/release-checklist-2026-04-16.md

Executing Cross-Department Launch Validation

Before deployment, the launch-checklist skill coordinates the "Go / No-Go" decision across all departments. Defined in .claude/skills/launch-checklist/SKILL.md, this skill ensures stakeholders from Engineering, Design, Art, QA, Localization, Marketing, Legal, and Infrastructure validate readiness.

Run the validation:

/launch-checklist

The skill outputs a decision table to production/releases/launch-checklist-<date>.md, documenting each department's status. Any No-Go status blocks progression to deployment.

Orchestrating the Final Release

The team-release skill coordinates the actual deployment through the release manager agent. According to .claude/agents/release-manager.md, this skill automates the final pipeline steps:

1. Spawns the release-manager agent
2. Cuts the release branch and bumps version numbers
3. Executes /release-checklist automatically
4. Freezes the branch and runs /launch-checklist
5. Proceeds to deployment only if all departments report Go
6. Generates player-facing artifacts via /patch-notes and /changelog
7. Tags the git commit (git tag v1.2.0) and pushes to remote

Trigger the orchestration:

/team-release

The system prompts for confirmation: "May I write the release-report to production/releases/release-report-v1.2.0.md?" before proceeding.

Enforcing Quality Gates

The framework prevents accidental releases through the gate system. The /gate-check release command (or /gate-check polish targeting Phase 7) verifies that both checklist files exist and contain PASS verdicts before advancing stage.txt to the Release phase.

Verify readiness:

/gate-check release

If either checklist reports FAIL or CONCERNS, the gate halts the pipeline and displays the specific blocking items. This ensures no release proceeds without explicit validation.

CI/CD Integration

Integrate the checklist validation into automated pipelines by verifying the existence of release artifacts before deployment. Add this step to .github/workflows/release.yml:

# .github/workflows/release.yml

- name: Verify release checklist
  run: |
    if [ ! -f production/releases/release-checklist-*.md ]; then
      echo "❌ Release checklist not generated"
      exit 1
    fi

This ensures automated pipelines respect the same quality gates as manual slash commands, maintaining audit trail integrity across all deployment methods.

Summary

• Three skills handle release validation: release-checklist for internal verification, launch-checklist for cross-department decisions, and team-release for deployment orchestration.
• Gate system enforces that both checklists pass before advancing to Phase 7 via /gate-check release.
• Declarative workflow generates all artifacts automatically, writing to production/releases/ with dated filenames for audit compliance.
• CI/CD integration possible by checking for checklist file existence in deployment pipelines.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happens if the launch checklist returns a No-Go decision?

The team-release skill halts the deployment pipeline immediately. According to the logic in .claude/agents/release-manager.md, the release manager will not proceed with branch freezing or deployment until all departments update their status to Go. The blocking department and specific concerns are logged in production/releases/launch-checklist-<date>.md.

Can I customize the checklist items for specific platforms like console certification?

Yes. The release-checklist skill defined in .claude/skills/release-checklist/SKILL.md includes platform-specific certification requirements as configurable items. When you run /release-checklist, the generated markdown file at production/releases/release-checklist-<date>.md contains sections for platform certification that you can validate against console manufacturer requirements before marking complete.

How does the gate system prevent accidental releases?

The gate system uses the /gate-check release command to verify that both release-checklist and launch-checklist files exist in production/releases/ and contain PASS verdicts before advancing stage.txt to Phase 7. If either checklist is missing or reports FAIL, the command stops the pipeline and outputs the specific blocking items, ensuring releases cannot proceed without explicit validation.

Where are the release artifacts stored for audit purposes?

All generated checklists and reports are written to the production/releases/ directory with dated filenames. The release-checklist skill creates release-checklist-<date>.md, the launch-checklist skill creates launch-checklist-<date>.md, and the team-release skill generates release-report-<version>.md. This naming convention ensures chronological audit trails for compliance reviews.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}