chore: remove release-please (v4-next)

.claude/skills/merge-train-infra/SKILL.md

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ The merge-train system is fully automated via GitHub Actions in `.github/workflo
 
 1. **PR Creation** (`merge-train-create-pr.yml`): Triggered on push to `merge-train/*` branches. Creates a PR targeting `next` with the `ci-no-squash` label (and `ci-full-no-test-cache` for spartan). Skips merge commits and commits already in `next`.
 
-2. **Body Updates** (`merge-train-update-pr-body.yml`): Triggered on push to `merge-train/**`. Updates the PR body with meaningful commits (those containing PR references like `(#1234)`). The body uses `BEGIN_COMMIT_OVERRIDE` / `END_COMMIT_OVERRIDE` markers for release-please.
+2. **Body Updates** (`merge-train-update-pr-body.yml`): Triggered on push to `merge-train/**`. Updates the PR body with meaningful commits (those containing PR references like `(#1234)`). The body wraps the commit list in `BEGIN_COMMIT_OVERRIDE` / `END_COMMIT_OVERRIDE` markers.
 
 3. **Next Integration** (`merge-train-next-to-branches.yml`): Triggered on push to `next`. Merges `next` into each active merge-train branch via `scripts/merge-train/merge-next.sh`. Uses `continue-on-error: true` so a conflict in one branch does not block others. Skips branches whose PR already has auto-merge enabled.
 

.claude/skills/updating-changelog/SKILL.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: updating-changelog
-description: Updates changelog documentation for contract developers and node operators by analyzing branch changes relative to 'next'. Use when preparing a PR, updating migration notes, documenting breaking changes, or when asked to update changelog/release notes.
+description: Updates changelog documentation for contract developers and node operators by analyzing branch changes relative to the appropriate base branch or release tag. Use when preparing a PR, updating migration notes, documenting breaking changes, or when asked to update changelog/release notes.
 ---
 
 # Updating Changelog
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ description: Updates changelog documentation for contract developers and node op
 
 ### 1. Determine Target Files
 
-Read `.release-please-manifest.json` to get the version (e.g., `{"." : "4.0.0"}` → edit `v4.md`).
+Read the root `VERSION` file to get the version (e.g., `4.0.0` → edit `v4.md`). If the major-version operator changelog does not exist yet, create it from the current changelog conventions and add it to `docs/docs-operate/operators/reference/changelog/index.md`.
 
 **Target files:**
 
@@ -18,7 +18,13 @@ Read `.release-please-manifest.json` to get the version (e.g., `{"." : "4.0.0"}`
 
 ### 2. Analyze Branch Changes
 
-Run `git diff next...HEAD --stat` for overview, then `git diff next...HEAD` for details.
+Choose the diff base before generating entries:
+
+- For a PR, use the PR target branch.
+- For `v4-next`, release branches, and backports, use that branch's upstream/base rather than `next`.
+- For release notes, diff the previous release tag against the new release tag.
+
+Run `git diff <base>...HEAD --stat` for overview, then `git diff <base>...HEAD` for details.
 
 **Categorize changes:**
 

.github/workflows/create-release-branch.yml

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 name: Create Release Branch
 
-# Take the current version from the release-please-manifest.json file on `next`,
-# and create a release branch for it. Then update the release-please-manifest.json file on `next` to the next version.
+# Take the current version from the VERSION file on `next`,
+# and create a release branch for it. Then update the VERSION file on `next` to the next version.
 
 on:
   workflow_dispatch:
@@ -34,8 +34,8 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Create release branch
         run: |
-          # Get the version from the release-please-manifest.json file
-          CURRENT_VERSION=$(jq -r '."."' .release-please-manifest.json)
+          # Get the version from the VERSION file
+          CURRENT_VERSION=$(cat VERSION)
 
           # grab major version
           CURRENT_MAJOR_VERSION="${CURRENT_VERSION%%.*}"
@@ -57,10 +57,10 @@ jobs:
           NEXT_MAJOR_VERSION=$((CURRENT_MAJOR_VERSION + 1))
           NEXT_VERSION="${NEXT_MAJOR_VERSION}.0.0"
 
-          # update release-please-manifest.json on `next` branch
+          # update VERSION on `next` branch
           git fetch origin next
           git checkout -B next origin/next
-          jq --arg version "$NEXT_VERSION" '.["."] = $version' .release-please-manifest.json > temp.json && mv temp.json .release-please-manifest.json
-          git add .release-please-manifest.json
-          git commit -m "chore(release): update release-please-manifest.json to $NEXT_VERSION"
+          echo "$NEXT_VERSION" > VERSION
+          git add VERSION
+          git commit -m "chore(release): update VERSION to $NEXT_VERSION"
           git push origin next

.github/workflows/deploy-next-net.yml

@@ -42,7 +42,21 @@ jobs:
             SEMVER=$(echo "$TAG" | sed 's/-amd64$//' | sed 's/-spartan\.[0-9]\{8\}//')
           else
             # Scheduled nightly run - get latest spartan nightly tag
-            current_version=$(jq -r '."."' .release-please-manifest.json)
+            git fetch origin +next:refs/remotes/origin/next --depth=1 || true
+            current_version=$(git show origin/next:VERSION 2>/dev/null | tr -d '[:space:]' || true)
+            if [[ -z "$current_version" ]]; then
+              current_version=$(
+                git ls-remote --tags --refs origin 'v[0-9]*-nightly.*' |
+                  awk -F/ '{print $3}' |
+                  sed -nE 's/^v([0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+)-nightly\..*$/\1/p' |
+                  sort -V |
+                  tail -n1
+              )
+            fi
+            if [[ -z "$current_version" ]]; then
+              echo "Unable to infer current next version from VERSION or nightly tags"
+              exit 1
+            fi
             echo "Current version: $current_version"
 
             # Format the tag as: <current_version>-spartan.<YYYYMMDD>-amd64

.github/workflows/deploy-staging-public.yml

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ on:
   push:
     branches:
       - v4
+    tags:
+      - 'v4.*'
   workflow_dispatch: {}
 
 concurrency:
@@ -29,6 +31,19 @@ jobs:
       - name: Poll for semver tag at HEAD
         id: poll-tag
         run: |
+          if [[ "${GITHUB_REF_TYPE:-}" == "tag" ]]; then
+            TAG="$GITHUB_REF_NAME"
+            if ! ci3/semver check "$TAG"; then
+              echo "Error: Tag $TAG is not a valid semver tag"
+              exit 1
+            fi
+            echo "Found pushed tag: $TAG"
+            SEMVER="${TAG#v}"
+            echo "tag=$TAG" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            echo "semver=$SEMVER" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+            exit 0
+          fi
+
           HEAD_SHA=$(git rev-parse HEAD)
           MAX_ATTEMPTS=60
           echo "Looking for any semver tag at HEAD ($HEAD_SHA)"

.github/workflows/nightly-release-tag.yml

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           git config --global user.email "tech@aztecprotocol.com"
           git config --global user.name "AztecBot"
-          current_version=$(jq -r '."."' .release-please-manifest.json)
+          current_version=$(cat VERSION)
           echo "Current version: $current_version"
           nightly_tag="v${current_version}-nightly.$(date -u +%Y%m%d)"
           echo "Nightly tag: $nightly_tag"
@@ -46,7 +46,21 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           git config --global user.email "tech@aztecprotocol.com"
           git config --global user.name "AztecBot"
-          current_version=$(jq -r '."."' .release-please-manifest.json)
+          git fetch origin +next:refs/remotes/origin/next --depth=1 || true
+          current_version=$(git show origin/next:VERSION 2>/dev/null | tr -d '[:space:]' || true)
+          if [[ -z "$current_version" ]]; then
+            current_version=$(
+              git ls-remote --tags --refs origin 'v[0-9]*-nightly.*' |
+                awk -F/ '{print $3}' |
+                sed -nE 's/^v([0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+)-nightly\..*$/\1/p' |
+                sort -V |
+                tail -n1
+            )
+          fi
+          if [[ -z "$current_version" ]]; then
+            echo "Unable to infer current next version from VERSION or nightly tags"
+            exit 1
+          fi
           echo "Current version: $current_version"
           nightly_tag="v${current_version}-spartan.$(date -u +%Y%m%d)"
           echo "Spartan nightly tag: $nightly_tag"

.github/workflows/nightly-spartan-bench.yml

@@ -29,7 +29,21 @@ jobs:
           if [[ -n "${{ inputs.nightly_tag }}" ]]; then
             nightly_tag="${{ inputs.nightly_tag }}"
           else
-            current_version=$(jq -r '."."' .release-please-manifest.json)
+            git fetch origin +next:refs/remotes/origin/next --depth=1 || true
+            current_version=$(git show origin/next:VERSION 2>/dev/null | tr -d '[:space:]' || true)
+            if [[ -z "$current_version" ]]; then
+              current_version=$(
+                git ls-remote --tags --refs origin 'v[0-9]*-nightly.*' |
+                  awk -F/ '{print $3}' |
+                  sed -nE 's/^v([0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+)-nightly\..*$/\1/p' |
+                  sort -V |
+                  tail -n1
+              )
+            fi
+            if [[ -z "$current_version" ]]; then
+              echo "Unable to infer current next version from VERSION or nightly tags"
+              exit 1
+            fi
             nightly_tag="${current_version}-spartan.$(date -u +%Y%m%d)"
           fi
           echo "nightly_tag=$nightly_tag" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
@@ -134,7 +148,21 @@ jobs:
           if [[ -n "${{ inputs.nightly_tag }}" ]]; then
             nightly_tag="${{ inputs.nightly_tag }}"
           else
-            current_version=$(jq -r '."."' .release-please-manifest.json)
+            git fetch origin +next:refs/remotes/origin/next --depth=1 || true
+            current_version=$(git show origin/next:VERSION 2>/dev/null | tr -d '[:space:]' || true)
+            if [[ -z "$current_version" ]]; then
+              current_version=$(
+                git ls-remote --tags --refs origin 'v[0-9]*-nightly.*' |
+                  awk -F/ '{print $3}' |
+                  sed -nE 's/^v([0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+)-nightly\..*$/\1/p' |
+                  sort -V |
+                  tail -n1
+              )
+            fi
+            if [[ -z "$current_version" ]]; then
+              echo "Unable to infer current next version from VERSION or nightly tags"
+              exit 1
+            fi
             nightly_tag="${current_version}-spartan.$(date -u +%Y%m%d)"
           fi
           echo "nightly_tag=$nightly_tag" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT