# actions/create-release

An Action to create releases via the GitHub Release API

Repository: https://github.com/actions/create-release
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/create-release
Language: JavaScript
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: release, release-automation, actions, github-actions, github
Archived: true
Last push: 2021-03-03T19:02:36+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 10/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 0, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2547, "days_push": 2009, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: archived
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1382, forks 325 (observed 2026-08-28T04:04:34.395037+00:00)

## What it is
A GitHub Action written in JavaScript that wraps the GitHub Release API's Create a Release endpoint, allowing workflows to create GitHub releases automatically. The repository is archived and officially unmaintained by GitHub.

## Use cases
- create a github release from a ci workflow
- automate publishing releases on tag push
- attach release notes from a file in github actions
- mark a release as draft or prerelease via actions
- cut releases for an external repository from a workflow

## When to choose
- you need a minimal, well-known example of calling the GitHub Release API from Actions
- you are on a frozen environment and just need the existing behavior to keep working

## When to avoid
- starting a new project - use softprops/action-gh-release or ncipollo/release-action instead
- you need bug fixes, updated dependencies, or issue/PR support
- you need asset uploading or advanced release features

## Facets
- artifact type: plugin
- maturity: abandoned
- function: deployment, ci-cd, developer-tools
- domain: developer-tools, version-control
- platform: cloud
- tags: github-actions, release-automation, github-release-api, archived, unmaintained, devops, automation, nodejs

## Member repositories
- actions/create-release (main) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:34.395037+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:40:06.158559+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/actions/create-release (fetched 2026-08-28T04:04:34.395037+00:00, sha 8d26025da2e5)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.