kilocode/packages/kilo-jetbrains/RELEASING.md

Releasing the JetBrains Plugin

RC releases (currently the only supported flow)

Stable release tags (jetbrains/vx.y.z) are recognized by the workflow but intentionally rejected. Only RC tags are accepted right now.

1. Create and push a tag

Tag format: jetbrains/v<major>.<minor>.<patch>-rc.<n>

git tag jetbrains/v7.0.1-rc.1
git push origin jetbrains/v7.0.1-rc.1

2. Watch the workflow

The publish-jetbrains workflow starts automatically on tag push. Follow progress at:

https://github.com/Kilo-Org/kilocode/actions/workflows/publish-jetbrains.yml

The workflow:

1. Validates the tag format and required secrets.
2. Downloads CLI binaries for all 6 platforms from the matching GitHub Release.
3. Verifies and signs the plugin with ./gradlew verifyPlugin publishPlugin -Pproduction=true.
4. Publishes the signed ZIP to the JetBrains Marketplace eap channel.
5. Uploads the signed ZIP to a GitHub prerelease for the tag.

3. Verify on the Marketplace

Once the workflow succeeds, the new version should appear in the plugin's version list:

https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugin/28350-kilo-code/edit/versions

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Installing RC builds via the custom plugin repository

RC builds are published to the eap channel, not the default channel. To get them in IntelliJ IDEA:

1. Open Settings > Plugins.
2. Click the gear icon and choose Manage Plugin Repositories.
3. Add the following URL:

https://plugins.jetbrains.com/plugins/list?channel=eap&pluginId=28350

4. Search for Kilo Code in the Marketplace tab — the latest RC version will appear and update automatically.

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Required GitHub Actions secrets

Secret	Purpose
JETBRAINS_MARKETPLACE_TOKEN	Marketplace API token for publishing
JETBRAINS_CERTIFICATE_CHAIN	PEM certificate chain for plugin signing
JETBRAINS_PRIVATE_KEY	PEM private key for plugin signing
JETBRAINS_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD	Password for the private key

Before the first publish, complete RELEASE_TODO.md to set up these secrets and the Marketplace plugin entry.