doc: update release process to mention security advisories pre-announcements
What the developer wrote
Authored by Antoine Poinsot
doc: update release process to mention security advisories pre-announcements
What changed, and why it matters
This commit only changes documentation. It updates Bitcoin Core's release notes template and release process checklist to remind maintainers to mention upcoming security advisories when announcing a new release. No code, no bug fix, no vulnerability is present in the patch.
No action needed; this is a process documentation update only.
Security signals we found
No strong security signals were identified.
Evidence from the diff
The diff adds two documentation snippets: (1) a release-notes template paragraph explaining that older versions become end-of-life and that medium/high severity vulnerabilities will be disclosed after two weeks, and (2) a release-process checklist item to check with the security team about pre-announcements and to include them in release announcements. There are no source-code changes.
Changed components
doc/release-notes-empty-template.mddoc/release-process.mdInspect captured patch +11 / −1
diff --git a/doc/release-notes-empty-template.md b/doc/release-notes-empty-template.md
index 86dafb36..70990c73 100644
--- a/doc/release-notes-empty-template.md
+++ b/doc/release-notes-empty-template.md
@@ -20,6 +20,15 @@ To receive security and update notifications, please subscribe to:
<https://bitcoincore.org/en/list/announcements/join/>
+With the release of this new major version, versions *version minus 3* and
+older are at "End of Life" and will no longer receive updates.
+
+In accordance with the security policy, we will in two weeks disclose:
+
+* Medium and high severity vulnerabilities fixed in *version minus 2*. There are N of these.
+
+* Low severity vulnerabilities fixed in *version*. There are M of these.
+
How to Upgrade
==============
diff --git a/doc/release-process.md b/doc/release-process.md
index 90ffd852..28bcfe83 100644
--- a/doc/release-process.md
+++ b/doc/release-process.md
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ Release Process
- set `CLIENT_VERSION_MINOR` to `0`
- set `CLIENT_VERSION_BUILD` to `0`
- set `CLIENT_VERSION_IS_RELEASE` to `true`
+* Check with the security team whether there is any security advisory to pre-announce.
#### Before branch-off
@@ -296,7 +297,7 @@ cat "$VERSION"/*/all.SHA256SUMS.asc > SHA256SUMS.asc
- Create a [new GitHub release](https://github.com/bitcoin/bitcoin/releases/new) with a link to the archived release notes
-- Announce the release:
+- Announce the release, along with any security advisory pre-announcements:
- bitcoin-dev and bitcoin-core-dev mailing list
Why this scored 15/100
Community notes
Notes can correct, qualify, or add evidence to the AI analysis. Every note shown here has been validated by a human moderator.
The AI analysis stands alone for now. Submit a note if you can add evidence or important context.