docs: add CHANGELOG.md and document release process (#227)

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+# Changelog
+
+All notable changes to Signet will be documented in this file.
+
+The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
+and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
+
+For release instructions and versioning procedures, see [`docs/RELEASING.md`](docs/RELEASING.md).
+
+---
+
+## Deployed Contract Registry
+
+| Network             | Contract            | Contract ID                                                | Deployed Date | Verification         |
+| ------------------- | ------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | -------------------- |
+| **Stellar Testnet** | `identity-registry` | `CASFJHI5PQSRWS7JV25CF7FOMRKIVBP3RXRP3E2GH2CV4BCAG7FUJRCN` | —             | Active (Soroban RPC) |
+| **Stellar Mainnet** | `identity-registry` | _Pending deployment_                                       | _TBD_         | —                    |
+
+---
+
+## [Unreleased]
+
+### Added
+
+- Area-based code review assignments via `.github/CODEOWNERS` ([#231](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/issues/231)).
+- CI concurrency group to cancel superseded in-progress workflow runs on push ([#229](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/issues/229)).
+- Release procedure documentation and versioning policy in `docs/RELEASING.md` ([#227](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/issues/227)).
+- Identity Registry migration runbook in `docs/CONTRACT_MIGRATION.md` ([#308](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/pull/308)).
+- Multi-device and per-address session revocation with Upstash Redis backend support ([#307](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/pull/307)).
+- Contract error drift checker `scripts/check-contract-errors.mjs` guarding Rust contract error codes against UI translation sync ([#238](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/pull/238)).
+- Live testnet E2E seam test for claim → resolve → profile flow ([#240](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/pull/240)).
+
+### Changed
+
+- Public SDK type surface stabilized ahead of `@signet/sdk@0.1.0` release ([#310](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/pull/310)).
+- Health route `/api/health` now reports nonce and rate-limit store status dynamically ([#309](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/pull/309)).
+- Connect wallet badge dynamically renders the active configured network from `NEXT_PUBLIC_STELLAR_NETWORK` ([#168](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/issues/168)).
+
+### Fixed
+
+- Added static `/handles` route to sitemap indexing ([#222](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/issues/222)).
+- Smoke tests now rely on semantic heading selectors instead of brittle copy assertions ([#219](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/issues/219)).
+- Extended contract instance TTL on read paths to prevent storage archival of active registries ([#242](https://github.com/blockchain-maxis/signet/pull/242)).
+
+---
+
+## [0.1.0] — not yet tagged
+
+<!--
+Everything below shipped to `main` and is what a first release would contain.
+It is deliberately not dated: `docs/RELEASING.md` makes an annotated git tag
+the marker of a release, no such tag exists yet, and `packages/sdk` is still
+at 0.0.0. Date this heading when v0.1.0 is actually tagged and published.
+-->
+
+### Added
+
+- Initial release of Signet developer career record platform.
+- **Identity Registry Contract** (`packages/contracts/identity-registry`):
+  - On-chain handle claim, transfer, and release methods with owner authorization (`require_auth`).
+  - Read-path TTL extension for bound records and contract instance.
+  - Comprehensive unit test suite and property-based invariant testing.
+- **Web Application** (`apps/web`):
+  - Landing page, how-it-works guide, and public `/p/{handle}` profiles.
+  - Discovery directory at `/handles` reading direct Soroban events.
+  - Stellar Wallets Kit wallet connection and SEP-10 Sign-In With Stellar (SIWS) authentication.
+  - tRPC API endpoints for profile queries, handle resolution, and health reporting.
+- **Indexer Worker** (`apps/indexer`):
+  - Horizon polling worker for deployment and operation indexing into PostgreSQL.
+  - Attestation event parser for on-chain identity binding events.
+- **TypeScript SDK** (`@signet/sdk`):
+  - Read-only client for querying profiles, resolved handles, and platform health.

README.md

@@ -196,6 +196,11 @@ set from the event stream.
 Both are CI gates ([`ci.yml`](.github/workflows/ci.yml)), alongside `lint`,
 `typecheck`, `build` and the wasm contract build.
 
+## Releases and changelog
+
+- **[`CHANGELOG.md`](CHANGELOG.md)** — Record of notable changes, version history, and deployed contract addresses.
+- **[`docs/RELEASING.md`](docs/RELEASING.md)** — Release procedure, Semantic Versioning policy, and tagging conventions.
+
 ## License
 
 Signet is licensed under the Apache License 2.0 — see [`LICENSE`](LICENSE) for the

docs/RELEASING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,105 @@
+# Release Process & Versioning Policy
+
+This document defines the release procedure, versioning semantics, and tagging conventions for the Signet repository (`blockchain-maxis/signet`).
+
+---
+
+## 1. Versioning Policy
+
+Signet follows [Semantic Versioning (SemVer 2.0.0)](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html) across all packages and on-chain contracts: `MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH`.
+
+```text
+MAJOR (X.0.0) -> Breaking API changes, breaking contract storage layouts, or breaking schema migrations
+MINOR (0.X.0) -> Backwards-compatible features, new API endpoints, non-breaking contract methods
+PATCH (0.0.X) -> Backwards-compatible bug fixes, security patches, internal refactors
+```
+
+### Monorepo Scope Breakdown
+
+| Component               | Scope                       | Version Reference                                 | Version Impact                                                                                          |
+| ----------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| **`@signet/sdk`**       | External TypeScript SDK     | `packages/sdk/package.json`                       | Published to npm registry; breaking changes bump `MAJOR`                                                |
+| **`identity-registry`** | Soroban Rust contract       | `packages/contracts/identity-registry/Cargo.toml` | On-chain bytecode deployed to permanent addresses; requires migration runbook if storage format changes |
+| **`@signet/web`**       | Next.js frontend & tRPC API | `apps/web/package.json`                           | Web application deployment; tracks overall platform release                                             |
+| **`@signet/indexer`**   | Ingestion worker            | `apps/indexer/package.json`                       | Background worker syncing events to Postgres                                                            |
+| **`@signet/types`**     | Shared type definitions     | `packages/types/package.json`                     | Internal workspace dependency                                                                           |
+
+---
+
+## 2. Tagging Conventions
+
+All releases are tracked via Git tags pushed to `main`:
+
+- **Platform Releases**: `vX.Y.Z` (e.g. `v0.1.0`) — Tracks coordinated platform deployments.
+- **SDK Package Releases**: `sdk-vX.Y.Z` (e.g. `sdk-v0.1.0`) — Tracks npm releases of `@signet/sdk`.
+- **Contract Releases**: `contract-vX.Y.Z` (e.g. `contract-v0.1.0`) — Tracks verified contract build hashes and on-chain deployment references.
+
+---
+
+## 3. Release Checklist & Step-by-Step Procedure
+
+### Phase 1: Pre-Release Verification
+
+Before tagging or releasing any component, verify that all CI gates and local suites pass cleanly:
+
+```bash
+# 1. Monorepo lint, typecheck, tests, and build
+pnpm lint
+pnpm typecheck
+pnpm test
+pnpm build
+
+# 2. Documentation and error consistency checks
+node scripts/check-docs.mjs
+node scripts/check-contract-errors.mjs
+
+# 3. Contract unit tests and wasm size budget
+cd packages/contracts
+cargo test
+cargo build --target wasm32v1-none --release
+cd ../..
+```
+
+### Phase 2: Update Version Numbers & Changelog
+
+1. Update version numbers in the target `package.json` or `Cargo.toml`.
+2. Move unreleased changes in [`CHANGELOG.md`](../CHANGELOG.md) under a new dated release header `## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD`.
+3. If a contract was deployed, record the contract ID and network in the Deployed Contract Registry table in [`CHANGELOG.md`](../CHANGELOG.md).
+4. Commit the changes:
+   ```bash
+   git commit -m "chore(release): prepare vX.Y.Z release"
+   ```
+
+### Phase 3: Tagging & GitHub Release
+
+Create an annotated Git tag and push it to the main repository:
+
+```bash
+# Tag the release
+git tag -a vX.Y.Z -m "Release vX.Y.Z"
+git push origin vX.Y.Z
+
+# For SDK specific releases
+git tag -a sdk-vX.Y.Z -m "Release @signet/sdk vX.Y.Z"
+git push origin sdk-vX.Y.Z
+```
+
+Create a GitHub Release describing the changes and referencing the tag.
+
+### Phase 4: Package & Contract Deployment
+
+1. **Publishing `@signet/sdk`**:
+   ```bash
+   pnpm --filter @signet/sdk publish --access public
+   ```
+2. **Deploying / Upgrading Contracts**:
+   - Follow the migration procedures in [`docs/CONTRACT_MIGRATION.md`](./CONTRACT_MIGRATION.md) and [`docs/DEPLOYMENT.md`](./DEPLOYMENT.md).
+   - Verify on-chain contract initialization (`initialize(admin)`).
+   - Update `NEXT_PUBLIC_IDENTITY_REGISTRY_ID` in production environment variables.
+
+---
+
+## 4. Roles & Responsibilities
+
+- **Who Tags & Publishes**: Releases may only be tagged and published by repository maintainers (`@blockchain-maxis`).
+- **Review Requirements**: Pull requests modifying contracts, auth systems, or release workflows require approvals designated in `.github/CODEOWNERS`.