feat: add comprehensive automated release system with GitHub Actions

.github/RELEASE.md

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+# Release Configuration
+
+This project provides multiple release workflows: fully automated GitHub Actions, local Rake tasks, and interactive scripts.
+
+## 🚀 Automated GitHub Actions Release (Recommended)
+
+The easiest way to create releases using GitHub's web interface.
+
+### Quick Start
+
+1. **Navigate to** [Actions tab](https://github.com/markhallen/slack-github-threads/actions)
+2. **Click** "Create Release PR" workflow
+3. **Click** "Run workflow" button
+4. **Choose options**:
+   - **Release Type**: `auto` (recommended), `major`, `minor`, or `patch`
+   - **Dry Run**: Check this to preview without creating actual release
+5. **Click** "Run workflow"
+6. **Review and merge** the automatically created PR
+7. **Release publishes automatically** when PR is merged
+
+### What the GitHub Action Does
+
+1. **Analyzes commits** since last release
+2. **Suggests appropriate version bump** (if `auto` selected)
+3. **Runs full test suite** to ensure quality
+4. **Generates changelog** from conventional commits
+5. **Creates release branch** with version bump
+6. **Opens PR** with detailed release information
+7. **Auto-releases** when PR is merged
+
+### Workflow Options
+
+| Option    | Description                                       | When to Use                   |
+| --------- | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
+| `auto`    | System analyzes commits and suggests release type | Most releases                 |
+| `major`   | Force major version bump (breaking changes)       | API changes, major refactors  |
+| `minor`   | Force minor version bump (new features)           | New functionality             |
+| `patch`   | Force patch version bump (bug fixes)              | Bug fixes, small improvements |
+| `dry_run` | Preview mode - no actual release created          | Testing, planning             |
+
+## 🧠 Local Rake Tasks
+
+For developers who prefer command-line workflows.
+
+### Key Features
+
+1. **Automatic Changelog Generation**: Parses git commit messages since the last tag
+2. **Conventional Commit Support**: Categorizes commits based on conventional commit patterns
+3. **Integrated Testing**: Runs full CI checks before creating releases
+4. **Git Tag Management**: Automatically creates and manages version tags
+
+## Creating a Release
+
+### Method 1: Rake Task (Recommended)
+
+```bash
+# Preview unreleased changes
+rake release:preview
+
+# Create release with automatic changelog generation
+rake release:create[1.1.0]
+
+# Push changes and tag
+git push origin main && git push origin v1.1.0
+```
+
+### Method 2: Release Script
+
+```bash
+# One command that handles everything including the push
+./scripts/release.sh 1.1.0
+```
+
+## Commit Message Conventions
+
+The automatic changelog generation works best with conventional commit messages:
+
+| Commit Pattern               | Changelog Section | Example                            |
+| ---------------------------- | ----------------- | ---------------------------------- |
+| `feat:`, `add`, `implement`  | **Added**         | `feat: add webhook support`        |
+| `fix:`, `bug`, `resolve`     | **Fixed**         | `fix: resolve timeout issue`       |
+| `chore:`, `update`, `change` | **Changed**       | `chore: update dependencies`       |
+| `docs:`, `documentation`     | **Changed**       | `docs: improve API documentation`  |
+| `remove`, `delete`           | **Removed**       | `remove: delete deprecated method` |
+| `security`, `sec:`           | **Security**      | `security: fix XSS vulnerability`  |
+
+## Manual Changelog Updates
+
+If you prefer manual changelog management:
+
+1. Edit `CHANGELOG.md` directly with your changes
+2. Use `rake release:create[1.1.0]` - it will preserve manual entries
+3. The Rake task will add the version and date automatically
+
+## Release Checklist
+
+Before creating a release, ensure:
+
+- [ ] All tests pass locally
+- [ ] CHANGELOG.md is updated with the new version
+- [ ] Version follows semantic versioning (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH)
+- [ ] Documentation is up to date
+- [ ] No sensitive information is included in the release
+
+## Manual Release (if needed)
+
+If you need to create a release manually:
+
+1. Go to the [Releases page](https://github.com/markhallen/slack-github-threads/releases)
+2. Click "Create a new release"
+3. Choose your tag or create a new one
+4. Fill in the release title and description
+5. Upload any additional assets if needed
+
+## Version Tag Format
+
+Always use the format `v<MAJOR>.<MINOR>.<PATCH>` for version tags:
+
+- `v1.0.0` - Major release
+- `v1.1.0` - Minor release
+- `v1.0.1` - Patch release

.github/release.conf

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+# Release Configuration for slack-github-threads
+
+# Default settings for automated releases
+RELEASE_BRANCH=main
+PACKAGE_NAME=slack-github-threads
+CHANGELOG_FILE=CHANGELOG.md
+
+# Files to exclude from release archives
+EXCLUDE_PATTERNS=(
+  '.git*'
+  'test/'
+  'log/*.log'
+  '.env*'
+  'tmp/'
+  '*.tmp'
+  '.DS_Store'
+)
+
+# Required checks before release
+PRE_RELEASE_CHECKS=(
+  'syntax'
+  'rubocop'
+  'test'
+)
+
+# Conventional commit patterns for changelog generation
+# These patterns are used by the Rake tasks to categorize commits
+COMMIT_PATTERNS=(
+  # Added section
+  "feat(\(.+\))?:|add|implement -> Added"
+
+  # Fixed section
+  "fix(\(.+\))?:|bug|resolve -> Fixed"
+
+  # Changed section
+  "chore(\(.+\))?:|update|change|modify -> Changed"
+  "docs(\(.+\))?:|documentation -> Changed"
+  "style(\(.+\))?:|format -> Changed"
+  "refactor(\(.+\))?: -> Changed"
+  "perf(\(.+\))?:|performance -> Changed"
+  "test(\(.+\))?: -> Changed"
+
+  # Removed section
+  "remove|delete -> Removed"
+
+  # Security section
+  "security|sec: -> Security"
+
+  # Deprecated section
+  "deprecate -> Deprecated"
+)
+
+# Post-release notifications (optional)
+# Set these environment variables if you want notifications
+# SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL=""
+# DISCORD_WEBHOOK_URL=""
+
+# GitHub release settings
+GITHUB_RELEASE_DRAFT=false
+GITHUB_RELEASE_PRERELEASE=false
+GITHUB_GENERATE_RELEASE_NOTES=true
+
+# Rake task shortcuts
+# rake release:preview    - Preview unreleased changes
+# rake release:changelog[VERSION] - Generate changelog for version
+# rake release:create[VERSION] - Full release process