---
title: How to release a hotfix step by step


---
Let v28 be the newest version. A customer needs a patch release for their older version v27.6.0.

1. Set up the maintenance branch you want to merge your fixes into

```bash
# Define your new 'maintenance' branch
export base=v27.6.0
export branch=maintenance-$base
export tag=$branch

# create branch maintenance-v27.6.0
git checkout $base
git checkout -b $branch
```

⚠️ Don't let your `base` get outdated. If someone else releases a version on top of the `base` you chose, you will be lacking the diff in the version you release. Make sure you're the only one working on the same `base`. Finish this process timely to minimize the chance of a diff.

2. Update package.json

```bash
# semantic-release only runs on main by default.
# Set release.branch to maintenance-v27.6.0 in package.json to enable semantic-release on your non-main branch.
# semantic-release publishes the new version as `latest` by default.
# As you're releasing an old version, set publishConfig.tag to prevent a release of the `latest` dist-tag
# Both steps are required to not mess up other customers installations

pkg=`cat package.json | jq ".release.branch=\"$branch\" | .publishConfig.tag=\"$tag\""` | echo $pkg > package.json
```

These fields in your package.json should now look like this (you might have additional values in there):

```json
"publishConfig": {
  "tag": "maintenance-v27.6.0"
},
"release": {
  "branch": "maintenance-v27.6.0"
}
```

3. Create a dist tag that's used for semantic-release

To push a dist-tag to npm you need write access. You can find a pre-generated tokens with write access in the **secrets**

Then you can create the dist tag:

```bash
export name=$(node -e 'console.log(require("./package.json").name)')

# Pass the auth token you generated above in the following command.
# Make sure you have a write access token, or you'll get a 404
# e.g. npm dist-tag add @livingdocs/editor@v7.3.4 maintenance-v7.3.4
npm dist-tag add $name@$base $tag --//registry.npmjs.org/:_authToken=<yourTokenWithWriteAccess>
```

4. Push your branch to origin

```bash
# push to maintenance-v27.6.0
git add package.json
git commit -m "chore: Setup up maintenance branch $branch"
git push origin $branch
```

5. Apply your fixes

   ```bash
   # create a branch based on that maintenance branch you just created
   export fix=some-fix
   git checkout -b $branch-$fix
   ... # apply and commit your changes
   git push -u origin $branch-$fix
   ```

6. Create a pull request from your fixes branch `maintenance-v27.6.0-some-fix` with the target branch `maintenance-v27.6.0`

7. Then you can watch CI build & create a release based on your additional commit messages, e.g. `v27.6.1` when you added a fix.