DEVX-10: feat: add tag verification, idempotency, and --verify mode to release script

.taskid

@@ -1 +1 @@
-DEVX-9
+DEVX-10

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -31,27 +31,30 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 ### Features
 
 - Add DEFAULT_INFRASTRUCTURE and configurable task prefix
+
 ## [0.3.0] - 2026-06-22
 
 ### Features
 
 - Add --no-ansible-collections option to setup tool
+
 ## [0.2.0] - 2026-06-22
 
 ### Features
 
 - Pluggable change classification framework
+
 ## [0.1.2] - 2026-06-22
 
 ### Bug Fixes
 
 - Make sync-wiki and vikunja depend on release
+
 ## [0.1.1] - 2026-06-22
 
 ### Bug Fixes
 
 - Disable push whitelist, allow direct pushes to master
-## [0.1.0] - 2026-06-22
 
 ## [0.1.0] - 2026-06-22
 

docs/user/cli-commands.md

@@ -74,6 +74,17 @@ Configure repository: branch protection + labels via Gitea API.
 
 Generate self-contained SVG badge files from project metrics.
 
+### `devx tools generate-cliff-config`
+
+Generate a `cliff.toml` configuration file with the correct task ID prefix.
+Eliminates the need to manually duplicate and maintain cliff.toml across
+repos that use devx.
+
+```bash
+python -m devx.tools.generate_cliff_config --prefix GRM
+python -m devx.tools.generate_cliff_config --prefix GRM --force  # overwrite existing
+```
+
 ### `devx tools install-checkmake`
 
 Install checkmake (Makefile linter) if not already present.

src/devx/ci/release.py

@@ -23,8 +23,14 @@ This script is idempotent: if there are no new conventional commits since the
 last tag, it exits with a message and does nothing.  If the tag already exists
 (e.g., from a partial previous run), it skips tag creation and only pushes.
 
+**Tag consistency**: Before releasing, the script fetches remote tags and
+verifies all existing tags point to commits whose message matches the tag
+version.  This prevents duplicate release commits (a common issue when CI
+checkouts don't fetch tags) and ensures tag/version/commit alignment.
+
 Usage:
   REPO_TOKEN=<token> python3 -m devx.ci.release [--dry-run] [--skip-tests]
+  python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify   # Check tag/version/release alignment
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -32,6 +38,7 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 import os
 import re
 import subprocess  # nosec B404
+import sys
 
 import click
 from dotenv import load_dotenv  # pyright: ignore[reportMissingImports,reportUnknownVariableType]
@@ -79,6 +86,81 @@ def tag_exists(tag: str) -> bool:
     return bool(result.stdout.strip())
 
 
+def get_tag_commit(tag: str) -> str:
+    """Get the commit hash a tag points to."""
+    result = run_cmd(["git", "rev-list", "-n1", tag], check=False)
+    return result.stdout.strip()
+
+
+def get_head_commit() -> str:
+    """Get the current HEAD commit hash."""
+    result = run_cmd(["git", "rev-parse", "HEAD"], check=False)
+    return result.stdout.strip()
+
+
+def fetch_tags() -> None:
+    """Fetch tags from remote to ensure local tag state is current.
+
+    This is critical in CI environments where a fresh checkout may not
+    include tags from previous runs.  Without this, the script may
+    create duplicate release commits because ``tag_exists`` returns False
+    for a tag that exists on the remote but wasn't fetched.
+    """
+    result = run_cmd(["git", "fetch", "--tags", "origin"], check=False)
+    if result.returncode != 0:
+        # Don't fail hard — maybe there's no remote (local-only repo)
+        click.echo(_("Warning: could not fetch tags from origin."))
+
+
+def get_all_tags() -> list[str]:
+    """Get all git tags sorted by version (newest first)."""
+    result = run_cmd(["git", "tag", "-l", "--sort=-v:refname"], check=False)
+    if result.returncode != 0:
+        return []
+    return [t.strip() for t in result.stdout.strip().split("\n") if t.strip()]
+
+
+def get_commit_version(commit: str) -> str | None:
+    """Extract version from a release commit message.
+
+    Returns the version string (e.g., '0.4.4') or None if the commit
+    is not a release commit.
+    """
+    result = run_cmd(["git", "log", "-1", "--pretty=%s", commit], check=False)
+    match = re.match(r"^release: v(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)", result.stdout.strip())
+    return match.group(1) if match else None
+
+
+def verify_tag_consistency() -> list[str]:
+    """Verify all tags point to commits with matching version in message.
+
+    Returns a list of error messages for inconsistent tags.
+    An empty list means all tags are consistent.
+
+    The first release (v0.1.0 or earliest tag) is exempt — initial releases
+    often don't have a "release:" commit message (e.g., the initial commit
+    serves as the first release).
+    """
+    errors: list[str] = []
+    tags = get_all_tags()
+    # Sort oldest first to identify the first tag
+    sorted_tags = sorted(tags, key=lambda t: [int(x) for x in t.lstrip("v").split(".")])
+    first_tag = sorted_tags[0] if sorted_tags else None
+    for tag in tags:
+        tag_version = tag.lstrip("v")
+        commit_version = get_commit_version(tag)
+        if commit_version is None:
+            # First tag is allowed to point to a non-release commit (initial release)
+            if tag == first_tag:
+                continue
+            errors.append(
+                f"  {tag} → points to non-release commit (expected 'release: v{tag_version}', got non-release commit)"
+            )
+        elif commit_version != tag_version:
+            errors.append(f"  {tag} → commit says 'release: v{commit_version}' (expected 'release: v{tag_version}')")
+    return errors
+
+
 def get_bumped_version() -> str:
     """Use git-cliff to calculate the next version from conventional commits."""
     result = run_cmd(["git-cliff", "--bumped-version", "--config", CLIFF_CONFIG])
@@ -123,9 +205,12 @@ def has_unreleased_changes(bumped_version: str | None = None) -> bool:
     latest = get_latest_tag()
     if not latest:
         return True
-    # Check for any commits since the last tag
+    # Check for any commits since the last tag, excluding release commits
+    # (release commits themselves are not "unreleased changes" — they ARE
+    # the release).  This prevents duplicate release commits when the
+    # script runs multiple times.
     result = run_cmd(
-        ["git", "log", f"{latest}..HEAD", "--oneline"],
+        ["git", "log", f"{latest}..HEAD", "--oneline", "--no-merges", "--invert-grep", "--grep=^release: v"],
         check=False,
     )
     if result.returncode != 0:
@@ -239,10 +324,27 @@ def create_and_push_tag(new_version: str, changelog: str, dry_run: bool) -> bool
     """Create an annotated tag with the changelog as message and push it.
 
     Returns True if the tag was created/pushed, False if it already existed.
+    Raises an error if the tag exists but points to a different commit than HEAD.
     """
     tag = f"v{new_version}"
     if tag_exists(tag):
-        click.echo(_("Tag {tag} already exists, skipping creation.", tag=tag))
+        # Verify the tag points to HEAD — if it points elsewhere, that's
+        # a consistency error, not a skip condition.
+        tag_commit = get_tag_commit(tag)
+        head_commit = get_head_commit()
+        if tag_commit != head_commit:
+            raise click.ClickException(
+                _(
+                    "Tag {tag} already exists but points to {tag_commit} "
+                    "(expected HEAD {head_commit}). "
+                    "This indicates a tag/commit misalignment. "
+                    "Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for details.",
+                    tag=tag,
+                    tag_commit=tag_commit[:7],
+                    head_commit=head_commit[:7],
+                )
+            )
+        click.echo(_("Tag {tag} already exists and points to HEAD. Skipping creation.", tag=tag))
         if not dry_run:
             # Ensure the existing tag is pushed
             run_cmd(["git", "push", "origin", tag], check=False)
@@ -256,6 +358,178 @@ def create_and_push_tag(new_version: str, changelog: str, dry_run: bool) -> bool
     return True
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Verification mode
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def get_init_version() -> str | None:
+    """Read __version__ from the version file."""
+    try:
+        with open(INIT_FILE) as f:
+            content = f.read()
+        match = re.search(r'^__version__\s*=\s*"([^"]*)"', content, flags=re.MULTILINE)
+        return match.group(1) if match else None
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        return None
+
+
+def get_changelog_versions() -> list[str]:
+    """Extract version numbers from CHANGELOG.md headers, in order."""
+    try:
+        with open(CHANGELOG_FILE) as f:
+            content = f.read()
+        return re.findall(r"^## \[(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)\]", content, flags=re.MULTILINE)
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        return []
+
+
+def verify_alignment() -> int:
+    """Verify tag/version/changelog alignment. Returns exit code (0=ok, 1=issues)."""
+    click.echo(_("=== Release Alignment Verification ===\n"))
+
+    has_issues = False
+
+    # 1. Check __version__ matches latest tag
+    init_version = get_init_version()
+    latest_tag = get_latest_tag()
+    latest_tag_version = latest_tag.lstrip("v") if latest_tag else None
+
+    click.echo(_("Version file: {file}", file=INIT_FILE))
+    if init_version:
+        click.echo(f'  __version__ = "{init_version}"')
+    else:
+        click.echo("  __version__ = NOT FOUND")
+        has_issues = True
+
+    click.echo(_("\nLatest tag: {tag}", tag=latest_tag or "(none)"))
+    if latest_tag_version and init_version:
+        if latest_tag_version == init_version:
+            click.echo(f"  ✓ Tag version matches __version__ ({init_version})")
+        else:
+            click.echo(f"  ✗ MISMATCH: tag={latest_tag_version}, __version__={init_version}")
+            has_issues = True
+
+    # 2. Check all tags point to commits with matching version
+    click.echo(_("\nTag → Commit alignment:"))
+    tag_errors = verify_tag_consistency()
+    all_tags = get_all_tags()
+    if not all_tags:
+        click.echo("  (no tags)")
+    elif not tag_errors:
+        click.echo(f"  ✓ All {len(all_tags)} tags point to matching release commits")
+    else:
+        has_issues = True
+        for err in tag_errors:
+            click.echo(f"  ✗ {err}")
+
+    # 3. Check CHANGELOG versions are in descending order
+    click.echo(_("\nCHANGELOG version ordering:"))
+    changelog_versions = get_changelog_versions()
+    if not changelog_versions:
+        click.echo("  (no versions in CHANGELOG)")
+    else:
+        # Check for duplicates
+        seen: set[str] = set()
+        duplicates: list[str] = []
+        for v in changelog_versions:
+            if v in seen:
+                duplicates.append(v)
+            seen.add(v)
+
+        # Check ordering (should be descending)
+        is_ordered = all(changelog_versions[i] >= changelog_versions[i + 1] for i in range(len(changelog_versions) - 1))
+
+        if duplicates:
+            has_issues = True
+            click.echo(f"  ✗ Duplicate entries: {', '.join(duplicates)}")
+        elif not is_ordered:
+            has_issues = True
+            click.echo(f"  ✗ Versions not in descending order: {changelog_versions}")
+        else:
+            click.echo(f"  ✓ {len(changelog_versions)} versions, all in descending order")
+
+        # Check latest CHANGELOG version matches latest tag.
+        # The CHANGELOG may have one unreleased section ahead of the latest tag
+        # (e.g., CHANGELOG has 0.6.4 but latest tag is v0.6.3 — 0.6.4 is unreleased).
+        if changelog_versions and latest_tag_version:
+            if changelog_versions[0] == latest_tag_version:
+                click.echo(f"  ✓ Latest CHANGELOG version matches latest tag ({latest_tag_version})")
+            elif latest_tag_version in changelog_versions:
+                tag_idx = changelog_versions.index(latest_tag_version)
+                # Latest tag should be at index 0 or 1 (0 = released, 1 = unreleased ahead)
+                if tag_idx == 1:
+                    click.echo(
+                        f"  ✓ Latest CHANGELOG version ({changelog_versions[0]}) is unreleased, "
+                        f"latest tag is {latest_tag_version}"
+                    )
+                else:
+                    click.echo(
+                        f"  ✗ MISMATCH: CHANGELOG latest={changelog_versions[0]}, "
+                        f"tag={latest_tag_version} (tag is at position {tag_idx})"
+                    )
+                    has_issues = True
+            else:
+                click.echo(f"  ✗ MISMATCH: CHANGELOG latest={changelog_versions[0]}, tag={latest_tag_version}")
+                has_issues = True
+
+    # 4. Check for untagged release commits.
+    # Distinguish between:
+    # - Truly untagged: no tag exists for that version (needs a tag)
+    # - Duplicates: a tag for that version exists but on a different commit
+    #   (historical artifact from buggy release script — informational, not an error)
+    click.echo(_("\nUntagged release commits:"))
+    result = run_cmd(
+        ["git", "log", "--all", "--format=%h %s", "--grep=^release: v"],
+        check=False,
+    )
+    if result.returncode == 0 and result.stdout.strip():
+        all_release_commits = result.stdout.strip().split("\n")
+        all_tags_set = {t.lstrip("v") for t in get_all_tags()}
+        truly_untagged: list[str] = []
+        duplicates: list[str] = []
+        for line in all_release_commits:
+            short_hash = line.split()[0]
+            tags_at = run_cmd(["git", "tag", "--points-at", short_hash], check=False)
+            if not tags_at.stdout.strip():
+                # Check if a tag for this version exists elsewhere
+                match = re.search(r"release: v(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)", line)
+                if match and match.group(1) in all_tags_set:
+                    duplicates.append(line)
+                else:
+                    truly_untagged.append(line)
+        if truly_untagged:
+            has_issues = True
+            click.echo(f"  ✗ {len(truly_untagged)} untagged release commits (no tag for version):")
+            for c in truly_untagged[:10]:
+                click.echo(f"    {c}")
+            if len(truly_untagged) > 10:
+                click.echo(f"    ... and {len(truly_untagged) - 10} more")
+        else:
+            click.echo("  ✓ All release commits have tags")
+        if duplicates:
+            click.echo(f"  ℹ {len(duplicates)} duplicate release commits (tag exists on different commit):")
+            for c in duplicates[:5]:
+                click.echo(f"    {c}")
+            if len(duplicates) > 5:
+                click.echo(f"    ... and {len(duplicates) - 5} more")
+    else:
+        click.echo("  (no release commits found)")
+
+    # Summary
+    click.echo(_("\n=== Summary ==="))
+    if has_issues:
+        click.echo("✗ Issues found — see above for details.")
+        return 1
+    click.echo("✓ All checks passed — tags, versions, and changelog are aligned.")
+    return 0
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Main command
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
 @click.command()
 @click.option("--dry-run", is_flag=True, default=False, help="Show what would happen without making changes.")
 @click.option(
@@ -264,7 +538,20 @@ def create_and_push_tag(new_version: str, changelog: str, dry_run: bool) -> bool
     default=False,
     help="Skip lint and test verification (NOT recommended — only for emergency releases).",
 )
-def main(dry_run: bool, skip_tests: bool) -> None:
+@click.option(
+    "--verify",
+    is_flag=True,
+    default=False,
+    help="Verify tag/version/changelog alignment and exit (no changes made).",
+)
+def main(dry_run: bool, skip_tests: bool, verify: bool) -> None:
+    """Automated release: calculate next version, update files, tag, and push.
+
+    Use --verify to check tag/version/changelog alignment without making changes.
+    """
+    if verify:
+        sys.exit(verify_alignment())
+
     # Ensure we're on master (skip this check in dry-run mode for PR validation)
     branch = run_cmd(["git", "rev-parse", "--abbrev-ref", "HEAD"]).stdout.strip()
     if branch != "master" and not dry_run:
@@ -277,19 +564,56 @@ def main(dry_run: bool, skip_tests: bool) -> None:
             )
         )
 
+    # Fetch tags from remote to ensure local tag state is current.
+    # This is critical in CI where a fresh checkout may not include tags
+    # from previous runs.  Without this, tag_exists() returns False for
+    # tags that exist on the remote, leading to duplicate release commits.
+    if not dry_run:
+        fetch_tags()
+
+    # Pre-flight: verify existing tags are consistent.  If any tag points
+    # to a commit with a mismatched version, abort before creating more
+    # inconsistencies.
+    tag_errors = verify_tag_consistency()
+    if tag_errors:
+        click.echo(_("ERROR: Tag consistency check failed. Existing tags are misaligned:"))
+        for err in tag_errors:
+            click.echo(err)
+        click.echo(
+            _(
+                "\nFix the misaligned tags before creating new releases. "
+                "Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for a full report."
+            )
+        )
+        raise click.ClickException(_("Tag consistency check failed."))
+
     # Release lock: if HEAD is already a release commit, check if the tag
-    # exists. If the tag is missing (e.g., tag push failed in a previous run),
-    # create and push it instead of skipping — this recovers from the
-    # common failure mode where the commit was pushed but the tag was not.
+    # exists AND points to HEAD. If the tag is missing (e.g., tag push
+    # failed in a previous run), create and push it. If the tag exists
+    # but points elsewhere, that's an error.
     head_msg = run_cmd(["git", "log", "-1", "--pretty=%s"]).stdout.strip()
     release_match = re.match(r"^release: v(\d+\.\d+\.\d+)", head_msg)
     if release_match:
         release_version = release_match.group(1)
         release_tag = f"v{release_version}"
         if tag_exists(release_tag):
+            tag_commit = get_tag_commit(release_tag)
+            head_commit = get_head_commit()
+            if tag_commit != head_commit:
+                raise click.ClickException(
+                    _(
+                        "HEAD is a release commit for v{version} but tag {tag} "
+                        "points to a different commit ({tag_commit} vs HEAD {head_commit}). "
+                        "This indicates a tag/commit misalignment.",
+                        version=release_version,
+                        tag=release_tag,
+                        tag_commit=tag_commit[:7],
+                        head_commit=head_commit[:7],
+                    )
+                )
             click.echo(
                 _(
-                    "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} exists. Skipping.",
+                    "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} points to HEAD. Skipping.",
                     msg=head_msg,
                     tag=release_tag,
                 )

src/devx/cli.py

@@ -177,6 +177,13 @@ def tools_generate_badges(args: tuple[str, ...]) -> None:
     _run_module("devx.tools.generate_badges", list(args))
 
 
+@tools.command("generate-cliff-config")
+@click.argument("args", nargs=-1)
+def tools_generate_cliff_config(args: tuple[str, ...]) -> None:
+    """Generate a cliff.toml configuration file for the project."""
+    _run_module("devx.tools.generate_cliff_config", list(args))
+
+
 @tools.command("install-checkmake")
 @click.argument("args", nargs=-1)
 def tools_install_checkmake(args: tuple[str, ...]) -> None:

src/devx/tools/generate_cliff_config.py

@@ -0,0 +1,150 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Generate a cliff.toml configuration file for a project.
+
+Produces a git-cliff configuration with the correct task ID prefix
+preprocessor, matching the format used by devx itself. Downstream
+repos can use this to avoid duplicating the entire cliff.toml by hand.
+
+Usage::
+
+    python -m devx.tools.generate_cliff_config --prefix GRM
+    python -m devx.tools.generate_cliff_config --prefix GRM --output cliff.toml
+    python -m devx.tools.generate_cliff_config --prefix GRM --force
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import click
+
+from devx.config import TASK_PREFIX
+from devx.i18n import _
+
+# Template uses __PREFIX__ and __PREFIX_REGEX__ as placeholders to avoid
+# conflicts with Jinja2's {{ }} and {% %} syntax in the cliff.toml body.
+CLIFF_TEMPLATE = """\
+# git-cliff configuration for __PREFIX__
+# https://git-cliff.org/docs/configuration
+# Generated by: python -m devx.tools.generate_cliff_config --prefix __PREFIX__
+
+[changelog]
+header = \"\"\"
+# Changelog\\n
+All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.\\n
+\"\"\"
+body = \"\"\"
+{% if version %}\\
+    ## [{{ version | trim_start_matches(pat="v") }}] - {{ timestamp | date(format="%Y-%m-%d") }}
+{% else %}\\
+    ## [unreleased]
+{% endif %}\\
+{% for group, commits in commits | group_by(attribute="group") %}
+    ### {{ group | striptags | trim | upper_first }}
+    {% for commit in commits %}
+        - {% if commit.scope %}*({{ commit.scope }})* {% endif %}\\
+            {% if commit.breaking %}[**breaking**] {% endif %}\\
+            {{ commit.message | upper_first }}\\
+    {% endfor %}
+{% endfor %}
+\"\"\"
+trim = true
+render_always = true
+
+[git]
+conventional_commits = true
+filter_unconventional = true
+require_conventional = false
+split_commits = false
+protect_breaking_commits = false
+filter_commits = false
+fail_on_unmatched_commit = false
+use_branch_tags = false
+topo_order = false
+topo_order_commits = true
+sort_commits = "oldest"
+recurse_submodules = false
+
+commit_preprocessors = [
+    # Strip __PREFIX__-N: task ID prefix from squash-merge commits so git-cliff sees conventional commits
+    { pattern = "^__PREFIX_REGEX__-\\\\d+:\\\\s+", replace = "" },
+]
+
+commit_parsers = [
+    { message = "^feat", group = "<!-- 0 -->Features" },
+    { message = "^fix", group = "<!-- 1 -->Bug Fixes" },
+    { message = "^perf", group = "<!-- 4 -->Performance" },
+    { message = "^refactor", group = "<!-- 2 -->Refactor" },
+    # Skip infrastructure-only commits — they don't affect users
+    { message = "^doc", skip = true },
+    { message = "^test", skip = true },
+    { message = "^style", skip = true },
+    { message = "^chore", skip = true },
+    { message = "^ci", skip = true },
+    # Skip release commits — they are release artifacts, not features
+    { message = "^release:", skip = true },
+    { body = ".*security", group = "<!-- 8 -->Security" },
+    { message = "^revert", group = "<!-- 9 -->Revert" },
+    # Skip anything that doesn't match above — safe default
+    { message = ".*", skip = true },
+]
+
+[bump]
+features_always_bump_minor = true
+breaking_always_bump_major = false
+initial_tag = "0.1.0"
+# Refactor commits bump patch — structural changes to src/ or pyproject.toml
+# affect users even though no new feature was added.
+refactor_always_bump_patch = true
+"""
+
+
+def _generate(prefix: str) -> str:
+    """Generate cliff.toml content for the given prefix."""
+    prefix_regex = prefix.replace("\\", "\\\\")
+    return CLIFF_TEMPLATE.replace("__PREFIX__", prefix).replace("__PREFIX_REGEX__", prefix_regex)
+
+
+@click.command()
+@click.option(
+    "--prefix",
+    default=TASK_PREFIX,
+    help="Task ID prefix for commit preprocessor (default: DEVX_TASK_PREFIX env var or 'DEVX').",
+)
+@click.option(
+    "--output",
+    "-o",
+    default="cliff.toml",
+    type=click.Path(),
+    help="Output file path (default: cliff.toml).",
+)
+@click.option(
+    "--force",
+    is_flag=True,
+    help="Overwrite existing file without prompting.",
+)
+def main(prefix: str, output: str, force: bool) -> None:
+    """Generate a cliff.toml configuration file."""
+    output_path = Path(output)
+
+    if output_path.exists() and not force:
+        raise click.ClickException(
+            _(
+                "{file} already exists. Use --force to overwrite.",
+                file=str(output_path),
+            )
+        )
+
+    content = _generate(prefix)
+    output_path.write_text(content)
+    click.echo(
+        _(
+            "Generated {file} with prefix '{prefix}'.",
+            file=str(output_path),
+            prefix=prefix,
+        )
+    )
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":  # pragma: no cover
+    main()  # pragma: no cover

src/devx/translations.json

@@ -1,4 +1,11 @@
 {
+  "\n=== Summary ===": {
+    "en": "\n=== Summary ===",
+    "bg": "\n=== Summary ===",
+    "de": "\n=== Summary ===",
+    "ru": "\n=== Summary ===",
+    "zh": "\n=== Summary ==="
+  },
   "\nAll documentation coverage checks passed!": {
     "en": "\nAll documentation coverage checks passed!",
     "bg": "\nAll documentation coverage checks passed!",
@@ -6,6 +13,13 @@
     "ru": "\nAll documentation coverage checks passed!",
     "zh": "\nAll documentation coverage checks passed!"
   },
+  "\nCHANGELOG version ordering:": {
+    "en": "\nCHANGELOG version ordering:",
+    "bg": "\nCHANGELOG version ordering:",
+    "de": "\nCHANGELOG version ordering:",
+    "ru": "\nCHANGELOG version ordering:",
+    "zh": "\nCHANGELOG version ordering:"
+  },
   "\nChecking CI script documentation in ci-cd-workflow.md...": {
     "en": "\nChecking CI script documentation in ci-cd-workflow.md...",
     "bg": "\nChecking CI script documentation in ci-cd-workflow.md...",
@@ -41,6 +55,13 @@
     "ru": "\nERROR: Documentation coverage is not 100%. Use --fail-on-missing to enforce.",
     "zh": "\nERROR: Documentation coverage is not 100%. Use --fail-on-missing to enforce."
   },
+  "\nFix the misaligned tags before creating new releases. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for a full report.": {
+    "en": "\nFix the misaligned tags before creating new releases. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for a full report.",
+    "bg": "\nFix the misaligned tags before creating new releases. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for a full report.",
+    "de": "\nFix the misaligned tags before creating new releases. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for a full report.",
+    "ru": "\nFix the misaligned tags before creating new releases. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for a full report.",
+    "zh": "\nFix the misaligned tags before creating new releases. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for a full report."
+  },
   "\nIntegrity check FAILED ({count} issues):": {
     "en": "\nIntegrity check FAILED ({count} issues):",
     "bg": "\nIntegrity check FAILED ({count} issues):",
@@ -55,6 +76,13 @@
     "ru": "\nIntegrity check passed — all {count} pages verified.",
     "zh": "\nIntegrity check passed — all {count} pages verified."
   },
+  "\nLatest tag: {tag}": {
+    "en": "\nLatest tag: {tag}",
+    "bg": "\nLatest tag: {tag}",
+    "de": "\nLatest tag: {tag}",
+    "ru": "\nLatest tag: {tag}",
+    "zh": "\nLatest tag: {tag}"
+  },
   "\nMissing documentation:": {
     "en": "\nMissing documentation:",
     "bg": "\nMissing documentation:",
@@ -83,6 +111,20 @@
     "ru": "\nRunning full wiki integrity check...",
     "zh": "\nRunning full wiki integrity check..."
   },
+  "\nTag → Commit alignment:": {
+    "en": "\nTag → Commit alignment:",
+    "bg": "\nTag → Commit alignment:",
+    "de": "\nTag → Commit alignment:",
+    "ru": "\nTag → Commit alignment:",
+    "zh": "\nTag → Commit alignment:"
+  },
+  "\nUntagged release commits:": {
+    "en": "\nUntagged release commits:",
+    "bg": "\nUntagged release commits:",
+    "de": "\nUntagged release commits:",
+    "ru": "\nUntagged release commits:",
+    "zh": "\nUntagged release commits:"
+  },
   "\nUser-facing changes ({count}):": {
     "en": "\nUser-facing changes ({count}):",
     "bg": "\nUser-facing changes ({count}):",
@@ -125,6 +167,20 @@
     "ru": "\n[dry-run] Changelog:\n{changelog}",
     "zh": "\n[dry-run] Changelog:\n{changelog}"
   },
+  "\n{label} files changed ({count}):": {
+    "en": "\n{label} files changed ({count}):",
+    "bg": "\n{label} files changed ({count}):",
+    "de": "\n{label} files changed ({count}):",
+    "ru": "\n{label} files changed ({count}):",
+    "zh": "\n{label} files changed ({count}):"
+  },
+  "\n{tag} files ({count}):": {
+    "en": "\n{tag} files ({count}):",
+    "bg": "\n{tag} files ({count}):",
+    "de": "\n{tag} files ({count}):",
+    "ru": "\n{tag} files ({count}):",
+    "zh": "\n{tag} files ({count}):"
+  },
   "  - Auto-delete branch after merge: yes": {
     "en": "  - Auto-delete branch after merge: yes",
     "bg": "  - Автоматично изтриване на клон след сливане: да",
@@ -244,6 +300,13 @@
     "ru": "  Updated: {title}",
     "zh": "  Updated: {title}"
   },
+  "=== Release Alignment Verification ===\n": {
+    "en": "=== Release Alignment Verification ===\n",
+    "bg": "=== Release Alignment Verification ===\n",
+    "de": "=== Release Alignment Verification ===\n",
+    "ru": "=== Release Alignment Verification ===\n",
+    "zh": "=== Release Alignment Verification ===\n"
+  },
   "API poll warning: {exc}": {
     "en": "API poll warning: {exc}",
     "bg": "API poll warning: {exc}",
@@ -363,13 +426,6 @@
     "ru": "ОШИБКА: REPO_TOKEN не задан.",
     "zh": "错误：未设置 REPO_TOKEN。"
   },
-  "ERROR: VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set.": {
-    "en": "ERROR: VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set.",
-    "bg": "ГРЕШКА: VIKUNJA_TOKEN не е зададен.",
-    "de": "FEHLER: VIKUNJA_TOKEN ist nicht gesetzt.",
-    "ru": "ОШИБКА: VIKUNJA_TOKEN не задан.",
-    "zh": "错误：未设置 VIKUNJA_TOKEN。"
-  },
   "ERROR: Repository name not specified. Use --repo or set DEVX_REPO_NAME.": {
     "en": "ERROR: Repository name not specified. Use --repo or set DEVX_REPO_NAME.",
     "bg": "ГРЕШКА: Името на хранилището не е указано. Използвайте --repo или задайте DEVX_REPO_NAME.",
@@ -377,6 +433,20 @@
     "ru": "ОШИБКА: Имя репозитория не указано. Используйте --repo или задайте DEVX_REPO_NAME.",
     "zh": "错误：未指定仓库名称。请使用 --repo 或设置 DEVX_REPO_NAME。"
   },
+  "ERROR: Tag consistency check failed. Existing tags are misaligned:": {
+    "en": "ERROR: Tag consistency check failed. Existing tags are misaligned:",
+    "bg": "ERROR: Tag consistency check failed. Existing tags are misaligned:",
+    "de": "ERROR: Tag consistency check failed. Existing tags are misaligned:",
+    "ru": "ERROR: Tag consistency check failed. Existing tags are misaligned:",
+    "zh": "ERROR: Tag consistency check failed. Existing tags are misaligned:"
+  },
+  "ERROR: VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set.": {
+    "en": "ERROR: VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set.",
+    "bg": "ГРЕШКА: VIKUNJA_TOKEN не е зададен.",
+    "de": "FEHLER: VIKUNJA_TOKEN ist nicht gesetzt.",
+    "ru": "ОШИБКА: VIKUNJA_TOKEN не задан.",
+    "zh": "错误：未设置 VIKUNJA_TOKEN。"
+  },
   "ERROR: mapping.json not found at {path}": {
     "en": "ERROR: mapping.json not found at {path}",
     "bg": "ERROR: mapping.json not found at {path}",
@@ -412,6 +482,34 @@
     "ru": "GITEA_URL/REPO_TOKEN/RUN_ID not set; running without cross-runner cancellation.",
     "zh": "GITEA_URL/REPO_TOKEN/RUN_ID not set; running without cross-runner cancellation."
   },
+  "Generated {file} with prefix '{prefix}'.": {
+    "en": "Generated {file} with prefix '{prefix}'.",
+    "bg": "Generated {file} with prefix '{prefix}'.",
+    "de": "Generated {file} with prefix '{prefix}'.",
+    "ru": "Generated {file} with prefix '{prefix}'.",
+    "zh": "Generated {file} with prefix '{prefix}'."
+  },
+  "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag.": {
+    "en": "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag.",
+    "bg": "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag.",
+    "de": "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag.",
+    "ru": "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag.",
+    "zh": "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag."
+  },
+  "HEAD is a release commit for v{version} but tag {tag} points to a different commit ({tag_commit} vs HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment.": {
+    "en": "HEAD is a release commit for v{version} but tag {tag} points to a different commit ({tag_commit} vs HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment.",
+    "bg": "HEAD is a release commit for v{version} but tag {tag} points to a different commit ({tag_commit} vs HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment.",
+    "de": "HEAD is a release commit for v{version} but tag {tag} points to a different commit ({tag_commit} vs HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment.",
+    "ru": "HEAD is a release commit for v{version} but tag {tag} points to a different commit ({tag_commit} vs HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment.",
+    "zh": "HEAD is a release commit for v{version} but tag {tag} points to a different commit ({tag_commit} vs HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment."
+  },
+  "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} points to HEAD. Skipping.": {
+    "en": "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} points to HEAD. Skipping.",
+    "bg": "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} points to HEAD. Skipping.",
+    "de": "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} points to HEAD. Skipping.",
+    "ru": "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} points to HEAD. Skipping.",
+    "zh": "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} points to HEAD. Skipping."
+  },
   "HTTP error: {status} — {message}": {
     "en": "HTTP error: {status} — {message}",
     "bg": "HTTP грешка: {status} — {message}",
@@ -454,6 +552,20 @@
     "ru": "Lint passed.",
     "zh": "Lint passed."
   },
+  "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json.": {
+    "en": "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json.",
+    "bg": "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json.",
+    "de": "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json.",
+    "ru": "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json.",
+    "zh": "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json."
+  },
+  "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file.": {
+    "en": "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file.",
+    "bg": "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file.",
+    "de": "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file.",
+    "ru": "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file.",
+    "zh": "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file."
+  },
   "Merge failed after rebase retry: {error}\nPlease rebase the PR manually.": {
     "en": "Merge failed after rebase retry: {error}\nPlease rebase the PR manually.",
     "bg": "Merge failed after rebase retry: {error}\nPlease rebase the PR manually.",
@@ -531,6 +643,13 @@
     "ru": "No tags found — treating all changes as user-facing.",
     "zh": "No tags found — treating all changes as user-facing."
   },
+  "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID.": {
+    "en": "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID.",
+    "bg": "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID.",
+    "de": "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID.",
+    "ru": "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID.",
+    "zh": "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID."
+  },
   "No unreleased changes found. Nothing to release.": {
     "en": "No unreleased changes found. Nothing to release.",
     "bg": "No unreleased changes found. Nothing to release.",
@@ -559,6 +678,13 @@
     "ru": "Ой! Сообщение коммита должно соответствовать формату conventional commit.\n  Ожидается: <type>: <description>\n  Получено: {subject}\n  Допустимые типы: feat, fix, chore, docs, style, refactor,\n                 perf, test, ci, build, revert, BREAKING CHANGE",
     "zh": "哎呀！提交消息必须遵循 conventional commit 格式。\n  预期格式: <type>: <description>\n  实际: {subject}\n  允许的类型: feat, fix, chore, docs, style, refactor,\n                 perf, test, ci, build, revert, BREAKING CHANGE"
   },
+  "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI.": {
+    "en": "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI.",
+    "bg": "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI.",
+    "de": "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI.",
+    "ru": "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI.",
+    "zh": "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI."
+  },
   "Oops! Gitea PyPI registry publish failed:\n{stderr}": {
     "en": "Oops! Gitea PyPI registry publish failed:\n{stderr}",
     "bg": "Опа! Публикуването в Gitea PyPI registry неуспешно:\n{stderr}",
@@ -566,6 +692,20 @@
     "ru": "Ой! Публикация в Gitea PyPI registry не удалась:\n{stderr}",
     "zh": "哎呀！Gitea PyPI registry 发布失败：\n{stderr}"
   },
+  "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}": {
+    "en": "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}",
+    "bg": "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}",
+    "de": "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}",
+    "ru": "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}",
+    "zh": "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}"
+  },
+  "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}": {
+    "en": "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}",
+    "bg": "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}",
+    "de": "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}",
+    "ru": "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}",
+    "zh": "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}"
+  },
   "Oops! No task ID found in .taskid file or branch name '{branch}'.": {
     "en": "Oops! No task ID found in .taskid file or branch name '{branch}'.",
     "bg": "Oops! No task ID found in .taskid file or branch name '{branch}'.",
@@ -573,6 +713,13 @@
     "ru": "Oops! No task ID found in .taskid file or branch name '{branch}'.",
     "zh": "Oops! No task ID found in .taskid file or branch name '{branch}'."
   },
+  "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}": {
+    "en": "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}",
+    "bg": "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}",
+    "de": "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}",
+    "ru": "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}",
+    "zh": "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}"
+  },
   "Oops! PR title task ID mismatch.\n  Branch task ID: {task_id}\n  PR title:       {pr_title}": {
     "en": "Oops! PR title task ID mismatch.\n  Branch task ID: {task_id}\n  PR title:       {pr_title}",
     "bg": "Oops! PR title task ID mismatch.\n  Branch task ID: {task_id}\n  PR title:       {pr_title}",
@@ -601,6 +748,13 @@
     "ru": "PASSED: {pair}",
     "zh": "PASSED: {pair}"
   },
+  "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}": {
+    "en": "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}",
+    "bg": "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}",
+    "de": "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}",
+    "ru": "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}",
+    "zh": "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}"
+  },
   "PR title does not match Vikunja task title.\n  Expected: {expected}\n  Got:      {pr_title}": {
     "en": "PR title does not match Vikunja task title.\n  Expected: {expected}\n  Got:      {pr_title}",
     "bg": "PR title does not match Vikunja task title.\n  Expected: {expected}\n  Got:      {pr_title}",
@@ -657,6 +811,13 @@
     "ru": "Release must be run on master, currently on '{branch}'.",
     "zh": "Release must be run on master, currently on '{branch}'."
   },
+  "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}": {
+    "en": "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}",
+    "bg": "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}",
+    "de": "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}",
+    "ru": "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}",
+    "zh": "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}"
+  },
   "Repository configuration complete.": {
     "en": "Repository configuration complete.",
     "bg": "Конфигурирането на хранилището е завършено.",
@@ -706,6 +867,13 @@
     "ru": "Syncing {count} documentation pages to wiki...",
     "zh": "Syncing {count} documentation pages to wiki..."
   },
+  "Tag consistency check failed.": {
+    "en": "Tag consistency check failed.",
+    "bg": "Tag consistency check failed.",
+    "de": "Tag consistency check failed.",
+    "ru": "Tag consistency check failed.",
+    "zh": "Tag consistency check failed."
+  },
   "Tag v{version} already existed. Publish workflow should already have been triggered.": {
     "en": "Tag v{version} already existed. Publish workflow should already have been triggered.",
     "bg": "Tag v{version} already existed. Publish workflow should already have been triggered.",
@@ -713,12 +881,19 @@
     "ru": "Tag v{version} already existed. Publish workflow should already have been triggered.",
     "zh": "Tag v{version} already existed. Publish workflow should already have been triggered."
   },
-  "Tag {tag} already exists, skipping creation.": {
-    "en": "Tag {tag} already exists, skipping creation.",
-    "bg": "Tag {tag} already exists, skipping creation.",
-    "de": "Tag {tag} already exists, skipping creation.",
-    "ru": "Tag {tag} already exists, skipping creation.",
-    "zh": "Tag {tag} already exists, skipping creation."
+  "Tag {tag} already exists and points to HEAD. Skipping creation.": {
+    "en": "Tag {tag} already exists and points to HEAD. Skipping creation.",
+    "bg": "Tag {tag} already exists and points to HEAD. Skipping creation.",
+    "de": "Tag {tag} already exists and points to HEAD. Skipping creation.",
+    "ru": "Tag {tag} already exists and points to HEAD. Skipping creation.",
+    "zh": "Tag {tag} already exists and points to HEAD. Skipping creation."
+  },
+  "Tag {tag} already exists but points to {tag_commit} (expected HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for details.": {
+    "en": "Tag {tag} already exists but points to {tag_commit} (expected HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for details.",
+    "bg": "Tag {tag} already exists but points to {tag_commit} (expected HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for details.",
+    "de": "Tag {tag} already exists but points to {tag_commit} (expected HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for details.",
+    "ru": "Tag {tag} already exists but points to {tag_commit} (expected HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for details.",
+    "zh": "Tag {tag} already exists but points to {tag_commit} (expected HEAD {head_commit}). This indicates a tag/commit misalignment. Run 'python3 -m devx.ci.release --verify' for details."
   },
   "Task ID: {task_id}": {
     "en": "Task ID: {task_id}",
@@ -755,6 +930,13 @@
     "ru": "Unit tests too slow: {duration:.2f}s (max allowed: {max}s).\n  Fix: run 'make pytest-cov' to profile, then optimise slow tests.\n  Hint: avoid unnecessary imports, use lighter mocks, or cache fixtures.",
     "zh": "Unit tests too slow: {duration:.2f}s (max allowed: {max}s).\n  Fix: run 'make pytest-cov' to profile, then optimise slow tests.\n  Hint: avoid unnecessary imports, use lighter mocks, or cache fixtures."
   },
+  "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}": {
+    "en": "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}",
+    "bg": "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}",
+    "de": "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}",
+    "ru": "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}",
+    "zh": "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}"
+  },
   "Updated version in {init}": {
     "en": "Updated version in {init}",
     "bg": "Updated version in {init}",
@@ -769,6 +951,27 @@
     "ru": "Updated {changelog_file}",
     "zh": "Updated {changelog_file}"
   },
+  "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles.": {
+    "en": "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles.",
+    "bg": "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles.",
+    "de": "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles.",
+    "ru": "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles.",
+    "zh": "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles."
+  },
+  "Version file: {file}": {
+    "en": "Version file: {file}",
+    "bg": "Version file: {file}",
+    "de": "Version file: {file}",
+    "ru": "Version file: {file}",
+    "zh": "Version file: {file}"
+  },
+  "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update.": {
+    "en": "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update.",
+    "bg": "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update.",
+    "de": "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update.",
+    "ru": "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update.",
+    "zh": "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update."
+  },
   "WARNING: --skip-tests passed — skipping test verification.": {
     "en": "WARNING: --skip-tests passed — skipping test verification.",
     "bg": "WARNING: --skip-tests passed — skipping test verification.",
@@ -776,6 +979,13 @@
     "ru": "WARNING: --skip-tests passed — skipping test verification.",
     "zh": "WARNING: --skip-tests passed — skipping test verification."
   },
+  "Warning: could not fetch tags from origin.": {
+    "en": "Warning: could not fetch tags from origin.",
+    "bg": "Warning: could not fetch tags from origin.",
+    "de": "Warning: could not fetch tags from origin.",
+    "ru": "Warning: could not fetch tags from origin.",
+    "zh": "Warning: could not fetch tags from origin."
+  },
   "Wiki integrity check failed — {count} issue(s)": {
     "en": "Wiki integrity check failed — {count} issue(s)",
     "bg": "Wiki integrity check failed — {count} issue(s)",
@@ -867,6 +1077,13 @@
     "ru": "git command failed ({cmd}): {stderr}",
     "zh": "git command failed ({cmd}): {stderr}"
   },
+  "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history.": {
+    "en": "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history.",
+    "bg": "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history.",
+    "de": "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history.",
+    "ru": "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history.",
+    "zh": "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history."
+  },
   "git-cliff returned empty version.": {
     "en": "git-cliff returned empty version.",
     "bg": "git-cliff returned empty version.",
@@ -874,12 +1091,12 @@
     "ru": "git-cliff returned empty version.",
     "zh": "git-cliff returned empty version."
   },
-  "inactive": {
-    "en": "inactive",
-    "bg": "неактивен",
-    "de": "inaktiv",
-    "ru": "неактивен",
-    "zh": "未激活"
+  "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1).": {
+    "en": "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1).",
+    "bg": "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1).",
+    "de": "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1).",
+    "ru": "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1).",
+    "zh": "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1)."
   },
   "in_progress": {
     "en": "in progress",
@@ -888,103 +1105,12 @@
     "ru": "в процессе",
     "zh": "进行中"
   },
-  "pending": {
-    "en": "pending",
-    "bg": "в очакване",
-    "de": "ausstehend",
-    "ru": "ожидает",
-    "zh": "待处理"
-  },
-  "unknown": {
-    "en": "unknown",
-    "bg": "неизвестен",
-    "de": "unbekannt",
-    "ru": "неизвестно",
-    "zh": "未知"
-  },
-  "\n{label} files changed ({count}):": {
-    "en": "\n{label} files changed ({count}):",
-    "bg": "\n{label} files changed ({count}):",
-    "de": "\n{label} files changed ({count}):",
-    "ru": "\n{label} files changed ({count}):",
-    "zh": "\n{label} files changed ({count}):"
-  },
-  "\n{tag} files ({count}):": {
-    "en": "\n{tag} files ({count}):",
-    "bg": "\n{tag} files ({count}):",
-    "de": "\n{tag} files ({count}):",
-    "ru": "\n{tag} files ({count}):",
-    "zh": "\n{tag} files ({count}):"
-  },
-  "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}": {
-    "en": "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}",
-    "bg": "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}",
-    "de": "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}",
-    "ru": "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}",
-    "zh": "Oops! PR title must follow format '{prefix}-N: <task title>'.\n  Expected: {task_id}: <task title>\n  Got:      {pr_title}"
-  },
-  "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}": {
-    "en": "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}",
-    "bg": "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}",
-    "de": "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}",
-    "ru": "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}",
-    "zh": "Unknown check category '{check}'. Available: all, user-facing{tags}"
-  },
-  "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag.": {
-    "en": "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag.",
-    "bg": "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag.",
-    "de": "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag.",
-    "ru": "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag.",
-    "zh": "HEAD is a release commit ('{msg}') but tag {tag} is missing. Recovering by creating tag."
-  },
-  "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} exists. Skipping.": {
-    "en": "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} exists. Skipping.",
-    "bg": "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} exists. Skipping.",
-    "de": "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} exists. Skipping.",
-    "ru": "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} exists. Skipping.",
-    "zh": "HEAD is already a release commit ('{msg}') and tag {tag} exists. Skipping."
-  },
-  "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update.": {
-    "en": "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update.",
-    "bg": "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update.",
-    "de": "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update.",
-    "ru": "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update.",
-    "zh": "Vikunja API error (HTTP {status}): {message}. Task {task_id} was NOT updated. The merge succeeded but the Vikunja task needs manual update."
-  },
-  "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}": {
-    "en": "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}",
-    "bg": "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}",
-    "de": "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}",
-    "ru": "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}",
-    "zh": "PR number must be an integer, got: {pr_number}"
-  },
-  "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history.": {
-    "en": "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history.",
-    "bg": "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history.",
-    "de": "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history.",
-    "ru": "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history.",
-    "zh": "git-cliff generated empty changelog for v{version}. Check cliff.toml and commit history."
-  },
-  "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}": {
-    "en": "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}",
-    "bg": "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}",
-    "de": "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}",
-    "ru": "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}",
-    "zh": "Repo must be in 'owner/name' format, got: {repo}"
-  },
-  "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json.": {
-    "en": "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json.",
-    "bg": "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json.",
-    "de": "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json.",
-    "ru": "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json.",
-    "zh": "Mapped file {file} is empty. Update the content or remove from mapping.json."
-  },
-  "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles.": {
-    "en": "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles.",
-    "bg": "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles.",
-    "de": "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles.",
-    "ru": "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles.",
-    "zh": "VIKUNJA_TOKEN is not set. This is required in CI to validate PR titles."
+  "inactive": {
+    "en": "inactive",
+    "bg": "неактивен",
+    "de": "inaktiv",
+    "ru": "неактивен",
+    "zh": "未激活"
   },
   "mapping.json keys and values must be strings, got {k}={v}": {
     "en": "mapping.json keys and values must be strings, got {k}={v}",
@@ -1000,46 +1126,25 @@
     "ru": "mapping.json must be a dict of file-path -> page-title, got {type}",
     "zh": "mapping.json must be a dict of file-path -> page-title, got {type}"
   },
-  "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file.": {
-    "en": "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file.",
-    "bg": "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file.",
-    "de": "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file.",
-    "ru": "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file.",
-    "zh": "Mapped file {file} not found. Update mapping.json or create the file."
+  "pending": {
+    "en": "pending",
+    "bg": "в очакване",
+    "de": "ausstehend",
+    "ru": "ожидает",
+    "zh": "待处理"
   },
-  "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID.": {
-    "en": "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID.",
-    "bg": "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID.",
-    "de": "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID.",
-    "ru": "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID.",
-    "zh": "No task ID ({prefix}-N) found in commit message: {msg}. Every non-infrastructure commit must have a task ID."
+  "unknown": {
+    "en": "unknown",
+    "bg": "неизвестен",
+    "de": "unbekannt",
+    "ru": "неизвестно",
+    "zh": "未知"
   },
-  "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1).": {
-    "en": "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1).",
-    "bg": "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1).",
-    "de": "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1).",
-    "ru": "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1).",
-    "zh": "git-cliff returned invalid version format: {version}. Expected semver (e.g., 0.4.1)."
-  },
-  "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI.": {
-    "en": "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI.",
-    "bg": "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI.",
-    "de": "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI.",
-    "ru": "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI.",
-    "zh": "Oops! Do not include task ID ({prefix}-N) in feature branch commits.\n  The task ID will be added automatically on merge via CI."
-  },
-  "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}": {
-    "en": "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}",
-    "bg": "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}",
-    "de": "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}",
-    "ru": "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}",
-    "zh": "Oops! Master branch commit must follow conventional format after task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <type>: <description>\n  Got:      {subject}"
-  },
-  "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}": {
-    "en": "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}",
-    "bg": "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}",
-    "de": "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}",
-    "ru": "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}",
-    "zh": "Oops! Master branch commits must start with a task ID.\n  Expected: {prefix}-N: <conventional commit message>\n  Got:      {subject}"
+  "{file} already exists. Use --force to overwrite.": {
+    "en": "{file} already exists. Use --force to overwrite.",
+    "bg": "{file} already exists. Use --force to overwrite.",
+    "de": "{file} already exists. Use --force to overwrite.",
+    "ru": "{file} already exists. Use --force to overwrite.",
+    "zh": "{file} already exists. Use --force to overwrite."
   }
 }

tests/unit/test_cli.py

@@ -166,6 +166,13 @@ class TestToolsCommands:
         assert result.exit_code == 0
         mock_run.assert_called_once_with("devx.tools.generate_badges", [])
 
+    @patch("devx.cli._run_module")
+    def test_tools_generate_cliff_config(self, mock_run: MagicMock) -> None:
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(cli, ["tools", "generate-cliff-config"])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        mock_run.assert_called_once_with("devx.tools.generate_cliff_config", [])
+
     @patch("devx.cli._run_module")
     def test_tools_install_checkmake(self, mock_run: MagicMock) -> None:
         runner = CliRunner()

tests/unit/test_generate_cliff_config.py

@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+"""Tests for devx.tools.generate_cliff_config."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import tomllib
+from pathlib import Path
+from unittest.mock import patch
+
+import pytest
+from click.testing import CliRunner
+
+from devx.tools.generate_cliff_config import main
+
+
+class TestGenerateCliffConfig:
+    """Tests for the generate_cliff_config tool."""
+
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def runner(self) -> CliRunner:
+        return CliRunner()
+
+    def test_generate_to_new_file(self, runner: CliRunner, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        """Generate cliff.toml to a new file."""
+        output = tmp_path / "cliff.toml"
+        result = runner.invoke(main, ["--prefix", "GRM", "--output", str(output)])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        assert output.exists()
+        content = output.read_text()
+        assert "git-cliff configuration for GRM" in content
+        assert 'pattern = "^GRM-\\\\d+:\\\\s+"' in content
+
+    def test_generate_with_default_prefix(self, runner: CliRunner, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        """Generate with default prefix (DEVX_TASK_PREFIX or 'DEVX')."""
+        output = tmp_path / "cliff.toml"
+        with patch("devx.tools.generate_cliff_config.TASK_PREFIX", "DEVX"):
+            result = runner.invoke(main, ["--output", str(output)])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        content = output.read_text()
+        assert "git-cliff configuration for DEVX" in content
+
+    def test_existing_file_without_force(self, runner: CliRunner, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        """Refuse to overwrite existing file without --force."""
+        output = tmp_path / "cliff.toml"
+        output.write_text("# existing")
+        result = runner.invoke(main, ["--prefix", "GRM", "--output", str(output)])
+        assert result.exit_code != 0
+        assert "already exists" in result.output
+        assert output.read_text() == "# existing"
+
+    def test_existing_file_with_force(self, runner: CliRunner, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        """Overwrite existing file with --force."""
+        output = tmp_path / "cliff.toml"
+        output.write_text("# existing")
+        result = runner.invoke(main, ["--prefix", "GRM", "--output", str(output), "--force"])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        content = output.read_text()
+        assert "git-cliff configuration for GRM" in content
+        assert "# existing" not in content
+
+    def test_generated_config_is_valid_toml(self, runner: CliRunner, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        """Generated config must be valid TOML."""
+        output = tmp_path / "cliff.toml"
+        result = runner.invoke(main, ["--prefix", "GRM", "--output", str(output)])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        with open(output, "rb") as f:
+            data = tomllib.load(f)
+        assert "changelog" in data
+        assert "git" in data
+        assert "bump" in data
+        assert data["bump"]["initial_tag"] == "0.1.0"
+        assert data["bump"]["features_always_bump_minor"] is True
+
+    def test_generated_config_has_correct_preprocessor(self, runner: CliRunner, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        """Preprocessor pattern must match the given prefix."""
+        output = tmp_path / "cliff.toml"
+        result = runner.invoke(main, ["--prefix", "INFRA", "--output", str(output)])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        with open(output, "rb") as f:
+            data = tomllib.load(f)
+        preprocessors = data["git"]["commit_preprocessors"]
+        assert len(preprocessors) == 1
+        pattern = preprocessors[0]["pattern"]
+        assert "INFRA" in pattern
+
+    def test_generated_config_has_commit_parsers(self, runner: CliRunner, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        """Generated config must have all standard commit parsers."""
+        output = tmp_path / "cliff.toml"
+        result = runner.invoke(main, ["--prefix", "GRM", "--output", str(output)])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        with open(output, "rb") as f:
+            data = tomllib.load(f)
+        parsers = data["git"]["commit_parsers"]
+        # Should have feat, fix, perf, refactor, doc, test, style, chore, ci, release, security, revert, catch-all
+        messages = [p["message"] for p in parsers if "message" in p]
+        assert "^feat" in messages
+        assert "^fix" in messages
+        assert "^perf" in messages
+        assert "^refactor" in messages
+        assert "^release:" in messages
+        assert "^revert" in messages
+        assert ".*" in messages  # catch-all
+
+    def test_default_output_path(self, runner: CliRunner, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        """Default output path is cliff.toml in current directory."""
+        output = tmp_path / "cliff.toml"
+        # Change to tmp_path so default cliff.toml is created there
+        import os
+
+        old_cwd = os.getcwd()
+        os.chdir(tmp_path)
+        try:
+            result = runner.invoke(main, ["--prefix", "GRM"])
+            assert result.exit_code == 0
+            assert output.exists()
+        finally:
+            os.chdir(old_cwd)
+
+    def test_success_message(self, runner: CliRunner, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+        """Success message includes file and prefix."""
+        output = tmp_path / "cliff.toml"
+        result = runner.invoke(main, ["--prefix", "GRM", "--output", str(output)])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        assert "Generated" in result.output
+        assert "GRM" in result.output

tests/unit/test_release.py

@@ -9,9 +9,16 @@ from click.testing import CliRunner
 from devx.ci.release import (
     commit_release_changes,
     create_and_push_tag,
+    fetch_tags,
+    get_all_tags,
     get_bumped_version,
     get_changelog,
+    get_changelog_versions,
+    get_commit_version,
+    get_head_commit,
+    get_init_version,
     get_latest_tag,
+    get_tag_commit,
     has_unreleased_changes,
     main,
     run_cmd,
@@ -19,6 +26,8 @@ from devx.ci.release import (
     tag_exists,
     update_changelog,
     update_init_version,
+    verify_alignment,
+    verify_tag_consistency,
 )
 
 
@@ -156,6 +165,534 @@ class TestUpdateInitVersion:
             update_init_version("0.2.0")
 
 
+class TestGetTagCommit:
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_returns_commit(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="abc123\n", stderr="")
+        assert get_tag_commit("v0.1.0") == "abc123"
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_returns_empty_on_failure(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=1, stdout="", stderr="err")
+        assert get_tag_commit("v0.1.0") == ""
+
+
+class TestGetHeadCommit:
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_returns_head(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="def456\n", stderr="")
+        assert get_head_commit() == "def456"
+
+
+class TestFetchTags:
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_success(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        fetch_tags()
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_failure_warns(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=1, stdout="", stderr="err")
+        # Should not raise
+        fetch_tags()
+
+
+class TestGetAllTags:
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_returns_tags(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="v0.3.0\nv0.2.0\nv0.1.0\n", stderr="")
+        tags = get_all_tags()
+        assert tags == ["v0.3.0", "v0.2.0", "v0.1.0"]
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_empty(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="\n", stderr="")
+        assert get_all_tags() == []
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_failure_returns_empty(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=1, stdout="", stderr="err")
+        assert get_all_tags() == []
+
+
+class TestGetCommitVersion:
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_release_commit(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="release: v0.4.4 [skip ci]\n", stderr="")
+        assert get_commit_version("abc123") == "0.4.4"
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_non_release_commit(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="DEVX-9 feat: add thing\n", stderr="")
+        assert get_commit_version("abc123") is None
+
+
+class TestVerifyTagConsistency:
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_commit_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    def test_all_consistent(self, mock_tags: MagicMock, mock_cv: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.2.0", "v0.1.0"]
+        mock_cv.side_effect = ["0.2.0", "0.1.0"]
+        errors = verify_tag_consistency()
+        assert errors == []
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_commit_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    def test_tag_on_non_release_commit(self, mock_tags: MagicMock, mock_cv: MagicMock) -> None:
+        # v0.1.0 is first (exempt), v0.2.0 is non-release (should error)
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.2.0", "v0.1.0"]
+        mock_cv.side_effect = [None, "0.1.0"]  # v0.2.0 non-release, v0.1.0 ok
+        errors = verify_tag_consistency()
+        assert len(errors) == 1
+        assert "non-release commit" in errors[0]
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_commit_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    def test_first_tag_exempt_from_release_check(self, mock_tags: MagicMock, mock_cv: MagicMock) -> None:
+        """The first (oldest) tag is allowed to point to a non-release commit."""
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.1.0"]
+        mock_cv.return_value = None  # non-release commit
+        errors = verify_tag_consistency()
+        assert errors == []  # no error — first tag is exempt
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_commit_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    def test_tag_version_mismatch(self, mock_tags: MagicMock, mock_cv: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.2.0"]
+        mock_cv.return_value = "0.1.0"
+        errors = verify_tag_consistency()
+        assert len(errors) == 1
+        assert "0.1.0" in errors[0]
+        assert "0.2.0" in errors[0]
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    def test_no_tags(self, mock_tags: MagicMock) -> None:
+        mock_tags.return_value = []
+        assert verify_tag_consistency() == []
+
+
+class TestGetInitVersion:
+    def test_returns_version(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch) -> None:
+        init_file = tmp_path / "__init__.py"
+        init_file.write_text('__version__ = "0.4.4"\n')
+        monkeypatch.setattr("devx.ci.release.INIT_FILE", str(init_file))
+        assert get_init_version() == "0.4.4"
+
+    def test_file_not_found(self, monkeypatch) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.setattr("devx.ci.release.INIT_FILE", "/nonexistent/path/__init__.py")
+        assert get_init_version() is None
+
+    def test_no_version_string(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch) -> None:
+        init_file = tmp_path / "__init__.py"
+        init_file.write_text('"""module"""\n')
+        monkeypatch.setattr("devx.ci.release.INIT_FILE", str(init_file))
+        assert get_init_version() is None
+
+
+class TestGetChangelogVersions:
+    def test_returns_versions(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch) -> None:
+        changelog = tmp_path / "CHANGELOG.md"
+        changelog.write_text(
+            "# Changelog\n\n## [0.4.4] - 2026-06-21\n\n### Features\n- new\n\n"
+            "## [0.4.3] - 2026-06-20\n\n### Fixes\n- fix\n\n## [0.4.2] - 2026-06-19\n"
+        )
+        monkeypatch.setattr("devx.ci.release.CHANGELOG_FILE", str(changelog))
+        versions = get_changelog_versions()
+        assert versions == ["0.4.4", "0.4.3", "0.4.2"]
+
+    def test_file_not_found(self, monkeypatch) -> None:
+        monkeypatch.setattr("devx.ci.release.CHANGELOG_FILE", "/nonexistent/CHANGELOG.md")
+        assert get_changelog_versions() == []
+
+
+class TestVerifyAlignment:
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_all_aligned(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify alignment passes when everything is consistent."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4", "v0.4.3"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []  # no tag errors
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.4"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.4", "0.4.3"]
+        # run_cmd is called for untagged release commits check
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        assert verify_alignment() == 0
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_misaligned_tags(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify alignment fails when tags are misaligned."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = ["  v0.1.0 → bad"]
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.4"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.4"]
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        assert verify_alignment() == 1
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_version_mismatch(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify alignment fails when __version__ != latest tag."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.3"  # mismatch
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.4"]
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        assert verify_alignment() == 1
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_changelog_duplicates(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify alignment fails when CHANGELOG has duplicate versions."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.4"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.4", "0.4.4"]  # duplicate
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        assert verify_alignment() == 1
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_changelog_out_of_order(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify alignment fails when CHANGELOG versions are not descending."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.4"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.3", "0.4.4"]  # out of order
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        assert verify_alignment() == 1
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_changelog_latest_mismatch(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify alignment fails when CHANGELOG latest != latest tag."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.4"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.3"]  # doesn't match tag
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        assert verify_alignment() == 1
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_changelog_unreleased_section(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify passes when CHANGELOG has one unreleased section ahead of tag."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.6.3"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.6.3", "v0.6.2"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.6.3"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.6.4", "0.6.3"]  # 0.6.4 is unreleased
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        assert verify_alignment() == 0
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_changelog_tag_at_wrong_position(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify fails when latest tag is deep in CHANGELOG (not at position 0 or 1)."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.4"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.5.0", "0.4.5", "0.4.4"]  # tag at position 2
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        assert verify_alignment() == 1
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_duplicate_release_commits_info(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify reports duplicate release commits as info, not error."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.6.1"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.6.1"]  # tag for 0.6.1 exists
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.6.1"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.6.1"]
+        # git log finds 2 release commits for v0.6.1, neither has tag pointing at it
+        # (the tag points to a third commit)
+        commits = "abc123 release: v0.6.1 [skip ci]\ndef456 release: v0.6.1 [skip ci]\n"
+        mock_run_cmd.side_effect = [
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout=commits, stderr=""),
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr=""),  # no tag at abc123
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr=""),  # no tag at def456
+        ]
+        # Should return 0 — duplicates are informational, not errors
+        assert verify_alignment() == 0
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_many_duplicate_release_commits(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify handles >5 duplicate release commits (truncation message)."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.6.1"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.6.1"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.6.1"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.6.1"]
+        # Generate 7 duplicate release commits for v0.6.1
+        commits = "\n".join(f"abc{i:03d} release: v0.6.1 [skip ci]" for i in range(7))
+        mock_run_cmd.side_effect = [
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout=commits + "\n", stderr=""),
+        ] + [MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="") for _ in range(7)]
+        assert verify_alignment() == 0
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_untagged_release_commits(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify alignment fails when there are untagged release commits."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.4"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.4"]
+        # git log finds release commits, then tag --points-at finds nothing
+        mock_run_cmd.side_effect = [
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="abc123 release: v0.3.0 [skip ci]\n", stderr=""),
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr=""),  # no tags at abc123
+        ]
+        assert verify_alignment() == 1
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_no_init_version(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify alignment fails when __version__ is not found."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = None  # not found
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.4"]
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        assert verify_alignment() == 1
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_all_release_commits_tagged(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify passes when all release commits have tags."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.4"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.4"]
+        # git log finds release commit, tag --points-at finds the tag
+        mock_run_cmd.side_effect = [
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="abc123 release: v0.4.4 [skip ci]\n", stderr=""),
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="v0.4.4\n", stderr=""),  # tag found
+        ]
+        assert verify_alignment() == 0
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_no_release_commits_found(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify handles case with no release commits at all."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.4"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.4"]
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=1, stdout="", stderr="")
+        assert verify_alignment() == 0
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag")
+    def test_many_untagged_release_commits(
+        self,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Verify handles >10 untagged release commits (truncation message)."""
+        mock_lt.return_value = "v0.4.4"
+        mock_tags.return_value = ["v0.4.4"]
+        mock_vtc.return_value = []
+        mock_iv.return_value = "0.4.4"
+        mock_cv.return_value = ["0.4.4"]
+        # Generate 15 untagged release commits
+        commits = "\n".join(f"abc{i:03d} release: v0.1.{i} [skip ci]" for i in range(15))
+        # First call returns all commits, subsequent calls return empty (no tags)
+        mock_run_cmd.side_effect = [
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout=commits + "\n", stderr=""),
+        ] + [MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="") for _ in range(15)]
+        assert verify_alignment() == 1
+
+
 class TestUpdateChangelog:
     def test_creates_new_file(self, tmp_path, monkeypatch) -> None:
         changelog_file = tmp_path / "CHANGELOG.md"
@@ -250,9 +787,17 @@ class TestCreateAndPushTag:
             assert call.args[0][0:2] != ["git", "push"]
             assert call.args[0][0:2] != ["git", "tag"]
 
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_head_commit", return_value="abc123")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_tag_commit", return_value="abc123")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.tag_exists", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
-    def test_tag_exists_skips_creation(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock, mock_tag_exists: MagicMock) -> None:
+    def test_tag_exists_skips_creation(
+        self,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+        mock_tag_exists: MagicMock,
+        mock_tag_commit: MagicMock,
+        mock_head_commit: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
         result = create_and_push_tag("0.1.0", "changelog", dry_run=False)
         assert result is False
         # Should not create tag, but should ensure it's pushed
@@ -260,13 +805,38 @@ class TestCreateAndPushTag:
         assert ["git", "tag", "-a"] not in [c[:3] for c in calls]
         assert ["git", "push", "origin", "v0.1.0"] in calls
 
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_head_commit", return_value="def456")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_tag_commit", return_value="abc123")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.tag_exists", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
-    def test_tag_exists_dry_run_no_push(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock, mock_tag_exists: MagicMock) -> None:
+    def test_tag_exists_mismatch_raises(
+        self,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+        mock_tag_exists: MagicMock,
+        mock_tag_commit: MagicMock,
+        mock_head_commit: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Tag exists but points to different commit than HEAD → error."""
+        with pytest.raises(click.ClickException, match="misalignment"):
+            create_and_push_tag("0.1.0", "changelog", dry_run=False)
+
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_head_commit", return_value="abc123")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_tag_commit", return_value="abc123")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.tag_exists", return_value=True)
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_tag_exists_dry_run_no_push(
+        self,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+        mock_tag_exists: MagicMock,
+        mock_tag_commit: MagicMock,
+        mock_head_commit: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
         result = create_and_push_tag("0.1.0", "changelog", dry_run=True)
         assert result is False
-        # No git commands at all in dry-run when tag exists
-        mock_run_cmd.assert_not_called()
+        # No push in dry-run when tag exists, but alignment check still runs
+        for call in mock_run_cmd.call_args_list:
+            assert call.args[0][0:2] != ["git", "push"]
+            assert call.args[0][0:2] != ["git", "tag"]
 
 
 class TestRunTests:
@@ -302,6 +872,13 @@ class TestRunTests:
 
 
 class TestMain:
+    """Tests for the main release command.
+
+    All tests mock fetch_tags and verify_tag_consistency since these
+    are pre-flight checks that call git commands. Tests that need to
+    verify specific git call sequences mock run_cmd with side_effect.
+    """
+
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
     @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
     def test_not_on_master_exits(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock) -> None:
@@ -312,9 +889,12 @@ class TestMain:
         assert "master" in result.output
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=False)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
-    def test_dry_run_on_non_master_warns(self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock, mock_uf: MagicMock) -> None:
+    def test_dry_run_on_non_master_warns(
+        self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock, mock_uf: MagicMock, mock_vtc: MagicMock
+    ) -> None:
         """Dry-run mode should not fail on non-master branches."""
         mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="feature-branch\n", stderr="")
         runner = CliRunner()
@@ -323,13 +903,22 @@ class TestMain:
         assert "Dry-run mode" in result.output
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_head_commit", return_value="abc123")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_tag_commit", return_value="abc123")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
     def test_release_lock_skips_when_head_is_release_commit_and_tag_exists(
-        self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock, mock_uf: MagicMock
+        self,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+        mock_uf: MagicMock,
+        mock_ft: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_tc: MagicMock,
+        mock_hc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         """If HEAD is a release commit and the tag exists, skip."""
-        # git rev-parse, git log -1, git tag -l (tag exists)
         mock_run_cmd.side_effect = [
             MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr=""),
             MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="release: v0.5.0\n", stderr=""),
@@ -342,14 +931,47 @@ class TestMain:
         assert "Skipping" in result.output
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_head_commit", return_value="def456")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_tag_commit", return_value="abc123")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=True)
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_release_lock_tag_points_elsewhere(
+        self,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+        mock_uf: MagicMock,
+        mock_ft: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
+        mock_tc: MagicMock,
+        mock_hc: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """If HEAD is a release commit but tag points elsewhere, error."""
+        mock_run_cmd.side_effect = [
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr=""),
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="release: v0.5.0\n", stderr=""),
+            MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="v0.5.0\n", stderr=""),  # tag -l finds tag
+        ]
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(main, [])
+        assert result.exit_code != 0
+        assert "misalignment" in result.output
+
+    @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog", return_value="## changelog")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.create_and_push_tag", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
     def test_release_lock_recovers_when_tag_missing(
-        self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock, mock_create_tag: MagicMock, mock_changelog: MagicMock
+        self,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+        mock_create_tag: MagicMock,
+        mock_changelog: MagicMock,
+        mock_ft: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         """If HEAD is a release commit but the tag is missing, create the tag."""
-        # git rev-parse, git log -1, git tag -l (tag NOT found)
         mock_run_cmd.side_effect = [
             MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr=""),
             MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="release: v0.5.0\n", stderr=""),
@@ -363,6 +985,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_create_tag.assert_called_once_with("0.5.0", "## changelog", False)
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_unreleased_changes", return_value=False)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.get_bumped_version", return_value="0.2.0")
@@ -373,6 +997,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_bumped: MagicMock,
         mock_has: MagicMock,
         mock_user: MagicMock,
+        mock_ft: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr="")
         runner = CliRunner()
@@ -381,6 +1007,7 @@ class TestMain:
         assert "No unreleased changes" in result.output
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.create_and_push_tag")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.commit_release_changes")
@@ -403,6 +1030,7 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_commit: MagicMock,
         mock_tag: MagicMock,
         mock_user: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         """Empty changelog should fail, not warn."""
         mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr="")
@@ -412,6 +1040,7 @@ class TestMain:
         assert "empty changelog" in result.output.lower()
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.create_and_push_tag")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.commit_release_changes")
@@ -434,6 +1063,7 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_commit: MagicMock,
         mock_tag: MagicMock,
         mock_user: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr="")
         runner = CliRunner()
@@ -446,6 +1076,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_tag.assert_not_called()
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag", return_value="v0.3.0")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=False)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
@@ -454,6 +1086,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
         mock_user_facing: MagicMock,
         mock_latest: MagicMock,
+        mock_ft: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         """Release is skipped when only workflow/infra files changed."""
         mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr="")
@@ -464,6 +1098,8 @@ class TestMain:
         assert "Skipping release" in result.output
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.run_tests")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.create_and_push_tag", return_value=True)
@@ -488,6 +1124,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_tag: MagicMock,
         mock_run_tests: MagicMock,
         mock_user: MagicMock,
+        mock_ft: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr="")
         runner = CliRunner()
@@ -501,6 +1139,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_tag.assert_called_once_with("0.2.0", "changelog", False)
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.run_tests")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.create_and_push_tag", return_value=False)
@@ -525,6 +1165,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_tag: MagicMock,
         mock_run_tests: MagicMock,
         mock_user: MagicMock,
+        mock_ft: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         """When tag already exists, still update files but report existing tag."""
         mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr="")
@@ -535,6 +1177,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_tag.assert_called_once_with("0.1.0", "changelog", False)
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.create_and_push_tag", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.commit_release_changes", return_value=True)
@@ -557,6 +1201,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_commit: MagicMock,
         mock_tag: MagicMock,
         mock_user: MagicMock,
+        mock_ft: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         """--skip-tests bypasses test verification."""
         mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr="")
@@ -569,6 +1215,8 @@ class TestMain:
         assert make_calls == []
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.create_and_push_tag")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.commit_release_changes")
@@ -591,6 +1239,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_commit: MagicMock,
         mock_tag: MagicMock,
         mock_user: MagicMock,
+        mock_ft: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         """If tests fail, release aborts — no commit, no tag."""
         # Calls: git rev-parse (master), git log -1 (release lock check),
@@ -609,6 +1259,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_tag.assert_not_called()
 
     @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.has_user_facing_changes", return_value=True)
     @patch("devx.ci.release.create_and_push_tag")
     @patch("devx.ci.release.commit_release_changes")
@@ -631,6 +1283,8 @@ class TestMain:
         mock_commit: MagicMock,
         mock_tag: MagicMock,
         mock_user: MagicMock,
+        mock_ft: MagicMock,
+        mock_vtc: MagicMock,
     ) -> None:
         """If lint fails, release aborts — no commit, no tag."""
         # Calls: git rev-parse (master), git log -1 (release lock check),
@@ -646,3 +1300,38 @@ class TestMain:
         assert "Lint failed" in result.output
         mock_commit.assert_not_called()
         mock_tag.assert_not_called()
+
+    @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_changelog_versions", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_init_version", return_value="0.1.0")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_all_tags", return_value=[])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.get_latest_tag", return_value="")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_verify_mode_no_tags(
+        self,
+        mock_run_cmd: MagicMock,
+        mock_lt: MagicMock,
+        mock_tags: MagicMock,
+        mock_iv: MagicMock,
+        mock_cv: MagicMock,
+    ) -> None:
+        """--verify checks alignment and exits without releasing."""
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="", stderr="")
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(main, ["--verify"])
+        assert result.exit_code == 0
+        assert "Release Alignment Verification" in result.output
+
+    @patch.dict("os.environ", {})
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.verify_tag_consistency", return_value=["  v0.1.0 → bad"])
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.fetch_tags")
+    @patch("devx.ci.release.run_cmd")
+    def test_preflight_tag_consistency_fails(
+        self, mock_run_cmd: MagicMock, mock_ft: MagicMock, mock_vtc: MagicMock
+    ) -> None:
+        """Pre-flight tag consistency check aborts if tags are misaligned."""
+        mock_run_cmd.return_value = MagicMock(returncode=0, stdout="master\n", stderr="")
+        runner = CliRunner()
+        result = runner.invoke(main, [])
+        assert result.exit_code != 0
+        assert "Tag consistency check failed" in result.output