cargo-rail:

feat: safety and correctness improvements

Affected/Test correctness:
- Handle deletes/renames/copies in change detection (git diff --name-status)
- Fix file-to-crate mapping for paths that no longer exist

Config validation:
- Add --strict/--no-strict flags for CI vs local behavior (ugly, but important)
- Auto strict in CI environments (GITHUB_ACTIONS, etc.)
- Validate unknown keys and surface parse errors before WorkspaceContext

Release safety:
- Replace `cargo update --workspace` with targeted `--package <crate>` updates
- Refuse release from detached HEAD
- Require --yes flag when releasing from non-default branch

Author: loadingalias

README.md

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
   <a href="https://crates.io/crates/cargo-rail"><img src="https://img.shields.io/crates/v/cargo-rail.svg" alt="Crates.io"></a>
   <a href="https://crates.io/crates/cargo-rail"><img src="https://img.shields.io/crates/d/cargo-rail.svg" alt="Downloads"></a>
   <a href="LICENSE"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg" alt="License: MIT"></a>
-  <a href="https://www.rust-lang.org"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/rust-1.92.0%2B-orange.svg" alt="Rust 1.92.0+"></a>
+  <a href="https://www.rust-lang.org"><img src="https://img.shields.io/badge/rust-1.91.0%2B-orange.svg" alt="Rust 1.91.0+"></a>
 </p>
 
 <p align="center">
@@ -130,6 +130,7 @@ What it does:
 - **Unifies versions** based on Cargo's resolver output
 - **Computes MSRV** from the dependency graph
 - **Prunes dead features** that are never enabled
+- **Fixes undeclared features** that don't exist on the dependency
 - **Detects unused deps** (opt-in)
 - **Pins transitives** — replaces `cargo-hakari` without a workspace-hack crate
 

docs/commands.md

@@ -703,6 +703,8 @@ Examples:
 ```
 Validate the configuration file
 
+Checks for parse errors, unknown keys, and semantic issues. By default, unknown keys warn locally but error in CI environments (detected via CI, GITHUB_ACTIONS, GITLAB_CI, or CIRCLECI env vars).
+
 Usage: cargo rail config validate [OPTIONS]
 
 Options:
@@ -726,6 +728,12 @@ Options:
       --json
           Output in JSON format (shorthand for -f json)
 
+      --strict
+          Treat warnings as errors (auto-enabled in CI)
+
+      --no-strict
+          Never treat warnings as errors (overrides CI auto-detection)
+
   -h, --help
           Print help (see a summary with '-h')
 

docs/config.md

@@ -675,23 +675,49 @@ paths = [{ crate = "crates/server" }]
 
 ## Validation
 
-cargo-rail validates configuration on load:
+cargo-rail provides comprehensive configuration validation via `cargo rail config validate`:
 
 ```bash
-# Check configuration validity
-cargo rail init --check
+cargo rail config validate              # Validate rail.toml
+cargo rail config validate --strict     # Treat warnings as errors
+cargo rail config validate --no-strict  # Force warnings-only mode
+cargo rail config validate -f json      # JSON output for CI integration
+```
+
+### What Gets Validated
+
+1. **Syntax** - TOML parse errors with line/column information
+2. **Unknown keys** - Typos like `mrsv_source` instead of `msrv_source`
+3. **Semantic validation** - Split config requirements, target triple formats
+4. **Deprecation warnings** - Future-proofing for config migrations
+
+### CI Auto-Strict Mode
+
+By default, validation runs in **strict mode** when CI is detected (via `CI`, `GITHUB_ACTIONS`, `GITLAB_CI`, or `CIRCLECI` environment variables):
 
-# Commands will error on invalid config
-cargo rail unify  # Validates config before running
+- **In CI**: Unknown keys and other warnings become errors (exit code 2)
+- **Locally**: Unknown keys are warnings only
+
+Override with `--strict` or `--no-strict` flags.
+
+### Example CI Usage
+
+```yaml
+# .github/workflows/ci.yml
+- name: Validate config
+  run: cargo rail config validate
+  # Auto-strict in CI - fails on unknown keys
 ```
 
-Common validation errors:
+### Common Validation Errors
 
-- **Invalid glob patterns** in `change-detection`
-- **Single mode with multiple paths** in split config
-- **Combined mode with one path** in split config
-- **Empty remote** in split config
-- **Unknown crate names** in `skip_changelog_for`
+| Error | Cause |
+|-------|-------|
+| TOML parse error at line X | Syntax error (missing quotes, invalid structure) |
+| Unknown top-level key 'foo' | Typo in section name |
+| Unknown key 'bar' in [unify] | Typo in field name or deprecated option |
+| Missing required field: remote | Split config without remote URL |
+| 'foo' doesn't look like a valid target | Target triple missing architecture separator |
 
 ## Migration
 

src/commands/cli.rs

@@ -298,10 +298,20 @@ pub enum Commands {
 #[derive(Subcommand)]
 pub enum ConfigCommand {
   /// Validate the configuration file
+  ///
+  /// Checks for parse errors, unknown keys, and semantic issues.
+  /// By default, unknown keys warn locally but error in CI environments
+  /// (detected via CI, GITHUB_ACTIONS, GITLAB_CI, or CIRCLECI env vars).
   Validate {
     /// Output format
     #[arg(long, short = 'f', default_value_t, value_enum)]
     format: OutputFormat,
+    /// Treat warnings as errors (auto-enabled in CI)
+    #[arg(long, conflicts_with = "no_strict")]
+    strict: bool,
+    /// Never treat warnings as errors (overrides CI auto-detection)
+    #[arg(long, conflicts_with = "strict")]
+    no_strict: bool,
   },
   /// Sync configuration: add missing fields and update targets
   ///
@@ -396,6 +406,9 @@ pub enum ReleaseCommand {
     /// Skip git tag creation
     #[arg(long)]
     skip_tag: bool,
+    /// Skip confirmation prompts and allow non-default branch
+    #[arg(short = 'y', long)]
+    yes: bool,
     /// Output format
     #[arg(long, short = 'f', default_value_t, value_enum)]
     format: OutputFormat,
@@ -441,7 +454,7 @@ impl Commands {
         ReleaseCommand::Run { format, .. } | ReleaseCommand::Check { format, .. } => format.is_json_like(),
       },
       Commands::Config { command } => match command {
-        ConfigCommand::Validate { format } | ConfigCommand::Sync { format, .. } => format.is_json_like(),
+        ConfigCommand::Validate { format, .. } | ConfigCommand::Sync { format, .. } => format.is_json_like(),
       },
       _ => false,
     }
@@ -463,7 +476,7 @@ impl Commands {
       } => *format = OutputFormat::Json,
       Commands::Release { .. } => {}
       Commands::Config { command } => match command {
-        ConfigCommand::Validate { format } | ConfigCommand::Sync { format, .. } => *format = OutputFormat::Json,
+        ConfigCommand::Validate { format, .. } | ConfigCommand::Sync { format, .. } => *format = OutputFormat::Json,
       },
       _ => {}
     }