* ci(release): split channel pipelines and automate version transitions
Introduce dedicated next/release orchestration workflows backed by a reusable publish pipeline with RC/final package version updates and post-release main dev bump PRs. Add a strict release process SOP with RC freeze, hotfix override, and mandatory backport rules.
* ci(release): gate main-to-next promotion on green CI
Add a dedicated workflow that validates main branch checks/statuses and block the promote-main-to-next flow unless main is green. Update the release SOP to reflect the enforced pre-promotion validation.
* ci(release): fix channel promotion edge cases and policy gaps
Switch channel promotions to reset-based snapshots with force-with-lease pushes, stop auto-merging channel nix-refresh PRs, and guard main dev bump against version downgrades. Add RC changelog fallback, require AUR release updates in SOP, and extend npmDepsHash sync to main/next/release pushes.
* docs(release): clarify backport and nix refresh survivability rules
Require RC fix backports to reach main before the next main-to-next promotion, and document that channel-local nix refresh PRs are advisory unless equivalent changes are merged into main.
Add a GitHub Actions workflow that recomputes prefetch-npm-deps from
package-lock.json and updates nix/upstream-sources.json so Nix builds stay
aligned without manual hash edits.
cucadmuh