Merge main back to rc automatically after release

[airikej]

Problem

When using semantic-release, the main branch is automatically updated with a new version and changelog after each production release. However, the rc (release candidate) branch is not automatically synced with main.
If this merge is forgotten or delayed:

• The rc branch will miss the latest version bump and changelog updates from main.
• Subsequent RC releases will rebase from an outdated version, causing incorrect version sequencing (e.g., publishing 1.3.0-rc.1 after 1.4.0 is already live).
• This can lead to conflicts, duplicate changelog entries, and semantic-release misbehavior, such as skipping releases or miscalculating the next version number.
• Manual merges are error-prone and can block the release workflow.

Solution

Implement an automated merge process that:

• Runs after every successful release on main.
• Merges main back into rc (either directly or via a PR) to ensure both branches stay synchronized.

This ensures that each new RC version starts from the latest stable base, keeping semantic-release’s versioning consistent and the workflow fully automated.