Move a Publication

Changing a target’s publication (its repository, revision, or pathPrefix) starts a new publication. Nyl reconciles only inside the current prefix, so it leaves the old prefix, its catalog, and its ownership index untouched, and it does not carry fromPublication state across. diff-tree --against source warns with publication_moved in the pull request that makes the change.

Move a target from prod/ to production/ on one publication branch in this order:

1. Before merging, copy the target’s state files to the new prefix in a commit on the publication branch, for example with mkdir -p production/state && cp prod/state/images.json production/state/. Copy rather than move, because the old publication still reads them until the merge. A prefix without an ownership index may hold declared state files, so the first publication reads them and adopts carried ones.
2. Merge the change and run publish-tree. It writes every manifest and a fresh _nyl/index.json under production/.
3. Point Argo CD at the new prefix: apply the new parent catalog Application once, as after a first publication. It keeps its name, so it replaces the old parent’s source path, and the child Applications follow the new catalog.
4. Delete the old prefix, including prod/_nyl/index.json, in one commit on the publication branch. Do not move the old index: it records the old destination, and Nyl rejects an index recorded for another publication.

When the repository or branch changes, do the same across the two branches.