fix: stamp the chart with a real version outside the release pipeline

[tejassinghbhati]

Description

Chart.yaml has carried version: 0.1.0 and appVersion: "v0.4.1" since the chart landed and is not bumped at release, so installing from a checkout deploys the previous release. This is still true at the v0.5.0 tag:

$ git checkout v0.5.0
$ helm template x ./charts/node-readiness-controller --show-only templates/deployment.yaml | grep image:
    image: "registry.k8s.io/node-readiness-controller/node-readiness-controller:v0.4.1"

The published chart is correct because build-helm stamps it at package time, but RELEASE_VERSION is only ever set by scripts/build-and-publish.sh and is undefined in the Makefile. Running the documented target outside that script expands to --version "" --app-version "", which helm package does not reject. It falls back to Chart.yaml and quietly emits a 0.1.0 chart pinned to v0.4.1.

So this does two things. RELEASE_VERSION now defaults to the VERSION file, which already holds the release being cut, and Chart.yaml is synced with it.

Bumping Chart.yaml on its own would fix the install path but leave make build-helm dependent on the publish script, which is why both are here.

Related Issue

Fixes #452

Type of Change

/kind bug

Testing

Source install now deploys the right image:

$ helm template x ./charts/node-readiness-controller --show-only templates/deployment.yaml | grep image:
    image: "registry.k8s.io/node-readiness-controller/node-readiness-controller:v0.5.0"

The publish path is unaffected, since ?= yields to the environment:

$ make -n build-helm                          # --version "0.5.0"   --app-version "v0.5.0"
$ RELEASE_VERSION=v9.9.9 make -n build-helm    # --version "9.9.9"   --app-version "v9.9.9"

helm unittest --strict passes, 37 tests across 6 suites. helm lint clean. The bundled CRD still matches config/crd/bases, so verify-chart-drift.sh is unaffected.

The RELEASE.md line is the part that stops it recurring. Step 2 already lists the VERSION file and releases.md but not Chart.yaml, which is why it never moved. Same shape as #395.

Checklist

• make test passes
• make lint passes

Does this PR introduce a user-facing change?

Fixed the Helm chart's version and appVersion being stale, which caused installs from a source checkout to deploy the previous controller release. `make build-helm` now stamps the chart from the VERSION file instead of silently emitting an unversioned one.

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[kubernetes-prow]

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[yindia]

One small thought: since Chart.yaml version now has to stay in lockstep with the VERSION file, could we drop the hardcoded values and let it fall back? Or if we're keeping it static, maybe worth a quick verify check so a future release can't forget the bump again, the RELEASE.md line helps, but it's still a manual step that already drifted once.

Not blocking, just thinking about how to keep it from going stale a second time.

[kubernetes-prow]

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This pull-request has been approved by: tejassinghbhati, yindia
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[tejassinghbhati]

Good call, added the check in de5a03a rather than leaving it to the checklist.

Cannot really drop the values though. version is required in Chart.yaml, and appVersion feeds the image tag through default .Chart.AppVersion .Values.image.tag, so an empty one renders the image with no tag at all.

So verify-chart-drift.sh now fails if appVersion drifts from the VERSION file, or if version drifts from it without the leading v. Flipping appVersion back to v0.4.1 locally trips it.

[tejassinghbhati]

Rebased onto main, still clean.