As upstream maintainer, I * use git from the upstream repo git clone ssh://common-lisp.net/project/asdf/git/asdf.git * checkout the release branch git checkout release * do dark magic to create a release, merging with master, renumbering the version, then: git commit * do the releasing: git tag 2.00x ; make archive-copy ; make website ; git tag -f RELEASE ; make push * edit debian files, then: git commit * create debian package: make debian-package * if unsatisfied, edit debian files some more then git commit --amend then goto previous point. If ever debian diverges from upstream, you should adapt accordingly. The below notes are obsolete, but might give you ideas how to do it. ------>8------>8------>8------>8------>8------>8------>8------>8------>8------ To build this package you need to get the git repository: git clone git://git.debian.org/git/pkg-common-lisp/cl-asdf.git Get the upstream branch too: cd cl-asdf git checkout -t -b upstream remotes/origin/upstream Then you need to setup the following remotes: git remote add upstream git://common-lisp.net/projects/asdf/asdf.git To update the package from upstream do: git checkout upstream git pull upstream release:upstream git whatchanged #git tag upstream/ # not necessary anymore, now that we use the same as upstream. git checkout master git pull . upstream To build: git-buildpackage -uc -us please check your package with: lintian --verbose --info --display-info --md5sums *.changes Then commit any changes and either send me the diff or push this to somewhere were I can fetch it.