Remove what 3.7.0 deprecated (4.0.0)

.github/workflows/specs.yml

@@ -9,29 +9,18 @@
       - develop
 
 jobs:
-  # This patch release changes no version constraint, so the matrix records the
-  # range the gem is verified against rather than narrowing what it allows -
-  # older Ruby and Rails remain permitted, just untested. Rails 6.1/7.0 and
-  # Ruby 2.7 are left out deliberately: they are long past upstream support,
-  # and they were the cells that needed harness pins (Rails <= 7.0 pins its
-  # sqlite3 adapter to `~> 1.4`, Rails < 7.1 predates concurrent-ruby 1.3.5
-  # dropping a Logger constant) or a pinned runner image. The Gemfile still
-  # accepts those overrides for reproducing an old combination locally.
+  # Every combination the gemspec allows: Ruby 3.2+ against Rails 7.2+. The
+  # floors and the matrix are the same set now, which they were not before 4.0.
   specs:
     name: Ruby ${{ matrix.ruby }} / Rails ${{ matrix.rails }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         include:
-          - { ruby: '3.0', rails: '~> 7.1.0' }
-          - { ruby: '3.1', rails: '~> 7.1.0' }
-          - { ruby: '3.1', rails: '~> 7.2.0' }
-          - { ruby: '3.2', rails: '~> 7.1.0' }
           - { ruby: '3.2', rails: '~> 7.2.0' }
           - { ruby: '3.2', rails: '~> 8.0.0' }
           - { ruby: '3.2', rails: '~> 8.1.0' }
-          - { ruby: '3.3', rails: '~> 7.1.0' }
           - { ruby: '3.3', rails: '~> 7.2.0' }
           - { ruby: '3.3', rails: '~> 8.0.0' }
           - { ruby: '3.3', rails: '~> 8.1.0' }
@@ -52,41 +41,50 @@
       - name: Run specs
         run: bundle exec rspec
 
-  # Sidekiq is optional, so it gets its own axis rather than multiplying the
-  # matrix above. All three states a consumer can be in are covered: absent,
-  # present with strict argument checking (the Sidekiq 7+ default), and present
-  # with it disabled. The 6.5 leg covers the Sidekiq::Worker-era fallback path.
-  sidekiq:
-    name: Sidekiq ${{ matrix.sidekiq }} (strict args ${{ matrix.strict_args || 'absent' }})
+  # Sidekiq and Slack are optional integrations, so they get their own axis
+  # rather than multiplying the matrix above. Every state a consumer can be in
+  # is covered: each gem absent, and Sidekiq present with strict argument
+  # checking both at its default and disabled.
+  optional:
+    name: ${{ matrix.name }}
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     strategy:
       fail-fast: false
       matrix:
         include:
-          - { sidekiq: '~> 6.5' }
-          - { sidekiq: '~> 7.0', strict_args: 'raise' }
-          - { sidekiq: '~> 7.0', strict_args: 'false' }
-          - { sidekiq: '~> 8.0', strict_args: 'raise' }
-          - { sidekiq: '~> 8.0', strict_args: 'false' }
-          - { sidekiq: 'none' }
+          - { name: 'Sidekiq 7 (strict args raise)', sidekiq: '~> 7.0', strict_args: 'raise' }
+          - { name: 'Sidekiq 7 (strict args false)', sidekiq: '~> 7.0', strict_args: 'false' }
+          - { name: 'Sidekiq 8 (strict args raise)', sidekiq: '~> 8.0', strict_args: 'raise' }
+          - { name: 'Sidekiq 8 (strict args false)', sidekiq: '~> 8.0', strict_args: 'false' }
+          - { name: 'Sidekiq absent', sidekiq: 'none' }
+          - { name: 'slack-notifier absent', slack_notifier: 'none' }
+          - { name: 'Neither installed', sidekiq: 'none', slack_notifier: 'none' }
     env:
       SIDEKIQ_VERSION: ${{ matrix.sidekiq }}
       SIDEKIQ_STRICT_ARGS: ${{ matrix.strict_args }}
+      SLACK_NOTIFIER: ${{ matrix.slack_notifier }}
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
       - uses: ruby/setup-ruby@v1
         with:
           ruby-version: '3.4'
           bundler-cache: true
       - name: Run specs
         run: |
-          if [ "$SIDEKIQ_VERSION" = "none" ]; then
-            bundle exec rspec --exclude-pattern "sidekiq/**/*_spec.rb"
+          # --exclude-pattern does not accumulate; the patterns go in one
+          # comma-separated value.
+          patterns=""
+          [ "$SIDEKIQ_VERSION" = "none" ] && patterns="sidekiq/**/*_spec.rb"
+          if [ "$SLACK_NOTIFIER" = "none" ]; then
+            patterns="${patterns:+$patterns,}slack/**/*_spec.rb"
+          fi
+          if [ -n "$patterns" ]; then
+            bundle exec rspec --exclude-pattern "$patterns"
           else
             bundle exec rspec
           fi
 
   sonarqube:
     name: SonarQube
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -6,7 +6,48 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](http://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
-## [3.7.0] - 2026-09-10
+## [4.0.0] - unreleased
+
+Removes everything 3.7.0 deprecated. Nothing here is a surprise if you upgraded
+to 3.7.0 and cleared its warnings; see Upgrading from 3.x in README.md.
+
+### Breaking
+- Ruby 3.2 and Rails 7.2 are the minimum, enforced by `required_ruby_version`
+  and `railties`/`activerecord >= 7.2`. Every combination CI verifies is now at
+  or above the floors, which was not true before
+- `slack-notifier` is no longer a runtime dependency. `Patches::Notifier`
+  requires it inside a `begin`/`rescue`, so the `defined?(Slack)` guard it always
+  carried finally does something. Applications that set `config.use_slack` add
+  `gem 'slack-notifier'` themselves
+- The Capistrano integration is removed - `require 'patches/capistrano'` and its
+  `patches:run` task. Invoke `bundle exec rake patches:run` from your deployment
+  process instead; `docs/usage.md` shows where
+- The workers include `Sidekiq::Job` directly, so Sidekiq 6.3 or newer is
+  required when the integration is used. `Patches.sidekiq_job_module` and its
+  `Sidekiq::Worker` fallback are gone
+- The install migration declares `ActiveRecord::Migration[7.2]` rather than
+  `[5.0]`. A fresh `patches_patches` therefore gets `datetime(6)` timestamp
+  columns, matching what a modern Rails schema uses, where `[5.0]`
+  compatibility produced `datetime` without precision. Existing installs are
+  untouched - they ran their own copy of the file long ago
+- Rails is required rather than guarded for. `railties` and `activerecord` were
+  always hard dependencies and the gem ships an engine, so the `defined?(Rails)`
+  checks described a mode nobody used - one of them read `defined?(:Rails)`,
+  always truthy, unnoticed until 3.6.3. `lib/patches.rb` now requires `rails`,
+  because loading the engine without it fails
+
+### Removed
+- The deprecation warnings 3.7.0 added, now that what they announced has
+  happened. `Patches.deprecator` itself stays - applications were told to
+  configure it - and its horizon points at the next major
+
+### Changed
+- CI covers every combination the gemspec allows, 12 cells rather than a wider
+  range, plus a leg for each optional-integration state: Sidekiq 7.x and 8.x
+  with strict arguments on and off, Sidekiq absent, `slack-notifier` absent, and
+  neither installed - the last of which nothing covered before
+
+## [3.7.0] - 2026-09-17
 
 Declares dependencies the gem always relied on, and announces what 4.0 is
 expected to require. No public API changes and no version constraint moves, so

Gemfile

@@ -16,10 +16,8 @@ def version_requirement(name, default = nil)
   value.empty? ? default : value
 end
 
-# Unset, this resolves to the newest Rails the running Ruby allows. The gemspec
-# floor stays at railties >= 3.2; see Compatibility in README.md for the range
-# CI verifies.
-gem 'rails', version_requirement('RAILS_VERSION', '>= 7.1')
+# Unset, this resolves to the newest Rails the running Ruby allows.
+gem 'rails', version_requirement('RAILS_VERSION', '>= 7.2')
 
 # Rails pins its sqlite3 adapter: <= 7.0 needs `~> 1.4`, 7.1 accepts either,
 # 8.0+ needs `>= 2.1`. Unset, bundler picks the newest 2.x.
@@ -30,6 +28,11 @@ gem 'sqlite3', version_requirement('SQLITE3_VERSION', '>= 1.4')
 concurrent_ruby = version_requirement('CONCURRENT_RUBY_VERSION')
 gem 'concurrent-ruby', concurrent_ruby if concurrent_ruby
 
+# Slack notifications are optional too. SLACK_NOTIFIER=none leaves the gem out,
+# which exercises the `defined?(Slack)` guard in Patches::Notifier.
+slack_notifier = version_requirement('SLACK_NOTIFIER', '')
+gem 'slack-notifier' unless slack_notifier == 'none'
+
 # Sidekiq is an optional integration, not a runtime dependency. SIDEKIQ_VERSION
 # =none leaves it out entirely so the `defined?(Sidekiq)` guards get exercised.
 # The library itself still supports older Sidekiq through

README.md

@@ -56,25 +56,22 @@ deployment and the Capistrano task.
 
 ## Compatibility
 
-This release changes no version constraint: the gemspec still requires only
-`railties >= 3.2` and sets no Ruby floor, so anything that installed 3.6.2
-installs 3.6.3. The table is what CI verifies, which is narrower than what the
-gem permits - older Ruby and Rails are untested here, not blocked.
-
-| | Rails 7.1 | Rails 7.2 | Rails 8.0 | Rails 8.1 |
-|---|---|---|---|---|
-| **Ruby 3.0** | ✅ | | | |
-| **Ruby 3.1** | ✅ | ✅ | | |
-| **Ruby 3.2** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
-| **Ruby 3.3** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
-| **Ruby 3.4** | | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
-| **Ruby 4.0** | | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
-
-A blank cell is a pairing Rails itself does not support. Ruby 2.7 and Rails
-6.1/7.0 are deliberately not exercised - they are well past upstream support -
-though the gem still installs and, as of this release, passes on them.
-
-Ruby 4.0 is newer than all of these Rails releases, so those cells record that
+| | Minimum |
+|---|---|
+| Ruby | 3.2 |
+| Rails | 7.2 |
+
+Every combination the gemspec allows is verified on each push and pull request -
+the floors and the matrix are the same set, which they were not before 4.0:
+
+| | Rails 7.2 | Rails 8.0 | Rails 8.1 |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| **Ruby 3.2** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
+| **Ruby 3.3** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
+| **Ruby 3.4** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
+| **Ruby 4.0** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
+
+Ruby 4.0 is newer than all three Rails releases, so those cells record that
 Patches is verified on it, not that Rails claims support for it.
 
 ### Sidekiq
@@ -83,17 +80,21 @@ Sidekiq is an **optional** integration, not a runtime dependency: Patches runs
 each patch inline when Sidekiq is absent. Set `config.use_sidekiq = true` to run
 them in the background - see [docs/usage.md](docs/usage.md).
 
-The workers resolve their mixin at load time via `Patches.sidekiq_job_module`,
-preferring `Sidekiq::Job` (the name Sidekiq has used since 6.3) and falling back
-to `Sidekiq::Worker`, so older Sidekiq keeps working. CI covers each state a
-consumer can be in:
+The workers include `Sidekiq::Job`, so Sidekiq 6.3 or newer is required when the
+integration is used - 6.2 and earlier predate that constant. CI covers each
+state a consumer can be in:
 
 | State | Covered by |
 |---|---|
 | Sidekiq not installed | A leg omitting the gem entirely, exercising the `defined?(Sidekiq)` guards |
 | Installed, strict arguments on | Sidekiq 7.x and 8.x at their default (`:raise`) |
 | Installed, strict arguments off | Sidekiq 7.x and 8.x with `Sidekiq.strict_args!(false)` |
-| Older Sidekiq | A 6.5 leg, plus a spec covering the `Sidekiq::Worker` fallback |
+
+### Slack
+
+Slack notifications are optional and Patches does not install
+`slack-notifier` - add `gem 'slack-notifier'` to your own Gemfile if you set
+`config.use_slack`. CI runs a leg without it to keep that path honest.
 
 ### Running one combination locally
 
@@ -146,26 +147,23 @@ combination again, and delete `test.db` when switching between them: the suite
 creates `patches_patches` only when it is missing, so a database left by an
 earlier run can mask ordering problems.
 
-## Deprecations
+## Upgrading from 3.x
 
-3.7.0 introduces no breaking changes. It announces what 4.0 is expected to
-require, so the upgrade is uneventful. Each warning names its replacement and
-goes through the gem's own deprecator, which a host application can silence or
-redirect:
+Everything 4.0 removes was deprecated in 3.7.0, so upgrade to that first and
+clear its warnings - `Patches.deprecator.behavior = :raise` in an initializer
+turns them into failures if you would rather find them that way.
 
-```ruby
-Patches.deprecator.behavior = :silence  # or :raise, :log, a lambda...
-```
-
-| Deprecated | Replacement |
+| Change | What to do |
 |---|---|
-| Relying on Patches to install `slack-notifier` | Add `gem 'slack-notifier'` to your Gemfile if you use `config.use_slack`. From 4.0 only applications that want it carry it |
-| `require 'patches/capistrano'` | Invoke `rake patches:run` from your deployment process. The Capistrano task is removed in 4.0 |
-| Sidekiq older than 6.3 | Any supported Sidekiq (7.x or 8.x). 4.0 is expected to include `Sidekiq::Job` directly instead of falling back to `Sidekiq::Worker` |
-| Ruby older than 3.2, Rails older than 7.2 | Ruby 3.2+ and Rails 7.2+. 4.0 is expected to raise the gemspec floors to these, which are higher than the range CI verifies today |
-
-Nothing is removed in this release, and the gemspec floors are unchanged, so
-anything that installed 3.6.x installs 3.7.0.
+| Ruby 3.2 and Rails 7.2 are now the minimum | Upgrade, or stay on 3.7.x |
+| `slack-notifier` is no longer a dependency | Add `gem 'slack-notifier'` to your Gemfile if you set `config.use_slack` |
+| The Capistrano task is gone | Invoke `bundle exec rake patches:run` from your deployment process |
+| The workers include `Sidekiq::Job` | Use Sidekiq 6.3 or newer - 7.x or 8.x are the supported lines |
+
+Nothing else changed: patch classes, `Patches::Base`, the generator, the rake
+tasks, the configuration and the `patches_patches` table are all as they were.
+`Patches.deprecator` remains, so an initializer that configures it keeps
+working.
 
 ## Development
 

RELEASING.md

@@ -12,7 +12,10 @@ versions listed on rubygems.org never carry the prefix.
 ## Cutting a release
 
 1. Bump `MAJOR` / `MINOR` / `PATCH` in `lib/patches/version.rb`.
-2. Add a new `## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD` entry to the top of `CHANGELOG.md` describing the changes.
+2. Replace `unreleased` in the `## [X.Y.Z] - unreleased` heading at the top of `CHANGELOG.md` with
+   today's date. A release branch carries `unreleased` while it waits for review, so the date is
+   always the day it ships - 3.7.0 shipped a week after its entry was drafted and claimed the
+   drafting date until someone noticed.
 3. Commit both changes and get them onto `develop` (PR + merge, as normal).
 4. From an up-to-date `develop`, tag the commit and push the tag:
 

db/migrate/201506011700_create_patch.rb

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-class CreatePatch < ActiveRecord::Migration[5.0]
+class CreatePatch < ActiveRecord::Migration[7.2]
   def change
     create_table :patches_patches do |t|
       t.string :path, null: false

docs/usage.md

@@ -22,9 +22,8 @@ bundle exec rake db:migrate
 
 ## Configuration
 
-> **Note.** From 4.0 Patches will not depend on `slack-notifier`, so only
-> applications using Slack carry it. If you set `config.use_slack`, add
-> `gem 'slack-notifier'` to your Gemfile.
+> **Note.** Patches does not depend on `slack-notifier`. If you set
+> `config.use_slack`, add `gem 'slack-notifier'` to your own Gemfile.
 
 If you would like to run the patches asynchronously, or would like them to notify
 your Slack channel when they fail or succeed, you need to set up
@@ -117,26 +116,18 @@ bundle exec rake patches:run
 
 Patches will only ever run once, patches will run in order of creation date.
 
-### Capistrano
+### Running on deploy
 
-> **Deprecated.** `patches/capistrano` is removed in 4.0. Invoke
-> `rake patches:run` from your deployment process instead.
+Invoke the rake task from your deployment process, after the application code is
+in place:
 
-To run patches on deployment using Capistrano, edit your Capfile and add
-
-```ruby
-require 'patches/capistrano'
 ```
-
-And then in your deploy.rb
-
-```ruby
-after 'last_task_you_want_to_run' 'patches:run'
+bundle exec rake patches:run
 ```
 
-If you are using sidekiq and restarting the sidekiq process on the box
-as a part of the deploy process, please make sure that the patches run task runs
-after sidekiq restarts, otherwise there is no guarentee the tasks will run.
+If you use Sidekiq and restart it as part of the deploy, make sure the patches
+task runs after Sidekiq restarts - otherwise there is no guarantee the jobs will
+be picked up.
 
 ## File Download
 

lib/patches.rb

@@ -1,8 +1,15 @@
+# railties and activerecord are hard dependencies, and the engine, the install
+# migration and Patches.default_path all assume a Rails application. The gem
+# used to guard on `defined?(Rails)` as though Rails were optional; one of those
+# guards read `defined?(:Rails)`, which is always truthy, and went unnoticed for
+# years - nobody was running this outside Rails.
+require 'rails'
+
 require "patches/version"
 
 module Patches
   def self.default_path
-    Rails.root.join('db/patches/') if defined?(Rails)
+    Rails.root.join('db/patches/')
   end
 
   def self.class_name(path)
@@ -24,9 +31,8 @@ def self.logger=(log)
 require "patches/config"
 require "patches/tenant_run_concern"
 require "patches/application_version_validation"
-require "patches/sidekiq_job" if defined?(Sidekiq)
 require "patches/tenant_worker" if defined?(Sidekiq)
-require "patches/engine" if defined?(Rails)
+require "patches/engine"
 require "patches/patch"
 require "patches/pending"
 require "patches/runner"