fix: semantic-release backmerge fails with non-fast-forward when develop has diverged from main

[gandalf-at-lerian]

Affected Workflow

Release & Versioning (release, self-release, gptchangelog)

Workflow Version / Ref

@main

Bug Description

The @saithodev/semantic-release-backmerge plugin used in the release workflow fails when develop has commits that diverge from main. After a successful release (tag + publish), the backmerge step attempts git push HEAD:develop which is rejected as non-fast-forward.

This was triggered by a hotfix on main for plugin-auth — the .dockerignore was already fixed in develop (removing init/ from ignore list), but the hotfix patch on main created a divergent history that can't be fast-forwarded.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Have develop branch ahead of main with different commits (e.g. a fix already applied independently)
2. Merge a hotfix PR into main
3. Release workflow triggers, semantic-release creates the tag successfully
4. Backmerge step fails trying to push HEAD:develop

Caller workflow: standard release workflow from shared-workflows.
Trigger: merge to main (hotfix PR #480)

Expected Behavior

The backmerge step should handle non-fast-forward scenarios gracefully — either by performing a merge commit, rebasing, or at minimum not failing the entire release pipeline after the tag/release was already created successfully.

Relevant Logs / Error Output

Command failed with exit code 1: git push https://x-access-token:[secure]@github.com/LerianStudio/plugin-auth HEAD:develop

! [rejected]        HEAD -> develop (non-fast-forward)
error: failed to push some refs to 'https://github.com/LerianStudio/plugin-auth'
hint: Updates were rejected because the tip of your current branch is behind
hint: its remote counterpart. If you want to integrate the remote changes,
hint: use 'git pull' before pushing again.

Failed run: https://github.com/LerianStudio/plugin-auth/actions/runs/24034388739/job/70090259275

Caller Workflow Configuration

# Standard shared release workflow invocation from plugin-auth
# Backmerge plugin: @saithodev/semantic-release-backmerge

Runner OS

Self-hosted

Checklist

• I searched existing issues and this is not a duplicate.
• I am using a supported version/ref of the workflow.
• I have included relevant logs and configuration above.

Additional Context

Original card: #devops-team thread — Ferreira flagged the build failure on plugin-auth 2.5.0 release. Bedatty diagnosed the root cause as the .dockerignore excluding init/ directory on main (already fixed in develop). The hotfix PR was merged but the backmerge step broke due to branch divergence.

This is a systemic issue — any hotfix workflow where develop has independent commits will hit this.