Enhancement: Add Robust Logging to Automation and Release Scripts

[fxstein]

Summary

Implement enhanced logging for all automation and release scripts to improve diagnostics, maintainability, and transparency. This is a key architectural improvement linked to the ongoing git-flow and workflow modernization (see Issue #20).

Motivation

• Current scripts provide minimal feedback on errors or process steps, making it difficult to diagnose failures (e.g., silent exits in release scripts).
• Enhanced logging will support maintainers, speed up debugging, and improve CI/CD reliability.

Recommendations

1. Inline Console Logging

• Add clear [INFO], [WARN], [ERROR] messages before/after critical steps and on error paths.
• Use echo or similar for immediate feedback.

2. Dedicated Log File Output

• Write logs to a persistent file (e.g., output/release.log) for post-mortem analysis.
• Use tee -a to log both to console and file.

3. Verbosity/Debug Flags

• Add --verbose or --debug flags to control log detail.
• Default to concise output, but allow deep diagnostics when needed.

4. Error Trapping

• Use trap and custom error handlers to log the last command and line number on failure.
• Print stack traces or error context for easier debugging.

Implementation Plan

• Start with release and core automation scripts.
• Add logging functions and error traps.
• Document logging usage in CONTRIBUTING.md and AI_INSTRUCTIONS.md.
• Test with both normal and failure scenarios.

Acceptance Criteria

• All critical scripts log key steps, errors, and outcomes to both console and file.
• Verbosity can be toggled.
• Error context is captured on failure.
• Linked to Issue #20 (git-flow/architecture).