Prepare package for NPM publication

LICENSE

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2025 chrisribe
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.

README.md

@@ -704,10 +704,14 @@ This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file
 
 ## 📚 Additional Resources
 
+### For Users
 - 🏗️ [Design Philosophy](docs/DESIGN_PHILOSOPHY.md) - Why Simple Memory is built this way, trade-offs, and honest limitations
 - 🚀 [Performance Benchmarks](docs/PERFORMANCE.md) - Detailed performance analysis and optimization insights
 - 📝 [Changelog](CHANGELOG.md) - Version history and changes
 
+### For Package Maintainers
+- 📦 [NPM Publishing Guide](docs/NPM_PUBLISHING.md) - Publishing steps, automation options, and maintenance tips
+
 ---
 
 ## 🐛 Issues & Support

docs/NPM_PUBLISHING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,262 @@
+# NPM Publishing Guide
+
+## Status: ✅ Ready to Publish
+
+- Package name `simple-memory-mcp` is available (was unpublished 2025-06-21)
+- All tests pass, build works, 0 security vulnerabilities
+- LICENSE file included, documentation complete
+
+---
+
+## Quick Publish
+
+```bash
+# 1. Login
+npm login
+
+# 2. Verify
+npm audit && npm test && npm run build
+
+# 3. Publish
+npm publish --otp=123456  # add OTP if 2FA enabled
+
+# 4. Tag release
+git tag -a v1.1.1 -m "Release v1.1.1"
+git push origin v1.1.1
+```
+
+---
+
+## Prerequisites
+
+**One-time setup:**
+
+1. **NPM Account**: Sign up at https://npmjs.com or run `npm adduser`
+2. **Enable 2FA**: Recommended for security (https://npmjs.com/settings/[username]/tfa)
+3. **Verify login**: `npm whoami`
+
+---
+
+## Pre-Publish Checklist
+
+Run these before every publish:
+
+```bash
+# Security & Quality
+npm audit                    # Must show 0 vulnerabilities
+npm test                     # Must pass all tests
+npm run build                # Must succeed
+
+# Package verification
+npm pack --dry-run           # Review what gets published
+
+# Version check
+cat package.json | grep version
+```
+
+**Critical checks:**
+- [ ] LICENSE file exists
+- [ ] Version follows semver (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH)
+- [ ] CHANGELOG.md updated
+- [ ] No secrets in code
+- [ ] Tests pass
+
+---
+
+## Version Management
+
+```bash
+# Automated (GitHub Actions does this on main branch commits)
+# Commits to main auto-bump patch version
+
+# Manual version bumps
+npm run version:patch        # 1.1.1 → 1.1.2 (bug fixes)
+npm run version:minor        # 1.1.1 → 1.2.0 (new features)
+npm run version:major        # 1.1.1 → 2.0.0 (breaking changes)
+```
+
+**Semantic versioning:**
+- **PATCH**: Bug fixes only
+- **MINOR**: New features, backward compatible
+- **MAJOR**: Breaking changes
+
+---
+
+## Publishing Options
+
+### Option 1: Manual Publishing (Recommended)
+
+**When to use:** Full control, first-time publish, major releases
+
+```bash
+npm publish --otp=123456
+```
+
+### Option 2: Automated Publishing (Advanced)
+
+**When to use:** Mature packages with CI/CD
+
+Add to `.github/workflows/publish.yml`:
+
+```yaml
+name: Publish to NPM
+
+on:
+  release:
+    types: [published]
+
+jobs:
+  publish:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '20'
+          registry-url: 'https://registry.npmjs.org'
+      - run: npm ci
+      - run: npm test
+      - run: npm run build
+      - run: npm publish
+        env:
+          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
+```
+
+**Setup required:**
+1. Generate NPM token: https://npmjs.com/settings/[username]/tokens
+2. Add as GitHub secret: Settings → Secrets → `NPM_TOKEN`
+3. Create GitHub release to trigger publish
+
+**⚠️ Caution with automation:**
+- Only recommended after several successful manual publishes
+- Requires NPM token (security consideration)
+- Can't use 2FA with automated publishing
+- Consider "automation" token type with IP restrictions
+- Test thoroughly in dry-run mode first
+
+**Most packages use manual publishing** - automation adds complexity and security risks for minimal benefit unless you publish frequently.
+
+---
+
+## Post-Publish
+
+```bash
+# 1. Verify on NPM
+npm view simple-memory-mcp
+
+# 2. Test installation
+npm install -g simple-memory-mcp
+simple-memory --version
+npm uninstall -g simple-memory-mcp
+
+# 3. Create GitHub Release
+# Go to: https://github.com/chrisribe/simple-memory-mcp/releases/new
+# - Tag: v1.1.1
+# - Title: v1.1.1
+# - Description: Copy from CHANGELOG.md
+```
+
+---
+
+## Maintenance
+
+### Weekly
+- Monitor GitHub issues
+- Check `npm audit` for new vulnerabilities
+
+### Monthly
+```bash
+npm outdated              # Check for updates
+npm update                # Update minor/patch versions
+npm test                  # Verify still works
+```
+
+### Before Major Dependency Updates
+```bash
+# Update one at a time
+npm install package@latest
+npm test                  # Test thoroughly
+npm run build
+```
+
+### Common Beginner Mistakes
+
+1. **Publishing without testing install**
+   - Always test: `npm pack && npm install -g ./simple-memory-mcp-*.tgz`
+
+2. **Forgetting version bump**
+   - Use: `npm run version:patch` before publish
+
+3. **Not checking package contents**
+   - Review: `npm pack --dry-run`
+
+4. **Ignoring npm audit warnings**
+   - Fix before publish: `npm audit fix`
+
+5. **Publishing with dirty git state**
+   - Check: `git status` should be clean
+
+6. **Not creating git tags**
+   - Always tag: `git tag -a v1.1.1 -m "Release"`
+
+7. **Testing only in dev environment**
+   - Test global install on clean machine
+
+8. **Not updating CHANGELOG**
+   - Document all changes before release
+
+---
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**"Permission denied"**
+```bash
+npm login
+```
+
+**"Version already exists"**
+```bash
+npm run version:patch
+npm publish
+```
+
+**"Vulnerabilities found"**
+```bash
+npm audit fix
+npm test  # Verify still works
+```
+
+**"Package too large"**
+```bash
+npm pack --dry-run
+# Check "files" array in package.json
+```
+
+**Rollback a bad publish**
+```bash
+# Option 1: Deprecate (preferred)
+npm deprecate simple-memory-mcp@1.2.0 "Use 1.2.1 instead"
+
+# Option 2: Unpublish (within 72 hours only)
+npm unpublish simple-memory-mcp@1.2.0
+```
+
+---
+
+## Resources
+
+- **NPM Docs**: https://docs.npmjs.com/
+- **Semantic Versioning**: https://semver.org/
+- **Package.json Guide**: https://docs.npmjs.com/cli/configuring-npm/package-json
+
+---
+
+## TL;DR
+
+```bash
+npm login
+npm audit && npm test && npm run build
+npm run version:patch
+npm publish --otp=123456
+git tag -a v1.1.1 -m "Release v1.1.1" && git push --follow-tags
+```