Release SecureDrop 2.13.0

[zenmonkeykstop]

This is a tracking issue for the release of SecureDrop 2.13.0

Tentatively scheduled as follows:

Pre-release announcement: 2025-11-25
Release date: 2025-12-02

Release manager: @zenmonkeykstop
Deputy release manager: @legoktm
Localization manager: @cfm
Communications manager: @nathandyer

SecureDrop maintainers and testers: As you QA 2.13.0, please report back your testing results as comments on this ticket. File GitHub issues for any problems found, tag them "QA: Release".

Test debian packages will be posted on https://apt-test.freedom.press signed with the test key.

QA Matrix for 2.13.0

Test Plan for 2.13.0

Prepare release candidate (2.12.0~rc1)

• Link to latest version of Tails, including release candidates, to test against during QA
• Prepare 2.13.0~rc1 server and admin release changelog
• Branch off release/2.13.0 from develop
• Prepare 2.13.0-rc1
• Build server and admin debs, preserving build logs, and put up 2.13.0~rc1 on test apt server
• Commit build log.

After each test, please update the QA matrix and post details for Basic Server Testing, Application Acceptance Testing and release-specific testing below in comments to this ticket.

Final release

• Push signed tag
• Build final Debian packages(and preserve build logs)
• Commit package build logs to https://github.com/freedomofpress/build-logs
• Pre-Flight: Test that install and upgrade from 2.12.10 to 2.13.0 works w/ prod repo debs (apt-qa.freedom.press polls the release branch in the LFS repo for the debs)
• Pre-Flight: Test securedrop-admin migration logic in Tails (apt-qa tracks the release branch in the LFS repo)
• Flip apt QA server to prod status (merge to main in the LFS repo)
• Merge Docs branch changes to main and verify new docs build in securedrop-docs repo
• Prepare release messaging

Post release

• Create GitHub release object
• Once release object is created, update versions in securedrop-docs and Wagtail
• Verify new docs show up on https://docs.securedrop.org
• Publish announcements
• Merge changelog back to develop
• Update roadmap wiki page: https://github.com/freedomofpress/securedrop/wiki/Development-Roadmap