diff --git a/README-development.md b/README-development.md
index cb1982b..888da5e 100644
--- a/README-development.md
+++ b/README-development.md
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+## Coding conventions
+
+Use tabs for indentation, however try to minimize changes and don't re-format lines that aren't part of your task. The project has a long history and when most of the code was created, there were many authors but no coding conventions.
+
 ## Building
 
 Compiling:
@@ -11,7 +15,6 @@ make test
 ```
 
 It is recommended that you install Valgrind and run tests using it (as it is done in Travis CI):
-
 ```
 ./test.pl --valgrind
 ```
@@ -20,14 +23,11 @@ After pushing check cross-platform compilation results on commits list on GitHub
 
 ## Releasing a new version
 
-1. Create a commit setting version to stable:
-  - ChangeLog: change UNRELEASED to current date
-  - Makefile: strip -SNAPSHOT from version number
-  - README: remove UNRELEASED
-2. Make sure it works: `make clean test package`
-3. Git-tag this version like "v2.8.5"
-4. Create a commit setting version to unstable
-  - revert changes from step 1 and increment version
-5. `git push && git push --tags`
-6. On GitHub go to Code → Releases → Draft a new release
-  - attach .tar.bz2 file created by `make package` from step 2
+1. Make sure you have GnuPG configured in order to sign commits
+2. Run `./release.sh` which will
+- create a commit releasing the current version and tag it
+- create a `.tar.bz2` file with the released version
+- create a commit starting work on the next version
+3. git-push using the instruction printed by the script
+4. On GitHub go to Code → Releases → Draft a new release
+  - attach the `.tar.bz2` file
diff --git a/release.sh b/release.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..c6fa43f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+VERSION=$(head -1 README | perl -ne '/Version (\d+\.\d+\.\d+)/; print $1')
+NEXT_VERSION=$(echo $VERSION | perl -ne '/(\d+\.\d+\.)(\d+)/; print $1,$2+1')
+
+echo "Last tag is $(git tag | tail -1)"
+echo "Releasing $VERSION, then bumping to $NEXT_VERSION"
+
+git tag | grep $VERSION
+
+if [[ $? == 0 ]]; then
+	echo "Error: this version already exists."
+	exit 2
+fi
+
+set -e
+
+if [[ ! -z $(git status --porcelain --untracked-files=no) ]]; then
+	echo "Error: make sure you committed everything"
+	exit 3
+fi
+
+CHANGELOG_DATE=$(LC_TIME=en_US date '+%B, %Y')
+sed -i "s/UNRELEASED/$CHANGELOG_DATE/" ChangeLog
+sed -i "s/-SNAPSHOT//" Makefile
+sed -i "s/ UNRELEASED//" README
+
+make clean test package
+git commit -a -S -m "Release $VERSION"
+git tag -s v$VERSION -m $VERSION HEAD
+
+echo -e "\n(Version $NEXT_VERSION) -- UNRELEASED" >> ChangeLog
+sed -i "s/$VERSION/$NEXT_VERSION-SNAPSHOT/" Makefile
+sed -i "s/$VERSION/$NEXT_VERSION UNRELEASED/" README
+git diff -U1 HEAD^
+git commit -a -m "Start developing $NEXT_VERSION"
+
+echo -e "\nInspect commits and run\ngit push origin master v$VERSION"