Add `@IncubatingNextRelease` that is automatically replaced with `@Incubating(since="...")` when release is cut about rewrite HOT 3 OPEN

I know what you mean. The status quo indeed doesn't feel very satisfactory. But modifying the sources during the release process also doesn't feel right to me.

Can we instead handle this at the process level? E.g. set a corresponding milestone on the PR? Of course there would still be the chance of divergence, but IMHO it isn't very bad either. We basically never remove these annotations either and we also make API breaking changes to API which doesn't have them (typically not to core API, however).

from rewrite.

Regarding your process, the replacement process doesn't need to occur during the release job itself. It could be a pre-release task you then push to the main branch, then cut a release from that change.

from rewrite.

Yes, that could be an option.

from rewrite.