[VOTE] Release Candidate v12.0.0-rc.1

[lance-community]

Release Candidate: v12.0.0-rc.1

This is a release candidate for version 12.0.0-rc.1.

Release Information

• RC Tag: v12.0.0-rc.1
• Release Branch: release/v12.0
• Release Notes: https://github.com/lance-format/lance/releases/tag/v12.0.0-rc.1

Testing Instructions

Python

pip install --pre --extra-index-url https://pypi.fury.io/lance-format/pylance==12.0.0-rc.1

Java (Maven)

Add to your pom.xml:

<dependency>
  <groupId>org.lance</groupId>
  <artifactId>lance-core</artifactId>
  <version>12.0.0-rc.1</version>
</dependency>

Rust (Cargo)

Add to your Cargo.toml:

[dependencies]
lance = { version = "=12.0.0-rc.1", git = "https://github.com/lance-format/lance", tag = "v12.0.0-rc.1" }

Voting Instructions

Please test the RC artifacts and vote by commenting:

• +1 to approve
• 0 to abstain or neutral
• -1 if issues found (please include details)

Vote Duration: If there are enough binding votes and no vetoes, the vote will end at 2026-09-17 13:34:15 UTC (Pacific time: 2026-09-17 06:34:15 PDT).

Next Steps

• If approved: Approve RC using approve-rc workflow
• If issues found: Fix on release branch and create new RC using create-rc workflow

[hamersaw]

Tests passing for:

• lance-spark - build: bump lance.version to 12.0.0-rc.1 lance-spark#828
• lancedb - chore: update lance dependency to v12.0.0-rc.1 lancedb/lancedb#4171

[westonpace]

+1

I ran the regression report. The only potential regression is #9215 but it is fairly targeted.

[Xuanwo]

+1 binding

[BubbleCal]

+1

[ddupg]

+1 (non-binding)

lance-ray tests are passing with v12.0.0-rc.1: lance-format/lance-ray#5295

[wjones127]

Vote is closed, release is out: https://github.com/lance-format/lance/releases/tag/v12.0.0