Changelog Writer

by patricio0312rev79ea6af48569No license62 starsListed Oct 8, 2026Updated Oct 8, 2026Repository updated 8 months ago

Generates changelogs and release notes from git commits, PR titles, and issue references. Organizes changes by impact type (breaking, features, fixes, improvements), formats according to Keep a Changelog standard, and provides version tagging and semantic versioning suggestions. Use when users request "create changelog", "write release notes", "document version changes", or "prepare release".

Instructions onlySoftware DevelopmentWriting & Content
AI-generated overview

Turns git commits, PR titles and issue references into Keep a Changelog entries, release notes and semantic version suggestions.

What it does
The skill parses version control history since the last release, categorizes commits by type (features, fixes, documentation, breaking changes) and flags incompatible changes. It then produces a CHANGELOG.md in Keep a Changelog format, a user-facing release notes draft, a semantic version bump suggestion, migration notes for breaking changes, and the git tag command to run. It also lists git commands and optional automation tools for gathering commit data.
When to use it
Use it when a release is being prepared and someone asks to create a changelog, write release notes, document version changes or prepare a release. It fits projects that follow conventional commits or Keep a Changelog conventions.
Requirements
Instructions only, no bundled scripts. It relies on access to git history and, for the optional automation paths, tools such as conventional-changelog-cli, git-cliff, cargo, npm or the GitHub CLI.

Changelog & Release Notes Writer

Generate professional changelogs and release notes from version control history.

Core Workflow

  1. Analyze commits: Parse git history since last release
  2. Categorize changes: Group by type (feat, fix, docs, etc.)
  3. Identify breaking changes: Flag incompatible changes
  4. Extract highlights: Surface most important changes
  5. Format document: Follow Keep a Changelog format
  6. Suggest version: Recommend semantic version bump
  7. Generate release notes: Create user-friendly summary

Commit Analysis

Extract Information From

  • Commit messages (preferably conventional commits)
  • PR titles and descriptions
  • Issue references (#123)
  • Merge commit messages
  • Commit authors

Parse Patterns

feat(auth): add OAuth2 support^    ^      ^|    |      └─ Description|    └─ Scope (optional)└─ Type

Types to Categories:

  • feat → Added
  • fix → Fixed
  • docs → Documentation
  • style, refactor → Changed
  • perf → Performance
  • test → Testing
  • chore, ci → Internal
  • BREAKING CHANGE → Breaking Changes

Changelog Format (Keep a Changelog)

markdown
# Changelog
All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
## [Unreleased]
### Added
- New feature X- Support for Y
### Changed
- Updated Z behavior
### Fixed
- Resolved issue #123
## [2.1.0] - 2024-01-15
### Added
- OAuth2 authentication support- User profile management API- Dark mode toggle
### Changed
- Improved error messages- Updated dependencies to latest versions
### Deprecated
- Legacy authentication method (will be removed in 3.0.0)
### Fixed
- Memory leak in WebSocket connection- Incorrect date formatting in reports- Race condition in concurrent requests
### Security
- Patched XSS vulnerability in user input
## [2.0.0] - 2023-12-01
### Breaking Changes
- ⚠️ Removed support for Node.js 16- ⚠️ Changed API response format for `/users` endpoint- ⚠️ Renamed `config.yaml` to `config.yml`
### Added
- Complete API rewrite with improved performance- WebSocket support for real-time updates
### Migration Guide
See [MIGRATION_v2.md](./docs/MIGRATION_v2.md) for upgrade instructions.
[unreleased]: https://github.com/user/project/compare/v2.1.0...HEAD[2.1.0]: https://github.com/user/project/compare/v2.0.0...v2.1.0[2.0.0]: https://github.com/user/project/releases/tag/v2.0.0

Release Notes Format

markdown
# Release v2.1.0 - "Feature Release Name"
Released: January 15, 2024
## 🎉 Highlights
This release brings major improvements to authentication and user experience:
- **OAuth2 Support**: Users can now sign in with Google, GitHub, and Microsoft- **Dark Mode**: Toggle between light and dark themes- **Performance**: 40% faster API response times
## ✨ New Features
- OAuth2 authentication with popular providers (#456)- User profile management API (#478)- Dark mode toggle in settings (#492)- Export data in CSV format (#501)
## 🐛 Bug Fixes
- Fixed memory leak in WebSocket connections (#489)- Resolved incorrect date formatting in reports (#495)- Fixed race condition in concurrent API requests (#503)
## 🔄 Changes
- Improved error messages across the application- Updated all dependencies to latest stable versions- Refined UI animations for smoother experience
## 🔒 Security
- Patched XSS vulnerability in user input validation- Updated JWT library to address CVE-2024-1234
## 📚 Documentation
- Added OAuth2 setup guide- Updated API reference with new endpoints- Improved troubleshooting section
## 🙏 Contributors
Thank you to all contributors who made this release possible:
- @alice - OAuth2 implementation- @bob - Dark mode feature- @charlie - Bug fixes and testing
## 📦 Installation
```bashnpm install [email protected]# oryarn add [email protected]```

🔗 Links

Note: This is a minor release. No breaking changes. Safe to upgrade from 2.0.x.


## Semantic Versioning Rules
Given a version number MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH (e.g., 2.1.0):
1. **MAJOR** (2.x.x → 3.x.x)   - Breaking changes   - Incompatible API changes   - Removed features
2. **MINOR** (2.1.x → 2.2.x)   - New features   - Backward-compatible functionality   - Deprecated features
3. **PATCH** (2.1.0 → 2.1.1)   - Bug fixes   - Security patches   - Performance improvements
**Special versions:**- `0.x.x` - Initial development (breaking changes allowed in minor)- `x.y.0-alpha.1` - Pre-release- `x.y.0-beta.2` - Beta release- `x.y.0-rc.1` - Release candidate
## Git Commands for Changelog Generation
```bash# Get commits since last taggit log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --oneline
# Get commits between two tagsgit log v2.0.0..v2.1.0 --oneline
# Get commits with PR numbersgit log --merges --pretty=format:"%s" v2.0.0..HEAD
# Get contributorsgit log v2.0.0..HEAD --format='%aN' | sort -u
# Get commit count by typegit log v2.0.0..HEAD --oneline | grep -E '^[a-f0-9]+ (feat|fix|docs)' | cut -d' ' -f2 | sort | uniq -c

Breaking Changes Detection

Look for these indicators:

  • Commit message contains BREAKING CHANGE:
  • Commit type has ! (e.g., feat!:)
  • PR labeled with "breaking-change"
  • Major dependency updates
  • API endpoint changes
  • Config file format changes

Document clearly:

markdown
### Breaking Changes
⚠️ **API Response Format Changed**
The `/api/users` endpoint now returns:
```json// Before{ "data": [...] }
// After{ "users": [...], "total": 100 }```

Migration: Update your API client to access users instead of data.


## Automation Tools
### Using conventional-changelog```bashnpm install -g conventional-changelog-cli
# Generate changelogconventional-changelog -p angular -i CHANGELOG.md -s
# Generate for specific versionconventional-changelog -p angular -i CHANGELOG.md -s -r 0

Using git-cliff

bash
# Install git-cliffcargo install git-cliff
# Generate changeloggit-cliff --tag v2.1.0 > CHANGELOG.md
# Generate release notesgit-cliff --tag v2.1.0 --unreleased

GitHub Release Script

bash
#!/bin/bash# scripts/release.sh
VERSION=$1PREVIOUS_TAG=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)
# Generate release notesgh release create "$VERSION" \  --title "Release $VERSION" \  --notes "$(git log $PREVIOUS_TAG..HEAD --pretty=format:'- %s')"

User-Facing vs Developer-Facing

User-Facing (Release Notes)

  • Focus on benefits and features
  • Less technical jargon
  • Include screenshots/demos
  • Highlight user experience improvements
  • Provide upgrade instructions

Developer-Facing (Changelog)

  • Technical details
  • API changes
  • Breaking changes with migration guides
  • Dependencies updates
  • Internal refactorings

Templates by Project Type

Library/Package

Focus on: API changes, breaking changes, new methods

Application

Focus on: New features, bug fixes, UI improvements

CLI Tool

Focus on: New commands, flag changes, behavior changes

API Service

Focus on: Endpoint changes, performance, security

Best Practices

  1. Be specific: "Fixed login bug" → "Fixed session timeout on mobile"
  2. Link issues: Reference GitHub issues (#123)
  3. Credit contributors: Acknowledge work
  4. Highlight impact: Mark breaking changes clearly
  5. Group logically: By type, not chronologically
  6. Update regularly: With each release
  7. Follow conventions: Keep a Changelog format
  8. Semantic versioning: Use correctly

Changelog Entry Examples

Good Examples

markdown
### Added
- OAuth2 authentication support (#456) - @alice- Export data in CSV format with custom column selection (#501)
### Fixed
- Resolved memory leak in WebSocket connections affecting long-running sessions (#489)- Fixed race condition in concurrent API requests that caused data inconsistency (#503)

Bad Examples

markdown
### Added
- Added stuff- New feature
### Fixed
- Fixed bug- Updates

Version Suggestion Algorithm

If breaking changes detected:  MAJOR++, MINOR=0, PATCH=0Else if new features:  MINOR++, PATCH=0Else if only fixes:  PATCH++

Release Checklist

Before publishing release:

  • Review all commits since last release
  • Identify breaking changes
  • Categorize changes properly
  • Update CHANGELOG.md
  • Write release notes
  • Update version in package.json/pyproject.toml
  • Create git tag
  • Push tag to trigger CI/CD
  • Publish to package registry (npm, PyPI, etc.)
  • Create GitHub release with notes
  • Announce on relevant channels

Output Checklist

Every changelog generation should provide:

  • Formatted CHANGELOG.md following Keep a Changelog
  • Release notes draft (user-friendly)
  • Semantic version suggestion (X.Y.Z)
  • Breaking changes clearly marked
  • Migration guide for breaking changes
  • Git tag command to run
  • Links to compare view

Source and attribution

Source:patricio0312rev/skillsinfoundation/changelog-writerat commit79ea6af

License: No license

Content belongs to its original authors. SourceWeft indexes it from a public repository.

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