Release Notes Generator
Generate comprehensive release notes in 3 formats from git commits.
Workflow
- **Analyze git history** since last release tag or specified version
- **Fetch PR details** (titles, descriptions, labels) via `gh api`
- **Categorize changes** into features, bug fixes, improvements, security, breaking changes
- **Generate 3 outputs**: CHANGELOG.md section (technical), PR release body (semi-technical), Slack message (user-friendly)
- **Transform language** from technical jargon to accessible messaging
- **Alert on migrations** if database migrations are detected
How to Use
Basic Usage
Generate release notes since last releaseCreate release notes for version 0.18.0With Specific Range
Generate release notes from v0.17.0 to HEADPreview Only
Preview release notes without writing filesOutput Formats
1. CHANGELOG.md Section
Technical format for developers:
## [0.18.0] - 2025-12-08
### Objective
[1-2 sentence summary]
### New Features
#### [Feature Name] (#PR)
- **Description**: ...
- **Impact**: ...
### Bug Fixes
- **[Module]**: Description (#issue, [error-tracker] ISSUE-XX)
### Technical Improvements
#### Performance / UI/UX / Architecture
- [Description]
### Database Migrations
[If applicable]
### Statistics
- PRs: X
- Features: Y
- Bugs: Z2. PR Release Body
Uses template from `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE/release.md`:
- Objective summary
- Features with specs links
- Bug fixes with error tracker references
- Improvements by category
- Migration instructions
- Deployment checklist
3. Slack Announcement
Product-focused format from `.github/COMMUNICATION_TEMPLATE/slack-release.md`:
- **PR link** included for traceability
- Non-technical language
- Focus on user impact (end-users, admins, stakeholders)
- Emojis for readability
- Statistics summary
Workflow Integration
This skill integrates with the release workflow:
1. Analyze commits: git log <last-tag>..HEAD
2. Determine version number (MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH)
3. Generate 3 outputs
4. Create PR develop -> main with "Release" label
5. Update CHANGELOG.md
6. After merge: create git tag
7. Generate Slack announcementTech-to-Product Transformation
The skill automatically transforms technical language:
| Technical | Product | |-----------|---------| | "N+1 query optimization with DataLoader" | "Faster list loading" | | "AI embeddings implementation with pgvector" | "New intelligent search" | | "Fix scope permissions in getPermissionScope()" | "Fixed access permissions bug" | | "Migration webpack -> Turbopack" | *Do not communicate* | | "React hooks refactoring" | *Do not communicate* | | "Fix N+1 in user loaders" | "Performance improvement" | | "Add retry logic for DB connection errors" | "Better connection stability" |
Commit Categories
Commits are categorized by conventional commit prefix:
| Prefix | Category | Include in Slack? | |--------|----------|-------------------| | `feat:` | New Features | Yes | | `fix:` | Bug Fixes | Yes (if user-facing) | | `perf:` | Performance | Yes (simplified) | | `security:` | Security | Yes | | `refactor:` | Architecture | No | | `chore:` | Maintenance | No | | `docs:` | Documentation | No | | `test:` | Tests | No | | `style:` | Style | No |
Console Output Format
When generating release notes, ALWAYS display a clear summary in the console with:
Migration Alert (CRITICAL)
If migrations are detected, display prominently:
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ⚠️ [WARNING] DATABASE MIGRATIONS REQUIRED ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ ║
║ This release contains X migration(s): ║
║ ║
║ • 20251210123456_add_feature_description ║
║ • 20251211094532_update_status_enum ║
║ ║
║ Action required BEFORE deployment: ║
║ → Run: [migration-command] ║
║ ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝If NO migrations:
✅ [OK] No database migrations requiredDetection Method
Check for new migration files since last release:
# Find new migrations since last tag
git diff <last-tag>..HEAD --name-only -- migrations/Example
**User**: "Generate release notes since v0.17.0"
**Output**:
Analyzing commits from v0.17.0 to HEAD...
Found:
- 15 commits
- 8 PRs merged
- 2 new features
- 5 bug fixes
- 3 improvements
╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ⚠️ [WARNING] DATABASE MIGRATIONS REQUIRED ║
╠══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║ This release contains 1 migration(s): ║
║ • 20251208143021_add_user_preferences ║
║ Action required: [migration-command] ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
--- CHANGELOG.md Section ---
[Technical format output]
--- PR Release Body ---
[Semi-technical format output]
--- Slack Announcement ---
[Product-focused format output]
Write to files? (CHANGELOG.md, clipboard for PR/Slack)Commands Used
# Get last release tag
git tag --sort=-v:refname | head -n 1
# List commits since tag
git log <tag>..HEAD --oneline --no-merges
# Get PR details
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{number}
# Get commit details
git show --stat <sha>Tips
- Run from repository root
- Ensure `gh` CLI is authenticated
- Review generated content before publishing
- Adjust product language for your audience
- Use `--preview` to see output without writing
Reference Files
- `assets/changelog-template.md` - CHANGELOG section template
- `assets/slack-template.md` - Slack announcement template
- `references/tech-to-product-mappings.md` - Transformation rules
- `references/commit-categories.md` - Categorization rules
Related Skills
- `github-actions-templates` - For CI/CD workflows
- `changelog-generator` - Original inspiration (ComposioHQ)
