gen-changesets

name	gen-changesets
description	Use when generating changesets in the kimi-code repository, including package bump selection, internal package and CLI bundle handling, bump levels, major confirmation, and English changelog wording.

Generate Changesets

kimi-code uses changesets to manage versions and changelogs. The current user-facing published package is:

• @moonshot-ai/kimi-code: the CLI

All other @moonshot-ai/* packages are treated as internal packages, including @moonshot-ai/kimi-code-sdk, agent-core, kosong, kaos, kimi-code-oauth, kimi-telemetry, and migration-legacy.

@moonshot-ai/pi-tui is a special internal package: it is a private fork (private: true) that is never published, but it keeps its own changelog through changesets. It is an exception to Core Rule 4 — see the dedicated section below.

Core Rules

1. Inspect the actual changes first. Use git status / git diff --name-only to identify which packages were actually changed.
2. List packages that changesets can release. If a changed package is ignored in .changeset/config.json, do not put that ignored package in frontmatter together with a non-ignored package; changesets rejects mixed ignored/non-ignored frontmatter.
3. Map ignored internal changes to the affected released package. If an ignored internal package changes CLI output or behavior, list @moonshot-ai/kimi-code and describe the actual user-visible or release-artifact change in the changelog text.
4. Internal package source changes that enter the CLI bundle must manually list the CLI — when they get a changeset at all. @moonshot-ai/kimi-code inline-bundles @moonshot-ai/* source, but those internal packages are devDependencies from the CLI's perspective, so changesets will not automatically propagate bumps. If a change enters the CLI output and is user-perceivable, list @moonshot-ai/kimi-code. See rule 6 for when to skip the changeset entirely.
5. Docs-only and tests-only changes usually do not need a changeset. README, internal docs, and test/ changes that do not enter package output do not trigger a CLI bump.
6. Skip changes users cannot perceive — write no changeset at all. The CLI changelog is user-facing; a changeset is a changelog entry, not a shipping gate. Internal changes merged to main still ship in the next release triggered by any user-facing changeset, so skipping the changeset loses nothing. Do not write changesets for:
   • agent-core-v2 internal architecture: new services, refactors, config-persistence or journal/wire mechanisms.
   • kap-server WebSocket / REST protocol changes consumed only by the bundled web UI, kimi-inspect, or other dev tooling (new endpoints, subscribe protocols, stream baselines).
   • Behavior that only takes effect on the experimental engine (e.g. experimental kimi -p), unless it exposes documented user configuration such as a config.toml section or env vars that also work on a shipped surface (TUI or kimi web).
   • When unsure whether users can perceive a change, ask before writing.
7. @moonshot-ai/vis / vis-server / vis-web are ignored by changesets and should not be handled. @moonshot-ai/kimi-inspect (a private dev app that never ships) is likewise ignored and must never appear in a changeset frontmatter.

Workflow

1. List the changed packages and check whether each one is ignored by .changeset/config.json.
2. Decide whether the change is user-perceivable (Core Rule 6); if not, stop — no changeset.
3. Choose a bump level for each package.
4. If an ignored internal package change enters the CLI bundle, put @moonshot-ai/kimi-code in frontmatter instead of mixing the ignored package into the same changeset.
5. Create a short kebab-case file under .changeset/.
6. Split unrelated changes into separate changesets; keep one logical change in one file.

Before a release, review the accumulated .changeset/ entries against Core Rule 6 and prune non-user-facing ones; the release PR regenerates from .changeset/ on main, so deleting a changeset removes its changelog entry without affecting the shipped code.

Format:

---
"<package A>": patch
"<package B>": minor
---

<English changelog entry>

Bump Levels

Level	When to use
patch	Bug fixes; build/package fixes; internal refactors that do not change behavior; wording tweaks; small dependency upgrades; small improvements to existing features with limited user-facing impact (e.g. a new keyboard shortcut, a flag alias, a minor UX tweak)
minor	A substantial new user-facing feature, such as a new slash command, a new built-in tool, or a new mode
major	Breaking changes: incompatible config changes, renamed or removed commands/arguments, behavior semantics changes, and similar

When in doubt between patch and minor: if the change improves an existing feature and the user-facing impact is small, choose patch even when the change is technically "new". Reserve minor for a substantial new capability that introduces something users could not do before.

New configuration surface is not automatically minor. Additions to an existing feature's configuration — env var overlays, config-file fallbacks, global defaults under per-item settings — are patch. Examples: a global default MCP timeout when per-server timeouts already exist; env-based credentials for a service already configurable in config.toml.

Major Rule

Never write major on your own.

If you believe a change qualifies as major, stop first, explain why, and ask the user for confirmation. Only write major after the user explicitly agrees. If the user does not reply, replies ambiguously, or disagrees, fall back to minor; if minor is also unclear, fall back to patch.

Wording Rules

• Changelog entries must be written in English.
• Keep the whole entry concise. Aim for one short sentence that states what was done; at most a short sentence plus a one-line usage hint. Do not write a paragraph, do not pile on technical detail, and do not enumerate every sub-change.
• For new user-facing features, append a brief usage hint so users know how to try it. Keep it to a single short line — a command name, a subcommand, a flag, or a one-line "how to use". Do not explain design rationale or list edge cases. Skip the hint for bug fixes, internal changes, and refactors.
  • Slash command: Add the /foo slash command to list active sessions. Run /foo to see them.
  • CLI subcommand: Add the kimi web subcommand to open the web UI. Run kimi web to launch it.
  • Flag: Add a --bar flag to skip confirmation prompts. Pass --bar to skip.
  • Too long: Add the /foo command to list active sessions. It accepts an optional --all flag to include background sessions, supports filtering by name with /foo <name>, and writes the result to the transcript...
• User-facing CLI wording should only be used when CLI users can perceive the change.
• Internal changes that do not affect CLI users can still share a changeset with the CLI, but the wording must describe the real change honestly and must not present it as a user-facing feature.
• Do not mention file names, class names, function names, PR numbers, or commit hashes.
• Do not include real internal endpoints, key names, account names, or service names. If an example is needed, use neutral placeholders such as example.com, example.test, or YOUR_API_KEY.
• Avoid vague words such as refactor, optimize, and improve. Describe the actual change, or use more specific wording.

When You Are Unsure About a Change

Generate the changeset from what the diff clearly shows. If part of a change is unclear and you cannot confidently describe what it does for users, do not guess or pad the entry with vague wording.

1. Finish the changeset for the parts that are clear.
2. Then ask the user once, in a short list: name the specific change(s) you do not understand, and ask whether you may dig into the repository (read related source, tests, or call sites) to describe it more accurately.
3. Only read more code after the user agrees. If the user says no or does not reply, keep the concise wording you already have and do not invent detail.

Common Examples

An internal package fixes a bug visible to CLI users:

---
"@moonshot-ai/kimi-code": patch
---

Fix occasional loss of tool call results in long conversations.

A new user-facing slash command (note the short usage hint):

---
"@moonshot-ai/kimi-code": minor
---

Add the /foo slash command to list active sessions. Run /foo to see them.

A new CLI subcommand:

---
"@moonshot-ai/kimi-code": minor
---

Add the kimi web subcommand to open the web UI. Run kimi web to launch it.

A new flag on an existing command:

---
"@moonshot-ai/kimi-code": patch
---

Add a --bar flag to skip confirmation prompts. Pass --bar to skip.

An internal package has an internal-only change, but it enters the CLI bundle:

---
"@moonshot-ai/kimi-code": patch
---

Unify tool execution metadata handling.

Only SDK source changed, and the CLI does not use it:

---
"@moonshot-ai/kimi-code-sdk": patch
---

Clarify session status typing for internal SDK callers.

@moonshot-ai/pi-tui changes

@moonshot-ai/pi-tui is a vendored fork that lives in packages/pi-tui. It is private: true and is never published, but it is not ignored by changesets: changesets versions it and writes packages/pi-tui/CHANGELOG.md so the fork keeps its own history. Because it is bundled into the CLI like other internal packages, it is an exception to Core Rule 4 — do not list @moonshot-ai/kimi-code for a change that only touches pi-tui.

• Changes that only affect pi-tui (build, package, strict-mode cleanup, renderer fixes): list @moonshot-ai/pi-tui only. No CLI changeset.
• If the same change is also user-visible in the CLI (for example a terminal rendering fix that CLI users can see), add a separate changeset that lists @moonshot-ai/kimi-code with CLI-focused wording, in addition to the pi-tui changeset. Do not mix both packages in one frontmatter — the two changelogs need different wording.

pi-tui-only change:

---
"@moonshot-ai/pi-tui": patch
---

Export the package manifest so the bundled binary can locate its native assets.

pi-tui change that is also visible in the CLI (two separate changesets):

---
"@moonshot-ai/pi-tui": patch
---

Clamp the differential render to the visible viewport so scrolling up during streaming no longer jumps to the top.

---
"@moonshot-ai/kimi-code": patch
---

Fix the transcript jumping to the top when scrolling up through history during streaming output.

Red Flags

• You are about to write major without asking the user.
• You are writing a changeset for something users cannot perceive — agent-core-v2 internals, kap-server WS/REST protocol plumbing, experimental-engine-only behavior. Skip the changeset instead (Core Rule 6).
• A new env var overlay or config fallback for an existing feature is bumped minor — configuration additions to existing features are patch.
• A new user-facing feature entry has no usage hint, or the hint runs to multiple lines and explains design rationale.
• You guessed wording for a change you do not understand instead of asking the user whether you may dig into the repo.
• Internal package source enters the CLI bundle, but @moonshot-ai/kimi-code is missing.
• A changeset frontmatter mixes ignored internal packages with non-ignored packages.
• packages/node-sdk was not changed, but @moonshot-ai/kimi-code-sdk was listed for "internal package sync".
• The changelog entry is in Chinese.
• The wording claims more than the diff actually did.
• The CLI wording mentions internal package names, class names, or PR numbers.
• The entry includes real internal identifiers instead of neutral placeholders.
• A change that only touches @moonshot-ai/pi-tui lists @moonshot-ai/kimi-code instead of @moonshot-ai/pi-tui, or mixes both packages in one frontmatter.