# Generate release notes for commits since last tag
/release-notes v1.0.0 HEAD --version v1.1.0
# Compare branches
/release-notes main feature/new-auth --version v2.0.0-beta
# Output to specific file
/release-notes v1.0.0 HEAD --version v1.1.0 --output docs/release-notes/250111-v1.1.0.md
Workflow
Step 1: Parse Commits
Execute the commit parser to extract structured data from git history:
# Extract PR numbers from commit messages
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/extract-pr-metadata.cjs
# With GitHub API enrichment (requires gh CLI)
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/extract-pr-metadata.cjs --fetch-gh
Extracts: PR numbers, titles, labels, authors from commits
Contributor Statistics
Generate detailed contributor stats:
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/contributor-stats.cjs
Output: Contributor list with commit counts, feature/fix breakdown
Version Bumping
Automatically determine and bump semantic version based on commit types:
# Auto-bump based on commits (feat→minor, fix→patch, BREAKING→major)
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/bump-version.cjs
# Bump with prerelease tag
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/bump-version.cjs --prerelease beta
# Per-service versioning
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/bump-version.cjs --service {service-name}
# Dry run (don't write version file)
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/bump-version.cjs --dry-run
Version Files:
Root: .version
Per-service: .versions/<service-name>.version
Quality Validation
Validate release notes against quality rules:
# Validate with default threshold (70)
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/validate-notes.cjs docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md
# Custom threshold
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/validate-notes.cjs docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md --threshold 80
# JSON output for CI
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/validate-notes.cjs docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md --json
Validation Rules (100 points total):
Rule
Weight
Description
summary_exists
15
Has Summary section
summary_not_empty
10
Summary has content
has_version
10
Version number present
features_documented
10
Features properly formatted
fixes_documented
10
Bug fixes properly formatted
no_broken_links
10
No empty link references
contributors_listed
10
Contributors section present
has_date
5
Date present
no_todo_markers
5
No TODO/FIXME markers
proper_heading_hierarchy
5
Proper H1→H2 structure
no_placeholder_text
5
No placeholder text
technical_details_collapsed
5
Tech details in
LLM-Powered Transforms
Transform release notes for different audiences using Claude API:
# Requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY environment variableexport ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key"# Create executive summary
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/transform-llm.cjs docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md --transform executive
# Transform for business stakeholders
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/transform-llm.cjs docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md --transform business --output docs/release-notes/v1.1.0-business.md
# Transform for end users
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/transform-llm.cjs docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md --transform enduser
Transform Types:
Type
Description
summarize
Brief 3-5 bullet point summary
business
ROI-focused, business language
enduser
User-friendly, non-technical
executive
Strategic impact summary
technical
Enhanced technical details
Full Enhanced Pipeline
Combine all features for comprehensive release notes:
# Enhanced pipeline with service detection
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD --with-files | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/detect-services.cjs | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/categorize-commits.cjs | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/detect-breaking.cjs | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/contributor-stats.cjs | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/render-template.cjs --version v1.1.0
# With version bumping and validation
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD --with-files | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/bump-version.cjs | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/categorize-commits.cjs | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/render-template.cjs --output docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md && \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/validate-notes.cjs docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md
Configuration
See config.yaml for:
categories - Commit type to section mapping
services - Service boundary detection by file patterns
exclude - Patterns to exclude from user-facing notes
output - Directory and filename format settings
Output Structure
# Release Notes: v1.1.0**Date:** 2025-01-11
**Version:** v1.1.0
**Status:** Draft
---
## Summary
This release includes 3 new features, 2 improvements, 5 bug fixes.
## What's New-**Add order export endpoint** (API)
-**Implement dark mode toggle** (UI)
## Improvements-**Optimize database queries** (Persistence)
## Bug Fixes-**Fix date picker timezone issue** (Frontend)
-**Resolve null pointer in auth flow**## Documentation-**Update API documentation** (API)
## Breaking Changes> **Warning**: The following changes may require migration### Migrate to OAuth 2.1 (Auth)
Legacy JWT tokens no longer accepted.
Migration guide: docs/migrations/oauth-2.1.md
---
## Technical Details<details><summary>For Developers</summary>### Commits Included
| Hash | Type | Description |
| ------- | ---- | ------------------------------ |
| abc1234 | feat | Add order export endpoint |
| def5678 | fix | Fix date picker timezone issue |
...
</details>## Contributors- @john.doe
- @jane.smith
---
_Generated by AI_
Human Review Gate
Generated release notes are Draft status by default:
Review - Check accuracy, add context where needed
Enhance - Add migration steps, links, screenshots
Approve - Change status to "Released"
Publish - Commit and push
Integration with Other Skills
/commit - After generating notes, commit them
/git-manager - Create PR for release notes review
/docs-update - Update CHANGELOG.md with new release
Troubleshooting
No commits found
Verify the refs exist and have commits between them:
git log --oneline <base>..<head>
Non-conventional commits
Commits not following type(scope): description format go to "other" category. Consider running commitlint enforcement.
Missing scope context
Add scope mappings to config.yaml → services section for better context labels.
[IMPORTANT] Use TaskCreate to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting — including tasks for each file read. This prevents context loss from long files. For simple tasks, AI MUST ATTENTION ask user whether to skip.
AI Mistake Prevention — Failure modes to avoid on every task:
Re-read files after context changes. Context compaction, resume, or long-running work can make memory stale; verify current files before acting.
Verify generated content against source evidence. AI hallucinates APIs, names, claims, and document facts. Check the relevant source before documenting or referencing.
Check downstream references before deleting or renaming. Removing an artifact can stale docs, generated mirrors, configs, and callers; map references first.
Trace the full impact chain after edits. Changing a definition can miss derived outputs and consumers. Follow the affected chain before declaring done.
Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first. One green check is not all green checks; validate every output surface the change can affect.
Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing. Before changing a constant, limit, flag, wording, or pattern, read nearby context and history.
Surface ambiguity before acting — don't pick silently. Multiple valid interpretations require an explicit question or stated assumption with risk.
Keep shared guidance role-relevant. Universal guidance must help every receiving skill or agent; code-specific obligations belong only in code-specific protocols.
Critical Thinking Mindset — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act.
Anti-hallucination: Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination.
MUST ATTENTION apply critical + sequential thinking — every claim needs appropriate traced evidence (file:line for repo/code claims; source URL or artifact section for research, product, content, and docs claims); confidence >80% to act, <60% DO NOT recommend. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact, admit uncertainty freely, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence.
MUST ATTENTION apply AI mistake prevention — verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references before deleting or renaming, verify all affected outputs, re-read files after context loss, and surface ambiguity before acting.
Closing Reminders
Protocols in force (concise digest of the SYNC/shared blocks this skill carries):
AI Mistake Prevention: verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references, verify all affected outputs, re-read after context loss, surface ambiguity.
Critical Thinking: apply critical + sequential thinking; every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act.
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION break work into small todo tasks using TaskCreate BEFORE starting
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION search codebase for 3+ similar patterns before creating new code
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION cite file:line evidence for every claim (confidence >80% to act)
IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION add a final review todo task to verify work quality
[TASK-PLANNING] Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.