release-notes-generator

name	release-notes-generator
description	Create release notes that summarize features, fixes, and migration guidance for software releases.

Release Notes Generator

Create release notes summarizing features, fixes, and breaking changes for releases.

When to Use

Use this skill when you need to:

• Prepare release notes for a new version
• Summarize changes for users/stakeholders
• Document migration steps for breaking changes

Release Notes Structure

# Release v1.2.0

## Highlights

Brief summary of the most important changes (2-3 sentences).

## New Features

### Feature Name
Description of what it does and why it matters.

**Usage:**
```typescript
// Code example

Improvements

• Improvement 1
• Improvement 2

Bug Fixes

• Fixed issue with X (#123)
• Resolved Y when Z

Breaking Changes

Change Name

What changed: Description

Migration:

// Before
oldMethod();

// After
newMethod();

Dependencies

• Updated package-name from 1.0.0 to 2.0.0

## Information Gathering

### Git Commands

```bash
# Commits since last release
git log v1.1.0..HEAD --oneline

# Detailed commit messages
git log v1.1.0..HEAD --format="%h %s%n%b%n---"

# Files changed
git diff v1.1.0..HEAD --stat

# Contributors
git log v1.1.0..HEAD --format="%an" | sort | uniq

Writing Guidelines

Highlights Section

Focus on user value:

• What can users do now that they couldn't before?
• What problems are solved?
• Why should they upgrade?

Feature Descriptions

Include:

• What it does
• Why it matters
• Basic usage example

Breaking Changes

Must include:

• Clear description of what changed
• Why it changed
• Step-by-step migration guide
• Code examples (before/after)

Version Numbers

Follow semantic versioning:

• Major (1.0.0): Breaking changes
• Minor (0.1.0): New features, backward compatible
• Patch (0.0.1): Bug fixes, backward compatible

Example Release Notes

# Release v1.2.0

## Highlights

This release adds health data visualization and improves task scheduling
performance. Users can now view their health trends over time.

## New Features

### Health Data Visualization

View your health metrics in interactive charts.

**Usage:**
```typescript
import { HealthChart } from './components/health';

<HealthChart data={healthData} timeRange="week" />

Improvements

• Task scheduling is now 50% faster
• Improved error messages for authentication failures

Bug Fixes

• Fixed race condition in account state initialization (#45)
• Resolved infinite loop when no tasks exist (#52)

Breaking Changes

useHealthData Hook

What changed: useHealthData() now returns an object instead of array

Migration:

// Before
const [data, isLoading] = useHealthData();

// After
const { data, isLoading } = useHealthData();

## Checklist

- [ ] Highlights summarize key changes
- [ ] All new features documented with examples
- [ ] Breaking changes have migration guides
- [ ] Bug fixes reference issue numbers
- [ ] Version number follows semver