| name | jackin-release-notes |
| description | Classifies every PR merged since the last tag into Keep a Changelog categories and writes the [Unreleased] section of CHANGELOG.md. |
| argument-hint | [context] |
| disable-model-invocation | true |
jackin-release-notes
Classify every PR merged since the last release tag into a Keep a Changelog bucket, then write the [Unreleased] section of CHANGELOG.md. The bar is exhaustive — every merged PR accounted for, none dropped, none doubled.
When to use
- Before a release, to populate the changelog.
- When the operator asks to preview what the next release would contain.
When NOT to use
- Cutting the release itself →
jackin-release (it runs this skill as its notes step).
Process
-
Find the boundary. LAST_TAG=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0); if none, start from the initial commit (git rev-list --max-parents=0 HEAD). TAG_DATE=$(git log -1 --format=%aI "$LAST_TAG").
Done when you hold the boundary commit and its date.
-
Gather merged PRs. gh pr list --state merged --base main --search "merged:>$TAG_DATE" --json number,title,labels,mergedAt.
Done when every PR merged after the tag is in the list.
-
Classify each. Sort by Conventional Commits prefix and label:
| Prefix / label | Bucket |
|---|
feat: / feature | Added |
fix: / bug | Fixed |
security: | Security |
refactor:, chore:, docs:, ci:, build: | Changed |
deprecate: | Deprecated |
remove: | Removed |
| no match | Changed (default) |
Strip the prefix from the title; capitalize the first word (feat: add TUI launcher → Add TUI launcher).
Done when every PR sits in exactly one bucket.
-
Catch ungrouped commits. git log <last-tag>..HEAD --oneline --no-merges; for each, gh pr list --state merged --search "<sha>". Commits with no PR land under Ungrouped commits.
Done when every non-merge commit since the tag is matched to a PR or listed.
-
Write [Unreleased]. Keep a Changelog format: one section per non-empty bucket, each entry linking its PR ([#N](…/pull/N)). Replace the existing [Unreleased] block (between ## [Unreleased] and the next ## [) — ask before overwriting entries an operator already edited. Keep the <!-- next-header --> marker intact.
Done when CHANGELOG.md carries every merged PR under the right bucket, empty buckets omitted, and the marker survives.
-
Present for review. Show the section; let the operator re-classify or reword. Do not proceed to a release until approved.
Idempotency
Safe to re-run: reads CHANGELOG.md fresh each time, asks before overwriting existing entries, fetches PR data live from GitHub.
Common mistakes
- Dropping a PR that has no conventional-commit prefix — it defaults to Changed, never omitted.
- Listing an empty bucket ("no Removed entries" is noise — drop the section).
- Forgetting the PR link in each entry.
- Overwriting an operator-edited
[Unreleased] without asking.
