changelog-generator

name	changelog-generator
description	Generate changelogs from git history. Parses conventional commits, groups by type, and outputs Keep a Changelog or custom markdown. Use when: user asks to generate a changelog, release notes, or summarize changes between tags/commits. NOT for: writing commit messages (just follow conventional commits), or detailed code review (use github skill).
metadata	{"openclaw":{"emoji":"📋","requires":{"bins":"[Truncated]"}}}

Changelog Generator

Generate structured changelogs from git commit history.

When to Use

✅ USE this skill when:

• "Generate a changelog"
• "What changed since last release?"
• "Write release notes for v2.0"
• "Summarize commits between tags"
• Preparing a release and need formatted notes

When NOT to Use

❌ DON'T use this skill when:

• Writing individual commit messages
• Doing code review → use github skill
• Need CI/CD release automation → use github-actions or similar

Workflow

1. Identify the Range

Determine the commit range. Common patterns:

# Between two tags
git log v1.0.0..v2.0.0 --oneline

# Since last tag
git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --oneline

# Last N commits
git log -20 --oneline

# Between dates
git log --after="2024-01-01" --before="2024-02-01" --oneline

# All tags (to pick a range)
git tag --sort=-version:refname | head -10

2. Extract Commits

Use structured format for parsing:

# Full details for changelog
git log v1.0.0..HEAD --pretty=format:"%H|%s|%an|%ad" --date=short

# With body (for breaking changes, etc.)
git log v1.0.0..HEAD --pretty=format:"COMMIT_START%nHash: %H%nSubject: %s%nAuthor: %an%nDate: %ad%nBody: %b%nCOMMIT_END" --date=short

3. Classify Commits

Group by Conventional Commits type:

Prefix	Changelog Section
feat: / feat(scope):	✨ Features
fix: / fix(scope):	🐛 Bug Fixes
docs:	📚 Documentation
perf:	⚡ Performance
refactor:	♻️ Refactoring
test:	🧪 Tests
build: / ci:	🔧 Build & CI
chore:	🏠 Chores
BREAKING CHANGE / !:	💥 Breaking Changes

Non-conventional commits go under Other Changes.

4. Output Format

Use Keep a Changelog format:

# Changelog

## [2.0.0] - 2024-03-15

### 💥 Breaking Changes

- **api:** Remove deprecated `/v1/users` endpoint (#234)

### ✨ Features

- **auth:** Add OAuth2 PKCE flow support (#220)
- **ui:** New dashboard layout with dark mode (#215)

### 🐛 Bug Fixes

- **core:** Fix memory leak in connection pool (#228)
- Fix timezone handling in scheduler (#225)

### 📚 Documentation

- Update API migration guide for v2 (#230)

### ⚡ Performance

- **db:** Optimize query for large datasets (#222)

5. Include Metadata (Optional)

When helpful, append a summary footer:

---

**Full diff:** [`v1.0.0...v2.0.0`](https://github.com/org/repo/compare/v1.0.0...v2.0.0)
**Contributors:** @alice, @bob, @charlie

Get contributors with:

git log v1.0.0..HEAD --pretty=format:"%an" | sort -u

Tips

• No conventional commits? Summarize each commit in plain English. Group by area/file if possible.
• Squash merges? Use PR titles: git log --merges --first-parent --oneline
• Monorepo? Filter by path: git log v1.0.0..HEAD -- packages/core/
• Link PRs/issues: Match (#123) patterns and link to the repo's issue tracker.
• Breaking changes: Always put these first and make them prominent.
• Keep it human-readable: The LLM should rewrite terse commit messages into clear changelog entries.

Quick Command

Generate raw material for a changelog in one shot:

git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null || echo "HEAD~20")..HEAD \
  --pretty=format:"- %s (%an, %ad)" --date=short

Notes

• No external tools needed — just git
• Works with any git repo (GitHub, GitLab, local)
• For GitHub repos, consider enriching with PR data: gh pr list --state merged --limit 50 --json title,number,labels