| name | release-notes |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| description | [Git] Use when creating release notes from git history. |
Quick Summary
Goal: Generate professional release notes from git commits with automated categorization, service detection, and validation.
Workflow:
- Parse Commits —
parse-commits.cjs <base> <head> extracts structured data from git
- Categorize — Pipe through
categorize-commits.cjs for user-facing vs internal sections
- Render —
render-template.cjs --version vX.Y.Z generates markdown with Summary, What's New, Improvements, Bug Fixes, Breaking Changes, Technical Details
Key Rules:
- Pipeline: parse → categorize → render → validate → transform
- Advanced: Service detection, breaking change analysis, PR metadata, contributor stats, version bumping
- Human Review: Generated notes are Draft status, require review/enhance/approve before publish
- Validation:
validate-notes.cjs scores against quality rules (100 points)
Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).
Release Notes Generation Skill
Generate professional release notes from git commits between two refs with automated categorization.
Invocation
/release-notes [base] [head] [--version vX.Y.Z] [--output path]
Examples:
/release-notes v1.0.0 HEAD --version v1.1.0
/release-notes main feature/new-auth --version v2.0.0-beta
/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:
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs <base> <head> [--with-files]
Output: JSON with commits array containing:
hash, shortHash - Commit identifiers
type, scope, description - Conventional commit parts
breaking - Boolean for breaking changes
author, date - Attribution
files - Changed files (with --with-files flag)
Step 2: Categorize Commits
Pipe parsed commits through the categorizer:
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs <base> <head> | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/categorize-commits.cjs
Categorization Rules:
| Type | Category | User-Facing |
|---|
feat | features | Yes |
fix | fixes | Yes |
perf | improvements | Yes |
docs | docs | Yes (unless internal) |
refactor | improvements | Technical only |
test, ci, build, chore, style | internal | No |
Excluded Patterns:
chore(deps): - Dependency updates
chore(config): - Configuration changes
[skip changelog] - Explicit skip
[ci skip] - CI markers
Step 3: Render Markdown
Generate the final release notes document:
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs <base> <head> | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/categorize-commits.cjs | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/render-template.cjs --version v1.1.0 --output docs/release-notes/250111-v1.1.0.md
Complete Pipeline
For generating release notes in a single command:
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/categorize-commits.cjs | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/render-template.cjs --version v1.1.0 --output docs/release-notes/250111-v1.1.0.md
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/categorize-commits.cjs | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/render-template.cjs --version v1.1.0
Advanced Features
Service Boundary Detection
Analyze which services are affected by the release:
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD --with-files | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/detect-services.cjs
Output: Service impact analysis with severity levels (critical, high, medium, low)
Breaking Change Analysis
Enhanced breaking change detection with migration info extraction:
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/categorize-commits.cjs | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/detect-breaking.cjs
Detects:
BREAKING CHANGE: in commit body
! suffix on commit type (e.g., feat!:)
- Migration instructions
PR Metadata Extraction
Extract and link pull request information:
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/extract-pr-metadata.cjs
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:
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/parse-commits.cjs v1.0.0 HEAD | \
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/bump-version.cjs
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/bump-version.cjs --prerelease beta
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/bump-version.cjs --service {service-name}
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:
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/validate-notes.cjs docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/validate-notes.cjs docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md --threshold 80
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:
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="your-api-key"
node .claude/skills/release-notes/lib/transform-llm.cjs docs/release-notes/v1.1.0.md --transform executive
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
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:
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
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.