Changelog Generator

When to use this skill

Use Changelog Generator when an AI agent needs a reusable SKILL.md workflow for this job: Automatically creates user-facing changelogs from git commits by analyzing commit history, categorizing changes, and transforming technical commits into clear, customer-friendly release notes. Turns hours of manual changelog writing into minutes of automated generation.

When not to use it

Skip Changelog Generator when the task is outside the writing category, or when a more specific skill in this directory already covers the same workflow with clearer triggers.

How to install

1. Personal install: create ~/.claude/skills/changelog-generator/SKILL.md (and any bundled scripts) so Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and compatible agents can load it in every project.
2. Project install: commit the same folder at .claude/skills/changelog-generator/ so teammates get the skill with the repo.
3. Restart the agent session after copying files so it re-scans the skills directory, then ask for the task in words that match the skill description.

Full install guide for Claude, Cursor, and Codex

What this skill does

# Changelog Generator

This skill transforms technical git commits into polished, user-friendly changelogs that your customers and users will actually understand and appreciate.

## When to Use This Skill

- Preparing release notes for a new version - Creating weekly or monthly product update summaries - Documenting changes for customers - Writing changelog entries for app store submissions - Generating update notifications - Creating internal release documentation - Maintaining a public changelog/product updates page

## What This Skill Does

1. **Scans Git History**: Analyzes commits from a specific time period or between versions 2. **Categorizes Changes**: Groups commits into logical categories (features, improvements, bug fixes, breaking changes, security) 3. **Translates Technical → User-Friendly**: Converts developer commits into customer language 4. **Formats Professionally**: Creates clean, structured changelog entries 5. **Filters Noise**: Excludes internal commits (refactoring, tests, etc.) 6. **Follows Best Practices**: Applies changelog guidelines and your brand voice

## How to Use

### Basic Usage

From your project repository:

``` Create a changelog from commits since last release ```

``` Generate changelog for all commits from the past week ```

``` Create release notes for version 2.5.0 ```

### With Specific Date Range

``` Create a changelog for all commits between March 1 and March 15 ```

### With Custom Guidelines

``` Create a changelog for commits since v2.4.0, using my changelog guidelines from CHANGELOG_STYLE.md ```

## Example

**User**: "Create a changelog for commits from the past 7 days"

**Output**: ```markdown # Updates - Week of March 10, 2024

## ✨ New Features

- **Team Workspaces**: Create separate workspaces for different projects. Invite team members and keep everything organized.

- **Keyboard Shortcuts**: Press ? to see all available shortcuts. Navigate faster without touching your mouse.

## 🔧 Improvements

- **Faster Sync**: Files now sync 2x faster across devices - **Better Search**: Search now includes file contents, not just titles

## 🐛 Fixes

- Fixed issue where large images wouldn't upload - Resolved timezone confusion in scheduled posts - Corrected notification badge count ```

**Inspired by:** Manik Aggarwal's use case from Lenny's Newsletter

## Tips

- Run from your git repository root - Specify date ranges for focused changelogs - Use your CHANGELOG_STYLE.md for consistent formatting - Review and adjust the generated changelog before publishing - Save output directly to CHANGELOG.md

## Related Use Cases

- Creating GitHub release notes - Writing app store update descriptions - Generating email updates for users - Creating social media announcement posts

Intended uses

• Preparing release notes for a new version
• Creating weekly or monthly product update summaries
• Documenting changes for customers
• Writing changelog entries for app store submissions
• Generating update notifications
• Creating internal release documentation
• Maintaining a public changelog/product updates page