Changelog Generator

Transform technical git commits into polished, user-friendly changelogs that 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 brand voice

Process

Follow these steps to generate a changelog:

1. Retrieve Git Commit History

   • Run git log --oneline --since="<date>" for date-based ranges
   • Run git log --oneline <tag1>..<tag2> for version-based ranges
   • Run git log --oneline -n <number> for last N commits

2. Filter and Categorize Commits

   • Features: New capabilities (look for "add", "implement", "create" keywords)
   • Improvements: Enhancements to existing features (look for "improve", "enhance", "update", "optimize")
   • Bug Fixes: Corrections (look for "fix", "resolve", "correct")
   • Breaking Changes: API/behavior changes requiring user action
   • Security: Security-related updates
   • Skip: Internal changes (refactor, test, build, docs, chore)

3. Transform Technical Language to User-Friendly

   • Convert: "Add OAuth2 authentication provider" → "Sign in with Google, GitHub, or Microsoft accounts"
   • Convert: "Implement lazy loading for image components" → "Images now load faster as you scroll"
   • Convert: "Fix race condition in sync worker" → "Resolved sync reliability issues"
   • Focus on user impact, not implementation details
   • Use active voice and present tense
   • Remove technical jargon (API, SDK, refactor, etc.)

4. Format the Changelog

   • Group by category with emoji/icons (✨ Features, 🔧 Improvements, 🐛 Fixes)
   • Use bullet points with bold titles
   • Include brief descriptions of user benefit
   • Add version number and date

5. Review and Refine

   • Ensure clarity for non-technical users
   • Check for consistent tone and voice
   • Verify all user-impacting changes are included
   • Remove or consolidate minor changes

How to Use

Basic Usage

From the 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 changelog
guidelines from CHANGELOG_STYLE.md

Example

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

Output:

# 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 git repository root
• Specify date ranges for focused changelogs
• Use 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