Release Notes Generator

Generate release notes that users actually want to read.

Workflow

1. Find the last release (tag)
2. Gather commits since then
3. Categorize changes
4. Generate formatted release notes

Step 1: Find Last Release

# Get the most recent tag
git describe --tags --abbrev=0

# List recent tags
git tag --sort=-version:refname | head -5

# If no tags, use first commit
git rev-list --max-parents=0 HEAD

Step 2: Gather Commits

# Commits since last tag (replace v1.0.0 with actual tag)
git log v1.0.0..HEAD --oneline

# With full messages
git log v1.0.0..HEAD --format="%h %s%n%b---"

# With file changes
git log v1.0.0..HEAD --stat --oneline

Step 3: Categorize Changes

Analyze each commit and categorize:

Category	Prefix/Keywords	Example
✨ Features	feat, add, new	New dark mode
🐛 Bug Fixes	fix, bug, patch	Fix login crash
🔧 Improvements	improve, update, enhance	Faster startup
💥 Breaking	BREAKING, !:	API renamed
📦 Dependencies	deps, bump, upgrade	Update React 19
📝 Docs	docs, readme	Update API docs
🧪 Tests	test	Add unit tests

Use conventional commit prefixes when available. Otherwise, infer from commit message content.

Step 4: Generate Release Notes

Use this template:

# v2.0.0 (YYYY-MM-DD)

[Optional: One paragraph summary of the release theme/highlights]

## ✨ New Features

- Add dark mode support (#123)
- New export to PDF functionality (#145)
- Implement user preferences panel

## 🐛 Bug Fixes

- Fix memory leak in data processing (#134)
- Resolve race condition in auth flow (#156)
- Fix incorrect timezone handling in reports

## 🔧 Improvements

- 40% faster startup time
- Reduced bundle size by 15%
- Better error messages for API failures

## 💥 Breaking Changes

- `oldMethod()` has been renamed to `newMethod()`
- Minimum Node.js version is now 18
- Config file format changed (see migration guide)

## 📦 Dependencies

- Upgraded React from 18.2 to 19.0
- Removed deprecated `moment` in favor of `date-fns`
- Added `zod` for schema validation

## 🙏 Contributors

Thanks to @contributor1, @contributor2 for their contributions!

---

**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/user/repo/compare/v1.0.0...v2.0.0

<sub>📋 Release notes generated with [agent-resources](https://github.com/kasperjunge/agent-resources) • `uvx add-skill kasperjunge/release`</sub>

Formatting Guidelines

Version Number

• Use semantic versioning (vX.Y.Z)
• Major: breaking changes
• Minor: new features
• Patch: bug fixes

Each Entry

• Start with action verb (Add, Fix, Improve, Remove)
• Include PR/issue number if available
• Be specific but concise

Breaking Changes

• Always highlight prominently
• Include migration steps or link to guide
• Explain what users need to do

Handling Edge Cases

No conventional commits: Infer category from message content and changed files

Large releases: Add a "Highlights" section at top with 3-5 key changes

Security fixes: Always mention prominently, consider separate section

Contributors: Extract from commit authors, mention significant contributors

Quick Commands

# Generate contributor list
git log v1.0.0..HEAD --format="%an" | sort -u

# Count commits by type (if using conventional commits)
git log v1.0.0..HEAD --oneline | grep -c "^[a-f0-9]* feat"

# Get PR numbers from commit messages
git log v1.0.0..HEAD --oneline | grep -oE "#[0-9]+"