changelog-automation

Name: changelog-automation
Author: W. Shobson

changelogrelease notesautomationgitconventional commitssemantic versioningdevopsworkflow

⭐ 36.8k📄 MIT🕒 2026-06-16Source ↗

Install this skill

npx skills add wshobson/agents

Works across Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Copilot & Antigravity

Changelog automation bridges the gap between raw git history and human-readable release documentation. This skill enforces structured commit message patterns, specifically adhering to the Conventional Commits specification, to parse repository logs into organized release notes. By integrating with tools like semantic-release or standard-version, developers can remove the manual burden of tracking changes, bumping version numbers, and writing summaries. The workflow relies on strict branch naming and commit conventions to trigger automated release generation, ensuring that every project update follows consistent semantic versioning. It transforms messy commit logs into clear, actionable bullet points categorized by feature additions, bug fixes, and breaking changes. By centralizing documentation updates within the build pipeline, projects maintain an accurate history of their evolution without requiring additional administrative overhead during the release cycle.

When to Use This Skill

•Publishing project release notes automatically during CI/CD deployments
•Enforcing consistent team-wide communication standards for git commits
•Managing complex version transitions for npm-based package releases
•Synchronizing documentation updates with code changes during branch merges

How to Invoke This Skill

Example prompts that trigger this skill in Claude Code, Cursor, or Antigravity:

“Set up automated changelog generation for my repo
“Configure conventional commits for this project
“How do I automate version bumps using git commits?
“Generate release notes based on my git history
“Setup commitlint and husky in my current workspace

Pro Tips

💡Integrate with your CI/CD pipeline to automate changelog drafting and publishing on release tags.
💡Enforce Conventional Commits via pre-commit hooks to ensure high-quality, parsable commit messages.
💡Pair with a semantic versioning tool for fully automated version bumping based on commit types.

What this skill does

•Parses git commit history based on Conventional Commits standards
•Generates structured Markdown files following the Keep a Changelog format
•Automates semantic versioning increments based on commit types
•Configures automated release note drafting for GitHub and GitLab releases
•Validates commit messages via git hooks to prevent non-compliant entries

When not to use it

✕Small, single-contributor personal scripts that rarely update
✕Monorepos with highly non-standard build architectures requiring custom logic

Example workflow

Initialize the project with commitlint and husky to enforce message formatting
Configure .versionrc.js or release.config.js to map commit types to changelog sections
Execute a test commit using the feat: or fix: prefix
Run the release command to generate a new tag and update the CHANGELOG.md file
Push the generated tag to the remote repository to trigger the release workflow

Prerequisites

–Node.js environment for most automation tools
–An existing git repository
–Agreement on a specific commit convention standard

Pitfalls & limitations

!Existing non-compliant commit history requires manual migration or a 'fresh' changelog start
!Over-automation can hide breaking changes if commit types are applied incorrectly
!Standard-version and semantic-release may conflict if both are configured simultaneously

FAQ

What happens if a developer misses the commit format?

With commitlint and husky configured, the commit will be rejected before it enters the repository, forcing the developer to reformat their message.

Does this support non-Node.js projects?

While the tooling ecosystem is Node-heavy, the underlying logic of Conventional Commits works in any language as long as you can run the validation hooks during the commit process.

Can I hide specific commit types from the changelog?

Yes, by configuring your tool's settings file, you can mark specific types like 'chore' or 'style' as hidden to avoid cluttering the final output.

How it compares

Unlike manual documentation which is prone to human error and omission, this skill integrates release generation directly into the VCS workflow to ensure 100% parity between code changes and reported features.

Source & trust

⭐ 37k stars📄 MIT🕒 Updated 2026-06-16

View original skill on GitHub →

📄 Full skill instructions — original source: wshobson/agents

# Changelog Automation

Patterns and tools for automating changelog generation, release notes, and version management following industry standards.

## When to Use This Skill

- Setting up automated changelog generation
- Implementing Conventional Commits
- Creating release note workflows
- Standardizing commit message formats
- Generating GitHub/GitLab release notes
- Managing semantic versioning

## Core Concepts

### 1. Keep a Changelog Format

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).

## [Unreleased]

### Added

- New feature X

## [1.2.0] - 2024-01-15

### Added

- User profile avatars
- Dark mode support

### Changed

- Improved loading performance by 40%

### Deprecated

- Old authentication API (use v2)

### Removed

- Legacy payment gateway

### Fixed

- Login timeout issue (#123)

### Security

- Updated dependencies for CVE-2024-1234

[Unreleased]: https://github.com/user/repo/compare/v1.2.0...HEAD
[1.2.0]: https://github.com/user/repo/compare/v1.1.0...v1.2.0

### 2. Conventional Commits

<type>[optional scope]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

| Type | Description | Changelog Section |
| ---------- | ---------------- | ------------------ |
| feat | New feature | Added |
| fix | Bug fix | Fixed |
| docs | Documentation | (usually excluded) |
| style | Formatting | (usually excluded) |
| refactor | Code restructure | Changed |
| perf | Performance | Changed |
| test | Tests | (usually excluded) |
| chore | Maintenance | (usually excluded) |
| ci | CI changes | (usually excluded) |
| build | Build system | (usually excluded) |
| revert | Revert commit | Removed |

### 3. Semantic Versioning

MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH

MAJOR: Breaking changes (feat! or BREAKING CHANGE)
MINOR: New features (feat)
PATCH: Bug fixes (fix)

## Implementation

### Method 1: Conventional Changelog (Node.js)

# Install tools
npm install -D @commitlint/cli @commitlint/config-conventional
npm install -D husky
npm install -D standard-version
# or
npm install -D semantic-release

# Setup commitlint
cat > commitlint.config.js << 'EOF'
module.exports = {
  extends: ['@commitlint/config-conventional'],
  rules: {
    'type-enum': [
      2,
      'always',
      [
        'feat',
        'fix',
        'docs',
        'style',
        'refactor',
        'perf',
        'test',
        'chore',
        'ci',
        'build',
        'revert',
      ],
    ],
    'subject-case': [2, 'never', ['start-case', 'pascal-case', 'upper-case']],
    'subject-max-length': [2, 'always', 72],
  },
};
EOF

# Setup husky
npx husky init
echo "npx --no -- commitlint --edit \$1" > .husky/commit-msg

### Method 2: standard-version Configuration

// .versionrc.js
module.exports = {
  types: [
    { type: "feat", section: "Features" },
    { type: "fix", section: "Bug Fixes" },
    { type: "perf", section: "Performance Improvements" },
    { type: "revert", section: "Reverts" },
    { type: "docs", section: "Documentation", hidden: true },
    { type: "style", section: "Styles", hidden: true },
    { type: "chore", section: "Miscellaneous", hidden: true },
    { type: "refactor", section: "Code Refactoring", hidden: true },
    { type: "test", section: "Tests", hidden: true },
    { type: "build", section: "Build System", hidden: true },
    { type: "ci", section: "CI/CD", hidden: true },
  ],
  commitUrlFormat: "{{host}}/{{owner}}/{{repository}}/commit/{{hash}}",
  compareUrlFormat:
    "{{host}}/{{owner}}/{{repository}}/compare/{{previousTag}}...{{currentTag}}",
  issueUrlFormat: "{{host}}/{{owner}}/{{repository}}/issues/{{id}}",
  userUrlFormat: "{{host}}/{{user}}",
  releaseCommitMessageFormat: "chore(release): {{currentTag}}",
  scripts: {
    prebump: 'echo "Running prebump"',
    postbump: 'echo "Running postbump"',
    prechangelog: 'echo "Running prechangelog"',
    postchangelog: 'echo "Running postchangelog"',
  },
};

// package.json scripts
{
  "scripts": {
    "release": "standard-version",
    "release:minor": "standard-version --release-as minor",
    "release:major": "standard-version --release-as major",
    "release:patch": "standard-version --release-as patch",
    "release:dry": "standard-version --dry-run"
  }
}

### Method 3: semantic-release (Full Automation)

// release.config.js
module.exports = {
  branches: [
    "main",
    { name: "beta", prerelease: true },
    { name: "alpha", prerelease: true },
  ],
  plugins: [
    "@semantic-release/commit-analyzer",
    "@semantic-release/release-notes-generator",
    [
      "@semantic-release/changelog",
      {
        changelogFile: "CHANGELOG.md",
      },
    ],
    [
      "@semantic-release/npm",
      {
        npmPublish: true,
      },
    ],
    [
      "@semantic-release/github",
      {
        assets: ["dist/**/*.js", "dist/**/*.css"],
      },
    ],
    [
      "@semantic-release/git",
      {
        assets: ["CHANGELOG.md", "package.json"],
        message:
          "chore(release): ${nextRelease.version} [skip ci]\n\n${nextRelease.notes}",
      },
    ],
  ],
};

### Method 4: GitHub Actions Workflow

# .github/workflows/release.yml
name: Release

on:
  push:
    branches: [main]
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      release_type:
        description: "Release type"
        required: true
        default: "patch"
        type: choice
        options:
          - patch
          - minor
          - major

permissions:
  contents: write
  pull-requests: write

jobs:
  release:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"
          cache: "npm"

      - run: npm ci

      - name: Configure Git
        run: |
          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"

      - name: Run semantic-release
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          NPM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
        run: npx semantic-release

  # Alternative: manual release with standard-version
  manual-release:
    if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch'
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0

      - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: "20"

      - run: npm ci

      - name: Configure Git
        run: |
          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"

      - name: Bump version and generate changelog
        run: npx standard-version --release-as ${{ inputs.release_type }}

      - name: Push changes
        run: git push --follow-tags origin main

      - name: Create GitHub Release
        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
        with:
          tag_name: ${{ steps.version.outputs.tag }}
          body_path: RELEASE_NOTES.md
          generate_release_notes: true

### Method 5: git-cliff (Rust-based, Fast)

# cliff.toml
[changelog]
header = """
# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

"""
body = """
{% if version %}\
    ## [{{ version | trim_start_matches(pat="v") }}] - {{ timestamp | date(format="%Y-%m-%d") }}
{% else %}\
    ## [Unreleased]
{% endif %}\
{% for group, commits in commits | group_by(attribute="group") %}
    ### {{ group | upper_first }}
    {% for commit in commits %}
        - {% if commit.scope %}**{{ commit.scope }}:** {% endif %}\
            {{ commit.message | upper_first }}\
            {% if commit.github.pr_number %} ([#{{ commit.github.pr_number }}](https://github.com/owner/repo/pull/{{ commit.github.pr_number }})){% endif %}\
    {% endfor %}
{% endfor %}
"""
footer = """
{% for release in releases -%}
    {% if release.version -%}
        {% if release.previous.version -%}
            [{{ release.version | trim_start_matches(pat="v") }}]: \
                https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/{{ release.previous.version }}...{{ release.version }}
        {% endif -%}
    {% else -%}
        [unreleased]: https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/{{ release.previous.version }}...HEAD
    {% endif -%}
{% endfor %}
"""
trim = true

[git]
conventional_commits = true
filter_unconventional = true
split_commits = false
commit_parsers = [
    { message = "^feat", group = "Features" },
    { message = "^fix", group = "Bug Fixes" },
    { message = "^doc", group = "Documentation" },
    { message = "^perf", group = "Performance" },
    { message = "^refactor", group = "Refactoring" },
    { message = "^style", group = "Styling" },
    { message = "^test", group = "Testing" },
    { message = "^chore\\(release\\)", skip = true },
    { message = "^chore", group = "Miscellaneous" },
]
filter_commits = false
tag_pattern = "v[0-9]*"
skip_tags = ""
ignore_tags = ""
topo_order = false
sort_commits = "oldest"

[github]
owner = "owner"
repo = "repo"

# Generate changelog
git cliff -o CHANGELOG.md

# Generate for specific range
git cliff v1.0.0..v2.0.0 -o RELEASE_NOTES.md

# Preview without writing
git cliff --unreleased --dry-run

### Method 6: Python (commitizen)

# pyproject.toml
[tool.commitizen]
name = "cz_conventional_commits"
version = "1.0.0"
version_files = [
    "pyproject.toml:version",
    "src/__init__.py:__version__",
]
tag_format = "v$version"
update_changelog_on_bump = true
changelog_incremental = true
changelog_start_rev = "v0.1.0"

[tool.commitizen.customize]
message_template = "{{change_type}}{% if scope %}({{scope}}){% endif %}: {{message}}"
schema = "<type>(<scope>): <subject>"
schema_pattern = "^(feat|fix|docs|style|refactor|perf|test|chore)(\\(\\w+\\))?:\\s.*"
bump_pattern = "^(feat|fix|perf|refactor)"
bump_map = {"feat" = "MINOR", "fix" = "PATCH", "perf" = "PATCH", "refactor" = "PATCH"}

# Install
pip install commitizen

# Create commit interactively
cz commit

# Bump version and update changelog
cz bump --changelog

# Check commits
cz check --rev-range HEAD~5..HEAD

## Release Notes Templates

### GitHub Release Template

## What's Changed

### 🚀 Features

{{ range .Features }}

- {{ .Title }} by @{{ .Author }} in #{{ .PR }}
  {{ end }}

### 🐛 Bug Fixes

{{ range .Fixes }}

- {{ .Title }} by @{{ .Author }} in #{{ .PR }}
  {{ end }}

### 📚 Documentation

{{ range .Docs }}

- {{ .Title }} by @{{ .Author }} in #{{ .PR }}
  {{ end }}

### 🔧 Maintenance

{{ range .Chores }}

- {{ .Title }} by @{{ .Author }} in #{{ .PR }}
  {{ end }}

## New Contributors

{{ range .NewContributors }}

- @{{ .Username }} made their first contribution in #{{ .PR }}
  {{ end }}

**Full Changelog**: https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/v{{ .Previous }}...v{{ .Current }}

### Internal Release Notes

# Release v2.1.0 - January 15, 2024

## Summary

This release introduces dark mode support and improves checkout performance
by 40%. It also includes important security updates.

## Highlights

### 🌙 Dark Mode

Users can now switch to dark mode from settings. The preference is
automatically saved and synced across devices.

### ⚡ Performance

- Checkout flow is 40% faster
- Reduced bundle size by 15%

## Breaking Changes

None in this release.

## Upgrade Guide

No special steps required. Standard deployment process applies.

## Known Issues

- Dark mode may flicker on initial load (fix scheduled for v2.1.1)

## Dependencies Updated

| Package | From    | To      | Reason                   |
| ------- | ------- | ------- | ------------------------ |
| react   | 18.2.0  | 18.3.0  | Performance improvements |
| lodash  | 4.17.20 | 4.17.21 | Security patch           |

## Commit Message Examples

# Feature with scope
feat(auth): add OAuth2 support for Google login

# Bug fix with issue reference
fix(checkout): resolve race condition in payment processing

Closes #123

# Breaking change
feat(api)!: change user endpoint response format

BREAKING CHANGE: The user endpoint now returns userId instead of id.
Migration guide: Update all API consumers to use the new field name.

# Multiple paragraphs
fix(database): handle connection timeouts gracefully

Previously, connection timeouts would cause the entire request to fail
without retry. This change implements exponential backoff with up to
3 retries before failing.

The timeout threshold has been increased from 5s to 10s based on p99
latency analysis.

Fixes #456
Reviewed-by: @alice

## Best Practices

### Do's

- **Follow Conventional Commits** - Enables automation
- **Write clear messages** - Future you will thank you
- **Reference issues** - Link commits to tickets
- **Use scopes consistently** - Define team conventions
- **Automate releases** - Reduce manual errors

### Don'ts

- **Don't mix changes** - One logical change per commit
- **Don't skip validation** - Use commitlint
- **Don't manual edit** - Generated changelogs only
- **Don't forget breaking changes** - Mark with ! or footer
- **Don't ignore CI** - Validate commits in pipeline

## Resources

- [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/)
- [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/)
- [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/)
- [semantic-release](https://semantic-release.gitbook.io/)
- [git-cliff](https://git-cliff.org/)

By W. Shobson

How to Use This Skill Unit

Option A: Project-Specific (Recommended)

Click "Download" above
In your project, create the directory: .agent/skills/changelog-automation/
Save the file as SKILL.md
The agent will automatically discover the skill based on its description.

Option B: Global Installation (All Agents)

Save the file to these locations to make it available across all projects:

Claude Code: ~/.claude/skills/wshobson/agents/changelog-automation/SKILL.md
Cursor: ~/.cursor/skills/wshobson/agents/changelog-automation/SKILL.md
Antigravity: ~/.gemini/antigravity/skills/wshobson/agents/changelog-automation/SKILL.md

🚀 Install with CLI:
npx skills add wshobson/agents

Read the Master Guide: Mastering Agent Skills →

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