Changelog Generator
Generate consistent, auditable changelogs and release notes from Conventional Commits. Parses commit messages, detects semantic version bumps (major/minor/patch), renders Keep a Changelog sections, supports monorepo scoped changelogs, integrates with CI for automated release notes, and enforces commit format with linting. Separates commit parsing, bump logic, and rendering so teams can automate releases without losing editorial control.
Keywords
changelog, release notes, conventional commits, semantic versioning, semver, Keep a Changelog, commit linting, release automation, monorepo changelog
Core Capabilities
- Commit parsing — parse Conventional Commit messages into structured data (type, scope, description, body, footer); detect breaking changes from
! and BREAKING CHANGE:.
- Semantic version detection — map commit types to bump levels (breaking→major, feat→minor, others→patch); support pre-release versions.
- Changelog rendering — Keep a Changelog, GitHub release notes, plain markdown, and JSON output grouped by type.
- Quality enforcement — commit message linter for CI and pre-commit hooks, strict mode, scope validation, breaking-change documentation requirements.
When to Use
- Before publishing a release tag
- During CI to generate release notes automatically
- In PR checks to enforce commit message standards
- In monorepos where package changelogs need scoped filtering
- When converting raw git history into user-facing notes
- As a pre-release checklist step
Clarify First
Before generating the changelog, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:
Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.
Tools
| Tool |
Purpose |
Command |
commit_parser.py |
Parse git log (with ---COMMIT_END--- delimiters) into structured changelog entries |
git log --pretty=format:'%H%n%s%n%b%n---COMMIT_END---' --no-merges | python scripts/commit_parser.py --json |
breaking_change_detector.py |
Scan commit messages/diffs for breaking-change indicators |
python scripts/breaking_change_detector.py -f gitlog.txt --severity high |
changelog_formatter.py |
Format parsed commits into Keep a Changelog or GitHub markdown |
python scripts/changelog_formatter.py -f parsed.json --version 1.4.0 --format keepachangelog |
References
Load the reference that matches the task — keep this file lean and pull detail on demand:
- references/commit-format-and-rendering.md — the Conventional Commit grammar, type→section/semver mapping table, breaking-change rules, and the Keep a Changelog and GitHub Release Notes output formats. Read when defining commit standards or output style.
- references/generation-and-linting.md — the 4-step parse→bump→render workflow with Python code, the pre-commit hook and CI commitlint config, monorepo scoped-changelog strategy, and the release-workflow integration diagram. Read when building the pipeline or enforcing format.
- references/quality-and-troubleshooting.md — the pre-publish quality checklist, common pitfalls, best practices, troubleshooting table, and success criteria. Read before publishing a changelog or when diagnosing an issue.
Scope & Limitations
This skill covers:
- Parsing Conventional Commit messages into structured data for changelog generation
- Determining semantic version bumps (major/minor/patch) from commit history
- Rendering changelogs in Keep a Changelog, GitHub Release Notes, plain markdown, and JSON formats
- Enforcing commit message standards via pre-commit hooks and CI linting
This skill does NOT cover:
- Actual release publishing or deployment pipeline execution — see
engineering/ci-cd-pipeline-design
- Git tag management, branch strategies, or merge workflows — see
engineering/git-workflow-automation
- Writing or improving commit messages themselves — see
standards/git/git-workflow-standards.md
- Coordinated multi-package versioning with tools like Changesets or Lerna — referenced in monorepo strategy but not implemented here
Integration Points
| Skill |
Integration |
Data Flow |
engineering/ci-cd-pipeline-design |
Changelog generation runs as a CI stage before release publishing |
Parsed commits and rendered changelog feed into the release pipeline as artifacts |
engineering/git-workflow-automation |
Commit linting hooks enforce format before commits reach the changelog generator |
Pre-commit validation ensures only parseable commits enter the git history |
engineering/code-review-automation |
PR checks verify commit messages conform to Conventional Commits before merge |
Linting results gate PR approval, preventing unparseable commits from reaching main |
engineering/api-versioning-strategy |
Breaking change detection aligns API version bumps with changelog major releases |
BREAKING CHANGE commits trigger both changelog entries and API version increments |
project-management/release-management |
Release planning uses generated changelogs for stakeholder communication |
Rendered release notes flow into release checklists and stakeholder announcements |
standards/git/git-workflow-standards.md |
Commit format standards define the grammar this skill parses |
Standard definitions are the source of truth for the commit regex pattern |
1---2name: changelog-generator3description: Generate changelogs and release notes from Conventional Commits with semver bump detection, Keep a Changelog formatting, and monorepo scopes. Use when preparing releases, enforcing commit standards, or automating release notes.4license: MIT + Commons Clause5---6# Changelog Generator
7
8Generate consistent, auditable changelogs and release notes from Conventional Commits. Parses commit messages, detects semantic version bumps (major/minor/patch), renders Keep a Changelog sections, supports monorepo scoped changelogs, integrates with CI for automated release notes, and enforces commit format with linting. Separates commit parsing, bump logic, and rendering so teams can automate releases without losing editorial control.
9
10## Keywords
11
12changelog, release notes, conventional commits, semantic versioning, semver, Keep a Changelog, commit linting, release automation, monorepo changelog
13
14## Core Capabilities
15
16- **Commit parsing** — parse Conventional Commit messages into structured data (type, scope, description, body, footer); detect breaking changes from `!` and `BREAKING CHANGE:`.
17- **Semantic version detection** — map commit types to bump levels (breaking→major, feat→minor, others→patch); support pre-release versions.
18- **Changelog rendering** — Keep a Changelog, GitHub release notes, plain markdown, and JSON output grouped by type.
19- **Quality enforcement** — commit message linter for CI and pre-commit hooks, strict mode, scope validation, breaking-change documentation requirements.
20
21## When to Use
22
23- Before publishing a release tag
24- During CI to generate release notes automatically
25- In PR checks to enforce commit message standards
26- In monorepos where package changelogs need scoped filtering
27- When converting raw git history into user-facing notes
28- As a pre-release checklist step
29
30## Clarify First
31
32Before generating the changelog, confirm these inputs. If any is unknown or vague, ASK — do not assume:
33
34- [ ] **Commit range** — since which tag or commit (defines what history is included)
35- [ ] **Output format** — Keep a Changelog, GitHub release notes, plain markdown, or JSON (sets `changelog_formatter.py --format`)
36- [ ] **Version & scope** — the release version, and in a monorepo which package scope to filter (sets `--version` and scoped filtering)
37
38Stop rule: ask only the 2-3 that most change the output. If the user says "just draft it," proceed and list your assumptions at the top of the artifact.
39
40## Tools
41
42| Tool | Purpose | Command |
43|------|---------|---------|
44| `commit_parser.py` | Parse `git log` (with `---COMMIT_END---` delimiters) into structured changelog entries | `git log --pretty=format:'%H%n%s%n%b%n---COMMIT_END---' --no-merges \| python scripts/commit_parser.py --json` |
45| `breaking_change_detector.py` | Scan commit messages/diffs for breaking-change indicators | `python scripts/breaking_change_detector.py -f gitlog.txt --severity high` |
46| `changelog_formatter.py` | Format parsed commits into Keep a Changelog or GitHub markdown | `python scripts/changelog_formatter.py -f parsed.json --version 1.4.0 --format keepachangelog` |
47
48## References
49
50Load the reference that matches the task — keep this file lean and pull detail on demand:
51
52- **[references/commit-format-and-rendering.md](references/commit-format-and-rendering.md)** — the Conventional Commit grammar, type→section/semver mapping table, breaking-change rules, and the Keep a Changelog and GitHub Release Notes output formats. Read when defining commit standards or output style.
53- **[references/generation-and-linting.md](references/generation-and-linting.md)** — the 4-step parse→bump→render workflow with Python code, the pre-commit hook and CI commitlint config, monorepo scoped-changelog strategy, and the release-workflow integration diagram. Read when building the pipeline or enforcing format.
54- **[references/quality-and-troubleshooting.md](references/quality-and-troubleshooting.md)** — the pre-publish quality checklist, common pitfalls, best practices, troubleshooting table, and success criteria. Read before publishing a changelog or when diagnosing an issue.
55
56## Scope & Limitations
57
58**This skill covers:**
59- Parsing Conventional Commit messages into structured data for changelog generation
60- Determining semantic version bumps (major/minor/patch) from commit history
61- Rendering changelogs in Keep a Changelog, GitHub Release Notes, plain markdown, and JSON formats
62- Enforcing commit message standards via pre-commit hooks and CI linting
63
64**This skill does NOT cover:**
65- Actual release publishing or deployment pipeline execution — see `engineering/ci-cd-pipeline-design`
66- Git tag management, branch strategies, or merge workflows — see `engineering/git-workflow-automation`
67- Writing or improving commit messages themselves — see `standards/git/git-workflow-standards.md`
68- Coordinated multi-package versioning with tools like Changesets or Lerna — referenced in monorepo strategy but not implemented here
69
70## Integration Points
71
72| Skill | Integration | Data Flow |
73|-------|-------------|-----------|
74| `engineering/ci-cd-pipeline-design` | Changelog generation runs as a CI stage before release publishing | Parsed commits and rendered changelog feed into the release pipeline as artifacts |
75| `engineering/git-workflow-automation` | Commit linting hooks enforce format before commits reach the changelog generator | Pre-commit validation ensures only parseable commits enter the git history |
76| `engineering/code-review-automation` | PR checks verify commit messages conform to Conventional Commits before merge | Linting results gate PR approval, preventing unparseable commits from reaching main |
77| `engineering/api-versioning-strategy` | Breaking change detection aligns API version bumps with changelog major releases | `BREAKING CHANGE` commits trigger both changelog entries and API version increments |
78| `project-management/release-management` | Release planning uses generated changelogs for stakeholder communication | Rendered release notes flow into release checklists and stakeholder announcements |
79| `standards/git/git-workflow-standards.md` | Commit format standards define the grammar this skill parses | Standard definitions are the source of truth for the commit regex pattern |
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