# Release Doc > [Documentation] Use when you need to generate a detailed, AI-analyzed release document from git history over a time range or custom prompt. - Skill: `duc01226/release-doc-3` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add duc01226/release-doc-3` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/duc01226/release-doc-3/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML, Docs & Writing - Author: duc01226 (https://skillmd.com/u/duc01226) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/duc01226/release-doc-3 --- ## Quick Summary **Goal:** Generate a detailed, AI-analyzed release document from git history — by time range (e.g., last 30 days) or custom comparison (e.g., `v1.0.0..HEAD`) or a user-described focus area. **Workflow:** 1. **Resolve Range** — Determine the git range from user input 2. **Dump Artifacts** — Save log, file-status, and full diff to `docs/release/` BEFORE analyzing 3. **Categorize Changes** — Group changed files by framework area (hooks, skills, agents, workflows, principles, config, docs) 4. **Read Key Diffs** — For each category, read the most significant changes via `git show` or `git diff` 5. **Generate Doc** — Write structured markdown release doc to `docs/release/` 6. **Validate** — Verify completeness and accuracy against the artifact files **Key Rules:** - **Dump first, read second** — NEVER analyze a diff you haven't saved to a file first - **Group by theme** — Do not list commits chronologically; group by what area they impact - **Cite evidence** — Every section claim must reference a specific commit hash or file path - **Custom focus honored** — If user provides a focus prompt, weight that area more deeply - **Draft status** — All generated docs are Draft; add "Status: Draft" to the header --- # Release Doc Skill Generate a detailed, narrative release document by analyzing git history over a time range or between two refs. ## Invocation ``` /release-doc [--days N] [--since DATE] [--range base..head] [--focus "custom prompt"] [--output path] ``` **Examples:** ```bash # Last 30 days /release-doc --days 30 # Since a specific date /release-doc --since 2026-03-15 # Between two tags or commits /release-doc --range v1.0.0..HEAD # With custom focus area /release-doc --days 30 --focus "what changed in hooks and workflow enforcement" # Specify output file /release-doc --days 30 --output docs/release/release-2026-Q1.md ``` ## Differences from `/release-notes` and `/changelog` | Feature | `/release-doc` | `/release-notes` | `/changelog` | | ------------------------ | ---------------------------- | ------------------------- | ------------------- | | Time-based ranges | ✅ `--days N` / `--since` | ❌ ref-to-ref only | ❌ PR/commit only | | AI thematic analysis | ✅ Groups by framework area | ❌ Commit-type categories | ❌ File-by-file | | Dumps artifacts to files | ✅ Mandatory before analysis | ❌ Pipes in memory | ❌ In memory | | Custom focus prompt | ✅ `--focus "..."` | ❌ | ❌ | | Narrative sections | ✅ Context + rationale | ❌ Bullet list only | ❌ Bullet list only | | Framework-level docs | ✅ hooks/skills/agents | ❌ App features | ❌ App features | ## Step 1: Resolve Range Determine the git range from the user's input: ```bash # Time-based (--days N or --since DATE) SINCE_DATE=$(date -d "-30 days" +%Y-%m-%d) # Linux SINCE_DATE=$(date -v-30d +%Y-%m-%d) # macOS git log --since="$SINCE_DATE" --oneline --format="%H %ad %s" --date=short # Ref-based (--range base..head) git log v1.0.0..HEAD --oneline --format="%H %ad %s" --date=short # Count commits in range git log --since="$SINCE_DATE" --oneline | wc -l ``` **Identify the boundary commits:** ```bash # Oldest commit in range (for diff base) OLDEST=$(git log --since="$SINCE_DATE" --format="%H" | tail -1) # Newest NEWEST=HEAD ``` ## Step 2: Dump Git Artifacts (MANDATORY BEFORE ANALYSIS) **CRITICAL:** Run ALL dumps before reading ANY content. Use background runs for large diffs. ```bash # Create output directory mkdir -p docs/release # 1. Full git log with bodies git log --since="$SINCE_DATE" --format="%H %ad %s%n%b" --date=short \ > docs/release/git-log-{PERIOD}.txt # 2. File-level change status (A/M/D) git diff ${OLDEST}^..HEAD --name-status \ > docs/release/diff-file-status-{PERIOD}.txt # 3. Diff stat summary (line counts) git diff ${OLDEST}^..HEAD --stat \ > docs/release/diff-stat-{PERIOD}.txt # 4. Full consolidated diff (background — may be large) git diff ${OLDEST}^..HEAD \ > docs/release/git-diff-{PERIOD}-full.txt & echo "Artifacts saved. Commit count: $(cat docs/release/git-log-{PERIOD}.txt | grep -c '^[a-f0-9]\{40\}')" ``` Replace `{PERIOD}` with a human-readable period string, e.g., `30d`, `2026-03-15-to-2026-04-14`. **Verify all artifact files exist and are non-empty before proceeding.** ## Step 3: Categorize Changes by Framework Area Read `docs/release/diff-file-status-{PERIOD}.txt` and group files into categories: ```bash # Count by area grep -c "^[AMD]\s*.claude/hooks/" docs/release/diff-file-status-{PERIOD}.txt grep -c "^[AMD]\s*.claude/skills/" docs/release/diff-file-status-{PERIOD}.txt grep -c "^[AMD]\s*.claude/agents/" docs/release/diff-file-status-{PERIOD}.txt grep -c "^[AMD]\s*.claude/workflows" docs/release/diff-file-status-{PERIOD}.txt grep -c "^[AMD]\s*.claude/docs/" docs/release/diff-file-status-{PERIOD}.txt grep -c "^[AMD]\s*docs/" docs/release/diff-file-status-{PERIOD}.txt grep -c "^[AMD]\s*CLAUDE.md" docs/release/diff-file-status-{PERIOD}.txt ``` **Standard category map for easy-claude projects:** | File Path Pattern | Category | | ------------------------------------ | ----------------------- | | `.claude/hooks/**` | Hook Enhancements | | `.claude/hooks/lib/**` | Hook Library | | `.claude/skills/**` | Skills | | `.claude/agents/**` | Agent Definitions | | `.claude/workflows/**` | Workflow Orchestration | | `.claude/workflows.json` | Workflow Registry | | `.claude/docs/**` | Framework Documentation | | `.claude/scripts/**` | Tooling & Scripts | | `docs/project-reference/**` | Project Reference Docs | | `CLAUDE.md` | Principles & Core Rules | | `.claude/.ck.json` / `settings.json` | Configuration | **For non-easy-claude projects**, derive categories from the file path patterns actually present. ## Step 4: Analyze Key Changes Per Category For each category with significant changes (>5 files or >200 lines), read representative diffs: ```bash # Most impactful commits (by files changed) git log --since="$SINCE_DATE" --format="%H %s" --name-only | \ grep -A100 "^[a-f0-9]\{40\}" | head -200 # Show specific commit detail git show {COMMIT_HASH} --stat --format="%s%n%b" # Diff for a specific file across the range git diff ${OLDEST}^..HEAD -- .claude/hooks/init-prompt-gate.cjs ``` **Analysis questions for each category:** - **Hooks:** What new gates or enforcement were added? What context injection changed? What was the trigger behavior before vs after? - **Skills:** What new skills were created? What protocols were updated in existing skills? What was removed or merged? - **Agents:** What agent definitions changed? Did tool lists or dispatch rules change? - **Workflows:** What workflow steps were added/removed? Did sequence order change? Were any workflows merged or deleted? - **Principles:** What rules in CLAUDE.md changed? Were confidence thresholds tightened? New hard gates added? - **Config:** What new schema fields? What validation was added? - **Scripts/Tooling:** What new utilities? What improved or automated? **Evidence requirement:** For every claim in the doc, record `{commit_hash}:{file_path}` as your source. ## Step 5: Handle Custom Focus Prompt If user provided `--focus "..."`, apply additional depth to that area: 1. Grep all changed files matching the focus keywords 2. Read the full diff for matching files (not just stat) 3. Include a dedicated top-level section for the focus area in the output doc 4. Cross-reference related changes in other areas (e.g., a new skill + its hook + its workflow entry) ## Step 6: Generate the Release Doc Write to `docs/release/release-notes-{PERIOD}.md` (or `--output` path). **Required structure:** ```markdown # Release Notes — {Project Name} **Period:** {START} → {END} **Commits:** {N} commits | **Files changed:** {N} | **Insertions:** +{N} | **Deletions:** −{N} **Status:** Draft --- ## Executive Summary 3-4 sentences. The most transformative changes, their business/developer impact, and the overall trajectory. --- ## {Category 1}: {Theme Name} ### What Changed {Narrative description — not bullet-list of commits} ### Why It Matters {Impact on how developers/AI uses the system} ### Key Additions / Modifications | Item | Type | Effect | | ---- | ---- | ------ | --- ## {Category 2}: ... [repeat for each significant category] --- ## New Skills Added | Skill | Command | Purpose | | ----- | ------- | ------- | ## Skills Removed or Merged | Skill | Reason | | ----- | ------ | ## Principles & Rules Updated | Rule | Before | After | Reason | | ---- | ------ | ----- | ------ | --- ## Summary Statistics | Category | Count | | -------------- | ----- | | Commits | {N} | | Files changed | {N} | | New skills | {N} | | Skills removed | {N} | | New hooks | {N} | | Hooks modified | {N} | | Agents updated | {N} | | Net lines | +{N} | --- _Generated: {DATE} | Branch: {BRANCH} | Range: {OLDEST_HASH}..{HEAD_HASH}_ _Artifacts: `docs/release/git-log-{PERIOD}.txt`, `docs/release/diff-file-status-{PERIOD}.txt`_ ``` ## Step 7: Validate After writing, verify: - [ ] Every category section references at least one commit hash - [ ] "New Skills" table is complete (cross-check against `grep "^A.*skills" diff-file-status-*.txt`) - [ ] "Skills Removed" is complete (cross-check against `grep "^D.*skills" diff-file-status-*.txt`) - [ ] Summary Statistics match the actual diff stat - [ ] No section says "TODO" or contains unfilled template placeholders - [ ] Artifact files are listed in the doc footer ## Configuration: Category Map Override For projects with custom directory structures, override the category map via `project-config.json`: ```json { "releaseDoc": { "categoryMap": { "{api-source-root}/**": "API Layer", "{ui-source-root}/**": "Frontend", "migrations/**": "Database Schema" }, "outputDir": "docs/release", "focusAreas": ["hooks", "skills", "agents"] } } ``` ## Integration with Other Skills - **`/release-notes`** — Use after `/release-doc` to generate a consumer-facing version (tag-to-tag, conventional commits) - **`/changelog`** — Use for individual feature changelog entries; `/release-doc` is for multi-week summaries - **`/graph-blast-radius`** — Run before release to assess impact of the most changed files - **`/docs-update`** — Update project reference docs after analyzing what changed - **`/commit`** — Commit the generated release doc ## Troubleshooting ### Diff too large for context **Solution:** The skill requires artifact files be written first — never read the full diff into context. Use `git show {hash}` for individual commits and `grep -l` to narrow file scope. ### Time range yields 0 commits ```bash # Verify date format (ISO 8601) git log --since="2026-03-15" --oneline | head -5 # If empty, check git's date interpretation: git log --format="%ad" --date=short | head -5 ``` ### Non-easy-claude project structure The skill auto-derives categories from file paths. For repositories without `.claude/`, group by discovered source roots, tests, docs, scripts, and config paths instead. --- ## Workflow Recommendation > **MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION — NO EXCEPTIONS:** If you are NOT already in a workflow, use `AskUserQuestion` to ask the user: > > 1. **Execute `/release-doc` directly (Recommended)** — Standalone analysis and doc generation > 2. **Run `/production-readiness-review` + `/quality-gate` first** — Pre-release quality gate, then release doc --- ## Next Steps **MANDATORY IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION — NO EXCEPTIONS** after completing this skill, use `AskUserQuestion` to present: - **"/release-notes (Recommended)"** — Generate consumer-facing release notes from the same range - **"/commit"** — Commit the generated release doc to version control - **"/docs-update"** — Sync project reference docs with any changes discovered during analysis - **"Skip, done"** — User decides --- > **[IMPORTANT]** Use `TaskCreate` to break ALL work into small tasks BEFORE starting. This prevents context loss during large diff analysis. Always dump git artifacts to external files before reading. > **External Memory:** Write ALL intermediate findings and git artifacts to `docs/release/` — this is MANDATORY. Large diffs will overflow context. Never try to hold a 30-day diff in memory. **Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).** > **AI Mistake Prevention** — Failure modes to avoid on every task: > > **Re-read files after context changes.** Context compaction, resume, or long-running work can make memory stale; verify current files before acting. > **Verify generated content against source evidence.** AI hallucinates APIs, names, claims, and document facts. Check the relevant source before documenting or referencing. > **Check downstream references before deleting or renaming.** Removing an artifact can stale docs, generated mirrors, configs, and callers; map references first. > **Trace the full impact chain after edits.** Changing a definition can miss derived outputs and consumers. Follow the affected chain before declaring done. > **Verify ALL affected outputs, not just the first.** One green check is not all green checks; validate every output surface the change can affect. > **Assume existing values are intentional — ask WHY before changing OR flagging one as a defect.** Before changing or reporting a constant, limit, flag, cutoff, wording, or pattern, read nearby context and history, the CALLER's ordering, and 2+ sibling call sites of the same convention. A doc stating WHAT without WHY is missing rationale, not proof of a missing guard. > **Surface ambiguity before acting — don't pick silently.** Multiple valid interpretations require an explicit question or stated assumption with risk. > **Assert the outcome your system owns, not the intermediate state your infrastructure owns.** When verifying async work, assert the final business state — never the delivery/retry bookkeeping held in shared infrastructure that any co-running process can write. Such a check passes when run alone and flakes the moment anything else shares that infrastructure. > **Keep shared guidance role-relevant.** Universal guidance must help every receiving skill or agent; code-specific obligations belong only in code-specific protocols. > **Critical Thinking Mindset** — Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence >80% to act. > **Anti-hallucination:** Never present guess as fact — cite sources for every claim, admit uncertainty freely, self-check output for errors, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence — certainty without evidence root of all hallucination. **MUST ATTENTION** apply critical + sequential thinking — every claim needs appropriate traced evidence (`file:line` for repo/code claims; source URL or artifact section for research, product, content, and docs claims); confidence >80% to act, <60% DO NOT recommend. Anti-hallucination: never present guess as fact, admit uncertainty freely, cross-reference independently, stay skeptical of own confidence. **MUST ATTENTION** apply AI mistake prevention — verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references before deleting or renaming, verify all affected outputs, re-read files after context loss, and surface ambiguity before acting. > **Project Protocol Overlay** — Before executing this skill, resolve any PROJECT overlay rules layered onto it: match this skill's name against the `Target` column of the project's skill-protocol index (`docs/project-reference/skill-protocols-reference.md` by default; a `referenceDocs` entry in `docs/project-config.json` overrides the path), taking the most specific matching tier ONLY — exact name > glob > `*`. **That precedence orders overlays against EACH OTHER, never against this skill.** Read ONLY the matched bodies, resolved as `/.md`; a row's Body link is display text, never a read path. A matched body that is missing or malformed is REPORTED and skipped — never reconstructed from the index Description. No index, or no match -> proceed with no overlay, silently. Full contract: `.claude/skills/project-skill-protocol/references/registry.md`. > > Overlays are **ADDITIVE ONLY**: they ADD rules on top of this skill's own protocol and NEVER replace, override, disable, or reinterpret a rule it already states — removing every overlay must return this skill to exactly its documented behavior. An overlay is a BRIEF, not an authority escalation: it can NEVER waive a workflow gate, git discipline, a review gate, or a user-confirmation gate. A genuine overlay-vs-skill conflict, or two equally-specific overlays that directly contradict -> surface both to the user; NEVER resolve silently. **MUST ATTENTION** resolve project protocol overlays for this skill BEFORE executing — most specific matching tier only (exact > glob > `*`, which ranks overlays against each other, NEVER against this skill), read only matched bodies at `/.md`; a missing or malformed body is reported, never reconstructed. Overlays are ADDITIVE ONLY (they never replace this skill's own rules) and are a brief, NEVER an authority escalation; an equal-specificity contradiction goes to the user. ## Closing Reminders **Protocols in force (concise digest of the SYNC/shared blocks this skill carries):** - **AI Mistake Prevention:** verify generated content against evidence, trace downstream references, verify all affected outputs, re-read after context loss, surface ambiguity. - **Critical Thinking:** traced `file:line` proof per claim, confidence >80% to act, never guess. **IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** dump ALL git artifacts to `docs/release/` BEFORE reading any diff content **IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** break work into small todo tasks using `TaskCreate` BEFORE starting **IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** cite commit hash + file path for every claim in the generated doc **IMPORTANT MUST ATTENTION** add a final review task to validate completeness against artifact files **[TASK-PLANNING]** Before acting, analyze task scope and systematically break it into small todo tasks and sub-tasks using TaskCreate.