# Summarize Changes
> Structured workflow for summarizing code changes after completing tasks. Creates clear, actionable summaries of what was changed, why, and what to verify.
- Skill: `majiayu000/summarize-changes` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add majiayu000/summarize-changes`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/majiayu000/summarize-changes/raw
- Safety review: pending (external: skill-scanner PASS, skillspector PASS)
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: majiayu000 (https://skillmd.com/u/majiayu000)
- Updated: 2026-09-09
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/majiayu000/summarize-changes
---
Change Summarization Specialist - Creates clear, structured summaries of code changes for documentation and review.
- Generating structured change summaries
- Identifying affected components and dependencies
- Creating verification checklists
- Documenting breaking changes
- Writing commit message suggestions
- Producing PR description content
## When to Use
Invoke this skill:
- After completing any non-trivial coding task
- Before committing changes
- When preparing PR descriptions
- After think-about-whether-you-are-done confirms completion
## Change Summary Workflow
### Step 1: Gather Change Information
Collect information about what changed:
1. **Modified Files**: List all files that were changed
2. **Change Types**: Categorize changes (new, modified, deleted, renamed)
3. **Scope**: Identify affected components/modules
```bash
# If using git, gather diff summary
git status
git diff --stat
```
### Step 2: Analyze Change Impact
For each significant change, document:
1. **What Changed**: Specific modification made
2. **Why It Changed**: Reason/motivation for the change
3. **Impact**: What this affects (functionality, performance, API)
### Step 3: Generate Summary
Use this template:
```markdown
## Changes Summary
### Overview
[1-2 sentence high-level description of what was accomplished]
### Changes Made
#### New Files
| File | Purpose |
| ----------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| `path/to/file.ts` | Description of what this file does |
#### Modified Files
| File | Changes |
| --------------------- | ------------------------ |
| `path/to/existing.ts` | What was changed and why |
#### Deleted Files
| File | Reason |
| ---------------- | ------------------------- |
| `path/to/old.ts` | Why this file was removed |
### Technical Details
**Key Implementation Decisions**:
- Decision 1 and rationale
- Decision 2 and rationale
**Dependencies Added/Removed**:
- Added: `package-name@version` - reason
- Removed: `old-package` - reason
### Breaking Changes
[List any breaking changes or "None"]
### Migration Required
[Any steps needed to adopt these changes or "None"]
### Verification Checklist
- [ ] Unit tests pass
- [ ] Integration tests pass
- [ ] Manual testing performed
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] No console errors
- [ ] Performance acceptable
### Related Issues/Tasks
- Fixes #123
- Related to #456
```
### Step 4: Commit Message Suggestion
Generate a conventional commit message:
```
():
**After fixing a bug**:
```markdown
## Changes Summary
### Overview
Fixed the search timeout error that occurred when users had slow connections.
### Changes Made
#### Modified Files
| File | Changes |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------------- |
| `src/api/search.ts` | Increased timeout from 5s to 30s |
| `src/api/search.test.ts` | Added test for timeout handling |
### Technical Details
**Key Implementation Decisions**:
- Used 30s timeout as it covers 99th percentile of actual search times
- Added retry logic with exponential backoff for transient failures
**Dependencies Added/Removed**:
- None
### Breaking Changes
None
### Verification Checklist
- [x] Unit tests pass
- [x] Integration tests pass
- [x] Manual testing performed
- [x] No console errors
### Commit Message
```
fix(search): increase timeout to handle slow connections
Increased search API timeout from 5s to 30s and added retry logic.
Users on slow connections were experiencing frequent timeout errors.
Fixes #456
```
```
**After adding a new feature**:
```markdown
## Changes Summary
### Overview
Added user email validation with real-time feedback on the registration form.
### Changes Made
#### New Files
| File | Purpose |
| ---------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| `src/utils/emailValidator.ts` | Email validation utilities |
| `src/utils/emailValidator.test.ts` | Tests for email validation |
#### Modified Files
| File | Changes |
| ------------------------------------- | ------------------------------- |
| `src/components/RegistrationForm.tsx` | Added validation to email field |
| `src/i18n/en.json` | Added validation error messages |
### Technical Details
**Key Implementation Decisions**:
- Used RFC 5322 compliant regex for validation
- Validation runs on blur to avoid interrupting typing
- Debounced validation (300ms) for performance
**Dependencies Added/Removed**:
- None (used built-in regex)
### Breaking Changes
None - additive change only
### Verification Checklist
- [x] Unit tests pass (15 test cases for validation)
- [x] Integration tests pass
- [x] Manual testing performed
- [x] Works with screen readers (a11y tested)
### Commit Message
```
feat(registration): add email validation with real-time feedback
Added RFC 5322 compliant email validation to registration form.
Validation runs on blur with debouncing for smooth UX.
Closes #789
```
```
**Related Skills**:
- `thinking-tools` - Use before summarizing to validate completion
- `git-expert` - For commit and PR workflows
- `commit-message-guidelines` - For conventional commits
## Memory Protocol (MANDATORY)
**Before starting:**
Read `.claude/context/memory/learnings.md`
**After completing:**
- New pattern discovered -> `.claude/context/memory/learnings.md`
- Issue encountered -> `.claude/context/memory/issues.md`
- Decision made -> `.claude/context/memory/decisions.md`
> ASSUME INTERRUPTION: If it's not in memory, it didn't happen.