API Changelog Impact Analyzer

When to invoke

• You have API release notes/changelog text (Markdown) from any provider.
• You need to identify potentially breaking changes and what client code to review.
• You want a vendor-neutral heuristic analysis (not tied to any specific API platform).

Inputs needed

• Path to a changelog markdown/text file.
• (Optional) A list of client endpoints your app uses (JSON) to cross-check.

Workflow

1. Parse changelog into bullet items and headings.
2. Classify each item into:
   • breaking (removal, rename, required fields, auth changes)
   • behavior change (defaults, limits, ordering)
   • additive (new fields/endpoints)
   • deprecation
3. Extract impacted surfaces (endpoint paths, field names) via regex heuristics.
4. If a client-usage file is provided, highlight overlaps.
5. Output a prioritized action list.

Output format

• Markdown summary to stdout.
• JSON report (optional) with categorized items and detected impacts.

Guardrails

• Heuristic only; do not claim completeness.
• Do not infer security posture; only flag explicit auth/scope changes mentioned.

Reference code

• api_changelog_impact_analyzer.py