TheArchitectit Changelog Generator
This skill transforms technical git commits into polished, user-friendly changelogs that customers and users will actually understand and appreciate.
Prerequisites
- Git: Required for reading commit history
- Repository access: Must be run from a git repository root
- Optional: Custom changelog style guide (CHANGELOG_STYLE.md)
When to Use This Skill
- Preparing release notes for a new version
- Creating weekly or monthly product update summaries
- Documenting changes for customers
- Writing changelog entries for app store submissions
- Generating update notifications
- Creating internal release documentation
- Maintaining a public changelog/product updates page
What This Skill Does
- Scans Git History — Analyzes commits from a specific time period or between versions
- Categorizes Changes — Groups commits into logical categories (features, improvements, bug fixes, breaking changes, security)
- Translates Technical → User-Friendly — Converts developer commits into customer language
- Formats Professionally — Creates clean, structured changelog entries
- Filters Noise — Excludes internal commits (refactoring, tests, etc.)
- Follows Best Practices — Applies changelog guidelines and brand voice
How to Use
Basic Usage
From your project repository:
Create a changelog from commits since last release
Generate changelog for all commits from the past week
Create release notes for version 2.5.0
With Specific Date Range
Create a changelog for all commits between March 1 and March 15
With Custom Guidelines
Create a changelog for commits since v2.4.0, using my changelog guidelines from CHANGELOG_STYLE.md
Process
Step 1: Gather Commits
Run the appropriate git command to collect commits:
# Commits since last tag
git log $(git describe --tags --abbrev=0)..HEAD --oneline
# Commits from the past N days
git log --since="7 days ago" --oneline
# Commits between two versions
git log v2.4.0..v2.5.0 --oneline
# Full commit details
git log --since="7 days ago" --format="%H|%s|%an|%ad" --date=short
Step 2: Categorize Changes
Group each commit into one of these categories:
| Category | Emoji | Include When |
|---|---|---|
| New Features | ✨ | New user-facing functionality |
| Improvements | 🔧 | Enhancements to existing features |
| Bug Fixes | 🐛 | Fixes for user-reported issues |
| Breaking Changes | ⚠️ | Changes that break backward compatibility |
| Security | 🔒 | Security-related fixes |
| Performance | ⚡ | Performance improvements |
| Deprecations | 📦 | Features being phased out |
Step 3: Transform Technical → User-Friendly
For each commit, rewrite the technical description in user-friendly language:
| Technical Commit | User-Friendly |
|---|---|
feat: add pagination to /api/users |
User Directory Pagination: Browse large user lists more easily with page-by-page navigation |
fix: resolve null pointer in payment processor |
Payment Processing Fix: Resolved issue where some payments would fail to process |
refactor: migrate auth to OAuth2 |
(Exclude — internal change) |
perf: optimize DB queries for dashboard |
Faster Dashboard: Dashboard now loads 2x faster with optimized data queries |
Filter out: internal refactoring, test updates, CI/CD changes, dependency bumps, code style fixes
Step 4: Format the Changelog
# What's New - [Version/Date Range]
## ✨ New Features
- **[Feature Name]**: [User-friendly description of what it does and why it matters]
## 🔧 Improvements
- **[Improved Feature]**: [What changed and the benefit to users]
## 🐛 Bug Fixes
- [Description of what was fixed in user terms]
## ⚠️ Breaking Changes
- [What changed and what users need to do differently]
## 🔒 Security
- [Security improvements made]
Step 5: Review and Refine
- Ensure all entries are in user-friendly language
- Verify no internal/technical jargon remains
- Check that categories are correct
- Remove any entries that don't affect users
- Ensure the tone matches your brand
Example
User: "Create a changelog for commits from the past 7 days"
Output:
# Updates - Week of March 10, 2024
## ✨ New Features
- **Team Workspaces**: Create separate workspaces for different projects. Invite team members and keep everything organized.
- **Keyboard Shortcuts**: Press ? to see all available shortcuts. Navigate faster without touching your mouse.
## 🔧 Improvements
- **Faster Sync**: Files now sync 2x faster across devices
- **Better Search**: Search now includes file contents, not just titles
## 🐛 Fixes
- Fixed issue where large images wouldn't upload
- Resolved timezone confusion in scheduled posts
- Corrected notification badge count
Tips
- Run from your git repository root
- Specify date ranges for focused changelogs
- Use your CHANGELOG_STYLE.md for consistent formatting
- Review and adjust the generated changelog before publishing
- Save output directly to CHANGELOG.md
Cline Workflow Notes
- Install location: Copy this skill directory to
.cline/skills/changelog-generator/(project-level) or~/.cline/skills/changelog-generator/(global) - Activation: Cline will suggest this skill when you ask about release notes, changelogs, or version history
- Progressive loading: Only metadata is loaded initially; full changelog patterns load via
use_skillwhen needed