Release Notes

Draft release notes for a new Kargo minor release.

Argument: $0 = new version (e.g. 1.10.0). The previous minor is inferred automatically (e.g. 1.9).

Setup

Create a working directory for intermediate files:

mkdir -p /tmp/kargo-rn/metadata

Phase 1 -- Determine the commit range

1. Parse $0 to derive:

   • NEW_MINOR = major.minor (e.g. 1.10)
   • PREV_MINOR = the previous minor (e.g. 1.9)

2. Ensure local branches are up to date with upstream:

   git fetch upstream
   

   For each branch needed (release-$NEW_MINOR if it exists on upstream, otherwise main; and release-$PREV_MINOR):

   • If the local branch already exists, check it out and pull:

     git checkout <branch> && git pull upstream <branch>
     

   • If it doesn't exist locally, create it from upstream:

     git checkout -b <branch> upstream/<branch>
     

   The tip is release-$NEW_MINOR if it exists, otherwise main. The base is the merge-base of the tip with release-$PREV_MINOR. Collect the full commit list:

   git log --oneline --no-merges <base>..<tip>
   

Phase 2 -- Exclude backported commits

Run the companion script to remove commits that were cherry-picked or backported to the previous release branch (they already shipped in a patch release):

.claude/skills/release-notes/scripts/exclude-backports.sh <base> <tip> release-$PREV_MINOR > /tmp/kargo-rn/commits.txt

The script handles automated backports (chore(backport ...): prefix, resolving original PR numbers via the backport PR body), manual backports (chore: manually backport #NNNN:), "Merge commit from fork" entries, and backport entries on the tip branch. It reports a summary to stderr.

Report the counts to the user.

Phase 3 -- Preliminary classification

Run the companion script to classify commits by subject line alone (no API calls needed):

.claude/skills/release-notes/scripts/classify-by-subject.sh \
  /tmp/kargo-rn/commits.txt \
  /tmp/kargo-rn/included.txt \
  /tmp/kargo-rn/excluded.txt \
  /tmp/kargo-rn/uncertain.txt

The script auto-excludes docs, deps, CI, typo, and chore commits; auto-includes features and breaking changes; and sends the rest to uncertain. It reports counts to stderr.

Report the counts to the user.

Phase 4 -- Enrich and classify remaining commits

GitHub authentication

Before fetching any GitHub data, verify that gh is authenticated and has access to the akuity/kargo repository by running a test API call:

gh api repos/akuity/kargo --jq '.full_name'

If this fails for any reason -- SAML enforcement, expired token, missing scopes, no gh CLI, etc. -- do not silently fall back to local-only data. Instead:

1. Tell the user exactly what went wrong.
2. Suggest the user try gh auth refresh to reauthorize via the browser. Re-run the test call after they do.
3. If that doesn't work, ask the user to provide a GitHub personal access token authorized for the akuity organization. Either kind works:
   • Fine-grained (recommended): scoped to akuity/kargo with read-only repository access. Authorized for the org at creation time.
   • Classic: with repo scope, then separately authorized for the akuity org's SAML SSO.
4. Once the user provides a token, set it for the remainder of the session:

   export GH_TOKEN=<token>
   

5. Re-run the test call to confirm it works.
6. If it still fails, ask the user to troubleshoot -- do not proceed without GitHub API access. PR and issue context is essential for writing quality release notes.

Fetch PR and issue metadata

Run the companion script to fetch PR details and linked issues for all auto-included and uncertain commits:

cat /tmp/kargo-rn/included.txt /tmp/kargo-rn/uncertain.txt > /tmp/kargo-rn/needs-fetch.txt
.claude/skills/release-notes/scripts/fetch-pr-metadata.sh \
  /tmp/kargo-rn/needs-fetch.txt \
  /tmp/kargo-rn/metadata

The script creates pr-NNNN.json and issue-NNNN.json files in the output directory, plus an index.tsv summary. It is idempotent (skips already-fetched PRs).

Classify unclassified commits

Read the fetched metadata (/tmp/kargo-rn/metadata/) and classify the uncertain commits using PR body, labels, linked issues, and diff stats:

• Auto-exclude: minor bug fixes that appear routine (small diff, not touching user-facing behavior significantly). Use the PR body and linked issue (if any) to judge significance -- a bug fix linked to an issue with many reactions or comments may be noteworthy. Also exclude: internal refactors with no user-facing change.

• Auto-include: PRs labeled enhancement / feature, or PR bodies mentioning deprecat

• Ask about the rest: present unclassified commits to the user in batches of ~10. For each, show:

  • Commit subject
  • PR title (if different from subject) and a one-line summary of the PR body
  • Linked issue title (if any)
  • Files changed (short stat)

  Provide a recommended include/exclude for each based on your best judgment of the PR and issue context.

Phase 5 -- Identify first-time contributors

Run the companion script to find first-time contributors and map their emails to GitHub logins:

.claude/skills/release-notes/scripts/map-contributors.sh <base> <tip> release-$PREV_MINOR > /tmp/kargo-rn/contributors.txt

The script finds all author emails in the range, filters bots, checks for prior commits before the base, and maps each first-time email to a GitHub login deterministically (commit SHA → GitHub API). Output is email|login lines. Use only this mapping for the contributor list -- do not cross-reference or override it with PR author logins or other heuristics.

Phase 6 -- Group and draft

Read prior release notes for tone

Before writing, re-read docs/docs/80-release-notes/ for the two most recent minor versions. Match their tone, structure, emoji usage, and level of detail.

Determine the file name

Release notes files use descending numeric prefixes. Read the existing files in docs/docs/80-release-notes/ and choose a prefix one less than the current lowest-numbered version file (e.g. if 90-v1.9.0.md exists, use 89-v1.10.0.md).

Structure

The release notes file should NOT have YAML frontmatter (matching the pattern of recent release notes files). Start with a one- or two-sentence intro with a rocket emoji.

Organize the included changes into sections and subsections that make sense for the content. Use the prior release notes as a guide for the kinds of sections and headings that work well, but adapt to fit the actual changes -- don't force content into a rigid template. Always end with a Special Thanks section for first-time contributors (if any).

Use emoji in section and subsection headings where a sensible one exists. The tone should be light and positive -- release notes are a celebration of what shipped.

Writing guidelines

• Use PR and issue context for narratives. The PR description explains what and why; the linked issue explains the user's original problem. Lead with the user benefit derived from the issue, then describe the solution using the PR context. Do not copy PR text verbatim -- distill it into concise, user-facing language.
• For breaking changes and deprecations, always state:
  1. What changed or will change
  2. Why (brief rationale -- often found in the PR body)
  3. What to do about it (migration path or link to docs)
  4. When deprecated features will be removed
• Link to relevant documentation sections using https://docs.kargo.io/... URLs. Find the right doc path by searching docs/docs/ for the relevant content.
• For features, lead with the user benefit, not the implementation detail. Keep descriptions concise -- a sentence or two plus a docs link.
• Use @username for contributor mentions.
• "Freight" is a mass noun -- never "freights" or "a freight."
• Say "promote" not "deploy" when describing what Kargo does.
• End with a full changelog link:

  **Full Changelog**: [v<PREV_LATEST>...v$0](https://github.com/akuity/kargo/compare/v<PREV_LATEST>...v$0)
  

  where PREV_LATEST is the latest tag on upstream/release-$PREV_MINOR:

  git tag --list "v$PREV_MINOR.*" --sort=-v:refname | head -1
  

Update the deprecations page

If there are new deprecations or breaking changes involving removals of previously deprecated features, update docs/docs/80-release-notes/100-deprecations.md to reflect them, following the existing table format.

Phase 7 -- Present for review

1. Show the complete draft.
2. Summarize: number of commits analyzed, excluded, included; number of PRs and issues consulted; number of first-time contributors found.
3. Do not commit automatically -- wait for the user to review, suggest edits, and approve.

Source: akuity/kargo — distributed by TomeVault.