tomevault-io Writing Changelogs
Overview
Changelogs follow the Keep a Changelog specification (v1.1.0) for human-readable release documentation.
Core principle: Changelogs are for humans, not machines. Curate meaningful changes—don't dump git logs.
When to Use
- Creating initial CHANGELOG.md
- Releasing a new version (moving Unreleased to versioned section)
- Adding entries to Unreleased section after completing work
- User says "update changelog", "document changes", "prepare release"
NOT for: Commit messages (use making-git-commits skill)
Changelog Format
# Changelog
All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
## [Unreleased]
## [1.2.0] - 2025-12-26
### Added
- User authentication with OAuth 2.0 support
### Changed
- Improve error messages for validation failures
### Fixed
- Handle null responses in API client gracefully
[Unreleased]: https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/v1.2.0...HEAD
[1.2.0]: https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/v1.1.0...v1.2.0
Change Categories
| Category | Description | Commit Types |
|---|---|---|
Added |
New features | feat |
Changed |
Changes to existing functionality | refactor, perf, style |
Deprecated |
Soon-to-be removed features | — |
Removed |
Now removed features | — |
Fixed |
Bug fixes | fix |
Security |
Vulnerability fixes | fix (security-related) |
Note: docs, test, build, ci, chore commits typically don't appear in changelogs unless user-facing.
Mapping Commits to Changelog
Conventional Commit → Changelog Entry
feat(auth): add OAuth 2.0 support
→ ### Added
- OAuth 2.0 authentication support
fix(api): handle null response gracefully
→ ### Fixed
- Handle null responses in API client gracefully
feat(config)!: require explicit environment variable
→ ### Changed
- **BREAKING:** CONFIG_PATH environment variable now required
Writing Good Entries
Do:
- Write for end users, not developers
- Start with verb: "Add", "Fix", "Remove", "Change"
- Explain impact, not implementation
- Group related changes in single entry
- Link to issues/PRs when helpful:
([#42](link))
Don't:
- Copy commit messages verbatim
- Include internal refactoring details
- Use technical jargon unnecessarily
- List every commit
# ❌ Bad: Technical, commit-style
- refactor(utils): consolidate date formatting functions
- fix(parser): handle edge case in tokenizer line 847
# ✅ Good: User-focused
- Improve date formatting consistency across the application
- Fix parsing errors when input contains special characters
Release Workflow
1. REVIEW: Check commits since last release
2. CATEGORIZE: Group by Added/Changed/Deprecated/Removed/Fixed/Security
3. CURATE: Write human-readable entries (not commit dumps)
4. VERSION: Move Unreleased to new version section with date
5. LINKS: Update comparison links at bottom
6. VERIFY: Ensure date is ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD)
Quick Reference
| Element | Format |
|---|---|
| Version header | ## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD |
| Unreleased | ## [Unreleased] |
| Category | ### Added (capitalize) |
| Entry | - Description starting with verb |
| Date | ISO 8601: 2025-12-26 |
| Yanked | ## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD [YANKED] |
| Breaking change | - **BREAKING:** description |
| Link reference | [X.Y.Z]: https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/vA.B.C...vX.Y.Z |
Guiding Principles
- Changelogs are for humans — Write prose, not code
- Entry for every version — No gaps in history
- Group same types — All Added together, all Fixed together
- Versions are linkable — Use reference-style links
- Latest first — Reverse chronological order
- Show release dates — ISO 8601 format always
- Follow SemVer — State this in header
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correct |
|---|---|
| Dumping git log | Curate meaningful changes |
2025/12/26 or 26-12-2025 |
2025-12-26 (ISO 8601) |
| Lowercase category | ### Added not ### added |
| Missing Unreleased section | Always keep ## [Unreleased] at top |
| No comparison links | Add links at bottom of file |
| Past tense entries | "Add feature" not "Added feature" |
| Breaking change buried | Mark clearly with BREAKING: |
Red Flags - STOP
- About to paste raw git log into changelog
- Including
chore:,ci:,test:commits directly - Writing for developers instead of users
- Forgetting to update comparison links
- Using non-ISO date format
- Missing categories for different change types
- No Unreleased section for ongoing work
Creating Initial CHANGELOG.md
# Changelog
All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
## [Unreleased]
## [0.1.0] - YYYY-MM-DD
### Added
- Initial release with core functionality
[Unreleased]: https://github.com/owner/repo/compare/v0.1.0...HEAD
[0.1.0]: https://github.com/owner/repo/releases/tag/v0.1.0
The Bottom Line
Changelogs tell the story of your project for humans.
A good changelog answers: "What changed and why should I care?"
Don't let your friends dump git logs into changelogs.
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