tools-only Release Change Analyzer
Analyzes unpublished changes by comparing HEAD with the latest published version. Reads actual diffs instead of just copying commit messages.
When to Use This Skill
- Before publishing a new release
- Deciding between major/minor/patch version bump
- Writing accurate release notes based on real code changes
- Reviewing what changed since last deployment
What This Skill Does
Step 1: Identify Published Version
# npm
npm view <package-name> version 2>/dev/null || echo "not published"
# PyPI
pip index versions <package-name> 2>/dev/null | head -1
# Or use git tags
git tag --sort=-v:refname | head -1
Step 2: Analyze Real Changes
# Get actual diff (NOT just commit messages)
git diff v{published-version}..HEAD --stat
git diff v{published-version}..HEAD
For each commit, MUST:
- Read the actual diff to understand WHAT CHANGED
- Describe the REAL change in plain language
- Explain WHY it matters (if not obvious)
Step 3: Group and Report
## Unpublished Changes (v{published} -> HEAD)
### Features
| Scope | What Changed |
|-------|--------------|
| auth | Added OAuth2 support with Google and GitHub providers |
### Fixes
| Scope | What Changed |
|-------|--------------|
| api | Fixed race condition in concurrent request handling |
### Refactoring
| Scope | What Changed |
|-------|--------------|
| core | Extracted retry logic from 3 services into shared module |
### Breaking Changes
- Removed deprecated `v1/login` endpoint
### Files Changed
42 files changed, 1205 insertions(+), 387 deletions(-)
### Suggested Version Bump
- **Recommendation**: minor
- **Reason**: New features added, no breaking changes in public API
Version Bump Decision
| Condition | Bump |
|---|---|
| Breaking changes in public API | major |
| New features, no breaking changes | minor |
| Bug fixes, refactoring, docs only | patch |
Anti-Patterns
- Copying commit messages verbatim — read the actual diff
- Describing "what" without "why" — explain impact
- Missing breaking changes — always check public API surface
- Guessing at scope — verify from the diff
Example
User: "What changed since last release?"
Output: Reads diff between v1.2.3 and HEAD, identifies 3 features, 2 fixes, 1 refactor, no breaking changes. Recommends minor bump to v1.3.0.
Inspired by: oh-my-opencode get-unpublished-changes command