tilomitra/release-kit-claude-skills

Overview

This skill generates or updates CHANGELOG.md entries from git history, pull requests, and issues using the Keep a Changelog format. It turns noisy commit logs into concise, user-focused release notes and can prepend or create a changelog file. The output emphasizes user benefit, active voice, and standard categories like Added, Changed, Fixed, Deprecated, Removed, and Security.

How this skill works

When asked to produce a changelog for a tag range or version, the skill collects signals in priority order: merged PRs, closed issues, diffs, changed files, test descriptions, config/dependency changes, and commit messages as last resort. It classifies each relevant change into Keep a Changelog categories, filters out non-user-facing noise, and formats one-line entries that lead with user benefit. Finally it shows the generated entry for review and can prepend or create CHANGELOG.md.

When to use it

• Prepare release notes for a new tag or version before publishing
• Summarize what changed between two tags or releases
• Keep CHANGELOG.md up to date from PRs and issue history
• Convert vague commit histories into clear user-facing entries
• Create a first-time changelog when none exists

Best practices

• Provide a target tag or version range so the skill can collect precise history
• Prefer PR and issue context over raw commits for clearer descriptions
• Exclude refactors, tests, CI, and style changes unless they affect users
• Group minor internal improvements under a single 'Internal improvements' bullet
• Review generated entries and confirm wording before writing to disk

Example use cases

• Generate a CHANGELOG.md entry for v2.4.0 by analyzing merged PRs since v2.3.0
• Summarize bug fixes and notable changes for a patch release
• Create release notes from a sprint’s merged PRs and closed issues
• Update an existing CHANGELOG.md by prepending the new version entry
• Produce a human-readable changelog for non-technical stakeholders