jackin-release-notes

jackin-release-notes

Classify every PR merged since the last release tag into a Keep a Changelog bucket, then write the [Unreleased] section of CHANGELOG.md. The bar is exhaustive — every merged PR accounted for, none dropped, none doubled.

When to use

• Before a release, to populate the changelog.
• When the operator asks to preview what the next release would contain.

When NOT to use

• Cutting the release itself → jackin-release (it runs this skill as its notes step).

Process

1. Find the boundary. LAST_TAG=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0); if none, start from the initial commit (git rev-list --max-parents=0 HEAD). TAG_DATE=$(git log -1 --format=%aI "$LAST_TAG").

   Done when you hold the boundary commit and its date.

2. Gather merged PRs. gh pr list --state merged --base main --search "merged:>$TAG_DATE" --json number,title,labels,mergedAt.

   Done when every PR merged after the tag is in the list.

3. Classify each. Sort by Conventional Commits prefix and label:

   Prefix / label	Bucket
   feat: / feature	Added
   fix: / bug	Fixed
   security:	Security
   refactor:, chore:, docs:, ci:, build:	Changed
   deprecate:	Deprecated
   remove:	Removed
   no match	Changed (default)

   Strip the prefix from the title; capitalize the first word (feat: add TUI launcher → Add TUI launcher).

   Done when every PR sits in exactly one bucket.

4. Catch ungrouped commits. git log <last-tag>..HEAD --oneline --no-merges; for each, gh pr list --state merged --search "<sha>". Commits with no PR land under Ungrouped commits.

   Done when every non-merge commit since the tag is matched to a PR or listed.

5. Write [Unreleased]. Keep a Changelog format: one section per non-empty bucket, each entry linking its PR ([#N](…/pull/N)). Replace the existing [Unreleased] block (between ## [Unreleased] and the next ## [) — ask before overwriting entries an operator already edited. Keep the <!-- next-header --> marker intact.

   Done when CHANGELOG.md carries every merged PR under the right bucket, empty buckets omitted, and the marker survives.

6. Present for review. Show the section; let the operator re-classify or reword. Do not proceed to a release until approved.

Idempotency

Safe to re-run: reads CHANGELOG.md fresh each time, asks before overwriting existing entries, fetches PR data live from GitHub.

Common mistakes

• Dropping a PR that has no conventional-commit prefix — it defaults to Changed, never omitted.
• Listing an empty bucket ("no Removed entries" is noise — drop the section).
• Forgetting the PR link in each entry.
• Overwriting an operator-edited [Unreleased] without asking.