Changelog writer
Skill peopleforrester/claude-dotfiles/skills/documentation/changelog-writer
Generate and maintain changelogs following Keep a Changelog and Conventional Commits standards. Use when releasing versions, documenting changes, or updating project history.From its SKILL.md
npx -y skills add peopleforrester/claude-dotfiles --skill changelog-writerAssembled from the repository path, not quoted from the project. Check it against their README if it does not work.
One thing to look at
- 3 stars3 stars. Stars are a popularity signal and not a quality one, but at this level it is likely that nobody has read this closely except its author, and you would be relying on your own review.
What its file declares
Copied from the file, not written here
The file declares its own license as MIT. That is the author’s claim about this one file, and it is not the same thing as the license GitHub reports for the repository, which is listed with the other numbers below.
SKILL.md
5.1 KB, as published. Nobody here has run it
Changelog Writer
Create and maintain changelogs following industry standards.
When to Use
- Preparing a new release
- Documenting recent changes
- Creating initial changelog
- Migrating to standard format
Changelog Format
Following Keep a Changelog:
# 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]
### Added
- New feature description
### Changed
- Modified behavior description
### Deprecated
- Soon-to-be removed feature
### Removed
- Removed feature description
### Fixed
- Bug fix description
### Security
- Security fix description
## [1.0.0] - 2026-01-15
### Added
- Initial release
- Core functionality
[Unreleased]: https://github.com/user/repo/compare/v1.0.0...HEAD
[1.0.0]: https://github.com/user/repo/releases/tag/v1.0.0
Change Categories
| Category | Use For |
|---|---|
| Added | New features |
| Changed | Changes in existing functionality |
| Deprecated | Features to be removed in future |
| Removed | Features removed in this release |
| Fixed | Bug fixes |
| Security | Security vulnerability fixes |
Writing Good Entries
Do
### Added
- Add user authentication with JWT tokens
- Add rate limiting (100 requests/minute per IP)
- Add CSV export for reports
### Fixed
- Fix memory leak when processing large files (#234)
- Fix incorrect timezone handling in date picker
Don't
### Added
- Added stuff
- New feature
- Updates
### Fixed
- Fixed bug
- Fix issue
Entry Guidelines
Be Specific
# Bad
- Fixed a bug
# Good
- Fix crash when uploading files larger than 10MB (#156)
Include Context
# Bad
- Changed the API
# Good
- Change `/users` endpoint to require authentication (BREAKING)
Reference Issues/PRs
- Add dark mode support (#234)
- Fix memory leak in image processor (fixes #189)
Indicate Breaking Changes
### Changed
- **BREAKING**: Rename `getUser()` to `fetchUser()` for consistency
- **BREAKING**: Remove deprecated `v1` API endpoints
Conventional Commits to Changelog
Map commit types to changelog categories:
| Commit Type | Changelog Category |
|---|---|
feat: | Added |
fix: | Fixed |
docs: | (usually not included) |
style: | (usually not included) |
refactor: | Changed (if user-facing) |
perf: | Changed |
test: | (usually not included) |
chore: | (usually not included) |
BREAKING CHANGE: | Changed/Removed |
Example Commits to Entries
feat: add user profile page
fix: resolve login timeout issue (#123)
feat!: change authentication to OAuth 2.0
Becomes:
### Added
- Add user profile page
### Changed
- **BREAKING**: Change authentication to OAuth 2.0
### Fixed
- Resolve login timeout issue (#123)
Version Numbering
Following Semantic Versioning:
MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
1.0.0 → 1.0.1 (patch: bug fixes)
1.0.1 → 1.1.0 (minor: new features, backward compatible)
1.1.0 → 2.0.0 (major: breaking changes)
When to Bump
| Change Type | Version Bump |
|---|---|
| Bug fix (backward compatible) | PATCH |
| New feature (backward compatible) | MINOR |
| Breaking change | MAJOR |
| Security fix | PATCH (or MINOR if new feature) |
Release Checklist
When preparing a release:
- Move items from
[Unreleased]to new version section - Add release date:
## [1.2.0] - 2026-01-15 - Update comparison links at bottom
- Remove empty categories
- Review for clarity and completeness
- Commit changelog with version bump
Automation Tools
Conventional Changelog
npx conventional-changelog -p angular -i CHANGELOG.md -s
Release Please
# .github/workflows/release.yml
- uses: google-github-actions/release-please-action@v4
with:
release-type: node
Changesets
npx changeset # Create changeset
npx changeset version # Update versions
Template: Initial Changelog
# 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
- [List initial features]
[Unreleased]: https://github.com/user/repo/compare/v0.1.0...HEAD
[0.1.0]: https://github.com/user/repo/releases/tag/v0.1.0