Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Changelog Automation agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The changelog-automation skill is a set of written guidance and templates that teaches an AI agent how to write changelogs, release notes and commit messages. It is aimed at maintainers and teams who want consistent release notes and commit conventions. After this guide you will know what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it with natural requests, and what it can and cannot do.
Changelog Automationwshobson/agents · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the changelog-automation ZIP from this page.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into your project's .claude/skills/ folder.
- 3Or upload it in the Claude apps. Go to Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP.
- 4Ask for a changelog or commit rules. Make a natural request such as writing release notes or standardizing commit messages.
- 5Paste your source material. Provide the commits, PR titles or release details, since the skill does not read your repository.
- 6Review the output. Check versions, dates and changes against what actually shipped before publishing.
What the changelog-automation skill makes the agent do
Once installed, the agent follows this skill's guidance when you ask for changelogs, release notes or commit message standards. The skill describes the Keep a Changelog layout, including sections such as Added, Changed, Fixed, Breaking Changes and Upgrade Guide. It also explains the Conventional Commits format, with types, scopes, footers and the ! marker for breaking changes.
The skill is mostly written guidance and example templates. It does not run any tool itself, so it describes patterns rather than generating a changelog from your repository history on its own.
- Structures changelogs in the Keep a Changelog format
- Explains Conventional Commits types, scopes and footers
- Marks breaking changes with ! or a BREAKING CHANGE footer
- Suggests release-workflow practices such as validating commits with commitlint in CI
Install the changelog-automation skill
Download the ZIP file for the skill from this page. Then install it using one of two methods.
For a personal install available across your projects, unzip the file into ~/.claude/skills/. To limit it to one project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder.
You can also upload the skill in the Claude apps. Go to Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP there.
- Personal: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project only: .claude/skills/ inside your project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Trigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need a special command. Ask for the kind of work the skill covers, and the agent should apply its guidance. The skill's own description says to use it when setting up release workflows, generating release notes, or standardizing commit conventions.
Be specific about the output you want. Name the format (Keep a Changelog) and the situation (a new release, a set of commits, a commit convention for your team).
- "Write release notes for version 2.0 using Keep a Changelog."
- "Standardize our commit messages with Conventional Commits and explain the rules."
- "Set up a release workflow that validates commits in CI."
- "Show me how to mark a breaking change in a commit message."
Example: the commit message format
The skill includes examples of Conventional Commits. A commit starts with a type and optional scope, a colon, and a short description. A body and footers are optional. A breaking change can be marked with ! after the scope or with a BREAKING CHANGE footer.
Ask the agent to explain the format or to rewrite a commit message for you, and it will follow these patterns.
feat(api)!: change user endpoint response format
BREAKING CHANGE: The user endpoint now returns `userId` instead of `id`.
Migration guide: Update all API consumers to use the new field name.What to supply so the output is useful
Because the skill ships no scripts, the agent cannot read your git history by itself in this package. To get a real changelog, paste the commits, pull request titles or release notes into the conversation, and ask the agent to format them. The skill's Keep a Changelog template includes sections for Summary, Highlights, Breaking Changes, Upgrade Guide, Known Issues and Dependencies Updated.
The reference file references/details.md adds worked examples, including an Unreleased section and standard change categories such as Deprecated, Removed and Security.
- Paste the commit list or PR titles you want summarised
- State the version number and date you are releasing
- Say whether there are breaking changes and what users must do
Safety notes
The skill does not run scripts and does not use the network, according to its listing. Its files are SKILL.md and references/details.md. It lists no required dependencies.
Because the agent only writes text, review any generated changelog before publishing it. Check that every version, date and change matches what actually shipped.
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Requires: nothing listed
Tips for better results
Keep one logical change per commit, since the skill's guidance favours this. Use scopes consistently, and define your team's scope names so the agent can apply them.
If you want the rules enforced rather than just explained, the skill recommends commitlint in your CI pipeline. Setting that up is a separate step that you do outside this skill.
- Reference issues in commit footers, such as Closes #123
- Do not edit generated changelogs by hand; regenerate them from source data
- Mark breaking changes with ! or a footer so they are not missed
What people use it for
- Drafting Keep a Changelog entries for a new release
- Writing release notes with Summary, Highlights and Breaking Changes sections
- Explaining Conventional Commits rules to a team adopting them
- Rewriting vague commit messages into typed, scoped messages
- Planning a release workflow that validates commits in CI
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the changelog-automation skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings, Capabilities, then Skills.
Does the changelog-automation skill require anything else?
The listing shows no required dependencies. It runs no scripts and uses no network, and it is made of written guidance and templates.
Is the changelog-automation skill free?
The skill is published under the MIT licence. This page does not list any price, so check the licence terms in the source repository for details.
Will the skill generate a changelog from my git history?
Not by itself. The skill describes patterns and ships no scripts, so you need to paste the commits or PR titles into the conversation for the agent to format.
What is Keep a Changelog?
Keep a Changelog is a standard layout for changelogs with sections such as Added, Changed, Fixed, Deprecated, Removed and Security. The skill follows this format and adds Breaking Changes and Upgrade Guide sections.
What should I use instead if I need a tool that actually runs?
If you need software that reads your repository and generates a changelog automatically, this skill is not that tool. Use a dedicated changelog or release tool, and use this skill for the wording and commit conventions.
New agent skills, repos and AI tools — every week
The best new skills and open-source projects, the fastest-growing repos, and one free prompt. Five minutes to read. Unsubscribe anytime.
Our verdict
This skill suits maintainers and teams who want consistent release notes and a shared commit convention, and developers who want a starting template for a release pipeline. It is a poor fit if you need a tool that reads your git history and generates a changelog automatically, or if you have no version control experience.
Download the skill