Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Changelog Generator agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The Changelog Generator is an agent skill for Claude that drafts a changelog for a game project from its git commits, tags and sprint reports. It produces an internal version for the team and a player-facing version, grouped into categories such as new features, bug fixes and balance changes. This guide explains what the skill does, how to install it, how to call it with natural requests, and what it needs and where to be careful before you publish anything.
Changelog GeneratorDonchitos/Claude-Code-Game-Studios · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download and unzip the skill. Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into your project's .claude/skills/ folder, or into ~/.claude/skills/ to use it everywhere.
- 2Confirm git and the framework are ready. Check that the project is a git repository with commits and that the framework's hooks/yaml-helper.sh script is present.
- 3Pick the version or sprint. Decide which git tag or sprint number the changelog should cover, since this sets the range the skill reads.
- 4Invoke the skill. Run it as /changelog with the version or sprint number, or ask the agent in plain language for a changelog for that range.
- 5Check the provenance result. Read the note on how many commits were used. If the skill is blocked, supply the change list directly or point it at the correct history.
- 6Review both drafts. Check the internal changelog against sprint reports and check each player-facing line against the commits before you publish.
What the changelog skill makes the agent do
When you invoke the skill, the agent reads the recent git commits and tags for your project, then reads sprint reports in production/sprints/ and completed design documents in design/gdd/ for the period in question. It uses these to categorise each change and then writes two drafts: an internal changelog with commit hashes, owners and metrics, and a player-facing 'What is New' page written in plain language.
Categories are New Features, Improvements, Bug Fixes, Balance Changes, Technical Debt / Refactoring (internal only), Known Issues and Miscellaneous. Commits that do not fit clearly go to Miscellaneous rather than being guessed at.
- Internal changelog: commit ranges, owners, design doc links, and a count of commits lacking a task reference
- Player-facing changelog: short descriptions of what players can now do, written without implementation detail
- Refactoring commits appear only in the internal version
Install the changelog skill from the ZIP
Download the ZIP file for the skill from this page. The skill is a folder whose main file is SKILL.md. You can install it in one of two ways.
For a single project, unzip it into the project's .claude/skills/ folder. To make it available across all your projects, unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ instead. Alternatively, if you use the Claude apps, open Settings, go to Capabilities, then Skills, and upload the ZIP there.
- Project only: place the skill folder in <your-project>/.claude/skills/
- All projects: place the skill folder in ~/.claude/skills/
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
Check the requirements before you run it
The skill needs git installed and your project to be a git repository with commit history. It also needs Claude Code with the framework's hooks/yaml-helper.sh script present, because the skill calls that script to read configuration. The agent needs Read and Write access to the project files.
The skill is written for projects built on the Claude Code Game Studios framework. Projects without meaningful commit messages will produce vague output or be blocked, as the skill checks that the history belongs to the game.
- git installed, and the project is a git repository
- Claude Code with hooks/yaml-helper.sh present in the framework
- Read and Write access to project files
- Runs scripts: yes. Uses network: no
git rev-parse --is-inside-work-treeTrigger the skill with a version or sprint number
The skill accepts an optional argument, either a version or a sprint number. A version uses the matching git tag as the start of the range. A sprint number uses that sprint's date range from the sprint reports. If you give no argument, the skill falls back to the last tags and history it can find.
You can call it as a slash command with the argument hint, or ask the agent in plain language to write a changelog for a named version or sprint. Be specific about the version or sprint so the agent knows which range to read.
- Slash form: /changelog [version|sprint-number]
- Natural request: 'Draft the changelog for sprint 4 and give me the player-facing version too'
- Natural request: 'Write release notes for the version we just tagged, internal and player-facing'
git tag --list --sort=-v:refnameUnderstand the provenance check and what it blocks
Before using the history, the skill classifies each recent commit as Game, Framework or maintenance, or Unclear. Unclear commits are treated as framework work. If at least one commit is a game commit, the skill proceeds using only those and reports how many of the total it used. If none are game commits, the skill stops and says so, and it does not generate a changelog.
This check exists so that commits about hooks, skills, CI or the framework do not become false player-facing release copy. The check runs on each commit, so a repo that contains some maintenance work is not treated as the wrong repo.
- Stops with a BLOCKED verdict only when zero commits are game commits or there is no history
- Reports the count used, for example how many of how many commits were used
- Does not treat the existence of commit output as proof the commits belong to your game
Read the outputs and review before publishing
The skill writes drafts, not finished releases. Review the internal changelog against your sprint reports, and check every player-facing line against what actually shipped. The generated copy can misstate a change, so a person should approve it.
The skill's behaviour around asking questions and writing files depends on your automation mode, set in project.local.yaml or project.yaml, with collaborative as the default. In collaborative mode it asks before actions, in guided mode it asks only for major decisions, and in autonomous mode it logs and proceeds.
- Compare each player-facing bullet with the commit hashes listed in the internal version
- Check Known Issues and severity labels before sharing
- Confirm the version or sprint range is the one you intended
What people use it for
- Drafting internal release notes for a team that needs commit hashes, owners and design doc links for a version
- Producing a player-facing 'What is New' page for a game update, reviewed before posting
- Writing a sprint summary for a producer that lists features, fixes and balance changes
- Listing known issues and metrics such as commits without a task reference to tighten tracking
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the changelog agent skill?
Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into your project's .claude/skills/ folder, or into ~/.claude/skills/ to make it available in all projects. If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Is the changelog skill free to use?
The skill is published under the MIT licence, as listed on this page. Check the licence file in the source repository for the full terms before you reuse or redistribute it.
What do I need to run the changelog generator?
You need git installed, your project as a git repository with commit history, Claude Code with the framework's hooks/yaml-helper.sh script present, and Read and Write access to the project files. The skill runs scripts but does not use the network.
Why did the changelog skill stop and say the history does not belong to my game?
The skill checks each recent commit. If none of them are game commits, such as changes to mechanics, content, balance or UI, it stops rather than publishing framework maintenance work as player release notes. Point it at the correct history or give it the change list directly.
Can I use the changelog skill on a project with no tags or few commit messages?
Without tags, the skill reads the last 100 commits rather than the full log. Projects with no meaningful commit messages will get vague output or be blocked, so write descriptive commit messages first.
Is there a safer alternative if I want release notes without an AI draft?
This page does not compare the skill with other tools. If you need no AI drafting at all, you can write notes by hand from git log output, using the same commands the skill runs, such as git log --oneline with a tag range.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you work on a game built on the Claude Code Game Studios framework and need a first draft of internal and player-facing release notes from commit history and sprint reports. Pick something else if your project lacks meaningful git history, or if you want player-facing notes published automatically without a human reviewing them.
Download the skill