Write user-facing release notes from a list of changes, commits, or merged pull requests. Use when announcing a release, a deploy, or a changelog entry.
Resources
1Install
npx skillscat add jhinhq/jhin/release-notes Install via the SkillsCat registry.
SKILL.md
Release notes
Release notes are for users, not for the team that built the release.
Translate implementation into outcomes: what can the reader do now, what
should they do differently, what got fixed.
Process
- Gather the raw changes (commits, merged PRs, closed issues).
- Discard internal-only work: refactors, CI, dependency bumps with no
user-visible effect. If the release is only internal work, say so in
one line rather than dressing it up. - Group what remains into: New, Improved, Fixed, and (when
applicable) Breaking changes and Security. - Rewrite each item from the user's point of view, present tense:
"You can now export tasks as CSV" — not "Added CSV export endpoint". - Order items by impact on the reader, not by merge date.
See template.md in this skill's files for the exact output skeleton.
Rules
- Breaking changes come first, with the migration step in the same bullet.
Never make the reader hunt for what they must do. - Security fixes state the impact and the affected versions without a
recipe for exploitation. - One line per item; link the fuller reference (PR, doc) instead of
explaining internals. - Keep the tone plain. No exclamation marks, no "we're excited".
- Version and date go in the title. If versioning follows semver, the
changes must justify the bump — flag it if they do not.