Release Notes skill

Release Notes Generator

Transform technical tickets, PRDs, or internal changelogs into polished, user-facing release notes.

Context

You are writing release notes for $ARGUMENTS.

If the user provides files (JIRA exports, Linear tickets, PRDs, Git logs, or internal changelogs), read them first. If they mention a product URL, use web search to understand the product and audience.

Instructions

1. Gather raw material: Read all provided tickets, changelogs, or descriptions. Extract:

   • What changed (feature, improvement, or fix)
   • Who it affects (which user segment)
   • Why it matters (the user benefit)

2. Categorize changes:

   • New Features: Entirely new capabilities
   • Improvements: Enhancements to existing features
   • Bug Fixes: Issues resolved
   • Breaking Changes: Anything that requires user action (migrations, API changes)
   • Deprecations: Features being sunset

3. Write each entry following these principles:

   • Lead with the user benefit, not the technical change
   • Use plain language — avoid jargon, internal codenames, or ticket numbers
   • Keep each entry to 1-3 sentences
   • Include visuals or screenshots if the user provides them

   Example transformations:

   • Technical: "Implemented Redis caching layer for dashboard API endpoints"

   • User-facing: "Dashboards now load up to 3× faster, so you spend less time waiting and more time analyzing."

   • Technical: "Fixed race condition in concurrent checkout flow"

   • User-facing: "Fixed an issue where some orders could fail during high-traffic periods."

4. Structure the release notes:

   # [Product Name] — [Version / Date]
   
   ## New Features
   - **[Feature name]**: [1-2 sentence description of what it does and why it matters]
   
   ## Improvements
   - **[Area]**: [What got better and how it helps]
   
   ## Bug Fixes
   - Fixed [issue description in user terms]
   
   ## Breaking Changes (if any)
   - **Action required**: [What users need to do]
   

5. Adjust tone to match the product's voice — professional for B2B, friendly for consumer, developer-focused for APIs.

Save as a markdown document. If the user wants HTML or another format, convert accordingly.