Release Changelog

Step 0 — Idempotency Check

Before generating anything, check whether the file already exists:

ls releases/vYYYY.MDD.P.md 2>/dev/null

If it exists:

1. read it first
2. present it to the reviewer
3. ask whether to keep it, regenerate it, or update specific sections
4. never overwrite it silently

Step 1 — Determine the Stable Range

Find the last stable tag:

git tag --list 'v*' --sort=-version:refname | head -1
git log v{last}..HEAD --oneline --no-merges

The stable version comes from one of:

• an explicit maintainer request
• ./scripts/release.sh stable --date YYYY-MM-DD --print-version
• the release plan already agreed in doc/RELEASING.md

Do not derive the changelog version from a canary tag or prerelease suffix. Do not derive major/minor/patch bumps from API intent — calver uses the date and same-day stable slot.

Step 2 — Gather the Raw Inputs

Collect release data from:

1. git commits since the last stable tag
2. .changeset/*.md files
3. merged PRs via gh when available

Useful commands:

git log v{last}..HEAD --oneline --no-merges
git log v{last}..HEAD --format="%H %s" --no-merges
ls .changeset/*.md | grep -v README.md
gh pr list --state merged --search "merged:>={last-tag-date}" --json number,title,body,labels

Step 3 — Detect Breaking Changes

Look for:

• destructive migrations
• removed or changed API fields/endpoints
• renamed or removed config keys
• BREAKING: or BREAKING CHANGE: commit signals

Key commands:

git diff --name-only v{last}..HEAD -- packages/db/src/migrations/
git diff v{last}..HEAD -- packages/db/src/schema/
git diff v{last}..HEAD -- server/src/routes/ server/src/api/
git log v{last}..HEAD --format="%s" | rg -n 'BREAKING CHANGE|BREAKING:|^[a-z]+!:' || true

If breaking changes are detected, flag them prominently — they must appear in the Breaking Changes section with an upgrade path.

Step 4 — Categorize for Users

Use these stable changelog sections:

• Breaking Changes
• Highlights
• Improvements
• Fixes
• Upgrade Guide when needed

Exclude purely internal refactors, CI changes, and docs-only work unless they materially affect users.

Guidelines:

• group related commits into one user-facing entry
• write from the user perspective
• keep highlights short and concrete
• spell out upgrade actions for breaking changes

Inline PR and contributor attribution

When a bullet item clearly maps to a merged pull request, add inline attribution at the end of the entry in this format:

- **Feature name** — Description. ([#123](https://github.com/paperclipai/paperclip/pull/123), @contributor1, @contributor2)

Rules:

• Only add a PR link when you can confidently trace the bullet to a specific merged PR. Use merge commit messages (Merge pull request #N from user/branch) to map PRs.
• List the contributor(s) who authored the PR. Use GitHub usernames, not real names or emails.
• If multiple PRs contributed to a single bullet, list them all: ([#10](url), [#12](url), @user1, @user2).
• If you cannot determine the PR number or contributor with confidence, omit the attribution parenthetical — do not guess.
• Core maintainer commits that don't have an external PR can omit the parenthetical.

Step 5 — Write the File

Template:

# vYYYY.MDD.P

> Released: YYYY-MM-DD

## Breaking Changes

## Highlights

## Improvements

## Fixes

## Upgrade Guide

## Contributors

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this release!

@username1, @username2, @username3

Omit empty sections except Highlights, Improvements, and Fixes, which should usually exist.

The Contributors section should always be included. List every person who authored commits in the release range, @-mentioning them by their GitHub username (not their real name or email). To find GitHub usernames:

1. Extract usernames from merge commit messages: git log v{last}..HEAD --oneline --merges — the branch prefix (e.g. from username/branch) gives the GitHub username.
2. For noreply emails like [email protected], the username is the part before @.
3. For contributors whose username is ambiguous, check gh api users/{guess} or the PR page.

Never expose contributor email addresses. Use @username only.

Exclude bot accounts (e.g. lockfile-bot, dependabot) from the list. List contributors in alphabetical order by GitHub username (case-insensitive).

Step 6 — Review Before Release

Before handing it off:

1. confirm the heading is the stable version only
2. confirm there is no -canary language in the title or filename
3. confirm any breaking changes have an upgrade path
4. present the draft for human sign-off

This skill never publishes anything. It only prepares the stable changelog artifact.