plugin/skills/github-release-notes/SKILL.md

metadata

name: github-release-notes
description: >
  This skill should be used when the user asks to "write release notes",
  "generate a changelog", "cut a release", "tag a version", "what shipped
  since", "summarize the last N commits for a release", "update CHANGELOG.md",
  or asks for a version bump. Also triggers on "release notes for v1.2", "draft
  the release", and "what changed between tags".
metadata:
  version: 0.1.0

Release Notes + Changelog

Turn merged work into release notes a human wants to read, then publish them.

Determine the range

1. get_latest_release or list_tags for the previous boundary.
2. list_commits with since the previous tag's date, or compare against the tag SHA.
3. search_pull_requests with repo:owner/name is:merged base:main in the window — merged PR titles and bodies are far better source material than raw commit subjects.

If the repo has no prior release, use the first commit as the boundary and say so.

Version number

Semver, decided by content, not by habit:

• MAJOR — a breaking API change, a removed endpoint, a contract storage layout change, or a migration that is not backward compatible.
• MINOR — new user-visible capability, additive and backward compatible.
• PATCH — fixes and internals only.

Pre-1.0 repos: breaking changes go in MINOR. State the reasoning in one line so the user can override.

Structure

## [1.4.0] — 2026-07-30

### Added
- Short, user-outcome-first line. (#128)

### Changed
- What is different now, and what the reader must do about it. (#131)

### Fixed
- The symptom the user experienced, not the internal cause. (#134)

### Security
- Disclosed issue and its severity. (#136)

### Breaking
- The change, the migration step, and the deadline. (#139)

Omit empty sections. Always link the PR number. Order sections Breaking → Security → Added → Changed → Fixed when a breaking change is present.

Writing rules

• Lead with the user-visible outcome. "Markets now settle in under 4 seconds" beats "Refactored settlement queue."
• One line per change. If a change needs two lines, it needs its own subsection.
• Specific numbers over adjectives. "3.1s → 0.4s median" not "significantly faster."
• Active voice, present tense.
• No filler. Banned: leverage, synergy, ecosystem play, game-changing.
• Internal-only refactors with zero user-visible effect go in a collapsed "Internal" section or are omitted entirely.

MAD Gambit constraint

If the release touches anything user- or investor-facing, canonical numbers are frozen: platform fee 1.88%, community profit share 28.8%, creator revenue share 40%, seed raise $1–2M at $12M pre-money. Never restate them with different values, and never round the fee. Platform name is "MAD Gambit"; the card game line is "MADHAT's Gambit".

Publishing

1. Update CHANGELOG.md — prepend the new section, keep the Keep-a-Changelog format if the file already uses it, preserve the existing link-reference block at the bottom.
2. Commit on a chore/release-vX.Y.Z branch (see github-repo-ops for the write sequence).
3. Create the tag and GitHub Release with the same body. Mark it prerelease when the version has a -rc/-beta suffix.
4. Return the release URL.

Do not publish a release until the user confirms the version number and the notes. Draft first.