Dev & Engineering changelog-generationgit-historyrelease-notescommit-scanningpr-labels

Changelog Scan Skill

Scan merged PRs and commits to categorize changes and produce a structured draft for release notes.

FollowSkills review · FSRS-2.0
Not recommended
45/ 100 5-point scale 2.3 / 5
1 2 3 4 5 6
1Trust13 / 25 · 2.6/5

The skill only reads git history and produces a draft, with no network exfiltration or file writes, exercising least privilege; clearly requires explicit human approval before publishing or tagging, aligning with safety. However, it does not mention sensitive-data handling, dependency security, or rollback, and data-flow transparency is limited. Repo has SECURITY.md but skill does not reference it.

2Reliability6 / 20 · 1.5/5

Steps are mostly self-consistent with concrete git commands, but no error handling or abnormal-input feedback; on failure no clear explanation. Depends on git but no install/dependency notes in skill. Static review cannot verify execution, capped below static maximum.

3Adaptability8 / 15 · 2.7/5

Targets changelog drafting clearly, but lacks declared non-fit boundaries or edge cases; user-invocable but precise trigger conditions not specified. Environment fit unknown, no Chinese support or overseas dependency noted, mainland availability unverified.

4Convention10 / 15 · 3.3/5

Clear front matter and categories, structured; but lacks install/dependency notes, examples, FAQ, known limitations, versioning, changelog, and maintenance responsibility. MIT license clear but not referenced in skill file.

5Effectiveness5 / 15 · 1.7/5

Produces categorized draft and updates state file, but no output format spec or example, cannot confirm direct usability. Comparative benefit vs manual not stated; static cannot verify actual results.

6Verifiability3 / 10 · 1.5/5

Only SKILL.md and repo-level CI; no tests specific to this skill or third-party execution evidence. Repo has CI workflows but not covering this skill. Static assessment limits evidence.

Evidence confidence:Low Reviewed Aug 07, 2026 Reviewed revision c57170dbf93f
The upstream repository has new commits since this review. The score still applies to the reviewed revision shown and may not cover the latest changes.
Before you use it
  • No guidance on handling sensitive info (e.g., secrets in PRs) which could leak into drafts.
  • No error handling; failures in git commands or missing tags lack clear diagnostics.
  • No installation/dependency notes, may hinder actual use.
  • Lacks versioning, changelog, and maintenance responsibility disclosure, affecting long-term maintainability.
  • Repo may depend on overseas services, but skill has no network dependency; mainland accessibility unverified.
Review evidence [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]
See the full review method →

What does this skill do, and when should you use it?

This skill automatically scans merged PRs and commits since a given reference, extracting titles, labels, types, and signals. It categorizes changes into features, bug fixes, documentation, dependencies, breaking changes, and security. The output is a categorized draft release note saved to RELEASE_NOTES_DRAFT.md, plus a state file update. Designed to be draft-only (L1 level), it will not create PRs, releases, or tags without explicit human approval.

Runs git log --merges --oneline <last-tag>..HEAD to fetch merged commits. Collects PR labels, milestones, and commit messages. Categorizes changes into predefined categories. Writes RELEASE_NOTES_DRAFT.md with the categorized draft, and updates changelog-drafter-state.md with the scan window. Ensures breaking changes and security items are surfaced explicitly.

  1. A maintainer wants a quick summary of recent merged changes before a release.
  2. A developer needs to automatically build a draft release note based on git history since the last tag.
  3. A team wants release notes organized by category (features, bug fixes, etc.) to streamline release announcements.
  4. A maintainer prepares a draft for a weekly release and tracks the scan window for review.

What are this skill's strengths and limitations?

Pros
  • Automates extraction of merged PRs and commits, reducing manual effort.
  • Provides structured output with standard categories, making it easy to organize.
  • Designed as a safe L1 draft, it never publishes or tags automatically.
  • Updates a state file to track the scan window, aiding review.
Limitations
  • No specifics on how PR labels or milestones are accessed (only described, not commands).
  • No documented test suite or validated agent platform (except OpenCode as an example).
  • The example is for OpenCode; other agents may need adjustments.
  • Unclear how to handle repositories without labels or milestones; relies on commit messages which may be inconsistent.

How do you install this skill?

Clone or copy the repository into your environment and place the skill folder (starters/changelog-drafter-opencode/skills/changelog-scan/) in your agent's skills directory. For this mono-repo, refer to the README for installation of the whole collection; no separate installation instructions are provided for this specific skill.

How do you use this skill?

Invoke the skill in your agent, specifying the last tag (e.g., 'scan changelog from v1.2.0'). The skill will run git commands and produce a draft. The draft will be in RELEASE_NOTES_DRAFT.md; review and refine manually. It will not tag or create PRs without explicit approval.

FAQ

Will this skill automatically publish or tag?
No. The rules explicitly state to never publish or tag without explicit human approval, and the skill is limited to L1 draft—no PRs, no tags.
What commands does it use to scan changes?
It uses git log --merges --oneline <last-tag>..HEAD and considers PR labels, milestones, and commit messages since the last tag.
Where does it output the draft?
It writes RELEASE_NOTES_DRAFT.md for the categorized draft and updates changelog-drafter-state.md with the scan window.
Will it work on any Git repository?
It requires a Git repository with tags and merge history. It assumes tags exist; for repos without tags, a manual reference point is needed.

More skills from this repository

All from cobusgreyling/loop-engineering

Related skills