Changelog-Update Skill

Update CHANGELOG.md with business-focused entries by systematically reviewing file changes.

Note: For automated release notes from conventional commits, use the release-notes skill instead.

When to Use

• During development: Document feature/fix for users before PR/merge
• PR preparation: Add business-focused entry to CHANGELOG.md
• Manual documentation: When commits don’t capture full business impact

Don’t use for releases: Use release-notes skill to generate versioned release docs.

Pre-Execution Checklist

1. Find existing CHANGELOG.md location

   • Check root: ./CHANGELOG.md (preferred)
   • Fallback: ./docs/CHANGELOG.md
   • If not found: Create at root

2. Read current changelog to understand format and last entries

Workflow

Step 1: Gather Changes

Determine change scope:

• PR-based: git diff origin/develop...HEAD --name-only
• Branch-based: git log origin/develop..HEAD --oneline
• Commit-based: git show {commit} --name-only

Step 2: Create Temp Notes File

Create .ai/workspace/changelog-notes-{YYMMDD-HHMM}.md:

# Changelog Review Notes - {date}

## Files Changed
- [ ] file1.ts -
- [ ] file2.cs -

## Categories
### Added (new features)
-

### Changed (modifications to existing)
-

### Fixed (bug fixes)
-

### Deprecated
-

### Removed
-

### Security
-

## Business Summary
<!-- What does this mean for users? -->

Step 3: Systematic File Review

For each changed file:

1. Read file or diff
2. Identify business impact (not just technical change)
3. Check box and note in temp file
4. Categorize into appropriate section

Business Focus Guidelines:

• ❌ “Added StageCategory enum”
• ✅ “Added stage categories (Sourced, Applied, Interviewing, etc.) for pipeline tracking”
• ❌ “Created PipelineController.cs“
• ✅ “Added API endpoints for pipeline management”

Step 4: Holistic Review

Read temp notes file completely. Ask:

• What’s the main feature/fix?
• Who benefits and how?
• What can users now do that they couldn’t before?

Step 5: Generate Changelog Entry

Format (Keep a Changelog):

## [Unreleased]

### {Feature/Module Name}: {Feature Title}

**Feature/Fix**: {One-line business description}

#### Added
- {Business-focused item}

#### Changed
- {What behavior changed}

#### Fixed
- {What issue was resolved}

Step 6: Update Changelog

1. Read existing CHANGELOG.md
2. Insert new entry under [Unreleased] section
3. If no [Unreleased] section, create it after the header

Step 7: Cleanup

Delete temp notes file: .ai/workspace/changelog-notes-*.md

Examples

Good Entry

### bravoTALENTS: Hiring Process Management

**Feature**: Customizable hiring process/pipeline management for recruitment workflows.

#### Added
- Drag-and-drop pipeline stage builder with default templates
- Stage categories (Sourced, Applied, Interviewing, Offered, Hired, Rejected)
- Pipeline duplication for quick setup
- Multi-language stage names (EN/VI)

Bad Entry (Too Technical)

### Pipeline Changes

#### Added
- Pipeline.cs entity
- StageCategory enum
- PipelineController
- SavePipelineCommand

Anti-Patterns

1. ❌ Creating new changelog in docs/ when root exists
2. ❌ Skipping file review (leads to missed changes)
3. ❌ Technical jargon without business context
4. ❌ Forgetting to delete temp notes file
5. ❌ Not using [Unreleased] section