Update Changelog
SkillDocs & knowledgeUpdates a project changelog with entries for changes since the branch diverged from main. Use when about to open a PR, cutting a release, or when the user asks about changelog, release notes, or migration notes.
Available today. Use it from your connected AI after setup.
No other account needed.
Connect ahel once, and every AI you use reads what you have installed.
Then ask your AI: use the Update Changelog skill
What this skill tells your AI
The instructions your AI receives, as published by kenjudy/pdca-agentic-coding-framework in .claude/skills/update-changelog/SKILL.md and read by ahel’s review.
Step 0 — Bind the version
If an argument that looks like a version number was provided (e.g.,
v1.2.0, 1.2.0, v2.0.0-rc.1), store it as VERSION, normalising
to include a v prefix if absent. Otherwise VERSION defaults to
Unreleased.
STOP gate: Verify CHANGELOG.md exists in the repo root using the
Read tool. If it does not exist, report "CHANGELOG.md not found at repo
root." and halt.
Step 1 — Get today's date
Run date +%Y-%m-%d and store the result as TODAY.
Step 2 — Draft entries from commits
Run:
git log --oneline main..HEAD
Store the result as COMMIT_LIST. If the command fails, report the error and halt.
STOP gate: If COMMIT_LIST is empty, tell the user: "No commits found ahead of main — nothing to changelog. Is that expected?" and halt.
Draft changelog entries from COMMIT_LIST. Group them under ### Category subheadings. Use the categories that best match the changes (e.g., ### New Skills, ### PDCA Framework Redesigns, ### Beads and Workflow, ### Build and Distribution, ### Dependency Updates, ### Documentation). Prefer the established category names from the existing changelog over inventing new ones.
Classify each entry as one of:
- Regular entry — new feature, bug fix, config change, anything user-visible
- Migration note — anything requiring user action: renamed files or commands, removed options, changed install paths, new required config keys
Skip internal-only changes (refactors, test additions, CI tweaks) that are not user-visible — do not propose entries for them.
Step 3 — Review with user
STOP gate: If no entries were drafted, halt without writing — do not create an empty heading.
Print the proposed changelog block in chat. If VERSION is Unreleased,
the heading will be ## Unreleased; if a version was provided, it will
be ## VERSION (TODAY) (e.g., ## v1.2.0 (2026-06-01) — substitute
the actual bound values). Below the block, print COMMIT_LIST under a
**Commits for reference:** label.
Ask: "Does this look right? (yes / no / paste edits)" Wait for the response before continuing.
- If yes: proceed to Step 4.
- If no: halt without writing.
- If the user provides edited text: replace the draft with their version, then proceed to Step 4.
Step 4 — Write the entries
On confirmation, write the entries to CHANGELOG.md.
If VERSION is Unreleased:
- If no
## Unreleasedheading exists, insert one at the top of the changelog body (below any# Titleline), followed by a---separator before the first pre-existing versioned section. - If
## Unreleasedalready exists, append the new category subheadings and entries to it; do not create a duplicate heading.
If VERSION is a version number (e.g., v1.2.0):
- If no
## Unreleasedheading exists, insert a new## VERSION (TODAY)heading at the top of the changelog body (e.g.,## v1.2.0 (2026-06-01)). - If
## Unreleasedexists, rename it to## VERSION (TODAY)rather than creating a duplicate.
New ## Unreleased section (none exists yet):
## Unreleased
### New Skills
- My new skill
### Migration Notes ← omit this subsection if there are no migration notes
- Thing the user must do manually
---
## v1.1.0 (2026-05-28) ← existing versioned section follows the --- separator
Appending to an existing ## Unreleased section:
## Unreleased
### New Skills
- Earlier entry
- My new skill ← append here
### PDCA Framework Redesigns
- My change ← add new category subheading if not present; append if already present
### Migration Notes ← add subsection if not present; append if already present
- Thing the user must do manually
Versioned heading (cutting a release):
## v1.2.0 (2026-05-27)
### New Skills
- My feature
### Migration Notes ← omit if none
- Thing the user must do manually
Signals
- GitHub stars
- 44
- Forks
- 5
- Last commit
- Sep 2026
Advanced
- Catalog kind
- skill
- Gateway key
update-changelog-kenjudy- Source
- github.com/kenjudy/pdca-agentic-coding-framework