changelog-automation Skill (wshobson) for Claude Code

Helps Claude set up changelog generation, Conventional Commits and release notes, for developers who want releases documented automatically.

Installs: 14K; on skills.sh
Stars: 42.1K; on GitHub
Files: 1; besides SKILL.md
Updated: Oct 2026; last repo commit

The skill gives Claude the Keep a Changelog format, Conventional Commit message rules and Semantic Versioning, plus release note templates. Its reference file walks through six ways to automate this: conventional-changelog, standard-version, semantic-release, a GitHub Actions workflow, git-cliff and commitizen.

It is guidance and example config. Several of the examples install npm or pip packages and one runs semantic-release in CI with a GitHub token and an npm token, so read them before applying.

Good for

Maintainers who want a CHANGELOG built from commits
Teams adopting Conventional Commits and commit linting
Developers writing GitHub release notes or internal release notes

Install changelog-automation

Claude Code

Copy this prompt.

Install the changelog-automation skill in Claude Code. Run this command:

npx skills add wshobson/agents --skill changelog-automation

Then check that it loaded and tell me how to use it.

2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.

Requires Node.js.

The README says the skills routes install a skill without the plugin's agents, commands or hooks. Pick the plugin only if you want the whole documentation-generation set.

Built from the package data we hold. Not yet tested by us. Source.

What's in the skill

When it loads

Automate changelog generation from commits, PRs, and releases following Keep a Changelog format. Use when setting up release workflows, generating release notes, or standardizing commit conventions.

Sections in SKILL.md

When to Use This Skill
Core Concepts
1. Keep a Changelog Format
Detailed patterns and worked examples
Summary
Highlights
🌙 Dark Mode
⚡ Performance
Breaking Changes
Upgrade Guide
Known Issues
Dependencies Updated
Commit Message Examples
Best Practices
Do's
Don'ts

Key facts

Author: wshobson
Repository: wshobson/agents
Installs on skills.sh: 13,955 as of 2026-11-02
GitHub stars: 42,081 for the whole wshobson/agents repo
License: MIT (repo README and documentation-generation plugin.json)
Last repo commit: 2026-10-30
What is inside: 2 files including SKILL.md: references/details.md. It bundles no scripts.
skills.sh audits: Gen Agent Trust Hub: pass; Socket: pass; Snyk: pass
Part of: The documentation-generation plugin (the repo has 5 agents, 1 command and 3 skills in that folder)

What it includes

Unreleased and versioned sections with six change types
details.md shows Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed and Security headings under an Unreleased section and dated versions.
Keep a Changelog format
feat, fix and breaking-change message rules with examples
SKILL.md shows commit messages with scopes, issue references, a breaking change marker and multi-paragraph bodies.
Conventional Commits
How commit types map to version bumps
details.md covers the semantic versioning rules used to pick the next version.
Semantic versioning
commitlint, husky, standard-version and semantic-release setup
The examples run npm install for commitlint, husky, standard-version and semantic-release, and npx husky init to add a commit-msg hook.
Runs code · Node.js tooling
Release automation with semantic-release or standard-version
The example workflow uses GITHUB_TOKEN and NPM_TOKEN secrets, runs semantic-release or standard-version and a second workflow can push tags to main with git push --follow-tags and create a GitHub release.
Runs code · GitHub Actions release workflow
Rust-based and Python-based alternatives
details.md includes a cliff.toml for git-cliff and a pyproject.toml for commitizen, with pip install commitizen and the commands to bump versions and update the changelog.
Runs code · git-cliff and commitizen
GitHub release and internal release note layouts
Templates for a public GitHub release and an internal release note with summary, highlights, breaking changes, upgrade guide, known issues and dependency updates.
Release note templates
Do and do not lists for commits and releases
Short lists such as follow Conventional Commits, reference issues, do not mix changes in one commit and do not hand-edit generated changelogs.
Best practices

From the official docs

Permissions

Medium risk

The skill bundles no scripts, but its examples install packages and set up a CI workflow that can tag and publish releases. Review any workflow or hook before you commit it.

What it can do

Read your data
Create and change things
Delete things
Read-only mode

Watch out for

The example workflow can publish and push tags
details.md runs semantic-release with GITHUB_TOKEN and NPM_TOKEN, and a second workflow bumps the version, runs git push --follow-tags origin main and creates a GitHub release. Do not enable it until you know which branch and package it targets. github.com
Examples install dev dependencies and a git hook
The setup runs npm install -D for commitlint, husky, standard-version and semantic-release, then npx husky init. These change your package.json and commit hooks. github.com

Security advisories

No published security advisories as of Nov 2, 2026.

Technical details

Turning on read-only	No read-only switch is documented. Ask Claude to draft config without applying it.
Talks to	Example commands call npm, pip and GitHub
Sign-in and keys	The example workflows read GITHUB_TOKEN and NPM_TOKEN from your CI secrets.
Scopes	Claude edits changelog, config and workflow files in your project when you ask Example workflows use GITHUB_TOKEN and NPM_TOKEN secrets

Questions

What does the changelog-automation skill do?

It teaches Claude how to automate changelogs and release notes. It covers the Keep a Changelog format, Conventional Commits, semantic versioning and six tool setups you can choose from.

How do I install it?

Use the install box above. The skills CLI route installs only this skill, and the plugin routes install the whole documentation-generation plugin with its agents and command.

Which changelog tool should I pick?

SKILL.md does not rank them. details.md describes conventional-changelog, standard-version, semantic-release, a GitHub Actions workflow, git-cliff (Rust) and commitizen (Python). Tell Claude your language and CI system and ask it to recommend one.

Does it publish releases or push to my repo?

Only if you apply the examples. The sample GitHub Actions workflow runs semantic-release with a GitHub token and an npm token, and a second workflow pushes tags with git push --follow-tags and creates a GitHub release. Check what each workflow does before you commit it.

Does it install packages?

The skill does not, but its examples contain npm install and pip install commands. If you ask Claude to set the tooling up, it may run them in your project.

Is it safe?

It bundles no scripts. The risk is in what you ask Claude to do with the examples, such as installing dev dependencies, adding a husky hook or committing a release workflow that can publish. Review each change.

Information

updated Nov 2, 2026

Repository: wshobson/agents
Folder: plugins/documentation-generation/skills/changelog-automation

wshobson/agents skills.sh

Sources

Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from.

Show all 4

Using skills in Claude · support.claude.com
wshobson/agents README · github.com
SKILL.md · github.com
details.md · github.com