Takes a structured list of changes from changelog-scan and produces a clean, categorized, user-facing release notes draft. Follows project voice and conventions. Never publishes — only proposes a draft file or section.
Installs into .claude/skills of the current project.
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---
name: draft-release-notes
description: >
Takes a structured list of changes from changelog-scan and produces a clean,
categorized, user-facing release notes draft. Follows project voice and
conventions. Never publishes — only proposes a draft file or section.
user_invocable: true
---
# Draft Release Notes Skill
## Inputs
- Structured output from `changelog-scan` (the list of items + summary)
- Previous release version (from state)
- Target next version (or "unreleased" / "next")
- Optional: short "Release voice" guidance from AGENTS.md or a project skill (tone, what to highlight, what to omit)
## Output
Write a ready-to-review draft to `RELEASE_NOTES_DRAFT.md` (or print it clearly so the loop can save it).
Use this structure (adapt section names to what actually exists; omit empty sections):
```markdown
# Release Notes — vX.Y.Z (unreleased)
## Breaking Changes
- ...
## Features
- ...
## Bug Fixes
- ...
## Performance
- ...
## Security
- ...
## Documentation & Examples
- ...
## Internal / Maintenance (usually omitted from public notes)
- ...
**Thanks** to @contributor1, @contributor2 for contributions to this release.
**Full changelog**: https://github.com/ORG/REPO/compare/vPREV...HEAD
```
## Rules
- Be concise and scannable. One line per item when possible, with link to PR.
- Use the actual title / one-sentence summary from the scan. Do not embellish or add marketing fluff unless the project voice explicitly wants it.
- Always call out breaking changes and security items at the top.
- If a change has a user upgrade step that is obvious from the PR, include a one-sentence "Upgrade note".
- Never claim a change was made if it was not in the scanned input.
- At the very end of the draft, include a short "Draft generated by loop — please review for accuracy and tone before publishing."
## When to Escalate Instead of Drafting
- More than ~40 items in one window → suggest splitting the release or human curation.
- Any breaking or security item → include prominent callout and recommend human wordsmithing.
- The scan summary says "human review needed first".
After writing the draft, the loop should update state with the draft location and "pending human review".