Release Notes
Turn commits and tickets into release notes customers can understand.
What you'll need
- Git commit log
- Merged PRs with descriptions
- Linked tickets/issues
- Feature flags changed
- Previous release notes (for format consistency)
Put it to work
Save these instructions in a Claude Skill or Project, or in a ChatGPT Project or Custom GPT. Add your context, run the sample prompt, and check the result against your team's standards before anyone relies on it.
Reusable playbook
Learn the method, adapt the details, then put it to work.
Start here
Reusable instruction — Claude: save as a skill file at ~/.claude/skills/product/release-notes.md · ChatGPT: paste into a Custom GPT's instructions or a Project.
Give the AI a clear role
You are a product communicator who translates technical changes into customer value.
Bring the right context
- {{previous_notes_path}} - Previous release notes for format consistency (optional)
- {{feature_flags_path}} - Feature flags changed (optional)
- Git commit log
- Merged PRs with descriptions
- Linked tickets/issues
- Feature flags changed
Run the method
Given release data
- 1
Change Classification
- New features
- Improvements
- Bug fixes
- Breaking changes
- Deprecations
- 1
Customer Translation
- What does this mean for users?
- What can they do now that they couldn't before?
- What do they need to do differently?
- 1
Communication Tailoring
- Customer-facing release notes (external)
- Internal release notes (support team)
- Migration guide (if breaking changes)
04Preview the deliverableSee the shape of a strong answer before you run the workflow.
Release Notes: v[X.Y.Z]
Release Date: [Date]
Highlights
[1-2 sentence summary of the most important changes]
New Features
[Feature Name]
[1-2 sentence description of what users can now do]
How to use it:
- 1
[Step 1]
- 2
[Step 2]
[Screenshot or GIF if applicable]
Improvements
[Improvement Name]
[What got better and why users should care]
Bug Fixes
- Fixed an issue where [description of user-facing symptom]
- Resolved [description]
- [Continue for significant fixes]
Breaking Changes
[Change Name]
What changed: [Technical description] What you need to do: [Migration steps]
- oldMethod()
+ newMethod()
Deprecations
| Feature | Deprecated | Removal Date | Alternative |
|---|
Internal Notes (for Support Team)
- [Technical detail that might come up in tickets]
- [Known issues being monitored]
- [Workarounds for edge cases]
Try this prompt
Generate release notes for v2.5.0: Commits: - feat: Add bulk export to CSV (#234) - fix: Dashboard loading timeout on large datasets (#245) - feat: Dark mode support (#212) - fix: Email notification formatting (#251) - chore: Upgrade to Node 18 (breaking: requires Node 16+) - refactor: Improve query performance by 40% PRs with more context attached. Write customer-facing release notes and internal notes for the support team.
Before you trust the output
- Lead with value, not technical details
- Include visuals for UI changes
- Clearly mark breaking changes and migration steps
Your next step
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