docs: add changelog authoring guidance
Adds a dedicated skill for drafting user-facing unreleased changelog entries. Covers both the main app changelog and the VS Code extension changelog. Updates agent guidance to route changelog work to the new skill.
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Bohdan Triapitsyn
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---
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name: changelog-authoring
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description: Use when drafting or updating user-facing CHANGELOG.md entries for the OpenChamber `[Unreleased]` section, including the VS Code extension changelog, summarizing changes since the latest git tag.
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license: MIT
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compatibility: opencode
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---
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## Overview
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Draft user-facing bullet points for the `## [Unreleased]` section that summarize changes since the latest git tag up to `HEAD`.
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Two files are maintained:
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- `CHANGELOG.md` — main app (Web, Desktop, Mobile/PWA, shared UI).
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- `packages/vscode/CHANGELOG.md` — VS Code extension only.
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Only update the `[Unreleased]` bullets. Never add a new release header.
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## Gather Context First
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Read recent release sections for style before drafting:
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```bash
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head -140 CHANGELOG.md
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```
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Collect git context (base tag, commit count, changed files):
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```bash
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BASE=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null || git rev-list --max-parents=0 HEAD)
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echo "Base: $BASE"
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echo "Commits since base: $(git rev-list --count "$BASE"..HEAD)"
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echo "Diff stats: $(git diff --shortstat "$BASE"..HEAD)"
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echo "=== Top 30 commits ==="; git log --oneline -30 "$BASE"..HEAD
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echo "=== Changed files ==="; git diff --stat "$BASE"..HEAD
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```
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Inspect all commits after the base up to `HEAD`. Use the changed files/code paths to decide which platform each change touches.
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## Squashed PR Merges
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A squashed merge commit often collapses a whole PR into a single terse subject line that omits valuable detail. When a commit looks like a squashed PR merge (subject ending in `(#123)`, or a `Merge pull request #123` commit), inspect the PR itself — its title and description usually carry the real user-facing context.
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```bash
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# Find PR-linked commits since base
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BASE=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 2>/dev/null || git rev-list --max-parents=0 HEAD)
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git log --oneline "$BASE"..HEAD | grep -oE '#[0-9]+'
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# Read a PR's title, body, and author (requires gh)
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gh pr view <number> --json number,title,body,author,mergedAt
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```
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- Prefer the PR description over the squashed commit subject when the description explains the user-visible change more accurately.
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- Do not copy PR descriptions verbatim; distill them into the changelog style below.
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- Use PR author/metadata to attribute contributor credit (see Contributor Credit).
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- If `gh` is unavailable or the PR cannot be fetched, fall back to the commit message and diff, and note any uncertainty rather than inventing details.
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## Writing Style
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- Match the tone and level of detail of the existing changelog.
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- Write like release notes for real users, not marketing. Be concrete and plain-spoken.
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- Avoid generic payoff clauses ("making X faster", "improving reliability", "for a smoother workflow", "so you can...") unless the diff clearly proves that exact user-visible outcome.
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- Prefer short direct bullets: what changed, where users see it, and only one obvious consequence.
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- Omit internal implementation details; do not replace them with vague benefits. If a technical change has no user-visible effect, omit it or group under a plain reliability bullet.
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- Avoid internal component names unless users see them (ex: "VS Code extension", "Desktop app", "Web app").
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- Use area prefixes in the main changelog when they help grouping (e.g., "Chat:", "VSCode:", "Settings:", "Git:", "Terminal:", "Mobile:", "UI:").
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- Do not include commit hashes, file paths, or implementation notes in changelog text.
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- Do not mention low-level mechanics ("local refs first", "source of truth", "route", "store", "cache", "payload", "ref resolution"). Translate only when there is a clear user-facing symptom.
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- Avoid LinkedIn-style language. Bad: "commit review is faster and branch history is more reliable." Better: "commit history can now show file diffs inline."
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## Highlights and Ordering
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- Sort bullets by user impact, not commit order. Breaking changes first, then significant new capabilities or broad user-visible improvements, then smaller features, fixes, and visual polish.
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- Mark only the strongest highlights with a bold area prefix, such as `- **Chat attachments:** ...`. Usually the first 1–3 bullets; fewer when the release lacks substantial changes, more only when clearly justified.
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- Treat a change as a highlight only when it introduces a substantial user-facing capability, materially changes a common workflow, or fixes a severe/widespread problem. Do not bold merely because a bullet is first, has a large diff, or was hard to implement.
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- Keep related platform bullets together only when that does not push a more important change too far down.
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- Rank highlights independently in each changelog. A main-app highlight is not automatically a VS Code highlight.
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## VS Code Changelog Rules
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- Craft entries only for behavior present in the VS Code extension. Exclude Desktop, Web, Mobile/PWA, and main-app-only UI.
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- Do not copy shared/main bullets here unless changed files or code paths show the feature exists in the extension.
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- Focus on core UI improvements and VS Code integration.
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- Do NOT use "VSCode:" or "VS Code:" prefixes in this file.
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- When unsure whether a change reaches the extension, leave it out.
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## Contributor Credit
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- Credit contributors inline with "(thanks to @username)" at the end of the bullet.
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- Find usernames from commit authors (GitHub username, not email) or PR metadata when available.
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- Skip credit when the contributor is `btriapitsyn` (repo owner).
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## Quality Checks Before Editing
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- For every bullet: "Could a user point to this in the UI or behavior?" If not, rewrite or drop it.
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- For every VS Code bullet: verify the change applies to the extension, not just shared web UI or server code.
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- For every bold bullet: "Would a user reasonably call this a headline change?" If not, unbold or move it lower.
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- Read the finished list top to bottom; confirm each bullet is no more important than those above it, except where keeping related platform bullets together improves readability.
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- Do not bundle unrelated changes to reduce bullet count. Prefer omitting minor internal fixes over vague catch-all sentences.
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- Mention mostly-internal refactors only when there is a concrete user-visible fix; otherwise add no bullet.
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## Workflow
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1. Gather repo style and git context (commands above).
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2. Propose the new `[Unreleased]` bullet list for the main `CHANGELOG.md`.
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3. Propose the VS Code-specific `[Unreleased]` list for `packages/vscode/CHANGELOG.md`.
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4. Edit both files to update their respective `[Unreleased]` sections.
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