Add Changelog Fast

Generate and maintain project changelogs from git history using Keep a Changelog format with semantic versioning.

When to Use This Command

Run this command when you need to:

• Generate changelog entries from recent git commits using conventional commit messages
• Add a new version entry to an existing CHANGELOG.md with properly categorized changes
• Set up changelog automation with conventional-changelog or auto-changelog tooling

Consider alternatives when:

• You need a full release workflow with tagging and publishing (use a release management tool)
• Your project does not follow conventional commit message conventions (categorization will be inaccurate)

Quick Start

Configuration

Copy
name: add-changelog-fast
type: command
category: deployment

Example Invocation

Copy
claude command:run add-changelog-fast --version 2.1.0 --since v2.0.0

Example Output

[Detect] CHANGELOG.md found (last entry: v2.0.0 - 2026-02-28)
[Scan] 23 commits since v2.0.0

[Generated Entry]
## [2.1.0] - 2026-03-15
### Added
- User preference settings with theme support
- Export functionality for analytics reports
- Webhook integration for third-party services

### Fixed
- Memory leak in background job processor
- Timezone handling in scheduled notifications

### Changed
- Upgraded authentication library to v4.2
- Improved error messages for API validation failures

[Write] CHANGELOG.md updated successfully
[Verify] Format validates against Keep a Changelog spec

Core Concepts

Changelog Generation Overview

Aspect	Details
Format	Keep a Changelog (https://keepachangelog.com) with SemVer
Categories	Added, Changed, Deprecated, Removed, Fixed, Security
Source	Git commit messages following Conventional Commits spec
Automation	Integrates with conventional-changelog-cli or auto-changelog

Generation Workflow

[Read Existing CHANGELOG.md]
         |
[Scan Git Commits Since Last Tag]
         |
[Parse Conventional Commit Prefixes]
  feat: --> Added
  fix:  --> Fixed
  docs: --> Changed
         |
[Generate Formatted Entry]
         |
[Prepend to CHANGELOG.md]

Configuration

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
version	string	auto	Version number for the new entry (auto-increments from last tag)
since	string	last-tag	Starting point for commit scanning (tag, SHA, or date)
format	string	keepachangelog	Changelog format: keepachangelog or conventional
dry-run	boolean	false	Preview the generated entry without writing to file
include-breaking	boolean	true	Highlight breaking changes with a special section

Best Practices

1. Use Conventional Commits Consistently - The quality of generated changelogs depends entirely on commit message discipline. Enforce conventional commit format with commitlint in a pre-commit hook.

2. Review Before Committing - Always run with --dry-run first to preview the generated entry. Automated categorization is imperfect and may misclassify changes or include irrelevant commits.

3. Focus on User-Facing Changes - Edit the generated changelog to remove internal refactoring, dependency updates, and CI changes that do not affect end users. The changelog is for your users, not your team.

4. Link to Issues and PRs - Add issue references (e.g., Fixes #123) to changelog entries. This creates a traceable path from the changelog to the detailed discussion and code changes.

5. Update Changelog Before Tagging - Add the changelog entry as the last commit before creating the version tag. This ensures the tag includes its own changelog documentation.

Common Issues

1. Commits Not Categorized Correctly - Non-conventional commit messages (e.g., "fix bug") are placed in a generic "Changed" category. Reword commits or manually categorize them in the output.

2. Duplicate Entries After Rebase - Rebased commits have different SHAs but identical messages. The generator may create duplicates. Review and deduplicate before committing the changelog.

3. Missing CHANGELOG.md on First Run - If no CHANGELOG.md exists, the command creates one with the standard Keep a Changelog header. Verify the generated header matches your project conventions.