changelog-automation
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.
84
64%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
97%
1.16xAverage score across 6 eval scenarios
Advisory
Suggest reviewing before use
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./plugins/documentation-generation/skills/changelog-automation/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
100%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
This is a strong skill description that clearly communicates its purpose, uses natural trigger terms, and explicitly states both what it does and when to use it. It follows the recommended pattern with a capability statement followed by a 'Use when' clause, and targets a distinct niche that is unlikely to conflict with other skills.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: 'changelog generation from commits, PRs, and releases', 'setting up release workflows', 'generating release notes', 'standardizing commit conventions'. Also references a specific format standard (Keep a Changelog). | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (automate changelog generation from commits, PRs, and releases following Keep a Changelog format) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when' clause covering release workflows, release notes, and commit conventions). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Includes strong natural keywords users would say: 'changelog', 'commits', 'PRs', 'releases', 'release notes', 'release workflows', 'commit conventions', 'Keep a Changelog'. These cover common variations of how users would describe this need. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Occupies a clear niche around changelog generation and release note automation. The specific mention of Keep a Changelog format, commits, PRs, and release workflows makes it highly distinguishable from general git, CI/CD, or documentation skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
29%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
This skill is a comprehensive reference document rather than an actionable skill guide. While it provides excellent executable configurations across multiple tools, it suffers from extreme verbosity, lack of workflow sequencing, and no progressive disclosure. It reads more like a 'cookbook of all changelog tools' than focused guidance for Claude to follow when automating changelog generation.
Suggestions
Reduce to 1-2 recommended methods (e.g., semantic-release for full automation, git-cliff for lightweight) and move others to separate reference files like TOOLS.md
Remove the 'Core Concepts' section entirely — Claude already knows Conventional Commits, semver, and Keep a Changelog format
Add a clear sequential workflow with validation steps, e.g.: 1. Check commit format → 2. Generate changelog (dry-run) → 3. Review output → 4. Commit and tag → 5. Verify release
Split release note templates and commit message examples into separate referenced files to reduce the main skill to an actionable overview
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | Extremely verbose at ~400+ lines. Explains concepts Claude already knows (what Conventional Commits are, what semantic versioning is, basic commit message anatomy). Provides 6 different implementation methods, release note templates, and extensive examples that bloat the content far beyond what's needed for actionable guidance. The 'Core Concepts' section is largely unnecessary reference material. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | Provides fully executable, copy-paste ready configurations and commands across multiple tools (commitlint, standard-version, semantic-release, git-cliff, commitizen). Config files are complete and realistic, and bash commands are specific and runnable. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | Despite covering complex multi-step release processes, there are no clear sequential workflows with validation checkpoints. The methods are presented as isolated config dumps without guidance on verification steps, error recovery, or how to validate that the changelog was generated correctly before publishing. | 1 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | Monolithic wall of text with no references to external files. All 6 methods, templates, examples, and best practices are inlined into a single massive document. Content like release note templates, individual tool configs, and commit examples should be split into separate referenced files. | 1 / 3 |
Total | 6 / 12 Passed |
Validation
90%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 10 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
skill_md_line_count | SKILL.md is long (573 lines); consider splitting into references/ and linking | Warning |
Total | 10 / 11 Passed | |
- Repository
- wshobson/agents
- Commit
112197c
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
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