name: changelogs description: Update CHANGELOG.md files based on changes made in the current branch. Use when the user asks to update changelogs, document changes, or prepare release notes.
Changelogs Skill
Update CHANGELOG.md files to reflect changes made in the current git branch.
When to Use
- When asked to update or write changelogs
- When preparing a PR for merge
- When documenting recent changes before release
Instructions
Step 1: Analyze Branch Changes
Run these git commands to understand what changed:
# Get the base branch (usually master or main)
git log --oneline -1 origin/master
# List all commits in current branch not in master
git log origin/master..HEAD --oneline
# Show changed files with their packages
git diff origin/master --name-only
Step 2: Identify Affected Packages
Determine which packages were modified by checking changed file paths:
packages/react/**/<Component>/*→ Updatepackages/react/src/atomic/<Component>/CHANGELOG.mdandreactdirectoryCHANGELOG.mdpackages/core/webpack/*→ Updatepackages/core/webpack/CHANGELOG.md- Any root monorepo configuration change → Also update the root
CHANGELOG.md
Step 3: Classify the Change
Determine the change type based on commit messages and diff:
| Type | Category | Version Bump |
|---|---|---|
| Breaking API changes | 🛠 Breaking changes | Major (x.0.0) |
| New props, components, features | 🎉 New features | Minor (0.x.0) |
| Bug fixes, corrections | 🐛 Bug fixes | Patch (0.0.x) |
| Dependency updates | 📚 3rd party library updates | Patch |
| Refactors, docs, tooling | 💡 Others | Patch |
Step 4: Write the Entry
Format:
## YYYY-MM-DD `version`
#### <emoji> <category>
- <Summary of the change>. ([#PR](https://github.com/TiendaNube/nimbus-patterns/pull/PR) by [@contributor](https://github.com/contributor))
Writing Guidelines:
- Be concise: One sentence summarizing the user-facing impact
- Focus on "what": Describe the outcome, not implementation details
- Use past tense: "Added", "Fixed", "Updated", not "Add", "Fix", "Update"
- Avoid code details: No mention of specific functions, variables, or files
Good examples:
Added disabled state styling to Input component.Fixed focus ring not appearing on keyboard navigation.Updated Button to support icon-only variant.
Bad examples:
Update Input.tsx to add handleFocus callback and modify CSS classes.Fixes bug in line 45 of nimbus-input.css.ts where outline was missing.
Step 5: Ask for Missing Information
If any of the following is unknown, ask the user:
- PR number: Required for the entry link
- GitHub username: Required for contributor attribution
- Version number: If not clear from existing changelog
Step 6: Update the Files
- Read the existing CHANGELOG.md for the affected package(s)
- Determine the next version based on current version + change type
- Insert the new entry at the TOP, below the
# Changelogheader - Use today's date in YYYY-MM-DD format
- Update package-specific CHANGELOG.md file, and only update the root CHANGELOG.md file if the change is related to the root monorepo.
Reference
Full formatting rules are defined in .cursor/rules/changelogs.mdc.