Write the changelog
Twice a week, turn merged pull requests into a changelog people can read.
Engineering · Software · On a schedule · Updated
Works with
- Slack
SlackHow do you write a changelog from merged pull requests?
To write a changelog from merged pull requests, set a Loop in Maito for the days you publish. It reads every pull request merged since the last changelog, drops internal changes, groups the rest as new, improved and fixed, and posts a draft in Slack. It flags changes that break existing users.
How it's done today
Changelog is written in a rush before release, or not at all.
What Maito does
- Read merged pull requests
- Group by user-visible change
- Write plain release notes
Example
Loop run: Friday 10:00 AM · Changelog draft
Changelog draft for Oct 13 to Oct 16: 7 entries from 19 merged pull requests. New • Export any dashboard as CSV (#871) • Saved filters on the Projects page (#866) Improved • Search results load about twice as fast on large workspaces (#869) • Invoices now show the PO number (#873) Fixed • Dates in the date picker use your own time zone (#903) • Two smaller fixes (#875, #879) Left out: 12 internal changes. Catch: #874 lowers the default API page size from 100 to 50. Anyone who doesn't set a page size will get half the rows. It's under Improved as a plain note, but it may need an email to developers. Attached: changelog-oct-16.md. Leo, ok to publish?
@Maito move the page size change to the top and call it out as a change.
Moved to the top under a new Changed heading. Updated file attached.
Maito (10:00 AM):
Changelog draft for Oct 13 to Oct 16: 7 entries from 19 merged pull requests.
New
• Export any dashboard as CSV (#871)
• Saved filters on the Projects page (#866)
Improved
• Search results load about twice as fast on large workspaces (#869)
• Invoices now show the PO number (#873)
Fixed
• Dates in the date picker use your own time zone (#903)
• Two smaller fixes (#875, #879)
Left out: 12 internal changes.
Catch: #874 lowers the default API page size from 100 to 50. Anyone who doesn't set a page size will get half the rows. It's under Improved as a plain note, but it may need an email to developers.
Attached: changelog-oct-16.md. Leo, ok to publish?
Leo (10:20 AM):
move the page size change to the top and call it out as a change.
Maito (10:22 AM):
Moved to the top under a new Changed heading. Updated file attached.
How to set it up
- Ask your agent
“Every Tuesday and Friday at 10, read the pull requests merged since the last changelog and draft release notes in #product-updates. Customer-visible changes only, in plain language.”
What it won't do
It works from pull request titles, descriptions and diffs, so a vague pull request gets a vague entry. It does not know which changes your customers care about most until you tell it.
Questions
On the schedule you set, for example every Tuesday and Friday. You can also mention Maito any time to draft one on demand.
No. It posts a draft in Slack for you to edit. Publishing stays with your team.
It skips internal work like refactors and test changes, and tells you how many it left out so you can ask for any back.
