Update guidelines for release notes and changelogs - #90
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update release note creation instructions
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Pull request overview
This PR updates the release process guidelines in .github/copilot-instructions.md to clarify that minor and major releases must include changelog items from all version bumps, including merges that don't have corresponding GitHub releases. The changes emphasize that release notes should be comprehensive and cover all changes, not just those associated with published releases.
Changes:
- Added clarification for minor releases: must include ALL changelog items of patch version bumps, even for merges without releases (line 117)
- Updated major release guidelines: changed from "ALL minor release notes" to "ALL minor/patch release notes" and added requirement to include changelog items for all version bumps, including merges without releases (lines 125-126)
| - ✅ MUST contain a summary of ALL changelog items of patch version bumps, also for merges without a release | ||
| - ❌ Do NOT copy/paste the changelog entries verbatim | ||
| - ✅ Review and create human-friendly summarized content | ||
| - ⚠️ Avoid conflicts: If v0.5.4 solves an issue introduced in v0.5.2, consolidate appropriately (don't mention both) | ||
| - 📊 Group related changes into themes/categories | ||
| - 🎯 Focus on user impact, not technical implementation details | ||
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| ##### For Major Releases: | ||
| - ✅ MUST contain a summary of ALL minor release notes since last major | ||
| - ✅ MUST contain a summary of ALL minor/patch release notes since last major | ||
| - ✅ MUST contain a summary of ALL changelog items of minor/patch version bumps, also for merges without a release |
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This PR is missing a mandatory version bump. According to the repository's PR requirements in copilot-instructions.md, every PR MUST include a version bump using the command: ./scripts/manage-versions.sh update X.Y.Z. The default should be a PATCH version bump (e.g., 0.5.5 → 0.5.6). Additionally, a corresponding CHANGELOG.md entry under "## WORK IN PROGRESS" section is required with the format: "- (author) TYPE: Description (Fixes #XX)".
| - ✅ MUST contain a summary of ALL minor/patch release notes since last major | ||
| - ✅ MUST contain a summary of ALL changelog items of minor/patch version bumps, also for merges without a release |
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There is an inconsistency within the same file. Line 109 documents that the script extracts "For major releases: includes all minor releases since last major" (no mention of patches), but the new guideline on line 125 states major releases must contain "ALL minor/patch release notes". The script documentation on line 109 should also be updated to mention patch releases if that's the intended behavior, or the guideline on line 125 should be corrected to match the actual script behavior.
| - ✅ MUST contain a summary of ALL minor/patch release notes since last major | ||
| - ✅ MUST contain a summary of ALL changelog items of minor/patch version bumps, also for merges without a release |
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The guideline states major releases must contain a summary of ALL minor/patch release notes since last major. However, the script generate-release-notes.sh (lines 172-185) only extracts MINOR versions for major releases, not patch versions. This creates a discrepancy between the instructions and the actual script behavior. Either the script needs to be updated to also extract patch versions for major releases, or the guidelines should be corrected to reflect the current script behavior.
Co-authored-by: Copilot <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
update release note creation instructions