Merge pull request #48 from carterscode/docs/release-notes

docs(release): curated user-facing release notes via CHANGELOG.md

Author: carterscode

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -119,9 +119,27 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           Get-ChildItem -Recurse installer\Output, publish | Select-Object FullName, Length
 
-      - name: Initialize extra release notes
+      - name: Build release notes from CHANGELOG
         shell: pwsh
-        run: New-Item -ItemType File -Path release-notes-extra.md -Force | Out-Null
+        run: |
+          # Pull the section for this version out of CHANGELOG.md so the GitHub
+          # release shows curated, user-facing notes. Falls back to the
+          # [Unreleased] section (newest work not yet version-stamped), then to a
+          # generic line. GitHub's auto-generated "What's Changed" PR list is
+          # still appended after this (generate_release_notes: true).
+          $version = '${{ steps.ver.outputs.version }}'
+          $cl = Get-Content -Raw CHANGELOG.md
+          function Get-Section($text, $header) {
+            $pattern = "(?ms)^##\s*\[" + [regex]::Escape($header) + "\][^\n]*\n(.*?)(?=^##\s*\[|\z)"
+            $m = [regex]::Match($text, $pattern)
+            if ($m.Success) { return $m.Groups[1].Value.Trim() } else { return $null }
+          }
+          $body = Get-Section $cl $version
+          if (-not $body) { $body = Get-Section $cl 'Unreleased' }
+          if (-not $body) { $body = "See the commits in this release for details." }
+          "## What's new in $version`n`n$body`n" | Set-Content -Path release-notes.md -Encoding utf8
+          Write-Host "----- release-notes.md -----"
+          Write-Host (Get-Content release-notes.md -Raw)
 
       # Optional: scan with VirusTotal and surface the per-engine result URLs
       # in the run summary. Skips silently unless both the repository variable
@@ -152,7 +170,7 @@ jobs:
               $body += "- [``$name``]($($parts[1]))`n"
             }
           }
-          $body | Out-File -FilePath release-notes-extra.md -Encoding utf8 -Append
+          $body | Out-File -FilePath release-notes.md -Encoding utf8 -Append
           Write-Host $body
 
       - name: Upload installer artifact
@@ -185,10 +203,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           tag_name: v${{ steps.ver.outputs.version }}
           name: GamerGuardian ${{ steps.ver.outputs.version }}
+          # Curated CHANGELOG section (+ any VirusTotal URLs) becomes the body;
+          # generate_release_notes appends GitHub's "What's Changed" PR list and
+          # the Full Changelog link after it.
           generate_release_notes: true
-          # If VirusTotal ran, append its URLs after the auto-generated notes.
-          body_path: release-notes-extra.md
-          append_body: true
+          body_path: release-notes.md
           target_commitish: ${{ github.sha }}
           files: |
             installer/Output/GamerGuardian-Setup-${{ steps.ver.outputs.version }}.exe

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -0,0 +1,281 @@
+# Changelog
+
+All notable, user-facing changes to GamerGuardian. Newest first. This file is
+the source of the notes attached to each [GitHub Release](https://github.com/carterscode/GamerGuardian/releases);
+the release workflow pulls the matching version section into the release body.
+
+The format is loosely based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/).
+Versions before 1.0.0 are pre-release: features and defaults may still change.
+
+## [Unreleased]
+
+### Changed
+- Release notes are now **curated and user-facing**: each GitHub Release shows a
+  hand-written summary of what changed (from `CHANGELOG.md`) instead of a raw
+  list of pull requests.
+
+## [0.1.52]
+
+### Changed
+- **Recommendations now speak each setting's own language.** The green
+  **Recommended** hint next to Current/Default is shown in the row's actual
+  wording — *Enabled/Disabled*, *Gaming/Default*, *On/Off*, or a service's
+  *Default/Manual/Disabled* — instead of a generic "On/Off" that didn't match
+  the buttons.
+- **Recommendation values tuned for the typical desktop gamer** and validated
+  against current best practice: clear performance wins are recommended; the
+  Memory Integrity / VBS security toggles are recommended to stay **on** (some
+  anti-cheat requires them); genuinely contested tweaks (Nagle, NIC power
+  management) are recommended to stay at the Windows default; Privacy and Debloat
+  settings lean toward the privacy-respecting / clutter-free value (shown for
+  guidance — they remain opt-in). The power-plan recommendation is CPU-aware
+  (Balanced on modern CPUs). The one-click setup and the per-row hint now share
+  one source of truth, so they can never disagree.
+
+## [0.1.51] - 2026-06-19
+### Added
+- A **Recommended** value now appears next to *Current* and *Default* on every
+  setting, so you can see GamerGuardian's suggested choice at a glance.
+
+## [0.1.50] - 2026-06-15
+### Added
+- New **Debloat** tab: switch off Windows 11 ads, nags, suggested content,
+  widgets, lock-screen "fun facts", File Explorer upsell banners, and Edge
+  background processes — plus privacy data toggles.
+- Optional removal of the **Microsoft 365 Copilot** app and six device-feature
+  services.
+### Fixed
+- The updater now always upgrades to the highest stable version.
+
+## [0.1.49] - 2026-06-14
+### Changed
+- The manual **Power plan** selector moved to the **CPU / Power** tab, next to
+  the CPU-aware plan tools.
+
+## [0.1.48] - 2026-06-12
+### Fixed
+- "Reboot now" now triggers the restart immediately.
+
+## [0.1.47] - 2026-06-12
+### Added
+- Complete **Virtualization-Based Security (VBS) disable** — the full stack, not
+  just Memory Integrity — with hardened state handling and honest risk docs.
+  (Note: disabling VBS breaks Valorant; Vanguard requires Memory Integrity.)
+
+## [0.1.46] - 2026-06-05
+### Changed
+- Moved **Network Throttling** onto the Network tab and tidied the tab layout.
+
+## [0.1.45] - 2026-06-05
+### Added
+- New **Privacy** tab with telemetry/activity toggles, a **Network** tab with
+  per-adapter Nagle and NIC power-management tweaks, per-display **Dynamic
+  Refresh Rate**, **Visual Effects (best performance)**, **Power Throttling**,
+  and **Fast Startup** controls.
+- Game DVR lockdown now also sets the machine-wide policy so it sticks.
+
+## [0.1.44] - 2026-06-05
+### Added
+- **CPU / Power** tab with CPU-aware power plans: GamerGuardian detects your CPU
+  and either suggests the best prebuilt plan or builds a custom optimized plan
+  (with a dual-CCD X3D guardrail). Plus an advisory **BIOS** recommendations tab.
+
+## [0.1.43] - 2026-06-05
+### Fixed
+- Stopped a recurring "search-box AI" drift popup by using reliable Windows 11
+  registry keys.
+
+## [0.1.42] - 2026-06-05
+### Maintenance
+- Dependency and CI updates.
+
+## [0.1.41] - 2026-06-05
+### Fixed
+- Per-display preferences (refresh rate, HDR, resolution) now use stable display
+  keys, so they no longer reset.
+
+## [0.1.40] - 2026-06-03
+### Added
+- One-click **Recommended** gaming preset on the General tab.
+- Closer parity with community Windows-AI removal tooling (safe additions only).
+### Fixed
+- Removed a spurious silent-apply popup and a notification-header glitch.
+
+## [0.1.39] - 2026-06-03
+### Maintenance
+- CI dependency updates.
+
+## [0.1.38] - 2026-05-19
+### Added
+- Per-setting documentation with a **Learn more** expander, a **Verify all**
+  button, and a system state snapshot.
+- New **Windows AI** tab to lock down Copilot, Recall, and related features,
+  including optional UWP app removal.
+### Changed
+- Settings changes are now **staged** and only committed when you click Apply or
+  Save & close.
+
+## [0.1.37] - 2026-05-08
+### Changed
+- Minimizing the Settings window now sends it to the tray.
+### Fixed
+- `sync-wiki` tooling now works on PowerShell 5.1.
+
+## [0.1.36] - 2026-05-08
+### Added
+- Clear feedback when **Apply** has nothing to change, and policy-state display
+  for policy-managed services.
+
+## [0.1.35] - 2026-05-07
+### Maintenance
+- Security/code-quality fixes and CI dependency bumps.
+
+## [0.1.34] - 2026-05-07
+### Fixed
+- **Delivery Optimization** is now disabled via Group Policy, so Windows stops
+  reverting it.
+
+## [0.1.33] - 2026-05-07
+### Maintenance
+- Added a test project and turned on warnings-as-errors for a cleaner build.
+
+## [0.1.32] - 2026-05-07
+### Fixed
+- No more repeated UAC prompts when Windows reverts a service change.
+
+## [0.1.31] - 2026-05-07
+### Security
+- Tightened CI permissions and added SLSA build provenance to releases.
+
+## [0.1.30] - 2026-05-07
+### Added
+- **Windows services** tab: tri-state control (Default / Manual / Disabled) plus
+  eight more services.
+### Changed
+- Layout polish so long service/setting names fit; added a no-data-collection
+  privacy policy.
+
+## [0.1.29] - 2026-05-07
+### Fixed
+- Power-plan dropdown is now actually populated from all installed plans.
+
+## [0.1.28] - 2026-05-07
+### Fixed
+- Power-plan dropdown now lists every installed plan (custom + Windows defaults).
+
+## [0.1.27] - 2026-05-07
+### Performance
+- Lower memory use via large-object-heap compaction and window content release.
+
+## [0.1.26] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- Pause/resume events are logged with the reason and the foreground game.
+
+## [0.1.25] - 2026-05-06
+### Fixed
+- Preference toggles now persist and are recorded in the change log.
+
+## [0.1.24] - 2026-05-06
+### Fixed
+- VRR monitor now reads the correct registry value.
+
+## [0.1.23] - 2026-05-06
+### Changed
+- Clarified that VRR is not the same as Dynamic Refresh Rate (DRR).
+
+## [0.1.22] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- Detailed change log capturing raw before/after registry values.
+
+## [0.1.21] - 2026-05-06
+### Fixed
+- Fixed a critical settings-display binding bug and temp-file cleanup.
+
+## [0.1.20] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- A persistent **change log** of every setting GamerGuardian applies.
+
+## [0.1.19] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- **Apply results** window showing per-setting before/after with a copy-paste
+  verify command.
+
+## [0.1.18] - 2026-05-06
+### Fixed
+- **Apply** now applies regardless of the Monitor checkbox; Want syncs to the
+  current value on load.
+
+## [0.1.17] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- A **Check now** button for manual update checks.
+
+## [0.1.16] - 2026-05-06
+### Docs
+- Professional README with setting references.
+
+## [0.1.15] - 2026-05-06
+### Changed
+- Renamed "Check interval" to "Polling interval" to avoid confusion with the
+  update check.
+
+## [0.1.14] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- Update check on startup with one-click download and install.
+
+## [0.1.13] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- Non-modal reboot popup for auto-applied settings; clearer Enabled/Disabled
+  labels.
+
+## [0.1.12] - 2026-05-06
+### Fixed
+- Apply button, reboot prompt, and clearer radio-button labels.
+
+## [0.1.11] - 2026-05-06
+### Changed
+- Cleaner per-setting row layout with **Current** and **Default** status lines.
+
+## [0.1.10] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- Tier 1 performance tweaks (four new monitored settings).
+
+## [0.1.9] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- Monitor **Memory Integrity / VBS** (Core Isolation).
+
+## [0.1.8] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- Automatic benchmark detection, manual pause, and a new app icon.
+
+## [0.1.7] - 2026-05-06
+### Fixed
+- Dev builds are now clearly distinguished from releases in the version label.
+
+## [0.1.6] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- Polling also pauses for borderless-fullscreen games.
+
+## [0.1.5] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- App version shown in Settings.
+
+## [0.1.4] - 2026-05-06
+### Performance
+- Gaming-friendly polling and a large reduction in memory use.
+
+## [0.1.3] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- WPF-UI theming with a Light / Dark / System toggle.
+
+## [0.1.2] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- Eight more monitored settings and the global settings UI.
+
+## [0.1.1] - 2026-05-06
+### Maintenance
+- Release automation.
+
+## [0.1.0] - 2026-05-06
+### Added
+- Initial release: a Windows 11 tray app that watches gaming-related settings and
+  prompts on drift or silently re-applies your chosen value.