Generate release notes based on your events
A GitHub Action that automatically generates release notes from closed milestones, issues, and pull requests.
What is Generate release notes based on your events?
Release Note Generator GitHub Action is a tool that automatically creates release notes for GitHub repositories when milestones are closed. It scans issues and pull requests attached to the milestone and generates a formatted markdown file, streamlining the changelog process. It solves the problem of manually compiling release notes and allows teams to communicate updates aggregated over time.
Development teams using GitHub for project management who want to automate their release note generation, especially those practicing continuous deployment or regular sprint-based releases.
Developers choose this action because it integrates seamlessly into GitHub workflows, offers customization for output and sections, and decouples note generation from the release process for more meaningful communication. It leverages the proven Spring.io changelog generator under the hood.
Overview
Action to auto generate a release note based on your events
Use Cases
Best For
- Automating release note creation for GitHub projects
- Generating aggregated changelogs after sprints or milestones
- Integrating release notes into CI/CD pipelines without manual steps
- Teams practicing continuous deployment who want periodic release communications
- Customizing changelog sections based on issue labels
- Manually triggering release note generation for specific milestones
Not Ideal For
- Teams that do not use GitHub milestones for tracking releases or sprints
- Projects requiring automatic release notes generation on every push or deployment, rather than aggregated updates
- Organizations needing cross-repository changelog aggregation without manual integration
Pros & Cons
Pros
Generates release notes automatically whenever a milestone is closed, as shown in the workflow example that triggers on milestone closure events, reducing manual effort.
Allows configuration of filename, prefix, output folder, and use of milestone title via environment variables like FILENAME_PREFIX and USE_MILESTONE_TITLE, providing flexibility in file naming.
Supports defining custom sections and labels through a .github/release-notes.yml file, enabling tailored changelog organization based on issue labels, as detailed in the section configuration part.
Can be triggered on-demand via workflow_dispatch with a milestone ID input, offering flexibility for manual generation when milestones aren't closed, as added in release 3.1.0.
Cons
The action is useless if your project doesn't use GitHub milestones, as it solely relies on them for triggering and content aggregation, limiting its applicability.
Requires creating and maintaining YAML configuration files for workflows and section definitions, adding overhead compared to simpler, integrated tools.
Only generates a markdown file; integrating with wikis, emails, or other platforms requires separate actions or manual steps, as admitted in the 'How to use the generated file' section.
Frequently Asked Questions
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