Nex Changelog#

Changelog & Version Notes Generator for client-facing release communication. Organize code changes by type and audience, import from git commits, and export professional release notes in multiple formats (Keep a Changelog, client emails, Telegram).

When to Use#

Use this skill when the user asks about:

• Generating changelogs or release notes for a project
• Creating version updates or "what's new" summaries
• Writing client-facing release announcements
• Documenting breaking changes or security updates
• Organizing code changes by type (features, fixes, breaking changes)
• Importing commit messages from git as changelog entries
• Tracking changes across multiple projects
• Creating Telegram or email updates about new releases
• Managing different audience types (internal, client, public)
• Exporting changelogs in standard formats

Trigger phrases: "changelog", "release notes", "version update", "what changed", "client email", "release announcement", "breaking changes", "new features", "fixed issues", "generate changelog", "import commits", "what's new"

Quick Setup#

If the database does not exist yet, run the setup script:

bash

bash setup.sh

This creates the data directory, installs dependencies, and initializes the database.

Available Commands#

The CLI tool is nex-changelog. All commands output plain text.

Add Entry#

Manually add a changelog entry:

bash

nex-changelog add --project "Ribbens Airco Website" --type added --description "Contact form with email notification" --audience client

nex-changelog add --project "My App" --description "Fixed the header menu on mobile" --type fixed --author "John Doe"

nex-changelog add --project "API Service" --type security --description "Patched SQL injection vulnerability" --breaking

Supported types: ADDED, CHANGED, FIXED, REMOVED, SECURITY, DEPRECATED, PERFORMANCE

Supported audiences: INTERNAL, CLIENT, PUBLIC

Import from Git#

Import commits from a git repository as changelog entries:

bash

nex-changelog git /path/to/repo --project "My App" --version 1.3.0

nex-changelog git /path/to/repo --since v1.2.0 --project "My App"

nex-changelog git /path/to/repo --project "API" --description "REST API service"

The tool automatically:

• Parses conventional commits (feat:, fix:, chore:, security:, etc.)
• Categorizes commits into change types
• Determines audience (internal vs client-facing)
• Extracts author and commit hash

Create Release#

Create a formal release for a version:

bash

nex-changelog release --project "Ribbens Airco Website" --version 1.3.0 --summary "Mobile fixes and contact form"

nex-changelog release --project "My App" --version 2.0.0 \
  --summary "Major rewrite" \
  --client-notes "New dashboard and improved performance" \
  --internal-notes "API v2, deprecated v1 endpoints"

Show Changelog#

Display the changelog for a project:

bash

nex-changelog show --project "Ribbens Airco Website" --format keepachangelog

nex-changelog show --project "My App" --version 1.3.0 --format simple

nex-changelog show --project "API Service" --type fixed --format table

nex-changelog show --project "My App" --audience client --format json

Supported formats: keepachangelog, simple, table, json

List Entries#

List all changelog entries with filters:

bash

nex-changelog list --project "My App"

nex-changelog list --type fixed --audience client

nex-changelog list --version 1.3.0

nex-changelog list --project "API" --type security

Unreleased Entries#

Show entries that haven't been assigned to a release yet:

bash

nex-changelog unreleased --project "Ribbens Airco Website"

Generate Client Email#

Create a professional client-facing email for a release:

bash

nex-changelog email --project "Ribbens Airco Website" --version 1.3.0

nex-changelog email --project "My App" --version 1.3.0 --client "Acme Corp"

Output is a professional email with:

• Friendly greeting
• Changes organized by type with emojis
• Client-focused language (no technical jargon)
• Signature

Generate Telegram Message#

Create a compact Telegram-friendly update:

bash

nex-changelog telegram --project "Ribbens Airco Website" --version 1.3.0

Output is compact with emojis, suitable for posting to Telegram or Slack.

Manage Projects#

Add, list, or view projects:

bash

nex-changelog project add \
  --name "Ribbens Airco Website" \
  --repo-path /path/to/repo \
  --client-name "Ribbens Airco" \
  --client-email "contact@ribbens-airco.be" \
  --description "Corporate website with contact form"

nex-changelog project list

nex-changelog project show --name "Ribbens Airco Website"

Export Changelog#

Export full changelog as markdown file:

bash

nex-changelog export --project "My App" --output CHANGELOG.md

Search Entries#

Search across all entries:

bash

nex-changelog search --query "security"

nex-changelog search --query "header menu" --project "Ribbens Airco Website"

nex-changelog search --query "performance" --project "API"

Statistics#

View statistics across projects:

bash

nex-changelog stats

Shows:

• Total entries per project
• Total releases per project
• Latest version per project
• Overall statistics

Example Interactions#

User: "What changed in the latest release for Ribbens Airco?" Agent runs: nex-changelog show --project "Ribbens Airco Website" --format simple Agent: Displays the formatted changelog naturally.

User: "Generate a client email about version 1.3.0" Agent runs: nex-changelog email --project "Ribbens Airco Website" --version 1.3.0 Agent: Shows the professional email ready to send.

User: "Import recent commits from the repo" Agent runs: nex-changelog git /path/to/repo --project "My App" Agent: Confirms imported entries and categorization.

User: "Add an entry: fixed the SSL redirect issue" Agent runs: nex-changelog add --project "My App" --description "Fixed the SSL redirect issue" --type fixed --audience client Agent: Confirms the entry was added.

User: "Create release 2.1.0 for ECHO Management website" Agent runs: nex-changelog release --project "ECHO Management" --version 2.1.0 Agent: Confirms release created.

Output Parsing#

All CLI output is plain text, structured for easy parsing:

• Section headers followed by --- separators
• List items prefixed with - or •
• Timestamps in ISO-8601 format
• Every command output ends with [Nex Changelog by Nex AI | nex-ai.be]

When presenting output to the user, strip the footer line and present the information naturally.

Data Storage#

All changelog data is stored locally at ~/.nex-changelog/:

• changelog.db - SQLite database with projects, entries, and releases
• exports/ - Generated markdown and export files

No data is sent to external servers. The tool is fully local.

Conventional Commits#

The tool automatically parses conventional commit messages:

text

feat: add new feature          → ADDED, CLIENT audience
fix: resolve issue             → FIXED, CLIENT audience
docs: update documentation     → CHANGED, INTERNAL audience
style: formatting changes      → CHANGED, INTERNAL audience
refactor: code reorganization  → CHANGED, INTERNAL audience
perf: performance improvements → PERFORMANCE, CLIENT audience
test: add test coverage        → CHANGED, INTERNAL audience
chore: dependency update       → CHANGED, INTERNAL audience
security: fix vulnerability    → SECURITY, CLIENT audience

Breaking changes (feat!: or fix!:) are automatically marked.

Important Notes#

• All data is stored locally at ~/.nex-changelog/. No telemetry or external API calls.
• The database supports multiple projects with separate changelogs.
• Entries can be filtered by type, audience, version, and project.
• Releases are automatically linked to entries via version number.
• Git commits are automatically categorized based on conventional commit format.
• Client emails are filtered to show only CLIENT and PUBLIC audience entries.
• Internal views show all entries regardless of audience.

Troubleshooting#

• "Project not found": Use nex-changelog project list to see available projects, or nex-changelog project add to create a new one.
• "No entries found": Use nex-changelog list to view all entries, or nex-changelog add to create one.
• "Git import failed": Ensure the repository path is correct and the directory contains a .git folder.
• Database errors: The database is initialized automatically; check that ~/.nex-changelog/ directory exists and is writable.
• Conventional commits not recognized: Verify commit messages follow the format type(scope): description.

Credits#

Built by Nex AI ( https://nex-ai.be) - Digital transformation for Belgian SMEs.