OpenClaw Changelog Update

Use this for release changelog rewrites and GitHub release-note source text. This is mandatory before every beta, beta rerun, stable release, or stable rerun. Use it with release-openclaw-maintainer; this skill owns changelog content, ordering, grouping, and attribution discipline.

Goal

Rewrite the target CHANGELOG.md version section from history, not from stale draft notes. Produce grouped user-facing release notes sorted by user interest while preserving every relevant issue/PR ref and every human Thanks @... attribution.

Inputs

• Target base version: YYYY.M.D, without beta suffix.
• Base tag: last reachable shipped release tag, usually the previous stable or the previous beta train requested by the operator.
• Target ref: exact branch/SHA being released.

Workflow

1. Start on main before branching when possible:
   • git fetch --tags origin
   • git pull --ff-only
   • confirm clean git status -sb
2. Audit history, including direct commits:
   • git log --first-parent --date=iso-strict --pretty=format:'%h%x09%ad%x09%s' <base-tag>..<target-ref>
   • git log --first-parent --grep='(#' --date=short --pretty=format:'%h%x09%ad%x09%s' <base-tag>..<target-ref>
   • also inspect --since='24 hours ago' when main moved during the release.
3. Read linked PRs/issues or diffs for ambiguous commits. Direct commits matter; infer notes from subject, body, touched files, tests, and nearby commits.
4. Rewrite one stable-base section only:
   • use ## YYYY.M.D
   • do not create beta-specific headings
   • do not leave a stale ## Unreleased section above the target release
   • if Unreleased contains release-bound notes, fold them into the target section instead of deleting them
5. Section shape:
   • ### Highlights: 5-8 bullets, broad user wins first
   • ### Changes: new capabilities and behavior changes
   • ### Fixes: user-facing fixes first, grouped by impact and surface
   • group related changes/fixes by surface and user impact; avoid one bullet per tiny commit when several commits tell one user-facing story
6. Preserve attribution:
   • keep #issue, (#PR), Fixes #..., and Thanks @...
   • every human-authored merged PR represented by a user-facing entry needs its PR ref and Thanks @author, even when the PR had no linked issue
   • when grouping multiple PRs/issues in one bullet, include every relevant PR/issue ref and every human contributor handle in that same bullet
   • multiple Thanks @... handles in one bullet are expected; do not drop or collapse contributor credit just because the note is grouped
   • if one grouped bullet covers both direct commits and PRs, keep all PR refs and thanks, plus any issue refs from the direct commits
   • do not add GHSA references, advisory IDs, or security advisory slugs to changelog entries or GitHub release-note text unless explicitly requested
   • never thank bots, @openclaw, @clawsweeper, or @steipete
   • if grouping multiple entries, carry all relevant refs and thanks into the grouped bullet
7. Sorting preference:
   • security/data-loss and content-boundary fixes
   • transcript/replay/reply delivery correctness
   • channels and mobile integrations
   • providers/Codex/local model reliability
   • install/update/release path reliability
   • performance and observability
   • docs and contributor-only/internal details last or omitted
8. Keep bullets single-line unless existing file style forces otherwise. Avoid internal release-process noise unless it changes user install/update safety.
9. Check release-note side conditions:
   • inspect src/plugins/compat/registry.ts
   • inspect src/commands/doctor/shared/deprecation-compat.ts
   • if any compatibility removeAfter is on/before release date, resolve it or explicitly record the blocker before shipping
10. Validate and ship:

• git diff --check
• for docs/changelog-only changes, no broad tests are required
• commit with scripts/committer "docs(changelog): refresh YYYY.M.D notes" CHANGELOG.md
• push, pull/rebase if needed, then branch/rebase release from latest main

Quota / API Outage Rule

If GitHub API quota is exhausted, do not idle. Continue work that does not need GitHub API:

• local changelog rewrite and release-note extraction
• local pretag checks and package/build sanity
• git push/tag checks over git protocol
• npm registry npm view checks
• exact workflow-dispatch command preparation

Only GitHub Release creation, workflow dispatch, run polling, artifact download, and issue/PR mutation need API quota.