GitHub Release Notes Template — Free & AI-Generated

The standard GitHub release notes template

GitHub renders Markdown in release bodies, so a good template uses headers to group changes and bullets to list them. Here's the format used by most well-maintained open source projects:

github-release-template.md

## What's Changed ### ✨ New Features - Add dark mode support (#142) - Export to CSV from the dashboard (#138) ### 🐛 Bug Fixes - Fix login redirect loop on Safari (#155) - Correct date formatting in EU locales (#149) ### ⚡ Performance - Reduce initial bundle size by 30% (#151) ### 🔒 Security - Upgrade dependencies to patch CVE-2026-1234 ### ⚠️ Breaking Changes - `getUserById()` now returns `null` instead of throwing on missing ID **Full Changelog**: https://github.com/yourorg/yourrepo/compare/v1.3.0...v1.4.0

Minimal template (patch releases)

For small patch releases, a shorter format is appropriate — readers only need the essentials.

patch-release-template.md

## v1.4.1 — Patch - Fix null pointer error in payment webhook handler - Update axios to 1.7.9 (security) **Full Changelog**: https://github.com/yourorg/yourrepo/compare/v1.4.0...v1.4.1

Template with contributor credits

Open source projects often credit contributors. GitHub's "auto-generate" feature does this automatically, but here's how to structure it manually:

with-contributors.md

## What's Changed ### New Features - Add webhook retry logic by @alice in #201 - Support OAuth2 PKCE flow by @bob in #198 ### Bug Fixes - Fix race condition in queue processor by @carol in #205 ## New Contributors * @alice made their first contribution in #201 **Full Changelog**: https://github.com/yourorg/yourrepo/compare/v2.0.0...v2.1.0

What makes a good GitHub release?

Use grouped headers — Added, Fixed, Changed, Security, Breaking Changes. Readers scan for what matters to them.
Link to PRs or issues — (#123) gives context without cluttering the prose.
Flag breaking changes at the top — users upgrading need to know immediately if action is required.
Include the diff link — the compare/v1.0...v1.1 link at the bottom is a GitHub convention readers expect.
Write for users, not your team — "Fix NPE in AuthService" means nothing to most users. "Fix crash on login for some accounts" does.

Skip the template: generate from commits

Templates are useful when you're writing by hand. But if you already have a git log, ChangelogAI can turn that directly into a formatted GitHub release body — grouped, rewritten for users, with breaking changes flagged automatically.

Paste your git log --oneline v1.3.0..HEAD output, select "GitHub release notes", and copy the result into your release draft.

FAQ

Does GitHub have a built-in release notes generator?

Yes — GitHub can auto-generate notes from merged PRs and linked issues. It lists PR titles, which is a good start. ChangelogAI rewrites vague commit messages into clearer user-facing descriptions and supports more output formats.

What's the difference between a tag description and a release?

A git tag is a pointer to a commit; a GitHub Release wraps the tag with a title, description body, and attached assets. The release body is what users read — that's what this template is for.

Should I use emoji in GitHub release notes?

It's a style choice. Emoji section headers (✨ 🐛 ⚡) are widely used in open source and help readers scan quickly. For enterprise or internal tools, plain text headers are fine.

Is ChangelogAI free?

Yes — completely free. Unlimited generations, no account required.

Generate from your actual commits

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