“Bug fixes and improvements” is the release-note equivalent of “we’re excited to announce”. It signals you shipped, but it teaches nothing — and your power users who actually read these notes start skipping them. The good ones name the feature, name the fix, link to the docs, and admit what broke. These 12 prompts force that shape. For longer-form writeups, pair with release notes drafting.
Best for
- Mobile app releases (App Store / Play Store)
- SaaS changelogs and in-app what’s-new
- OSS releases (GitHub releases page)
- Internal release announcements (Slack / email)
- Major version migration guides
1. Standard 3-section release notes
Below is the engineering changelog for release {version}. Write user-facing release notes in this structure:
- New (3-5 most user-facing additions, named, ≤25 words each)
- Improved (3-5 perceptible improvements, not internal refactors)
- Fixed (3-5 named bugs, with the user-visible symptom not the internal ticket)
Skip noise: dependency bumps, CI changes, internal refactors, doc-only edits.
For each item, link to docs if the feature has its own page.
Changelog: {paste}2. Voicey release notes (brand-aligned)
Brand voice: {paste 2-3 sentences of voice description, or 1 example of an existing post}.
Below is the changelog. Write release notes in that voice.
Constraints: each item ≤25 words, conversational not corporate, no "we're excited to introduce", no superlatives ("game-changing", "revolutionary"), name specific features and bugs.
Changelog: {paste}3. Mobile-app release notes (300-char cap)
For App Store / Play Store release notes, hard limit 300 characters total.
Write 4 variants summarizing this update. Each variant emphasizes a different angle:
- Headline feature
- Bug fix users complained about
- Performance / speed
- Subtle quality-of-life tweaks
For each: the 300-char text + which user segment it speaks to.
Changelog: {paste}4. Major-release announcement
For major release {N.0}, write a 200-word announcement blog post structured as:
- Paragraph 1: what changed at the highest level (1 sentence framing + the single biggest thing)
- Paragraph 2: why this change exists (the user problem it solves)
- Paragraph 3: what migration is needed (link to migration guide if non-trivial)
- Paragraph 4: what's coming next on this track
No marketing superlatives. Honest about scope and tradeoffs.5. Breaking changes section
Below are the breaking changes in release {version} (paste). Write a "Breaking Changes" section with this structure for each break:
- What broke (the API / behavior that changed)
- Who's affected (which user segment, how to tell if you're affected)
- Migration steps (3-5 concrete commands or code changes)
- Deprecation timeline (when did warn start, when did break ship, when does old API fully disappear)
- Why we made this change (1 sentence, honest)
Breaking changes: {paste}6. Beta program release notes
For beta release of {feature}, write release notes that:
- Clearly signal BETA status in the first line
- Name what to test (specific user flows or features)
- Name known issues we already know about (so users don't report them again)
- Give 1 concrete way to send feedback (link to issue tracker / form / Discord)
- Set expectation: when does this leave beta, what's the next milestone
≤200 words. Tone: candid, not promotional.7. Tagged release notes for different audiences
Below is the changelog. Generate 2 separate versions for different audiences:
- End-user version: no tech jargon, focus on what they can now do or what stopped breaking
- Developer / admin version: full technical detail, API changes, config keys, deprecations
Same underlying changes, different framing. Cross-reference: the user version links to the dev version for those who want details.
Changelog: {paste}8. Honest release notes when nothing big shipped
This release is mostly small bug fixes and tweaks. No new features.
Write honest release notes that:
- Acknowledge this is a maintenance release (don't oversell)
- Pick the 2-3 fixes that matter most to actual users (not just the most internally complex)
- For each, name the symptom the user was experiencing before
- End with a 1-line forward-look: what bigger thing is coming next
Changelog: {paste}9. Security-only release notes
This release contains a security fix. Severity: {low / medium / high / critical}. CVE if applicable: {ID}.
Write release notes that:
- Lead with the upgrade urgency (without panicking)
- Describe the issue in user-impact terms (what an attacker could have done) without revealing exploit details before patch adoption is high
- Give the exact upgrade command
- Credit the reporter if applicable
- Link to the CVE / advisory for full technical detail
Security issue: {paste}10. Rollback / hotfix release notes
Release {version} introduced a regression and was rolled back. Hotfix is {hotfix version}.
Write release notes that:
- Acknowledge the regression openly (what broke, when, who was affected)
- Explain the hotfix (what changed, why it's safe)
- State the action users need to take (auto-update / manual upgrade / no action)
- Give a 1-line "what we're doing so this doesn't happen again"
Honest, not defensive. Users respect candor more than spin.
Regression details: {paste}11. Release notes from raw commit log
Below is a raw git log between tags {tagA} and {tagB} (paste).
Classify each commit into: New / Improved / Fixed / Internal (skip) / Breaking.
For each non-skipped commit, rewrite the commit message as a user-facing bullet.
Output:
- Suggested release notes (grouped by category)
- A separate list of commits you classified as Internal so I can sanity-check
- Any commits whose user impact is unclear, flagged for me to clarify
Git log: {paste}12. Audit release notes before publish
Below are draft release notes for {version}. Audit before publish:
- Are all breaking changes called out at the top?
- Are any internal-only changes (CI, refactors) leaking through?
- Is each fix described as a user-visible symptom, not an internal ticket name?
- Are doc links live and pointing to the right anchors?
- Is the tone consistent with prior releases?
For each issue, give a specific rewrite.
Draft: {paste}
Prior release for tone reference: {paste}Common mistakes
- “Bug fixes and improvements” — zero signal, your power users stop reading the column entirely
- Marketing-grade superlatives (“game-changing”, “revolutionary”) on small changes — the credibility cost compounds
- Missing breaking-changes notice or burying it below “New features” — guarantees angry tickets
- Naming the internal ticket ID instead of the user-visible symptom — meaningless to anyone outside the team
- Inconsistent tone across releases (formal one week, jokey the next) — looks unowned