Prepare Changelog

Overview

Prepare CHANGELOG.md for a new release: list everything changed since the last tagged release, create a branch, update the CHANGELOG, and optionally commit, push, and open a PR. No Jira required.

Definitions

• Last tag: The most recent version tag (e.g. v2.0.0) from git tag -l 'v*' --sort=-v:refname. Used as the range start for "what changed."
• New version: The version being prepared (e.g. 2.0.1 or 2.1.0). User can specify or agent suggests next patch/minor from last tag.
• Branch name: chore/release-{VERSION} (e.g. chore/release-2.0.1). Created from main; no issue key required.
• CHANGELOG.md: Root file following Keep a Changelog. Contains ## [Unreleased], version sections ## [X.Y.Z] - YYYY-MM-DD, and footer links.

Prerequisites

1. Repository state: Current branch should be main or a branch you will leave (agent will create a new branch from main). No uncommitted CHANGELOG changes that would be lost.
2. Git: Tags exist (at least one v* tag). If no tags, STOP and report.
3. GitHub (for PR): If completing with PR, GitHub MCP or push access required. Optional for "list changes and branch only" flow.