Create release notes fast

Synthesize changelog, PR summaries, and bug fixes into customer-facing notes.

For

Engineering teams

Time

10 minutes

Difficulty

Beginner

The problem

Release notes are tedious. You dig through merged PRs, bug trackers, and changelog fragments, then translate technical details into customer-friendly language. Smaran connects these sources so you can draft both customer-facing and internal release notes with citations proving what shipped.

What you need before starting

Changelog or merged PR list

What actually changed in this release

Bug fix notes or issue tracker export

User-impacting fixes and improvements

Prior release notes (optional)

For tone and format consistency

Step-by-step workflow

STEP 1

Add release inputs to workspace

Go to Sources and add your changelog file (paste or upload markdown), GitHub PR list (paste URL to PR search or milestone), and issue tracker export (CSV or paste text). Smaran will index them.

Success looks like: All sources indexed and ready in your source library.

STEP 2

Ask for what changed

Open chat and ask: "What are the major new features in this release?", "Which bug fixes are most user-facing?", "Were there any breaking changes?" Chat retrieves from your sources.

Success looks like: Cited answers that link to specific PRs and changelog entries.

STEP 3

Create two artifacts

Create one artifact titled "Release Notes (Customer)" and another "Release Notes (Internal)". Start with simple sections: New, Improved, Fixed, Breaking (if any).

Success looks like: Two blank artifacts with section headings ready.

STEP 4

Draft customer-facing notes

In the customer artifact, use chat: "Summarize new features in plain language", "Rewrite bug fixes for end users". Insert AI-generated content, edit for clarity and tone.

Success looks like: Clear, benefit-focused notes without jargon.

STEP 5

Draft internal technical notes

In the internal artifact, ask: "List all merged PRs with links", "Summarize breaking API changes". Keep technical details and PR citations for team reference.

Success looks like: Complete technical changelog with PR/issue links.

What good output looks like

Customer-facing version

✓ New: Workspace invites

Invite teammates directly from workspace settings.

✓ Improved: Faster source indexing

Large repos now index 2x faster.

✓ Fixed: Citation links

Citation popups now scroll correctly on mobile.

Internal technical version

feat:

Workspace invites (#247, #251)

perf:

Batch chunking for repos (#254)

fix:

Citation z-index mobile (#259)

Common mistakes and fixes

Using technical jargon in customer notes

Weak: "Optimized DB queries for chunk retrieval". Strong: "Source search is now faster."

Fix: Ask chat to "rewrite this in plain language for end users."

Missing "what changed" vs "why it matters"

Listing features without explaining user benefit.

Fix: For each item, add one sentence about the user outcome.

Reusable prompt template

Summarize release changes from [changelog/PR list].

Create two versions:
1. Customer-facing: benefit language, no jargon
2. Internal: technical details with PR/issue links

Group by:
- New features
- Improvements
- Bug fixes
- Breaking changes (if any)

Cite sources for each item.

Related examples

Build a PRD from sources →

Plan features before you ship them

Generate engineering handoff →

Bridge product specs to implementation

Ready to ship release notes?

Connect your changelog and follow this guide in Smaran.

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