b2KIT

Release Notes Generator

Build release notes from commit messages with categorization, contributor listing, and formatting.

Tested tool guide Tested browser tools Checked August 16, 2026

What Release Notes Generator does and how it behaves

This tool takes a batch of commit messages and turns them into a draft release notes document: each message is sorted into a category, the categorized items are assembled into a readable layout, and the people behind the commits are listed as contributors. The tool sees only the text you supply, so the notes are only as informative as the messages. The common surprise is that a cryptic or inconsistently phrased commit produces a cryptic or misplaced note - the generator can arrange and present what the messages say, but it cannot recover details the messages never contained.

How the result is produced

1

Reading the commit batch

The tool takes the commit messages you paste as its only input. It reads each message and assigns it to a category that reflects what the message says the change does - a fix, a new feature, a documentation update, and so on. Because the assignment depends on the message text, rewording a message and regenerating can move it into a different section.

2

Assembling the document

Once every message has a category, the tool groups them under their section headings, gathers the contributing authors from the commit information, and lays the result out as a formatted release notes document ready to copy into a changelog, release page, or announcement. The output is a draft built from your messages: nothing is added that was not in them.

Good uses

  • Preparing the 'what changed' section for an upcoming release tag from the batch of commits since the last release, instead of reading a raw git log.
  • Drafting a release page or version announcement that names the people who contributed, without hand-picking them from git log.
  • Turning a period's worth of commits into a milestone or sprint wrap-up summary for a team update.

Limits and checks

  • A message that does not clearly state what it does can land in a category you did not expect, and the same change described two different ways can sort differently. If a section is missing something you know shipped, look first at the commit message's wording, not at the tool.
  • The contributor list is built from the author information attached to the commits you provide. One person committing under two names or email addresses appears as two contributors, and a misconfigured git identity credits the wrong person. Fix author metadata before generating if accurate attribution matters.
  • The notes cannot include changes whose commits you left out - a squashed commit, an incomplete range, or a message that does not describe its change is invisible to the output. Compare the result against what actually shipped rather than treating it as a complete audit of the release.

Common questions

Do my commit messages need to be written in a particular style for the categories to come out right?

Categorization is driven by the message text, so consistent phrasing gives the most consistent results. Whether a specific style is required is not documented, but the practical behavior is that clearly worded messages sort predictably and vague ones may not. If the same kind of change lands in different categories on different runs, standardizing your message wording is the fix.

Can I generate notes for only the commits since the last release?

The tool runs in the browser and works only from the messages you paste, so the notes describe exactly that batch. Choose your range when copying the messages - for example, the output of a git log command limited to the period since your last release - and the notes will cover that span. Re-pasting a different range is how you change the scope.

References and verification

The behavioral notes were checked against the browser implementation. Standards and primary references below define the relevant format, formula, or platform behavior.

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