release-announcement — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install
Drafts detailed release announcements and changelog pages for the ax project. It pairs Git commit ranges with agent session logs to explain why code changed.
npx skills add Necmttn/ax --skill release-announcement -a claude-codeWhat release-announcement does
The skill manages curated version write-ups under docs/releases/, leaving standard CHANGELOG.md updates to Release Please. It moves past raw commit lists by linking code changes directly to agent problem-solving sessions. That context reveals why specific trade-offs won out.
Executing bun run release:announcement -- X.Y.Z drafts the markdown file by inspecting diffs and commit histories across release tags. The agent then runs ax sessions and ax recall to extract decisions behind schema or CLI changes. Static assets go into apps/site/public/releases/assets/, with local previews tested on Bun at 127.0.0.1:4175.
Workflows rely on an available ax executable in PATH alongside an active local repository database. Without that database connection, the skill falls back to inspecting pure Git logs, omitting the background story.
What it helps with
- draft structured release articles in docs/releases/
- recover rationale behind code changes via ax sessions
- categorize diffs by touched subsystem instead of git chronology
- verify release page rendering on port 4175 before publishing
Example prompts for the agent
- draft release announcement for v1.2.0
- what changed in v2.1.0 and why did we build it this way?
- update the website changelog for the newest tag
How to install release-announcement
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Necmttn/ax --skill release-announcement -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/release-announcement/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/release-announcement/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Necmttn/ax --skill release-announcement -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/release-announcement/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Necmttn/ax --skill release-announcement -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/release-announcement/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install Necmttn/ax release-announcement2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/release-announcement/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Necmttn/ax --skill release-announcement -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/Necmttn/ax --path skills/release-announcementManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/release-announcement/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add Necmttn/ax --skill release-announcement -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about release-announcement
How to install release-announcement in Claude Code?
Run npx skills add Necmttn/ax --skill release-announcement -a claude-code. The tool installs into ~/.claude/skills/release-announcement/SKILL.md.
What does release-announcement do?
It drafts contextual release pages under docs/releases/. It uses both Git commit ranges and past ax agent sessions to explain the work behind a release.
Can the skill run if the ax database is offline?
It prompts you to start the repo database first. If you decline, it limits generation to changed files and commit messages found in Git.
