Automating Changelog Generation with Changesets

Introduction

Changesets automate version bumps and changelog generation based on pull request summaries, ensuring consistent semantic versioning.

Prerequisites

Node.js >=14
Monorepo or single package project

Step 1: Install Changesets

pnpm add -D @changesets/cli
pnpm changeset init

This creates a .changeset folder and config files.

Step 2: Creating Changesets

After making changes, run:

pnpm changeset

Select packages to update
Categorize as patch, minor, or major
Provide summary of changes

This generates a markdown file in .changeset/.

Step 3: Generating Changelog and Versions

Run:

pnpm changeset version

Updates package.json versions
Updates CHANGELOG.md
Applies changeset summaries under version headings

Step 4: Committing Changes

Include generated files:

git add package.json **/package.json CHANGELOG.md .changeset
git commit -m "chore: version packages and update changelog"

Step 5: CI Integration

In CI pipeline (GitHub Actions example):

- uses: pnpm/action-setup@v2
  with:
    version: 8
- run: pnpm install
- run: pnpm test
- run: pnpm changeset version
- run: git diff --exit-code || (
    git config user.name "github-actions"
    git config user.email "actions@github.com"
    git commit -am "chore: version packages"
    git push
)

Step 6: Releasing

after pushing version commit, run:

pnpm changeset publish

Publishes updated packages to npm
Creates release on GitHub (if configured)

Summary

Changesets provide automated, consistent semantic versioning and changelog maintenance, reducing manual errors and improving release workflows.