feat(tooling): add Claude Code skill for adding release notes

[vparfonov]

Description

This PR adds a project-scoped Claude Code skill to help standardize how we write release notes.

It introduces a .claude/skills/add-release-notes/SKILL.md file that teaches Claude our required release note format and instructs it to automatically extract the necessary context (the problem, situation, and fix) from an issue or PR.

How to Use

If you use Claude Code locally, you can now generate a release note for your work by running:

# In your terminal, using Claude Code:
/add-release-notes issue: <link to issue> pr: <link to PR>

/cc @Clee2691
/assign @jcantrill

Links

• Depending on PR(s):
• GitHub issue:
• JIRA:
• Enhancement proposal:

Summary by CodeRabbit

• Documentation
  • Added guidance for generating release notes with a consistent, structured format.
  • Included step-by-step instructions and examples for handling both full and minimal context.

[coderabbitai]

📝 Walkthrough

Walkthrough

Adds a new Claude skill definition file at .claude/skills/add-release-notes/SKILL.md, specifying a technical writer role, a required release note template, step-by-step drafting instructions, and two usage examples.

Changes

Release Notes Skill

Layer / File(s)	Summary
Skill definition .claude/skills/add-release-notes/SKILL.md	New file defining the "add-release-notes" skill with role, mandatory template, instructions for drafting from context, and two usage examples.

Estimated code review effort: 1 (Trivial) | ~5 minutes

Related Issues

None found.

Related PRs

None found.

Suggested labels: documentation

Suggested reviewers: None identified.

Poem

A skill is born, a template neat,
For release notes, crisp and sweet.
Steps to draft, examples shown,
A rabbit's note, now fully grown. 🐇📝

🚥 Pre-merge checks | ✅ 5

✅ Passed checks (5 passed)

Check name	Status	Explanation
Title check	✅ Passed	The title clearly states the main change: adding a Claude Code skill for release notes.
Description check	✅ Passed	The PR includes the required sections and commands, and explains the intent and usage of the new skill.
Docstring Coverage	✅ Passed	No functions found in the changed files to evaluate docstring coverage. Skipping docstring coverage check.
Linked Issues check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.
Out of Scope Changes check	✅ Passed	Check skipped because no linked issues were found for this pull request.

✨ Finishing Touches

🧪 Generate unit tests (beta)

• Create PR with unit tests

---

_{Comment @coderabbitai help to get the list of available commands.}

[coderabbitai]

🧹 Nitpick comments (1)

.claude/skills/add-release-notes/SKILL.md (1)

9-31: 📐 Maintainability & Code Quality | 🔵 Trivial | ⚡ Quick win

Add a non-bugfix release-note path.

This template only fits corrective changes. For feature-only or refactor PRs, it will force the model into a fake "problem → fix" framing and produce misleading notes.

Suggested adjustment

- > Before this update, <X problem> caused <Y situation> [OPTIONAL: under the following <Z conditions>]. With this update, <fix> resolves the issue [OPTIONAL: and <agent> can <perform operation> successfully].
+ > Before this update, <X problem> caused <Y situation> [OPTIONAL: under the following <Z conditions>]. With this update, <fix> resolves the issue [OPTIONAL: and <agent> can <perform operation> successfully].
+ > For feature or refactor changes, describe the new capability or improvement directly instead of forcing a defect/fix narrative.

🤖 Prompt for AI Agents

Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.

In @.claude/skills/add-release-notes/SKILL.md around lines 9 - 31, The
release-note template in the skill instructions is too bug-fix oriented and
forces a fake problem/fix narrative for feature or refactor PRs. Update the
guidance in the release note skill to add a non-bugfix path, and adjust the Step
1/Step 2 wording in SKILL.md so it can describe feature or refactor changes
directly without requiring a “Before this update...” framing; keep the existing
template for corrective changes but make the instruction explicitly choose the
right format based on the change type.

🤖 Prompt for all review comments with AI agents

Verify each finding against current code. Fix only still-valid issues, skip the
rest with a brief reason, keep changes minimal, and validate.

Nitpick comments:
In @.claude/skills/add-release-notes/SKILL.md:
- Around line 9-31: The release-note template in the skill instructions is too
bug-fix oriented and forces a fake problem/fix narrative for feature or refactor
PRs. Update the guidance in the release note skill to add a non-bugfix path, and
adjust the Step 1/Step 2 wording in SKILL.md so it can describe feature or
refactor changes directly without requiring a “Before this update...” framing;
keep the existing template for corrective changes but make the instruction
explicitly choose the right format based on the change type.

---

ℹ️ Review info

⚙️ Run configuration

Configuration used: Path: .coderabbit.yaml

Review profile: CHILL

Plan: Enterprise

Run ID: e8c5cc3e-404f-4b8d-b14c-8e44fd4ac695

📥 Commits

Reviewing files that changed from the base of the PR and between 57d5bdc and 5b38cca.

📒 Files selected for processing (1)

• .claude/skills/add-release-notes/SKILL.md

[Clee2691]

/lgtm

[alanconway]

/lgtm

[openshift-ci]

[APPROVALNOTIFIER] This PR is APPROVED

This pull-request has been approved by: alanconway, vparfonov

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