GitHub Actions Integration

Automating Release Notes with GitHub Actions

A comprehensive guide to integrating Auto Release Note CLI into your CI/CD workflows. Automate release note generation and never write them manually again.

Quick Start

Prerequisites

GitHub Secrets: Add your Auto Release Note credentials
- Go to your repository → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
- Add AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN (your API token)
- Add AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID (your project ID)
Get Your Credentials:
- API Token: Web App → Settings → API
- Project ID: Run arn init locally or check your .autorelease/config.json

Basic Workflow

Copy this minimal workflow to .github/workflows/release-notes.yml:

Workflow File

name: Generate Release Notes

on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'

jobs:
  generate:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
      
      - name: Download CLI
        run: |
          DOWNLOAD_URL=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/papyrus-digital/auto-release-cli-distribution/releases/latest | grep "browser_download_url.*linux_amd64.tar.gz" | cut -d '"' -f 4)
          curl -LO "$DOWNLOAD_URL"
          tar -xzf arn_*_linux_amd64.tar.gz
          sudo mv arn /usr/local/bin/
      
      - name: Generate Release Notes
        env:
          AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN }}
          AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID: ${{ secrets.AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID }}
        run: |
          PREV_TAG=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 HEAD~1 2>/dev/null || echo "")
          if [ -z "$PREV_TAG" ]; then
            arn generate --non-interactive --mode tag --to ${{ github.ref_name }} --template "Standard Release Notes" --output-url
          else
            arn generate --non-interactive --mode tag --from $PREV_TAG --to ${{ github.ref_name }} --template "Standard Release Notes" --output-url
          fi

Workflow Patterns

Different teams have different release cadences. Choose the pattern that fits your workflow:

Tag-Based Releases

Best for: Teams that release on version tags (e.g., v1.0.0, v2.1.3)

When it runs: Automatically when you push a version tag

Workflow code

name: Generate Release Notes on Tag

on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'v*'

jobs:
  generate-release-notes:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0

      - name: Download Auto Release Note CLI
        run: |
          DOWNLOAD_URL=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/papyrus-digital/auto-release-cli-distribution/releases/latest | grep "browser_download_url.*linux_amd64.tar.gz" | cut -d '"' -f 4)
          curl -LO "$DOWNLOAD_URL"
          tar -xzf arn_*_linux_amd64.tar.gz
          sudo mv arn /usr/local/bin/

      - name: Generate Release Notes
        id: generate
        env:
          AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN }}
          AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID: ${{ secrets.AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID }}
        run: |
          PREV_TAG=$(git describe --tags --abbrev=0 HEAD~1 2>/dev/null || echo "")
          if [ -z "$PREV_TAG" ]; then
            RELEASE_URL=$(arn generate --non-interactive --mode tag --to ${{ github.ref_name }} --template "Standard Release Notes" --output-url)
          else
            RELEASE_URL=$(arn generate --non-interactive --mode tag --from $PREV_TAG --to ${{ github.ref_name }} --template "Standard Release Notes" --output-url)
          fi
          echo "url=$RELEASE_URL" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

      - name: Create GitHub Release
        uses: softprops/action-gh-release@v1
        with:
          tag_name: ${{ github.ref_name }}
          body: |
            Release notes: ${{ steps.generate.outputs.url }}

Pull Request Integration

Best for: Teams that want release notes previews on PRs

When it runs: When a PR is merged to main/master

Workflow code

name: Generate Release Notes for PR

on:
  pull_request:
    types: [closed]
    branches:
      - master

jobs:
  generate-release-notes:
    if: github.event.pull_request.merged == true
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    permissions:
      contents: read
      pull-requests: write
      issues: write
    steps:
      - name: Checkout code
        uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.merge_commit_sha }}

      - name: Download Auto Release Note CLI
        run: |
          DOWNLOAD_URL=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/papyrus-digital/auto-release-cli-distribution/releases/latest | grep "browser_download_url.*linux_amd64.tar.gz" | cut -d '"' -f 4)
          curl -LO "$DOWNLOAD_URL"
          tar -xzf arn_*_linux_amd64.tar.gz
          chmod +x arn
          sudo mv arn /usr/local/bin/

      - name: Generate Release Notes for PR
        id: generate
        env:
          AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN }}
          AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID: ${{ secrets.AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID }}
        run: |
          BASE_SHA=${{ github.event.pull_request.base.sha }}
          HEAD_SHA=${{ github.event.pull_request.head.sha }}
          
          RELEASE_URL=$(arn generate \
            --non-interactive \
            --mode commit \
            --from $BASE_SHA \
            --to $HEAD_SHA \
            --template "Standard Changelog" \
            --output-url)
          
          echo "url=$RELEASE_URL" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT

      - name: Comment on PR
        uses: actions/github-script@v7
        with:
          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
          script: |
            const url = '${{ steps.generate.outputs.url }}';
            const body = `## 📝 Release Notes Generated
            
            Release notes have been automatically generated for this PR!
            
            **View Release Notes:** [Click here](${url})
            
            ---
            *Generated by Auto Release Note CLI*`;
            
            github.rest.issues.createComment({
              issue_number: context.issue.number,
              owner: context.repo.owner,
              repo: context.repo.repo,
              body: body
            });

Scheduled Releases

Best for: Teams with regular release cadences (weekly, monthly)

When it runs: On a schedule (e.g., every Monday at 9 AM)

Workflow code

name: Weekly Release Notes

on:
  schedule:
    - cron: '0 9 * * 1'  # Every Monday at 9 AM UTC

jobs:
  generate:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
      
      - name: Download CLI
        run: |
          DOWNLOAD_URL=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/papyrus-digital/auto-release-cli-distribution/releases/latest | grep "browser_download_url.*linux_amd64.tar.gz" | cut -d '"' -f 4)
          curl -LO "$DOWNLOAD_URL"
          tar -xzf arn_*_linux_amd64.tar.gz
          sudo mv arn /usr/local/bin/
      
      - name: Generate Release Notes
        env:
          AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN }}
          AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID: ${{ secrets.AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID }}
        run: |
          # Get commits from last 7 days
          SINCE_DATE=$(date -u -d '7 days ago' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)
          arn generate --non-interactive --mode commit --since "$SINCE_DATE" --template "Standard Release Notes" --output-url

Manual Dispatch

Best for: On-demand release note generation

When it runs: Manually triggered from GitHub Actions UI

Workflow code

name: Manual Release Notes

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      from:
        description: 'From tag/branch/SHA'
        required: false
      to:
        description: 'To tag/branch/SHA'
        required: true
      template:
        description: 'Template name'
        required: false
        default: 'Standard Release Notes'

jobs:
  generate:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
        with:
          fetch-depth: 0
      
      - name: Download CLI
        run: |
          DOWNLOAD_URL=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/papyrus-digital/auto-release-cli-distribution/releases/latest | grep "browser_download_url.*linux_amd64.tar.gz" | cut -d '"' -f 4)
          curl -LO "$DOWNLOAD_URL"
          tar -xzf arn_*_linux_amd64.tar.gz
          sudo mv arn /usr/local/bin/
      
      - name: Generate Release Notes
        env:
          AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN }}
          AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID: ${{ secrets.AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID }}
        run: |
          if [ -z "${{ inputs.from }}" ]; then
            arn generate --non-interactive --mode commit --to "${{ inputs.to }}" --template "${{ inputs.template }}" --output-url
          else
            arn generate --non-interactive --mode commit --from "${{ inputs.from }}" --to "${{ inputs.to }}" --template "${{ inputs.template }}" --output-url
          fi

Best Practices

Use Appropriate Modes

• --mode tag: For version releases
• --mode commit: For any git reference
• --mode branch: For branch-based releases

Template Selection

Choose templates that match your team's style:

• "Standard Release Notes" - General purpose
• "Changelog Style" - Traditional format
• "Blog Post Style" - Narrative format

Error Handling

Always handle cases where previous tags don't exist:

PREV_TAG=$(git describe --tags \
  --abbrev=0 HEAD~1 2>/dev/null || echo "")
if [ -z "$PREV_TAG" ]; then
  # Generate from beginning
else
  # Generate between tags
fi

Security

✅ Store credentials in GitHub Secrets
✅ Use --output-url flag
✅ Rotate API tokens regularly
✅ Never commit secrets to code

Troubleshooting

Configuration Not Found

Ensure secrets are set correctly in GitHub repository settings:

Go to Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions
Verify AUTO_RELEASE_TOKEN and AUTO_RELEASE_PROJECT_ID are set
Check that environment variables are passed correctly in workflow

No Commits Found

Possible causes:

fetch-depth is too shallow - use fetch-depth: 0
Tag/branch doesn't exist
Invalid git reference

Workflow Doesn't Trigger

Check:

Workflow file is in .github/workflows/
File has .yml or .yaml extension
Trigger conditions match (e.g., tag pattern v*)
Branch protection rules allow workflows

Ready to Automate?

Start generating release notes automatically with GitHub Actions. Choose a workflow pattern above and integrate it into your repository in minutes.

Get Started Free View CLI Docs