3 Common Changelog Mistakes Killing Your Release Notes (And How to Fix Them)
Great software deserves great changelogs, yet most teams struggle with messy, incomplete, or missing release notes.
After analyzing hundreds of projects, we’ve identified three critical mistakes sabotaging changelog quality and practical solutions to fix them.
Mistake #1: Using PRs Instead of Commits as Your Source
Pull requests often lack granular details, focusing on high-level feature descriptions rather than specific changes. This leads to vague changelog entries like "Improved performance" instead of concrete updates like "Reduced API response time from 300ms to 150ms."
Solution: Build changelogs from commit history for accuracy, then summarize for readability. Tools like What The Log automate this by analyzing commits and generating structured release notes in seconds.
Mistake #2: Ignoring Semantic Versioning
Without proper version tags (`v1.2.3`), teams lose track of changes between releases. This creates confusion—was the bug fix in `v1.1` or `v1.2`?
Solution: Adopt semantic versioning (Major.Minor.Patch) and tag releases in Git.
This enables:
- Clear changelog organization by version
- Automated tools to detect changes between tags
- Traceability for users and developers
Mistake #3: Too Many Micro-Commits
Splitting features into dozens of commits (`"Fix typo"`, `"Tweak margin"`) clutters changelogs with noise.
Solution: Squash related commits into cohesive units before release.
For example:
- ❌ 5 commits: "Fix login bug", "Update error message", "Adjust timeout"
- ✅ 1 entry: "Improved login flow with clearer errors and 30s → 300s timeout"
Better Changelogs = Happier Users
By using commits for detail, tagging versions properly, and squashing noise, you’ll create changelogs that:
✅ Help users understand changes
✅ Reduce support requests ("Was this fixed?")
✅ Build trust through transparency
Try What The Log Free to automate polished changelogs from your Git history—no manual writing required.