release-notes-gen

# release-notes-gen

CLI tool for generating release notes from Conventional Commits git history.

## Quick Start

```bash
# Preview release notes (stdout, no file writes)
rng generate

# Write to CHANGELOG.md
rng generate --write

# Show computed version bump
rng bump

# Apply version bump to package.json
rng bump --write
```

## Generate Release Notes

```bash
rng generate                         # since last tag to HEAD
rng generate --from v1.0.0           # from tag to HEAD
rng generate --from v1.0.0 --to v1.1.0  # between two tags
rng generate --write                 # write to CHANGELOG.md
rng generate --include-all           # include chore/other types
```

## Preview

```bash
rng preview                          # human-readable terminal format
rng preview --from v1.0.0
```

## Version Bump

```bash
rng bump                             # show computed version
rng bump --write                     # update package.json version
```

## Statistics

```bash
rng stats                            # commit breakdown since last tag
rng changelog                        # list releases in CHANGELOG.md
```

## Initialize Config

```bash
rng init                             # create .rng.json with defaults
```

## Conventional Commits Format

```
type(scope): description

BREAKING CHANGE: explanation
```

Types that appear in release notes:
- `feat` - new feature (minor bump)
- `fix` - bug fix (patch bump)
- `perf` - performance improvement (patch bump)

Types hidden by default:
- `chore`, `docs`, `style`, `test`, `build`, `ci`, `refactor`

Breaking change markers:
- `feat!: description` (exclamation mark)
- Footer: `BREAKING CHANGE: explanation`

## Semver Bump Rules

| Commits | Bump |
|---|---|
| Any breaking change | major |
| feat (no breaking) | minor |
| fix or perf only | patch |
| Only hidden types | none |

## CLI Reference

| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| `generate` | Generate Markdown release notes |
| `preview` | Terminal-formatted preview |
| `bump` | Show or apply version bump |
| `changelog` | List CHANGELOG.md releases |
| `stats` | Commit breakdown |
| `init` | Create .rng.json config |

| Flag | Description |
|---|---|
| `--from <ref>` | Start of git range (default: last tag) |
| `--to <ref>` | End of git range (default: HEAD) |
| `--write` | Write to CHANGELOG.md or package.json |
| `--include-all` | Include normally hidden commit types |
| `--config <path>` | Path to .rng.json config file |
| `--no-color` | Disable ANSI color |

## Environment Variables

| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `RNG_GIT_PATH` | `git` | Path to git binary |
| `RNG_NO_COLOR` | `0` | Disable ANSI color (1 to disable) |
| `RNG_DEBUG` | `0` | Enable debug logging (1 to enable) |

## Exit Codes

| Code | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 0 | Success |
| 1 | No releasable commits found |
| 2 | Git error (not a repo, bad ref) |
| 3 | Runtime error |