gh-release-status

/gh-release-status

Two-step recipe. The script fetches the recent releases table and the compare diff between the latest release tag and the default branch via gh and the GitHub compare API — zero LLM tokens. The LLM step then writes a short prose section grouping the diff by feature area.

Step 1 — Run the deterministic script

Run the script and surface its stdout verbatim:

PY="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}/venv/Scripts/python.exe"
[ -f "$PY" ] || PY="${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_DATA}/venv/bin/python"
"$PY" "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/gh-release-status.py"

Paste the script's output directly into the conversation without modification or interpretation. If the script exits non-zero, surface its stderr and stop — do not proceed to Step 2.

The script supports these flags:

• --repo OWNER/REPO — target a specific repo (default: auto-detected from the current directory via gh repo view)
• --limit N — number of recent releases to show in the table (default: 5)

Pass flags through if the user has specified them.

What the script outputs

1. Recent releases table — the last N releases with tag name, published date (YYYY-MM-DD), and release title.
2. Changes since <tag> — total commits, files changed, insertions/deletions, and a markdown table breaking down the diff by top-level directory area (e.g. scripts, skills, .github).

Edge cases the script handles

• No releases yet — emits _No releases yet — nothing to diff against._ and exits 0. Do not proceed to Step 2.
• Up to date — emits an explicit "up to date" line when there are no commits since the last release. Acknowledge this and skip Step 2.
• Large diffs — the GitHub compare API caps files[] at 300. The script renders top-level totals and a truncation note; do not attempt to enumerate every file.

Step 2 — Write the changes narrative

After pasting the script's output verbatim, write a ### Changes since <tag> prose section. This is the only step that spends LLM tokens.

Use the per-area stats from the script output and the commit subjects to write a short (4–6 sentences) grouped narrative covering:

• Feature/area themes — which top-level dirs saw the most activity and what the work is broadly about (e.g. "Most changes are in scripts/ — new release-status script and extraction of the shared render_recent_releases helper")
• Notable changes — any new skills, scripts, or significant refactors visible in the diff
• Size signal — call out unusually large or small diffs relative to the release cadence if relevant

Do not re-render the area table or restate numbers already in the script output — this section adds narrative on top of the structured data. Keep it under 150 words.

If there are no unreleased commits, skip Step 2 entirely and note that the repo is current with the last release.

Notes

• The script fetches the compare diff via the GitHub REST compare API (/repos/{owner}/{repo}/compare/{tag}...{branch}) — no local git clone or git log is performed.
• Step 1's output is the structural source of truth. Do not paraphrase or re-render it from JSON; paste verbatim.
• The per-area table groups files by their first path segment (e.g. scripts/gh-release-status.py → area scripts). Root-level files (e.g. README.md) are grouped under their own filename.