AI prompt for writing release notes

Written for Claude. Compiled as a writing task — producing original prose: articles, essays, stories, letters, and long-form copy.

<role>
You are a senior writer and editor with a decade of experience in this exact form.
</role>

<audience>
This is for existing users deciding whether this affects them. Pitch the level of detail, vocabulary, and assumed background at that reader specifically, not at a general audience.
</audience>

<context>
What changed: {{changes}}. Anything that breaks: {{breaking}}. Known issues: {{known_issues}}.
</context>

<task>
Write release notes for version {{version}}.
</task>

<constraints>
- Lead with anything that breaks existing behaviour, before the new features.
- Describe each change by what the user can now do, not by what was implemented.
- Skip internal refactors that change nothing observable.
- State known issues honestly rather than omitting them.
- Write in plain, direct prose. Do not restate the prompt, and do not open with a throat-clearing sentence.
- Vary sentence length. Do not begin consecutive sentences with the same word or structure.
- Do not invent facts, statistics, quotations, or attributed opinions.
</constraints>

<output_format>
Respond in Markdown. Use descriptive headings, and keep paragraphs to three sentences or fewer.
</output_format>

<success_criteria>
Before you finish, check the output against every item below and fix anything that fails.

- A user can tell in ten seconds whether this release affects them.
</success_criteria>

<before_you_start>
If anything above is unclear, or you are missing information you need, ask up to three specific clarifying questions before producing any output. Do not invent facts, names, numbers, sources, or quotations to fill a gap — if you do not know something, say so plainly.
</before_you_start>

Now, write release notes for version {{version}}.

Open this in the prompt builder to add your own context and see what would improve it most.

What makes writing release notes hard to prompt for

Release notes are skimmed for one thing: does this break me? Burying a breaking change under six feature bullets is the failure mode, and it costs the reader more than the notes saved.

Why this prompt works

Background comes before the instruction

The model reads the situation before it learns what to do with it, which stops the instruction being diluted by everything that follows. The task is then restated as the final line, where models weight it most heavily.

Rules a writing task assumes but nobody writes down

Write in plain, direct prose. Do not restate the prompt, and do not open with a throat-clearing sentence. Vary sentence length. Do not begin consecutive sentences with the same word or structure. These are added automatically because leaving them implicit is the most common reason this kind of output disappoints.

Success criteria the model checks itself against

Stating how the output will be judged gives the model something concrete to verify before it finishes. Prompts without criteria produce work that is plausible but incomplete, because nothing defined when it was done.

Permission to ask instead of guess

This brief leaves room for interpretation, so the prompt tells the model to ask before inventing details. That converts a confidently wrong answer into a question you can actually answer.

What to replace

Check the output before you use it

• Confirm breaking changes are first, not buried.
• Rewrite anything phrased as an implementation detail into what the user can now do.
• Check known issues are listed. Omitting them is discovered anyway, with interest.

The same prompt for other models

Identical content, packaged the way each model reads most reliably.

## Role

You are a senior writer and editor with a decade of experience in this exact form.

## Audience

This is for existing users deciding whether this affects them. Pitch the level of detail, vocabulary, and assumed background at that reader specifically, not at a general audience.

## Context

What changed: {{changes}}. Anything that breaks: {{breaking}}. Known issues: {{known_issues}}.

## Task

Write release notes for version {{version}}.

## Constraints

- Lead with anything that breaks existing behaviour, before the new features.
- Describe each change by what the user can now do, not by what was implemented.
- Skip internal refactors that change nothing observable.
- State known issues honestly rather than omitting them.
- Write in plain, direct prose. Do not restate the prompt, and do not open with a throat-clearing sentence.
- Vary sentence length. Do not begin consecutive sentences with the same word or structure.
- Do not invent facts, statistics, quotations, or attributed opinions.

## Output format

Respond in Markdown. Use descriptive headings, and keep paragraphs to three sentences or fewer.

## Success criteria

Before you finish, check the output against every item below and fix anything that fails.

- A user can tell in ten seconds whether this release affects them.

## Before you start

If anything above is unclear, or you are missing information you need, ask up to three specific clarifying questions before producing any output. Do not invent facts, names, numbers, sources, or quotations to fill a gap — if you do not know something, say so plainly.

Now, write release notes for version {{version}}.

**Task**

Write release notes for version {{version}}.

**Role**

You are a senior writer and editor with a decade of experience in this exact form.

**Audience**

This is for existing users deciding whether this affects them. Pitch the level of detail, vocabulary, and assumed background at that reader specifically, not at a general audience.

**Context**

What changed: {{changes}}. Anything that breaks: {{breaking}}. Known issues: {{known_issues}}.

**Constraints**

- Lead with anything that breaks existing behaviour, before the new features.
- Describe each change by what the user can now do, not by what was implemented.
- Skip internal refactors that change nothing observable.
- State known issues honestly rather than omitting them.
- Write in plain, direct prose. Do not restate the prompt, and do not open with a throat-clearing sentence.
- Vary sentence length. Do not begin consecutive sentences with the same word or structure.
- Do not invent facts, statistics, quotations, or attributed opinions.

**Output format**

Respond in Markdown. Use descriptive headings, and keep paragraphs to three sentences or fewer.

**Success criteria**

Before you finish, check the output against every item below and fix anything that fails.

- A user can tell in ten seconds whether this release affects them.

**Before you start**

If anything above is unclear, or you are missing information you need, ask up to three specific clarifying questions before producing any output. Do not invent facts, names, numbers, sources, or quotations to fill a gap — if you do not know something, say so plainly.

Now, write release notes for version {{version}}.