I built a read-only GitHub Action that generates changelogs from ordinary commits

Description and use

ChangelogGenie is a lightweight GitHub Action that generates technical changelogs from ordinary commits without requiring commit conventions. It reads commit history over a specified period, classifies changes, and outputs a Markdown file, leaving the repository untouched.

Problem

Many changelog workflows require specific commit conventions or repository conventions, limiting their usefulness.

Outcome

ChangelogGenie successfully generated a categorized technical changelog for the outline/outline repository (21 commits) within a specified date range, producing a deterministic Markdown file without modifying the repository.

Workflow

• Configure the action in a workflow file with repository owner, repo name, start_date, end_date, version, output_path, and GITHUB_TOKEN.
• Run the action to generate a Markdown changelog inside the workflow.
• Upload the generated changelog as an artifact or use it downstream.
• Optionally inspect the output in the repository’s artifacts or example files.
• Adjust start_date and end_date for different release periods.
• Use the artifact in release notes or further processing.
• Keep the action read‑only to avoid unintended repository changes.

Evidence

It collected 21 public commits and generated a categorized Markdown changelog.

Source

The GitHub Action generates a Markdown file inside the workflow.

Source