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GitHub Integration and Enhanced Release Notes

This document explains how to use the GitHub integration features of NoIdea, including the AI-enhanced release notes generator.

Setting Up GitHub Integration

The easiest way to set up GitHub integration is to run the setup script:

./scripts/setup-github.sh

This script will guide you through: 1. GitHub authentication using a Personal Access Token (PAT) 2. Installing GitHub hooks for automated release creation

Manual Setup

If you prefer to set up GitHub integration manually, follow these steps:

  1. Authenticate with GitHub: 

    noidea github auth

  2. Install GitHub hooks: 

    noidea github hook-install

Enhanced Release Notes

NoIdea can automatically generate well-structured, user-friendly release notes when you create a new tag or release.

How it Works

When you create a new Git tag (either manually or using ./scripts/version.sh), NoIdea will:

  1. Gather all commit messages between the previous tag and the current tag
  2. If AI is enabled, process these messages using a language model to create user-friendly notes
  3. Generate a structured, organized release document grouped by change type
  4. Create or update a GitHub release with these enhanced notes

Using Enhanced Release Notes

The enhanced release notes feature integrates seamlessly with your existing workflow:

  1. When running ./scripts/version.sh to bump a version, you are prompted whether to generate release notes immediately or wait for GitHub workflows
  2. If you create tags manually, the post-tag hook will suggest the best command to run for release notes generation
  3. You can manually generate or update release notes for any tag: 
    noidea github release notes --tag=v1.2.3

Workflow-Aware Release Notes

One of the most powerful features is the ability to wait for GitHub Actions workflows to complete before generating release notes:

noidea github release notes --wait-for-workflows

This command: 1. Checks the status of GitHub workflow runs for the specified tag 2. Displays a live progress indicator with elapsed time 3. Once all workflows complete, generates release notes that preserve GitHub's auto-generated content 4. Enhances only the overview section with AI-generated content while keeping all commit links intact

You can adjust the maximum wait time (default: 5 minutes):

noidea github release notes --wait-for-workflows --max-wait=600  # Wait up to 10 minutes

AI-Powered Release Notes

If you have LLM features enabled in your NoIdea configuration, release notes will be generated using AI. This provides:

  • Better organization of changes into logical sections
  • More user-friendly language explaining technical changes
  • Consistent formatting and style
  • Focus on user impact rather than raw commit messages

To force AI-generation even if LLM is disabled in your config:

noidea github release notes --tag=v1.2.3 --ai

Integration with GitHub's Release Notes

When using the --wait-for-workflows flag, NoIdea intelligently preserves GitHub's auto-generated content:

  1. It waits for GitHub Actions workflows to complete, including any that generate release notes
  2. It preserves GitHub's "What's Changed" section with commit links and PR references
  3. It enhances only the "Overview" section with AI-generated content for better readability

This gives you the best of both worlds: GitHub's detailed changelog with commit links, and an AI-enhanced overview that's more user-friendly.

Automatic Mode

For complete automation, you can use the --auto flag, which enables both AI generation and skips approval:

noidea github release notes --auto

Examples

Standard release notes (without AI): 

# Release v1.2.3

## Changes

- Add GitHub integration
- Fix bug in config loading
- Update dependencies

AI-enhanced release notes: 

# Release v1.2.3

## Overview
This release adds GitHub integration capabilities, fixes several configuration bugs, and updates dependencies for improved security.

## 🚀 New Features
- **GitHub Integration**: Added complete GitHub API integration with secure token storage
- **Release Note Generation**: Automated creation of release notes from commit history

## 🛠️ Bug Fixes
- Fixed configuration loading issues when user directory contains spaces
- Resolved error handling in API key validation

## 🔧 Maintenance
- Updated all dependencies to latest versions
- Improved documentation for setup process

Command Reference

Command Description
noidea github auth Authenticate with GitHub using a Personal Access Token
noidea github status Check GitHub authentication status
noidea github logout Remove stored GitHub credentials
noidea github release create --tag=TAG Manually create a GitHub release
noidea github release notes --tag=TAG Generate enhanced release notes
noidea github release notes --wait-for-workflows Wait for GitHub Actions to complete before generating notes
noidea github release notes --auto Automatically generate and update notes without interaction
noidea github hook-install Install GitHub hooks for automation