[Feat]: Improve the Release Process with AI changelog

.changelog/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+# Changelog Entries
+
+This directory stores pending changelog entries for the next release.
+
+## Setup (One-Time)
+
+### Configure Gemini API Key
+
+The automatic changelog generation uses Google's Gemini AI. You need to add the API key to GitHub Secrets:
+
+**Steps:**
+1. Go to https://aistudio.google.com/
+2. Click "Get API key" (free tier available)
+3. Create a new API key or use existing one
+4. Copy the key
+5. In your GitHub repo: **Settings** → **Secrets and variables** → **Actions**
+6. Click **New repository secret**
+7. Name: `GEMINI_API_KEY`
+8. Value: Paste your API key
+9. Click **Add secret**
+
+**Note:** The free tier includes 1,500 requests per day, which is more than enough for changelog generation.
+
+## How It Works
+
+### Automatic (via AI)
+When you open or update a PR, a GitHub Action automatically:
+1. Uses Gemini AI to generate a one-line summary
+2. Creates a file: `.changelog/pr-XXXX.txt`
+3. Commits it to the PR branch
+4. Comments on the PR with the generated entry
+
+### Manual (if needed)
+If you want to add or edit a changelog entry manually:
+
+```bash
+# Just create a .txt file in .changelog/ directory
+echo "Your changelog description - by @username (#PR)" > .changelog/manual-$(date +%s).txt
+```
+
+## Release Process
+
+When ready to release:
+
+```bash
+npm run release:prepare
+```
+
+This script will:
+1. Read all `.changelog/*.txt` files
+2. Generate `appdata.xml` release entry
+3. Prompt for version bump (patch/minor/major)
+4. Update `package.json`, `package-lock.json`, `appdata.xml`
+5. Delete consumed changelog files
+6. Show you what to commit
+
+Then just:
+```bash
+git add .
+git commit -m "chore: release vX.Y.Z"
+git push origin main
+```
+
+The version change triggers the build workflow automatically.
+
+## File Format
+
+Each file contains one line:
+```
+Add MQTT integration for Teams status publishing - by @username (#1234)
+```
+
+Simple plain text, nothing fancy.
+
+## Editing Entries
+
+AI-generated entries are good but not perfect. Feel free to edit any `.changelog/*.txt` file before running `release:prepare`.

.changelog/pr-1951.txt

@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Add AI-powered changelog system to decouple merging from releasing - by @IsmaelMartinez (#1951)

.github/instructions/process-tasks-list.instructions.md

@@ -42,14 +42,9 @@ Guidelines for managing task lists in markdown files to track progress on comple
   - **Push**: Push changes to remote repository (`git push origin <branch-name>`)
   - **Create Pull Request**: After pushing changes and completing the parent task:
     - Create a Pull Request/Merge Request to the main branch
-    - Follow version management guidelines from `RELEASE_INFO.md`:
-      - Update version in `package.json` if this is a feature/fix release
-      - Run `npm install` to update `package-lock.json`
-      - Add new `<release>` entry in `com.github.IsmaelMartinez.teams_for_linux.appdata.xml` with:
-        - Updated version number
-        - Current date
-        - Description of changes made
-      - Commit version updates with message format: `chore: bump version to X.Y.Z`
+    - **Do NOT update versions in regular PRs** - the changelog system handles this
+    - The PR will automatically get a `.changelog/pr-XXX.txt` file with an AI-generated summary
+    - See `docs-site/docs/development/manual-release-process.md` for the release process
     - Include clear PR description summarizing completed tasks and changes
     - Reference the original PRD and task list in PR description
 
@@ -90,8 +85,8 @@ When working with task lists, the AI must:
    - Developer instructions in `.github/copilot-instructions.md`
    - Configuration documentation for new settings or patterns
    - API documentation for new IPC channels or interfaces
-8. **Version Management and PR Creation**: When all tasks are complete:
-   - Follow versioning guidelines from `RELEASE_INFO.md`
-   - Update `package.json`, `package-lock.json`, and `com.github.IsmaelMartinez.teams_for_linux.appdata.xml`
+8. **PR Creation**: When all tasks are complete:
+   - **Do NOT update versions** - the changelog system handles releases separately
    - Create comprehensive Pull Request with clear description of completed work
    - Reference original PRD and summarize implementation approach
+   - The PR will automatically get a `.changelog/pr-XXX.txt` file for the future release

.github/workflows/changelog-generator.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
+name: Generate Changelog Entry
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+    types: [opened, synchronize]
+    branches: [main]
+
+jobs:
+  generate-changelog:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: write
+      pull-requests: write
+
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@11bd71901bbe5b1630ceea73d27597364c9af683 # v4.2.2
+        with:
+          ref: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.ref }}
+          repository: ${{ github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name }}
+          token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+
+      - name: Check if changelog already exists
+        id: check
+        run: |
+          if [ -f ".changelog/pr-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}.txt" ]; then
+            echo "exists=true" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          else
+            echo "exists=false" >> $GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          fi
+
+      - name: Generate summary with Gemini
+        if: steps.check.outputs.exists == 'false'
+        id: gemini
+        uses: actions/github-script@60a0d83039c74a4aee543508d2ffcb1c3799cdea # v7.0.1
+        env:
+          GEMINI_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.GEMINI_API_KEY }}
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const prTitle = context.payload.pull_request.title;
+            const prBody = context.payload.pull_request.body || '';
+
+            // Truncate body safely (first 1000 chars)
+            const cleanBody = prBody.substring(0, 1000).replace(/"/g, "'");
+
+            const prompt = `Summarize this PR in ONE concise line suitable for a changelog (max 80 chars):
+
+            Title: ${prTitle}
+
+            Description: ${cleanBody}
+
+            Guidelines:
+            - Start with action verb (Add/Fix/Update/Remove)
+            - Focus on user-facing impact
+            - Max 80 characters
+            - Professional tone
+
+            Example: "Add MQTT integration for Teams status publishing"`;
+
+            try {
+              const response = await fetch(
+                `https://generativelanguage.googleapis.com/v1beta/models/gemini-2.0-flash-exp:generateContent?key=${process.env.GEMINI_API_KEY}`,
+                {
+                  method: 'POST',
+                  headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+                  body: JSON.stringify({
+                    contents: [{ parts: [{ text: prompt }] }],
+                    generationConfig: {
+                      temperature: 0.3,
+                      maxOutputTokens: 50
+                    }
+                  })
+                }
+              );
+
+              const data = await response.json();
+              const summary = data.candidates[0].content.parts[0].text.trim();
+
+              core.setOutput('summary', summary);
+              console.log(`Generated: ${summary}`);
+            } catch (error) {
+              console.log(`Gemini API failed, using PR title as fallback`);
+              core.setOutput('summary', prTitle);
+            }
+
+      - name: Post-process summary
+        if: steps.check.outputs.exists == 'false'
+        id: final
+        uses: actions/github-script@60a0d83039c74a4aee543508d2ffcb1c3799cdea # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          script: |
+            let summary = `${{ steps.gemini.outputs.summary }}`;
+            const author = context.payload.pull_request.user.login;
+            const prNum = context.payload.pull_request.number;
+
+            // Add author if not a bot
+            if (!author.includes('bot')) {
+              summary = `${summary} - by @${author}`;
+            }
+
+            // Add PR number
+            summary = `${summary} (#${prNum})`;
+
+            core.setOutput('final_summary', summary);
+            console.log(`Final: ${summary}`);
+
+      - name: Save changelog entry
+        if: steps.check.outputs.exists == 'false'
+        run: |
+          mkdir -p .changelog
+          echo "${{ steps.final.outputs.final_summary }}" > .changelog/pr-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}.txt
+
+          echo "✅ Created: .changelog/pr-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}.txt"
+          cat .changelog/pr-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}.txt
+
+      - name: Commit changelog file to PR branch
+        if: steps.check.outputs.exists == 'false'
+        run: |
+          git config user.name "github-actions[bot]"
+          git config user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
+
+          git add .changelog/
+          git commit -m "chore: add changelog entry for PR #${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}"
+          git push
+
+          echo "✅ Changelog entry committed to PR branch"
+
+      - name: Comment on PR
+        if: steps.check.outputs.exists == 'false'
+        uses: actions/github-script@60a0d83039c74a4aee543508d2ffcb1c3799cdea # v7.0.1
+        with:
+          script: |
+            github.rest.issues.createComment({
+              issue_number: context.issue.number,
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              body: `✅ Changelog entry generated and committed to this PR:\n\n\`\`\`\n${{ steps.final.outputs.final_summary }}\n\`\`\`\n\nThe file \`.changelog/pr-${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}.txt\` will be included when you merge this PR.\n\nYou can edit it directly in this PR if needed.`
+            })