Copilot Skill: Add skill for generate a release-change-log

.github/actions/spell-check/excludes.txt

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 \.xz$
 \.zip$
 ^\.github/actions/spell-check/
+^\.github/skills/
 ^\.github/workflows/spelling\d*\.yml$
 ^\.gitmodules$
 ^\Q.pipelines/ESRPSigning_core.json\E$

.github/skills/changelog-generator/SKILL.md

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+---
+name: changelog-generator
+description: Automatically creates user-facing changelogs from git commits by analyzing commit history, categorizing changes, and transforming technical commits into clear, customer-friendly release notes. Turns hours of manual changelog writing into minutes of automated generation.
+---
+
+# Changelog Generator
+
+This skill transforms technical git commits into polished, user-friendly changelogs that your customers and users will actually understand and appreciate.
+
+## When to Use This Skill
+
+- Preparing release notes for a new version
+- Generating changelog between two tags/commits
+- Creating draft release notes from recent commits
+
+## Quick Start
+
+```
+Create a changelog from commits since v0.96.1
+```
+
+```
+Create release notes for version 0.97.0 starting from tag v0.96.1
+```
+
+---
+
+## Workflow Overview
+
+```
+┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐
+│ 1. Fetch     │───▶│ 2. Filter    │───▶│ 3. Categorize│───▶│ 4. Generate  │
+│ Commits      │    │ & Dedupe     │    │ by Module    │    │ Descriptions │
+└──────────────┘    └──────────────┘    └──────────────┘    └──────────────┘
+       │                   │                   │                   │
+       ▼                   ▼                   ▼                   ▼
+  📄 github-api      📄 commit-         📄 module-         📄 user-facing-
+     reference.md       filtering.md       mapping.md         description.md
+```
+
+## Sub-Skills Reference
+
+This skill is composed of the following sub-skills. 
+
+**⚠️ IMPORTANT: Do NOT read all sub-skills at once!**
+- Only read a sub-skill when you reach that step in the workflow
+- This saves context window and improves accuracy
+- Use `read_file` to load a sub-skill only when needed
+
+| Step | Sub-Skill | When to Read |
+|------|-----------|--------------|
+| Fetch data | [github-api-reference.md](sub-skills/github-api-reference.md) | When fetching commits/PRs |
+| Filter commits | [commit-filtering.md](sub-skills/commit-filtering.md) | When checking if commit should be skipped |
+| Categorize | [module-mapping.md](sub-skills/module-mapping.md) | When determining which module a PR belongs to |
+| Generate text | [user-facing-description.md](sub-skills/user-facing-description.md) | When writing the changelog entry text |
+| Attribution | [contributor-attribution.md](sub-skills/contributor-attribution.md) | When checking if author needs thanks |
+| Large releases | [progress-tracking.md](sub-skills/progress-tracking.md) | Only if processing 50+ commits |
+
+---
+
+## Step-by-Step Summary
+
+### Step 1: Get Commit Range
+```powershell
+# Count commits between tags
+gh api repos/microsoft/PowerToys/compare/v0.96.0...v0.96.1 --jq '.commits | length'
+```
+👉 Details: [github-api-reference.md](sub-skills/github-api-reference.md)
+
+### Step 2: Filter Commits
+- Skip commits already in start tag
+- Skip cherry-picks and backports
+- Deduplicate by PR number
+
+👉 Details: [commit-filtering.md](sub-skills/commit-filtering.md)
+
+### Step 3: For Each PR, Generate Entry
+1. Get PR title, body, files, labels
+2. Determine module from file paths or labels
+3. Check if user-facing (skip internal changes)
+4. Transform to user-friendly description
+5. Add contributor attribution if needed
+
+👉 Details: [user-facing-description.md](sub-skills/user-facing-description.md), [module-mapping.md](sub-skills/module-mapping.md), [contributor-attribution.md](sub-skills/contributor-attribution.md)
+
+### Step 4: Checkpoint (if 50+ commits)
+- Save progress after every 15-20 commits
+- Track processed PRs for deduplication
+- Enable resume from interruption
+
+👉 Details: [progress-tracking.md](sub-skills/progress-tracking.md)
+
+### Step 5: Format Output
+```markdown
+## ✨ What's new
+**Version X.XX (Month Year)**
+
+**✨ Highlights**
+ - [Most impactful change 1]
+ - [Most impactful change 2]
+
+### [Module Name - Alphabetical]
+ - [Description]. Thanks [@contributor](https://github.com/contributor)!
+
+### Development
+ - [Internal changes]
+```
+
+---
+
+## Example Output
+
+```markdown
+## ✨ What's new
+**Version 0.96.1 (December 2025)**
+
+**✨ Highlights**
+ - Advanced Paste now supports multiple AI providers.
+ - PowerRename can extract photo metadata for renaming.
+
+### Advanced Paste
+ - Added support for Azure OpenAI, Google Gemini, Mistral, and more.
+
+### Awake
+ - The countdown timer now stays accurate over long periods. Thanks [@daverayment](https://github.com/daverayment)!
+
+### Development
+ - Resolved build warnings in Command Palette projects.
+```
+
+---
+
+## Tips
+
+1. **Propose highlights** after all entries are generated
+2. **Check PR body** when title is unclear
+3. **Thank external contributors** - see [contributor-attribution.md](sub-skills/contributor-attribution.md)
+4. **Use progress tracking** for large releases - see [progress-tracking.md](sub-skills/progress-tracking.md)
+5. **Save output** to `release-change-note-draft.md`
+
+---
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+| Problem | Solution |
+|---------|----------|
+| Lost progress mid-generation | Read `release-notes-progress.md` to resume |
+| Duplicate entries | Check processed PR list, dedupe by PR number |
+| Commit already released | Use `git merge-base --is-ancestor` to verify |
+| API rate limited | Check `gh api rate_limit`, wait or use token |
+
+👉 See sub-skills for detailed troubleshooting.

.github/skills/changelog-generator/sub-skills/commit-filtering.md

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+# Commit Filtering Rules
+
+This sub-skill defines rules for filtering commits to include in the changelog.
+
+## Understanding the Branch Model
+
+PowerToys uses a release branch model where fixes are cherry-picked from main:
+
+```
+main:     A---B---C---D---E---F---G---H  (HEAD)
+               \
+release:        X---Y---Z  (v0.96.1 tag)
+                    ↑
+            (X, Y are cherry-picks of C, E from main)
+```
+
+**Key insight:** When comparing `v0.96.1...main`:
+- The release tag (v0.96.1) is on a **different branch** than main
+- GitHub compare finds the merge-base and returns commits on main after that point
+- Commits C and E appear in the results even though they were cherry-picked to release as X and Y
+- **The SHAs are different**, so SHA-based filtering won't work!
+
+## ⚠️ CRITICAL: Filter by PR Number, Not SHA
+
+Since cherry-picks have different SHAs, you **MUST** check by PR number:
+
+```powershell
+# Extract PR number from commit message and check if it exists in the release tag
+$prNumber = "43785"
+$startTag = "v0.96.1"
+
+# Search the release branch for this PR number in commit messages
+$cherryPicked = git log $startTag --oneline --grep="#$prNumber"
+if ($cherryPicked) {
+    Write-Host "SKIP: PR #$prNumber was cherry-picked to $startTag"
+} else {
+    Write-Host "INCLUDE: PR #$prNumber is new since $startTag"
+}
+```
+
+## Complete Filtering Workflow
+
+```powershell
+$startTag = "v0.96.1"   # Release tag (on release branch)
+$endRef = "main"         # Target (main branch)
+
+# Step 1: Get all commits from main since the merge-base with release tag
+$commits = gh api "repos/microsoft/PowerToys/compare/$startTag...$endRef" `
+    --jq '.commits[] | {sha: .sha, message: .commit.message}' | ConvertFrom-Json
+
+# Step 2: Build list of PR numbers already in the release tag
+$releasePRs = git log $startTag --oneline | Select-String -Pattern '#(\d+)' -AllMatches | 
+    ForEach-Object { $_.Matches.Groups[1].Value } | Sort-Object -Unique
+
+Write-Host "PRs already in $startTag : $($releasePRs.Count)"
+
+# Step 3: Filter commits - skip if PR was cherry-picked to release
+$newCommits = @()
+foreach ($commit in $commits) {
+    if ($commit.message -match '#(\d+)') {
+        $prNumber = $matches[1]
+        if ($releasePRs -contains $prNumber) {
+            Write-Host "SKIP: PR #$prNumber already in $startTag (cherry-picked)"
+            continue
+        }
+    }
+    $newCommits += $commit
+}
+
+Write-Host "New commits to process: $($newCommits.Count)"
+```
+
+## Why SHA-Based Methods Don't Work Here
+
+| Method | Works for same branch? | Works for cross-branch (cherry-picks)? |
+|--------|------------------------|----------------------------------------|
+| `git merge-base --is-ancestor` | ✅ Yes | ❌ No - different SHAs |
+| `git tag --contains` | ✅ Yes | ❌ No - tag is on different branch |
+| GitHub Compare API | ✅ Yes | ❌ No - returns commits by SHA |
+| **PR number matching** | ✅ Yes | ✅ **Yes** |
+
+## Skip Rules Summary
+
+| Priority | Condition | Action |
+|----------|-----------|--------|
+| 1 | PR number found in `git log $startTag --grep="#$prNumber"` | **SKIP** - cherry-picked |
+| 2 | Same PR number already processed in this run | **SKIP** - duplicate |
+| 3 | Bot author (dependabot, etc.) | **SKIP** - unless user-visible |
+| 4 | Internal-only change (CI, tests, refactor) | Move to **Development** section |
+
+## User-Facing vs Non-User-Facing
+
+**Include in changelog:**
+- New features and capabilities
+- Bug fixes that affect users
+- UI/UX improvements
+- Performance improvements users would notice
+- Breaking changes or behavior modifications
+- Security fixes
+
+**Exclude from changelog (put in Development section):**
+- Internal refactoring
+- CI/CD changes
+- Code style fixes
+- Test additions/modifications
+- Documentation-only changes
+- Dependency updates (unless user-visible impact)

.github/skills/changelog-generator/sub-skills/contributor-attribution.md

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+# Contributor Attribution Rules
+
+This sub-skill defines when and how to credit contributors in changelog entries.
+
+## Attribution Rules
+
+- Check [COMMUNITY.md](../../../COMMUNITY.md) for the "PowerToys core team" section
+- If author is **NOT** in core team → Add `Thanks [@username](https://github.com/username)!`
+- If author **IS** in core team → No attribution needed
+- Microsoft employees working on PowerToys as their job → No attribution needed
+
+## Core Team Members
+
+Current core team members (from COMMUNITY.md) - do NOT thank these:
+
+```
+@craigloewen-msft, @niels9001, @dhowett, @yeelam-gordon, @jamrobot, 
+@lei9444, @shuaiyuanxx, @moooyo, @haoliuu, @chenmy77, @chemwolf6922,
+@yaqingmi, @zhaoqpcn, @urnotdfs, @zhaopy536, @wang563681252, @vanzue,
+@zadjii-msft, @khmyznikov, @chatasweetie, @MichaelJolley, @Jaylyn-Barbee,
+@zateutsch, @crutkas
+```
+
+## Check Author Script
+
+```powershell
+$coreTeam = @(
+    'craigloewen-msft', 'niels9001', 'dhowett', 'yeelam-gordon', 'jamrobot',
+    'lei9444', 'shuaiyuanxx', 'moooyo', 'haoliuu', 'chenmy77', 'chemwolf6922',
+    'yaqingmi', 'zhaoqpcn', 'urnotdfs', 'zhaopy536', 'wang563681252', 'vanzue',
+    'zadjii-msft', 'khmyznikov', 'chatasweetie', 'MichaelJolley', 'Jaylyn-Barbee',
+    'zateutsch', 'crutkas'
+)
+
+function Get-Attribution {
+    param([string]$author)
+
+    if ($coreTeam -contains $author) {
+        return $null  # No attribution needed
+    }
+    return "Thanks [@$author](https://github.com/$author)!"
+}
+
+# Usage
+$author = gh pr view 12345 --repo microsoft/PowerToys --json author --jq '.author.login'
+$attribution = Get-Attribution $author
+if ($attribution) {
+    Write-Host "Add: $attribution"
+} else {
+    Write-Host "No attribution needed (core team member)"
+}
+```
+
+## Attribution Format
+
+**With attribution:**
+```markdown
+ - The Awake countdown timer now stays accurate over long periods. Thanks [@daverayment](https://github.com/daverayment)!
+```
+
+**Without attribution (core team):**
+```markdown
+ - Added new feature to Command Palette for opening settings.
+```
+
+## Special Cases
+
+1. **Co-authored commits**: Credit the primary author (first in list)
+2. **Bot accounts** (dependabot, etc.): No attribution
+3. **Former core team members**: Check if they were core team at time of PR
+4. **Multiple PRs by same external contributor**: Thank them on each entry
+
+## High-Impact Community Members
+
+These contributors have made significant ongoing contributions and are recognized in COMMUNITY.md.
+**ALWAYS thank these contributors** - they are NOT core team and deserve recognition:
+
+```
+@davidegiacometti, @htcfreek, @daverayment, @jiripolasek
+```
+
+Check COMMUNITY.md for the full up-to-date list under "High impact community members" section.
+
+## Updated Check Author Script
+
+```powershell
+$coreTeam = @(
+    'craigloewen-msft', 'niels9001', 'dhowett', 'yeelam-gordon', 'jamrobot',
+    'lei9444', 'shuaiyuanxx', 'moooyo', 'haoliuu', 'chenmy77', 'chemwolf6922',
+    'yaqingmi', 'zhaoqpcn', 'urnotdfs', 'zhaopy536', 'wang563681252', 'vanzue',
+    'zadjii-msft', 'khmyznikov', 'chatasweetie', 'MichaelJolley', 'Jaylyn-Barbee',
+    'zateutsch', 'crutkas'
+)
+
+# High-impact community members - ALWAYS thank these!
+$highImpactCommunity = @(
+    'davidegiacometti', 'htcfreek', 'daverayment', 'jiripolasek'
+)
+
+function Get-Attribution {
+    param([string]$author)
+
+    # Core team and bots don't need thanks
+    if ($coreTeam -contains $author -or $author -match '\[bot\]$') {
+        return $null
+    }
+    # Everyone else (including high-impact community) gets thanked
+    return "Thanks [@$author](https://github.com/$author)!"
+}
+```