Conventional Changelog Alternative — No Commit Conventions Needed
Stop enforcing commit message formats across your team. Changesmith generates polished, user-friendly changelogs from any git history using AI — no strict conventions, no CLI config.
Tired of enforcing commit conventions just for changelogs?
Your changelog tool should work with your team, not the other way around
Tedious and repetitive
Scrolling through dozens of commits, opening PRs, and summarizing each change takes 30+ minutes per release.
Inconsistent formatting
Different team members write notes in different styles. One release reads like documentation, the next like a git log dump.
Too developer-focused
Raw commit messages mention internal modules, ticket numbers, and refactors your users don't care about.
Easy to skip entirely
When writing notes is painful, releases ship with "bug fixes and improvements" — or no notes at all.
Generate changelogs from git in seconds
Changesmith turns your commit history into changelogs users understand
migrate user table to new schema wip: search (broken) search working now fix typo in onboarding email perf: lazy-load settings panel bump eslint to v9
Added
- Search: Find what you need instantly with the new search feature.
Changed
- Performance: The settings panel now loads faster with lazy-loading.
Fixed
- Onboarding Email: Corrected a typo in the welcome email.
WIP commits, dependency bumps, and internal refactors are filtered out automatically.
No commit conventions required — write however you like.
Why teams switch from conventional-changelog to Changesmith
Better changelogs with less process
Ship releases in minutes, not hours
Generate draft release notes the moment you tag a version. Review, tweak, and publish — done.
Write notes users actually read
AI rewrites developer-speak into plain language. Your customers see what changed for them, not internal implementation details.
Keep every release consistent
Changesmith matches your existing changelog style so every version looks like it was written by the same person.
Filter out the noise automatically
Dependency bumps, WIP commits, and CI config changes are excluded so release notes only surface meaningful changes.
Stay in control with editing
AI generates the draft — you have the final say. Edit with a side-by-side markdown editor before publishing.
No commit convention required
Forget enforcing prefixes across your team. Changesmith understands plain-language commits just as well as conventional ones.
Migration Path: conventional-changelog to Changesmith
Reduce dependency on strict commit prefixes while preserving a clean release-note structure.
- Pick a recent release range and generate notes without enforcing conventions.
- Review section grouping and adjust wording to your audience in markdown.
- Retire commit-message policing and keep shipping with mixed commit styles.
Replace commit conventions with AI in three steps
Up and running in under two minutes
Install the GitHub App
One click to connect your repository. Changesmith only requests the permissions it needs — read access to commits and PRs, write access for releases.
Pick a tag range
Select the start and end tags for your release. Changesmith collects all commits in that range and sends them to the AI for analysis.
Review and publish
Edit the generated changelog in a live markdown editor, then publish directly to GitHub Releases with one click.
Built for developers who ship
Your source code is never stored
Changesmith reads commit metadata only. Code stays in your repository.
Data never used for AI training
Your commit data is processed, not collected. Nothing is used to train models.
Revoke access anytime
Uninstall the GitHub App and all access is immediately removed.
Changesmith is a solo project built by Philip Ludington, an indie game developer who got tired of writing release notes by hand. What started as a side project became a tool used by developers who value their time as much as their code.
Conventional Changelog Alternative FAQ
Common questions about switching from conventional-changelog to Changesmith
Why look for a conventional-changelog alternative?
conventional-changelog requires your entire team to follow strict commit message formats like feat:, fix:, and chore:. If even one contributor forgets the convention, your changelog has gaps. Changesmith reads any commit message and uses AI to produce a polished changelog — no enforcement required.
How is Changesmith different from conventional-changelog?
conventional-changelog is a CLI tool that parses Conventional Commits into a raw Markdown file. Changesmith is a hosted service that reads your commits and pull requests — regardless of format — and uses AI to rewrite them into human-readable changelogs your users actually want to read.
Do I need to follow Conventional Commits to use Changesmith?
No. Changesmith works with any commit style. Write your commits however your team prefers — short messages, long descriptions, squash merges, merge commits — and Changesmith will turn them into clear, audience-friendly changelog entries.
Does Changesmith require CLI setup or CI configuration?
No. conventional-changelog requires installing npm packages, configuring presets, and wiring it into your CI pipeline. Changesmith is a GitHub App — install it, pick a repository and tag range, and generate. No local tooling or pipeline changes needed.
Can Changesmith produce changelogs for existing repositories?
Yes. Just select any two tags or commits as a range and generate. Changesmith reads your existing git history as-is — there is no need to retroactively rewrite commit messages to follow a convention.
Is Changesmith free to use as a conventional-changelog alternative?
Yes. The free plan includes unlimited repositories and one changelog generation per month. Paid plans offer more generations and additional features like API access and CLI tooling.
Ready for changelogs without the commit rules?
Free to start. No credit card required. Your first changelog is minutes away.
Try Changesmith Free