<p align="center">
    <a href="https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff">
        <img src="https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/24392180/121790699-8808dc80-cbea-11eb-8ab6-2fb6b08b66d8.png" width="300"></a>
    <br>
    <a href="https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/releases">
        <img src="https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/orhun/git-cliff?style=flat&labelColor=1C2C2E&color=C96329&logo=GitHub&logoColor=white">
    </a>
    <a href="https://crates.io/crates/git-cliff/">
        <img src="https://img.shields.io/crates/v/git-cliff?style=flat&labelColor=1C2C2E&color=C96329&logo=Rust&logoColor=white">
    </a>
    <a href="https://codecov.io/gh/orhun/git-cliff">
        <img src="https://img.shields.io/codecov/c/gh/orhun/git-cliff?style=flat&labelColor=1C2C2E&color=C96329&logo=Codecov&logoColor=white">
    </a>
    <br>
    <a href="https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/actions?query=workflow%3A%22Continuous+Integration%22">
        <img src="https://img.shields.io/github/workflow/status/orhun/git-cliff/Continuous%20Integration?style=flat&labelColor=1C2C2E&color=BEC5C9&logo=GitHub%20Actions&logoColor=BEC5C9">
    </a>
    <a href="https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/actions?query=workflow%3A%22Continuous+Deployment%22">
        <img src="https://img.shields.io/github/workflow/status/orhun/git-cliff/Continuous%20Deployment?style=flat&labelColor=1C2C2E&color=BEC5C9&logo=GitHub%20Actions&logoColor=BEC5C9&label=deploy">
    </a>
    <a href="https://hub.docker.com/r/orhunp/git-cliff">
        <img src="https://img.shields.io/docker/cloud/build/orhunp/git-cliff?style=flat&labelColor=1C2C2E&color=BEC5C9&label=docker&logo=Docker&logoColor=BEC5C9">
    </a>
    <a href="https://docs.rs/git-cliff-core/">
        <img src="https://img.shields.io/docsrs/git-cliff-core?style=flat&labelColor=1C2C2E&color=BEC5C9&logo=Rust&logoColor=BEC5C9E">
    </a>
    <br>
    <a href="https://matrix.to/#/#git-cliff:matrix.org">
        <img src="https://img.shields.io/matrix/git-cliff:matrix.org?style=flat&labelColor=1C2C2E&color=BEC5C9&logo=matrix&logoColor=BEC5C9E&label=join%20matrix">
    </a>
</p>

## About

**git-cliff** can generate [changelog](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changelog) files from the [Git](https://git-scm.com/) history by utilizing [conventional commits](#conventional_commits) as well as regex-powered [custom parsers](#commit_parsers). The [changelog template](#templating) can be customized with a [configuration file](#configuration-file) to match the desired format.

![preview](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/24392180/128637997-5713ba25-d8f3-40c7-8ba8-ea7f333ead88.png)

<details>
  <summary>Table of Contents</summary>

- [About](#about)
- [Installation](#installation)
  - [From crates.io](#from-cratesio)
  - [Using pacman](#using-pacman)
  - [Binary releases](#binary-releases)
  - [Build from source](#build-from-source)
- [Usage](#usage)
  - [Command Line Arguments](#command-line-arguments)
  - [Examples](#examples)
- [Docker](#docker)
- [GitHub Actions](#github-actions)
  - [git-cliff-action](#git-cliff-action)
  - [setup-git-cliff](#setup-git-cliff)
- [GitLab CI/CD](#gitlab-cicd)
- [Configuration File](#configuration-file)
  - [changelog](#changelog)
    - [header](#header)
    - [body](#body)
    - [trim](#trim)
    - [footer](#footer)
  - [git](#git)
    - [conventional_commits](#conventional_commits)
    - [filter_unconventional](#filter_unconventional)
    - [split_commits](#split_commits)
    - [commit_preprocessors](#commit_preprocessors)
    - [commit_parsers](#commit_parsers)
    - [filter_commits](#filter_commits)
    - [tag_pattern](#tag_pattern)
    - [skip_tags](#skip_tags)
    - [ignore_tags](#ignore_tags)
    - [date_order](#date_order)
    - [sort_commits](#sort_commits)
    - [link_parsers](#link_parsers)
- [Project Integration](#project-integration)
  - [Rust](#rust)
- [Templating](#templating)
  - [Context](#context)
    - [Conventional Commits](#conventional-commits)
      - [Footers](#footers)
      - [Breaking Changes](#breaking-changes)
      - [Committer vs Author](#committer-vs-author)
    - [Non-Conventional Commits](#non-conventional-commits)
  - [Syntax](#syntax)
  - [Examples](#examples-1)
    - [Basic](#basic)
    - [Detailed](#detailed)
    - [Scoped](#scoped)
    - [Scoped (Sorted)](#scoped-sorted)
    - [Keep a Changelog](#keep-a-changelog)
    - [Unconventional](#unconventional)
- [Similar/Related Projects](#similarrelated-projects)
- [License](#license)
- [Copyright](#copyright)

</details>

## Installation

<details>
  <summary>Packaging status</summary>

[![Packaging status](https://repology.org/badge/vertical-allrepos/git-cliff.svg)](https://repology.org/project/git-cliff/versions)

</details>

### From crates.io

[git-cliff](crates.io/crates/git-cliff) can be installed from crates.io:

```sh
cargo install git-cliff
```

Minimum supported Rust version is `1.60.0`.

### Using pacman

If you are using Arch Linux, **git-cliff** can be installed from the [community repository](https://archlinux.org/packages/community/x86_64/git-cliff/):

```sh
pacman -S git-cliff
```

### Binary releases

See the available binaries for different operating systems/architectures from the [releases page](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/releases).

\* Release tarballs are signed with the following PGP key: [1D2D410A741137EBC544826F4A92FA17B6619297](https://keyserver.ubuntu.com/pks/lookup?search=0x4A92FA17B6619297&op=vindex)

### Build from source

* Linux dependencies: [zlib](https://zlib.net/)

```sh
# binary will be located at `target/release/git-cliff`
CARGO_TARGET_DIR=target cargo build --release
```

## Usage

### Command Line Arguments

```
git-cliff [FLAGS] [OPTIONS] [--] [RANGE]
```

**Flags:**

```
-v, --verbose       Increases the logging verbosity
-i, --init          Writes the default configuration file to cliff.toml
-l, --latest        Processes the commits starting from the latest tag
    --current       Processes the commits that belong to the current tag
-u, --unreleased    Processes the commits that do not belong to a tag
    --date-order    Sorts the tags chronologically
    --context       Prints changelog context as JSON
-h, --help          Prints help information
-V, --version       Prints version information
```

**Options:**

```
-c, --config <PATH>                Sets the configuration file [env: GIT_CLIFF_CONFIG=] [default: cliff.toml]
-w, --workdir <PATH>               Sets the working directory [env: GIT_CLIFF_WORKDIR=]
-r, --repository <PATH>            Sets the git repository [env: GIT_CLIFF_REPOSITORY=]
    --include-path <PATTERN>...    Sets the path to include related commits [env: GIT_CLIFF_INCLUDE_PATH=]
    --exclude-path <PATTERN>...    Sets the path to exclude related commits [env: GIT_CLIFF_EXCLUDE_PATH=]
    --with-commit <MSG>...         Sets custom commit messages to include in the changelog [env: GIT_CLIFF_WITH_COMMIT=]
-p, --prepend <PATH>               Prepends entries to the given changelog file [env: GIT_CLIFF_PREPEND=]
-o, --output <PATH>                Writes output to the given file [env: GIT_CLIFF_OUTPUT=]
-t, --tag <TAG>                    Sets the tag for the latest version [env: GIT_CLIFF_TAG=]
-b, --body <TEMPLATE>              Sets the template for the changelog body [env: GIT_CLIFF_TEMPLATE=]
-s, --strip <PART>                 Strips the given parts from the changelog [possible values: header, footer, all]
    --sort <SORT>                  Sets sorting of the commits inside sections [default: oldest] [possible values: oldest, newest]
```

**Args:**

```
<RANGE>    Sets the commit range to process
```

### Examples

The default [configuration file](#configuration-file) (`cliff.toml`) can be generated using the `--init` flag:

```sh
# create cliff.toml
git cliff --init
```

Then simply create a changelog at your projects git root directory:

```sh
# same as running `git-cliff --config cliff.toml --repository .`
# same as running `git-cliff --workdir .`
git cliff
```

Set a tag for the "unreleased" changes:

```sh
# it doesn't have to be an existing tag
git cliff --tag 1.0.0
```

Generate a changelog for a certain part of git history:

```sh
# only takes the latest tag into account
git cliff --latest

# only takes the current tag into account
# useful if you checkout a specific tag (e.g. `git checkout v0.0.1`)
# (requires a tag to be present for the current commit (i.e. HEAD))
git cliff --current

# generate changelog for unreleased commits
git cliff --unreleased
git cliff --unreleased --tag 1.0.0

# generate changelog for a specific commit range
git cliff 4c7b043..a440c6e
git cliff 4c7b043..HEAD
git cliff HEAD~2..
```

Generate a changelog scoped to a specific directory (useful for monorepos):

```sh
git cliff --include-path "**/*.toml" --include-path "*.md"
git cliff --exclude-path ".github/*"
```

Generate a changelog that includes yet unexisting commit messages:

```sh
commit_msg="chore(release): update CHANGELOG.md for 1.0.0"

# You might need to include the commit messages that do not exist
# for testing purposes or solving the chicken-egg problem.
git cliff --with-commit "$commit_msg" -o CHANGELOG.md

git add CHANGELOG.md && git commit -m "$commit_msg"
```

> The commit SHA will be empty as default when `--with-commit` is used. Specify the hash with a message separated by single whitespace for setting the commit SHA. e.g. `--with-commit "8f55e69eba6e6ce811ace32bd84cc82215673cb6 feat: add X"`

Sort the commits inside sections:

```sh
# The oldest commit will be on top.
# (default)
git cliff --sort oldest

# The newest commit will be on top.
git cliff --sort newest
```

Sort the tags in chronological order:

```sh
# Process in chronological order instead of topological.
git cliff --date-order
```

Save the changelog file to the specified file:

```sh
git cliff --output CHANGELOG.md
```

Print the changelog [context](#context) as JSON:

```sh
# print context to stdout
git cliff --context

# save context to a file
git cliff --context --output context.json
```

Prepend new changes to an existing changelog file:

```sh
# 1- changelog header is removed from CHANGELOG.md
# 2- new entries are prepended to CHANGELOG.md without footer part
git cliff --unreleased --tag 1.0.0 --prepend CHANGELOG.md
```

Set/remove the changelog parts:

```sh
git cliff --body $template --strip footer
```

Also, see the [release script](./release.sh) of this project which sets the changelog as a message of an annotated tag.

## Docker

The easiest way of running **git-cliff** (in the git root directory with [configuration file](#configuration-file) present) is to use the [available tags](https://hub.docker.com/repository/docker/orhunp/git-cliff/tags) from [Docker Hub](https://hub.docker.com/repository/docker/orhunp/git-cliff):

```sh
docker run -t -v "$(pwd)/.git":/app/ orhunp/git-cliff:latest
```

Or you can use the image from the [GitHub Package Registry](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/packages/841947):

```sh
docker run -t -v "$(pwd)/.git":/app/ docker.pkg.github.com/orhun/git-cliff/git-cliff:latest
```

Also, you can build the image yourself using `DOCKER_BUILDKIT=1 docker build -t git-cliff .` command.

## GitHub Actions

### git-cliff-action

It is possible to generate changelogs using [GitHub Actions](https://github.com/features/actions) via [git-cliff-action](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff-action).

```yml
- name: Generate a changelog
  uses: orhun/git-cliff-action@v1
  with:
    config: cliff.toml
    args: --verbose
  env:
    OUTPUT: CHANGELOG.md
```

See the [repository](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff-action) for other [examples](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff-action#examples).

Also, see the [continuous deployment workflow](./.github/workflows/cd.yml) of this project which sets the release notes for GitHub releases using this action.

### setup-git-cliff

There is also another GitHub Action which is [setup-git-cliff](https://github.com/kenji-miyake/setup-git-cliff).

While `git-cliff-action` uses the Docker image generated by [docker.yml](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/blob/main/.github/workflows/docker.yml), `setup-git-cliff` installs the binary executable in the [release artifacts](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/releases/latest):

```yml
- name: Check out repository
  uses: actions/checkout@v2

- name: Set up git-cliff
  uses: kenji-miyake/setup-git-cliff@v1

- name: Run git-cliff
  run: |
    git cliff
```

See a practical example [here](https://github.com/autowarefoundation/autoware-github-actions/blob/v1/generate-changelog/action.yaml).

## GitLab CI/CD

It is possible to generate changelogs using [GitLab CI/CD](https://docs.gitlab.com/ee/ci/).

This minimal example creates artifacts that can be used on another job.

```yml
- changelog:
    image:
      name: orhunp/git-cliff:latest
      entrypoint: [""]
    variables:
      GIT_STRATEGY: clone # clone entire repo instead of reusing workspace
      GIT_DEPTH: 0 # avoid shallow clone to give cliff all the info it needs
    stage: doc
    script:
      - git-cliff -r . > CHANGELOG.md
    artifacts:
      paths:
        - CHANGELOG.md
```

Please note that the stage is `doc` and has to be changed accordingly to your need.

## Configuration File

**git-cliff** configuration file supports [TOML](https://github.com/toml-lang/toml) (preferred) and [YAML](https://yaml.org) formats.

The configuration file is read from `$HOME/git-cliff/cliff.toml` if the file exists. This location depends on the platform, for example:

- on Linux: `/home/<user>/.config/git-cliff/cliff.toml`
- on Windows: `C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\git-cliff\cliff.toml`
- on macOS: `/Users/<user>/Library/Application Support/git-cliff/cliff.toml`

See [config/cliff.toml](./config/cliff.toml) for the default configuration values.

### changelog

This section contains the configuration options for changelog generation.

```toml
[changelog]
header = "Changelog"
body = """
{% for group, commits in commits | group_by(attribute="group") %}
    ### {{ group | upper_first }}
    {% for commit in commits %}
        - {{ commit.message | upper_first }}
    {% endfor %}
{% endfor %}
"""
trim = true
footer = "<!-- generated by git-cliff -->"
```

#### header

Header text that will be added to the beginning of the changelog.

#### body

Body template that represents a single release in the changelog.

See [templating](#templating) for more detail.

#### trim

If set to `true`, leading and trailing whitespace are removed from the [body](#body).

It is useful for adding indentation to the template for readability, as shown [in the example](#changelog).

#### footer

Footer text that will be added to the end of the changelog.

### git

This section contains the parsing and git related configuration options.

```toml
[git]
conventional_commits = true
filter_unconventional = true
split_commits = false
commit_parsers = [
    { message = "^feat", group = "Features"},
    { message = "^fix", group = "Bug Fixes"},
    { message = "^doc", group = "Documentation"},
    { message = "^perf", group = "Performance"},
    { message = "^refactor", group = "Refactor"},
    { message = "^style", group = "Styling"},
    { message = "^test", group = "Testing"},
]
filter_commits = false
tag_pattern = "v[0-9]*"
skip_tags = "v0.1.0-beta.1"
ignore_tags = ""
date_order = false
sort_commits = "oldest"
link_parsers = [
    { pattern = "#(\\d+)", href = "https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/issues/$1"},
    { pattern = "RFC(\\d+)", text = "ietf-rfc$1", href = "https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc$1"},
]
```

#### conventional_commits

If set to `true`, commits are parsed according to the [Conventional Commits specifications](https://www.conventionalcommits.org).

> The Conventional Commits specification is a lightweight convention on top of commit messages. It provides an easy set of rules for creating an explicit commit history; which makes it easier to write automated tools on top of. This convention dovetails with SemVer, by describing the features, fixes, and breaking changes made in commit messages.

> The commit message should be structured as follows:

```
<type>[optional scope]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]
```

e.g. `feat(parser): add ability to parse arrays`

#### filter_unconventional

If set to `true`, commits that are not conventional are excluded. This option can be used to generate changelogs with conventional and unconvential commits mixed together. For example:

```toml
conventional_commits = true
filter_unconventional = false
commit_parsers = [
  { message = ".*", group = "Other", default_scope = "other"},
]
```

With the configuration above, conventional commits are parsed as usual and unconventional commits will be also included in the changelog as "Other".

To completely exclude unconventional commits from the changelog:

```toml
# default behaviour
conventional_commits = true
filter_unconventional = true
```

To include any type of commit in the changelog without parsing:

```toml
conventional_commits = false
filter_unconventional = false
```

#### split_commits

> This flag violates "conventional commits". It should remain off by default if conventional commits is to be respected.

If set to `true`, each line of a commit is processed individually, as if it were its own commit message. This may cause
a commit to appear multiple times in a changelog, once for each match.

```toml
conventional_commits = true
filter_unconventional = true
split_commits = true
commit_parsers = [
    { message = "^feat", group = "Features"},
]
```

With the configuration above, lines are parsed as conventional commits and unconventional lines are omitted.

If `filter_unconventional = false`, every line will be processes as an unconventional commit, resulting in each line of
a commit being treated as a changelog entry.

#### commit_preprocessors

An array of commit preprocessors for manipulating the commit messages before parsing/grouping them. These regex-based preprocessors can be used for removing or selecting certain parts of the commit message/body to be used in the following processes.

Examples:

- `{ pattern = "foo", replace = "bar"}`
  - Replace text.
- `{ pattern = 'Merged PR #[0-9]: (.*)', replace = "$1"}`
  - Remove prefix.
- `{ pattern = "  +", replace = " "}`
  - Replace multiple spaces with a single space.
- `{ pattern = "\\(#([0-9]+)\\)", replace = "([#${1}](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/issues/${1}))"}`
  - Replace the issue number with the link.
- `{ pattern = "https://github.com/[^ ]/issues/([0-9]+)", replace = "[Issue #${1}]"}`
  - Replace the issue link with the number.
- `{ pattern = "Merge pull request #([0-9]+) from [^ ]+", replace = "PR # [${1}](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/pull/${1}):"}`
  - Hyperlink PR references from merge commits.
- `{ pattern = "https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/commit/([a-f0-9]{7})[a-f0-9]*", replace = "commit # [${1}](${0})"}`
  - Hyperlink commit links, with short commit hash as description.
- `{ pattern = "([ \\n])(([a-f0-9]{7})[a-f0-9]*)", replace = "${1}commit # [${3}](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/commit/${2})"}`
  - Hyperlink bare commit hashes like "abcd1234" in commit logs, with short commit hash as description.

Custom OS commands can also be used for modifying the commit messages:

- `{ pattern = "foo", replace_command = "pandoc -t commonmark"}`

This is useful when you want to filter/encode messages using external commands. In the example above, [pandoc](https://pandoc.org/) is used to convert each commit message that matches the given `pattern` to the [CommonMark](https://commonmark.org/) format.

A more fun example would be reversing the each commit message:

- `{ pattern = '.*', replace_command = 'rev | xargs echo "reversed: $@"' }`

`$COMMIT_SHA` environment variable is set during execution of the command so you can do fancier things like reading the commit itself:

- `{ pattern = '.*', replace_command = 'git show -s --format=%B $COMMIT_SHA' }`

#### commit_parsers

An array of commit parsers for determining the commit groups by using regex.

Examples:

- `{ message = "^feat", group = "Features"}`
  - Group the commit as "Features" if the commit message (description) starts with "feat".
- `{ body = ".*security", group = "Security"}`
  - Group the commit as "Security" if the commit body contains "security".
- `{ message = ".*deprecated", body = ".*deprecated", group = "Deprecation"}`
  - Group the commit as "Deprecation" if the commit body and message contains "deprecated".
- `{ message = "^revert", skip = true}`
  - Skip processing the commit if the commit message (description) starts with "revert".
- `{ message = "^doc", group = "Documentation", default_scope = "other"},`
  - If the commit starts with "doc", group the commit as "Documentation" and set the default scope to "other". (e.g. `docs: xyz` will be processed as `docs(other): xyz`)
- `{ message = "(www)", scope = "Application"}`
  - If the commit contains "(www)", override the scope with "Application". Scoping order is: scope specification, conventional commit's scope and default scope.
#### filter_commits

If set to `true`, commits that are not matched by [commit parsers](#commit_parsers) are filtered out.

#### tag_pattern

A glob pattern for matching the git tags.

e.g. It processes the same tags as the output of the following git command:

```sh
git tag --list 'v[0-9]*'
```

#### skip_tags

A regex for skip processing the matched tags.

#### ignore_tags

A regex for ignore processing the matched tags.

While `skip_tags` drop commits from the changelog, `ignore_tags` include ignored commits into the next tag.

#### date_order

If set to `true`, tags are processed in chronological order instead of topological.

This can also be achieved by using the `--date-order` command line flag.

#### sort_commits

Sort the commits inside sections by specified order.

Possible values:

- `oldest`
- `newest`

This can also be achieved by specifying the `--sort` command line argument.

#### link_parsers

An array of link parsers for extracting external references, and turning them into URLs, using regex.

Examples:

- `{ pattern = "#(\\d+)", href = "https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff/issues/$1"}`
  - Extract all GitLab issues and PRs and generate URLs linking to them. The link text will be the matching pattern.
- `{ pattern = "RFC(\\d+)", text = "ietf-rfc$1", href = "https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc$1"}`,
  - Extract mentions of IETF RFCs and generate URLs linking to them. It also rewrites the text as "ietf-rfc...".

## Project Integration

### Rust

For Rust projects, **git-cliff** can be configured in `Cargo.toml` via [metadata table](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/manifest.html#the-metadata-table). To do this, simply replace the available configuration sections with `[package.metadata.git-cliff.<section>]` and place them inside `Cargo.toml`. For example:

```toml
[package]
name = "..."

[dependencies]
# ...

[package.metadata.git-cliff.changelog]
header = "All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file."
body = "..."
footer = "<!-- generated by git-cliff -->"
# see [changelog] section for more keys

[package.metadata.git-cliff.git]
conventional_commits = true
commit_parsers = []
filter_commits = false
# see [git] section for more keys
```

For Cargo workspaces, [`workspace.metadata`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/cargo/reference/workspaces.html#the-workspacemetadata-table) table can be used. (e.g. `[workspace.metadata.git-cliff.<section>]`)

## Templating

A template is a text where variables and expressions get replaced with values when it is rendered.

### Context

Context is the model that holds the required data for a template rendering. The [JSON](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JSON) format is used in the following examples for the representation of a context.

#### Conventional Commits

> conventional_commits = **true**

For a [conventional commit](#conventional_commits) like this,

```
<type>[scope]: <description>

[body]

[footer(s)]
```

following context is generated to use for templating:

```json
{
  "version": "v0.1.0-rc.21",
  "commits": [
    {
      "id": "e795460c9bb7275294d1fa53a9d73258fb51eb10",
      "group": "<type> (overrided by commit_parsers)",
      "scope": "[scope]",
      "message": "<description>",
      "body": "[body]",
      "footers": [
        {
          "token": "<name of the footer, such as 'Signed-off-by'>",
          "separator": "<the separator between the token and value, such as ':'>",
          "value": "<the value following the separator",
          "breaking": false
        }
      ],
      "breaking_description": "<description>",
      "breaking": false,
      "conventional": true,
      "links": [{"text": "(set by link_parsers)", "href": "(set by link_parsers)"}],
      "author": {
        "name": "User Name",
        "email": "user.email@example.com",
        "timestamp": 1660330071
      },
      "committer": {
        "name": "User Name",
        "email": "user.email@example.com",
        "timestamp": 1660330071
      },
    }
  ],
  "commit_id": "a440c6eb26404be4877b7e3ad592bfaa5d4eb210 (release commit)",
  "timestamp": 1625169301,
  "previous": {
    "version": "previous release"
  }
}
```

##### Footers

A conventional commit's body may end with any number of structured key-value pairs known as [_footers_](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/en/v1.0.0/#specification). These consist of a string token naming the footer, a separator (which is either `: ` or ` #`), and a value, similar to [the git trailers convention](https://git-scm.com/docs/git-interpret-trailers).

For example:

- `Signed-off-by: User Name <user.email@example.com>`
- `Reviewed-by: User Name <user.email@example.com>`
- `Fixes #1234`
- `BREAKING CHANGE: breaking change description`

When a conventional commit contains footers, the footers are passed to the template in a `footers` array in the commit object. Each footer is represented by an object with the following fields:

- `"token"`, the name of the footer (preceeding the separator character)
- `separator`, the footer's separator string (either `: ` or ` #`)
- `value`, the value following the separator character
- `breaking`, which is `true` if this is a `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer, and `false` otherwise

##### Breaking Changes

`breaking` flag is set to `true` when the commit has an exclamation mark after the commit type and scope, e.g.:

```
feat(scope)!: this is a breaking change
```

Or when the `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer is defined:

```
feat: add xyz

BREAKING CHANGE: this is a breaking change
```

`breaking_description` is set to the explanation of the breaking change. This description is expected to be present in the `BREAKING CHANGE` footer. However, if it's not provided, the `message` is expected to describe the breaking change.

If the `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer is present, the footer will also be included in
`commit.footers`.

##### Committer vs Author

From [Git docs](https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2/Git-Basics-Viewing-the-Commit-History):

> You may be wondering what the difference is between author and committer. The author is the person who originally wrote the work, whereas the committer is the person who last applied the work. So, if you send in a patch to a project and one of the core members applies the patch, both of you get credit — you as the author, and the core member as the committer.

#### Non-Conventional Commits

> conventional_commits = **false**

If [conventional_commits](#conventional_commits) is set to `false`, then some of the fields are omitted from the context or squashed into the `message` field:

```json
{
  "version": "v0.1.0-rc.21",
  "commits": [
    {
      "id": "e795460c9bb7275294d1fa53a9d73258fb51eb10",
      "group": "(overrided by commit_parsers)",
      "scope": "(overrided by commit_parsers)",
      "message": "(full commit message including description, footers, etc.)",
      "conventional": false,
      "links": [{"text": "(set by link_parsers)", "href": "(set by link_parsers)"}],
      "author": {
        "name": "User Name",
        "email": "user.email@example.com",
        "timestamp": 1660330071
      },
      "committer": {
        "name": "User Name",
        "email": "user.email@example.com",
        "timestamp": 1660330071
      },
    }
  ],
  "commit_id": "a440c6eb26404be4877b7e3ad592bfaa5d4eb210 (release commit)",
  "timestamp": 1625169301,
  "previous": {
    "version": "previous release"
  }
}
```

### Syntax

**git-cliff** uses [Tera](https://github.com/Keats/tera) as the template engine. It has a syntax based on [Jinja2](http://jinja.pocoo.org/) and [Django](https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/3.1/topics/templates/) templates.

There are 3 kinds of delimiters and those cannot be changed:

- `{{` and `}}` for expressions
- `{%` or `{%-` and `%}` or `-%}` for statements
- `{#` and `#}` for comments

See the [Tera Documentation](https://tera.netlify.app/docs/#templates) for more information about [control structures](https://tera.netlify.app/docs/#control-structures), [built-ins filters](https://tera.netlify.app/docs/#built-ins), etc.

Custom built-in filters that **git-cliff** uses:

- `upper_first`: Converts the first character of a string to uppercase.

### Examples

Examples are based on the following Git history:

```log
* df6aef4 (HEAD -> master) feat(cache): use cache while fetching pages
* a9d4050 feat(config): support multiple file formats
* 06412ac (tag: v1.0.1) chore(release): add release script
* e4fd3cf refactor(parser): expose string functions
* ad27b43 (tag: v1.0.0) docs(example)!: add tested usage example
* 9add0d4 fix(args): rename help argument due to conflict
* a140cef feat(parser): add ability to parse arrays
* 81fbc63 docs(project): add README.md
* a78bc36 Initial commit
```

Test repository can be found [here](https://github.com/orhun/git-cliff-readme-example).

See [examples](./examples/) directory for example configuration files.

If you have a custom configuration file that you are using for your project(s), consider sharing it with us by [submitting a pull request](./CONTRIBUTING.md)!

#### [Basic](./config/cliff.toml)

<details>
  <summary>Raw Output</summary>

```
# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

## [unreleased]

### Features

- Support multiple file formats
- Use cache while fetching pages

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

### Miscellaneous Tasks

- Add release script

### Refactor

- Expose string functions

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Bug Fixes

- Rename help argument due to conflict

### Documentation

- Add README.md
- Add tested usage example

### Features

- Add ability to parse arrays

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->
```

</details>

<details>
  <summary>Rendered Output</summary>

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

## [unreleased]

### Features

- Support multiple file formats
- Use cache while fetching pages

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

### Miscellaneous Tasks

- Add release script

### Refactor

- Expose string functions

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Bug Fixes

- Rename help argument due to conflict

### Documentation

- Add README.md
- Add tested usage example

### Features

- Add ability to parse arrays

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->

</details>

#### [Minimal](./examples/minimal.toml)

<details>
  <summary>Raw Output</summary>

```
## [unreleased]
### Feat
- Support multiple file formats
- Use cache while fetching pages

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18
### Chore
- Add release script

### Refactor
- Expose string functions

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18
### Docs
- Add README.md
- [**breaking**] Add tested usage example

### Feat
- Add ability to parse arrays

### Fix
- Rename help argument due to conflict
```

</details>

<details>
  <summary>Rendered Output</summary>

## [unreleased]
### Feat
- Support multiple file formats
- Use cache while fetching pages

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18
### Chore
- Add release script

### Refactor
- Expose string functions

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18
### Docs
- Add README.md
- [**breaking**] Add tested usage example

### Feat
- Add ability to parse arrays

### Fix
- Rename help argument due to conflict

</details>

#### [Detailed](./examples/detailed.toml)

<details>
  <summary>Raw Output</summary>

```
# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

## [unreleased]

### Features

- Support multiple file formats ([a9d4050](a9d4050212a18f6b3bd76e2e41fbb9045d268b80))
- Use cache while fetching pages ([df6aef4](df6aef41292f3ffe5887754232e6ea7831c50ba5))

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

[ad27b43](ad27b43e8032671afb4809a1a3ecf12f45c60e0e)...[06412ac](06412ac1dd4071006c465dde6597a21d4367a158)

### Miscellaneous Tasks

- Add release script ([06412ac](06412ac1dd4071006c465dde6597a21d4367a158))

### Refactor

- Expose string functions ([e4fd3cf](e4fd3cf8e2e6f49c0b57f66416e886c37cbb3715))

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Bug Fixes

- Rename help argument due to conflict ([9add0d4](9add0d4616dc95a6ea8b01d5e4d233876b6e5e00))

### Documentation

- Add README.md ([81fbc63](81fbc6365484abf0b4f4b05d384175763ad8db44))
- Add tested usage example ([ad27b43](ad27b43e8032671afb4809a1a3ecf12f45c60e0e))

### Features

- Add ability to parse arrays ([a140cef](a140cef0405e0bcbfb5de44ff59e091527d91b38))

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->
```

</details>

<details>
  <summary>Rendered Output</summary>

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

## [unreleased]

### Features

- Support multiple file formats ([a9d4050](a9d4050212a18f6b3bd76e2e41fbb9045d268b80))
- Use cache while fetching pages ([df6aef4](df6aef41292f3ffe5887754232e6ea7831c50ba5))

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

[ad27b43](ad27b43e8032671afb4809a1a3ecf12f45c60e0e)...[06412ac](06412ac1dd4071006c465dde6597a21d4367a158)

### Miscellaneous Tasks

- Add release script ([06412ac](06412ac1dd4071006c465dde6597a21d4367a158))

### Refactor

- Expose string functions ([e4fd3cf](e4fd3cf8e2e6f49c0b57f66416e886c37cbb3715))

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Bug Fixes

- Rename help argument due to conflict ([9add0d4](9add0d4616dc95a6ea8b01d5e4d233876b6e5e00))

### Documentation

- Add README.md ([81fbc63](81fbc6365484abf0b4f4b05d384175763ad8db44))
- Add tested usage example ([ad27b43](ad27b43e8032671afb4809a1a3ecf12f45c60e0e))

### Features

- Add ability to parse arrays ([a140cef](a140cef0405e0bcbfb5de44ff59e091527d91b38))

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->

</details>

#### [Scoped](./examples/scoped.toml)

<details>
  <summary>Raw Output</summary>

```
# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

## [unreleased]

### Features

#### Cache

- Use cache while fetching pages

#### Config

- Support multiple file formats

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

### Miscellaneous Tasks

#### Release

- Add release script

### Refactor

#### Parser

- Expose string functions

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Bug Fixes

#### Args

- Rename help argument due to conflict

### Documentation

#### Example

- Add tested usage example

#### Project

- Add README.md

### Features

#### Parser

- Add ability to parse arrays

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->
```

</details>

<details>
  <summary>Rendered Output</summary>

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

## [unreleased]

### Features

#### Cache

- Use cache while fetching pages

#### Config

- Support multiple file formats

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

### Miscellaneous Tasks

#### Release

- Add release script

### Refactor

#### Parser

- Expose string functions

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Bug Fixes

#### Args

- Rename help argument due to conflict

### Documentation

#### Example

- Add tested usage example

#### Project

- Add README.md

### Features

#### Parser

- Add ability to parse arrays

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->

</details>

#### [Scoped (Sorted)](./examples/scopesorted.toml)

<details>
  <summary>Raw Output</summary>

```
# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

## [unreleased]

### Features

- *(cache)* Use cache while fetching pages
- *(config)* Support multiple file formats

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

### Miscellaneous Tasks

- *(release)* Add release script

### Refactor

- *(parser)* Expose string functions

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Bug Fixes

- *(args)* Rename help argument due to conflict

### Documentation

- *(example)* Add tested usage example
  - **BREAKING**: add tested usage example
- *(project)* Add README.md

### Features

- *(parser)* Add ability to parse arrays

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->
```

</details>

<details>
  <summary>Rendered Output</summary>

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

## [unreleased]

### Features

- *(cache)* Use cache while fetching pages
- *(config)* Support multiple file formats

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

### Miscellaneous Tasks

- *(release)* Add release script

### Refactor

- *(parser)* Expose string functions

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Bug Fixes

- *(args)* Rename help argument due to conflict

### Documentation

- *(example)* Add tested usage example
  - **BREAKING**: add tested usage example
- *(project)* Add README.md

### Features

- *(parser)* Add ability to parse arrays

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->

</details>

#### [Keep a Changelog](./examples/keepachangelog.toml)

<details>
  <summary>Raw Output</summary>

```
# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).

## [Unreleased]

### Added

- Support multiple file formats

### Changed

- Use cache while fetching pages

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

### Added

- Add release script

### Changed

- Expose string functions

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Added

- Add README.md
- Add ability to parse arrays
- Add tested usage example

### Fixed

- Rename help argument due to conflict

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->
```

</details>

<details>
  <summary>Rendered Output</summary>

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/),
and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).

## [Unreleased]

### Added

- Support multiple file formats

### Changed

- Use cache while fetching pages

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

### Added

- Add release script

### Changed

- Expose string functions

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Added

- Add README.md
- Add ability to parse arrays
- Add tested usage example

### Fixed

- Rename help argument due to conflict

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->

</details>

#### [Unconventional](./examples/unconventional.toml)

<details>
  <summary>Raw Output</summary>

```
# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

## [unreleased]

### Features

- Support multiple file formats ✔️
- Use cache while fetching pages ✔️

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

### Miscellaneous Tasks

- Add release script ✔️

### Refactor

- Expose string functions ✔️

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Bug Fixes

- Rename help argument due to conflict ✔️

### Documentation

- Add README.md ✔️
- Add tested usage example ✔️

### Features

- Add ability to parse arrays ✔️

### Other (unconventional)

- Initial commit ❌

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->
```

</details>

<details>
  <summary>Rendered Output</summary>

# Changelog

All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.

## [unreleased]

### Features

- Support multiple file formats ✔️
- Use cache while fetching pages ✔️

## [1.0.1] - 2021-07-18

### Miscellaneous Tasks

- Add release script ✔️

### Refactor

- Expose string functions ✔️

## [1.0.0] - 2021-07-18

### Bug Fixes

- Rename help argument due to conflict ✔️

### Documentation

- Add README.md ✔️
- Add tested usage example ✔️

### Features

- Add ability to parse arrays ✔️

### Other (unconventional)

- Initial commit ❌

<!-- generated by git-cliff -->

</details>

## Similar/Related Projects

- [git-journal](https://github.com/saschagrunert/git-journal) - The Git Commit Message and Changelog Generation Framework
- [clog-cli](https://github.com/clog-tool/clog-cli) - Generate beautiful changelogs from your Git commit history
- [relnotes](https://crates.io/crates/relnotes) - A tool to automatically generate release notes for your project.
- [cocogitto](https://github.com/oknozor/cocogitto) - A set of CLI tools for the conventional commit
and semver specifications.
- [cliff-jumper](https://github.com/favware/cliff-jumper) - A NodeJS CLI tool that combines git-cliff and
  [conventional-recommended-bump](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/conventional-changelog/tree/master/packages/conventional-recommended-bump)
  to semantically bump a NodeJS package and generate a git-cliff powered changelog.

## License

GNU General Public License ([v3.0](https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.txt))

## Copyright

Copyright © 2021-2022, [git-cliff contributors](mailto:git-cliff@protonmail.com)
