AI Changelog Generator - VS Code Extension

AI-powered changelog and commit message generator integrated directly into VS Code.

Features

• 🤖 AI Commit Messages - Generate meaningful commit messages from your staged changes
• 📝 Smart Changelog Generation - Create professional changelogs with one click
• 🔄 Multiple AI Providers - Supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure, and more
• 🔒 Flexible Credential Storage - Multiple secure options for API keys:
  • VS Code Secret Storage (Keychain/Credential Vault)
  • Workspace .env files
  • Global .env files (NEW)
  • System environment variables (NEW)
• 🎯 Git Integration - Works seamlessly with VS Code's built-in Git
• 🔍 Environment Diagnostics - Built-in tools to troubleshoot credential loading

Installation

1. Install from VS Code Marketplace
2. Run command: AI Changelog: Configure AI Provider
3. Select your preferred AI provider and enter API key
4. Start generating!

Usage

Generate Commit Message

1. Stage your changes in VS Code's Source Control panel
2. Open the AI Changelog sidebar
3. Click "Generate Commit Message"
4. Select from AI-generated suggestions

Create Release

1. Open Release Manager in the sidebar
2. Click "Draft New Release"
3. Enter version number
4. AI generates changelog from commits since last tag

Configuration

Credential Storage Options

The extension supports multiple methods for storing API keys:

1. VS Code Secret Storage (Recommended)

Stores credentials in your OS keychain (macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Vault, Linux Secret Service).

{
  "aiChangelog.storageMode": "secrets"
}

2. Workspace .env Files

Store credentials in project-specific .env.local files.

{
  "aiChangelog.storageMode": "env",
  "aiChangelog.envFilePath": ".env.local"
}

3. Global .env Files (NEW)

Store credentials in your home directory for use across all projects.

{
  "aiChangelog.useGlobalEnvironmentFiles": true,
  "aiChangelog.globalEnvFilePath": "~/.config/ai-changelog/.env"
}

Default locations:

• macOS/Linux: ~/.config/ai-changelog/.env, ~/.env, ~/.ai-changelog.env
• Windows: %APPDATA%\ai-changelog\.env, %USERPROFILE%\.env

4. System Environment Variables (NEW)

Load credentials from system environment variables (useful for CI/CD).

{
  "aiChangelog.useSystemEnvironmentVariables": true
}

Set in your shell:

export OPENAI_API_KEY="sk-..."
export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="sk-ant-..."

Priority Order: Workspace .env > Global .env > System env

📚 Complete Configuration Guide | Examples

Other Settings

Configure in VS Code Settings (search for "AI Changelog"):

• aiChangelog.provider - AI provider (openai, anthropic, etc.)
• aiChangelog.model - Override default model
• aiChangelog.temperature - Control creativity (0.0-1.0)
• aiChangelog.useSystemEnvironmentVariables - Enable system env vars
• aiChangelog.useGlobalEnvironmentFiles - Enable global .env files
• aiChangelog.globalEnvFilePath - Custom global .env path

Requirements

• Node.js >= 22.21.1
• Git repository
• API key for chosen AI provider

Supported AI Providers

• OpenAI (GPT-4.1, o3, o4)
• Anthropic (Claude 3.5 Sonnet, Opus)
• Google (Gemini 2.0)
• Azure OpenAI
• AWS Bedrock
• Ollama (Local models)
• LM Studio (Local models)

Commands

Access via Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl+Shift+P):

• AI Changelog: Generate Commit Message - Generate commit from staged changes
• AI Changelog: Generate Release - Create release notes and changelog
• AI Changelog: Configure AI Provider - Setup or change AI provider
• AI Changelog: Detect Environment Variables - Find API keys in .env files
• AI Changelog: Show Environment Diagnostics - Troubleshoot credential loading (NEW)
• AI Changelog: Test Connection - Verify API key and provider setup
• AI Changelog: Show Status - Display current configuration
• AI Changelog: Show Logs - View extension logs

Extension Settings

This extension contributes the following settings:

• aiChangelog.provider: Select AI provider
• aiChangelog.model: Override default model
• aiChangelog.temperature: Control generation creativity
• aiChangelog.storageMode: Where to store API keys (secrets/env/settings)
• aiChangelog.useSystemEnvironmentVariables: Load from process.env (NEW)
• aiChangelog.useGlobalEnvironmentFiles: Load from global .env files (NEW)
• aiChangelog.globalEnvFilePath: Custom global .env file path (NEW)
• aiChangelog.envFilePath: Workspace .env file path
• aiChangelog.autoDetectEnv: Auto-detect .env files

Known Issues

• Large diffs may take longer to analyze
• VS Code restart required after setting system environment variables

Release Notes

1.0.0 (Latest)

Major credential management update:

• ✨ System environment variable support - Load from process.env
• ✨ Global .env file support - Share credentials across workspaces
• ✨ Environment diagnostics command - Troubleshoot credential loading
• 🔧 Improved credential priority system (Workspace > Global > System)
• 📚 Comprehensive documentation and examples
• 🐛 Bug fixes and stability improvements

0.1.0

Initial release:

• Commit message generation
• Changelog generation
• Multi-provider support
• Secure key storage

Development

Built on top of @entro314labs/ai-changelog-generator

License

MIT

Links

• GitHub Repository
• Report Issues
• Core Package