Auto-Generate GitHub Release Notes and Notify via Slack

Auto-Generate GitHub Release Notes and Notify via Slack (n8n Workflow)

This n8n workflow automates the process of:

• Generating structured GitHub release notes from merged pull requests since the last tag.
• Creating a draft GitHub release using the latest tag and PR info.
• Sending a formatted summary to a Slack channel.

All of this is triggered manually via a form, where the user inputs the repository, owner and target branch.

Who's It For

This flow is perfect for:

• Open-source maintainers looking to automate changelog management.
• DevOps engineers handling release cycles.
• Engineering teams maintaining structured, consistent GitHub releases.
• Technical writers who prepare release notes.

How It Works

Node Summary:

Node No

Node Name

Description

1

GitHub Release Input Form

Takes user inputs (owner, repo, branch).

2

Config

Extracts input and defines PR label grouping config.

3

Get Latest Git Tag

Fetches latest Git tag (used as reference point).

4

Get Commit Date of Latest Tag

Gets the exact timestamp of the latest tag's commit.

5

Fetch All Merged PRs Since Last Tag

Queries GitHub for PRs merged after that timestamp.

6

Group PRs & Generate Release Notes

Organizes PRs by label and generates markdown notes.

7

GitHub Pre-release

Creates a draft GitHub release with those notes.

8

Send Message to Slack

Sends the final release summary to Slack.

How to Set Up

1. Clone or import this workflow into your n8n instance.
2. Configure the following credentials:
   • GitHub OAuth or PAT (Personal Access Token)
   • Slack Webhook URL or OAuth credentials
3. Open the form node and fill in:
   • owner: GitHub username/org
   • repo: GitHub repository name
   • branch: Base branch (e.g., main)
4. Run the workflow manually and observe the release note being:
   • Created as a draft on GitHub
   • Sent to Slack

Requirements

Requirement

Description

n8n version

Cloud or Self-Hosted

GitHub Access

A token with repo and write:repo_hook permissions

Slack Access

Webhook URL or Slack OAuth app

Git Tags

Semantic versioning tags pushed to the repo

Labels

PRs should be labeled (e.g., feature, bug, other) for grouping

How to Customize

Feature

How to Customize

Label Grouping

Modify the config map in the Config node (step 2).

PR Filtering

Adjust the search query in node 5 to fit your repo's conventions.

Markdown Template

Tweak markdown generation logic in node 6.

Slack Message Format

Customize the Slack text in node 8.

Tag Format

Switch from semantic versioning if needed in node 3 logic.

Release Type

Change draft: true to false in node 7 for immediate publishing.

Add‑ons

You can extend the flow by:

• Adding a cron scheduler for periodic releases.
• Sending release notes via email (use the Email node).
• Publishing directly to Jira or Confluence.
• Posting GitHub release links to Discord.

Use Case Examples

Scenario

Description

OSS Team Weekly Releases

Automatically publish weekly release notes summarizing merged PRs.

Sprint Review Reports

Use it at the end of each sprint to generate change summaries.

CI/CD Pipelines

Integrate with GitHub Actions or Jenkins for automated tagging + release.

Common Troubleshooting

Issue

Possible Cause

Solution

No data found for item-index: "1"

GitHub Search returned no PRs

Ensure PRs were merged after the last tag and branch name is correct

Cannot access $node in code

Wrong script execution context

Ensure JavaScript is selected and variables are accessed properly

draft must be boolean

Draft field passed as string

Use true (not "true") in JSON input of HTTP node

PR labels not grouped

PRs have no matching labels

Update your label config map or ensure labels exist on PRs

Empty Slack message

Slack node not receiving data

Ensure $json.release_notes is being passed correctly

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Need Help?

Need help setting this up for your team or extending it for more features (e.g., JIRA, auto-tagging, changelog export)?
We're here to help you customize, debug and scale this flow.

Feel free to reach out WeblineIndia if you need:

• One-on-one setup assistance.
• Custom n8n nodes or scripts.
• Advanced GitHub/Slack integrations.