feat(release): release notes and the update popover open with a short note

.github/workflows/release.yml

@@ -762,11 +762,16 @@ jobs:
     timeout-minutes: 30
     permissions:
       contents: write
+      # Release notes read PR bodies and authors.
+      pull-requests: read
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
         uses: actions/checkout@v6
         with:
           ref: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.ref }}
+          # Release notes need history back to the previous tag, not file contents.
+          fetch-depth: 0
+          filter: blob:none
           sparse-checkout: |
             /*
             !/.repos/
@@ -892,6 +897,27 @@ jobs:
             echo 'EOF'
           } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
+      # A short model summary over GitHub's full list. Without a notes file, the
+      # release falls back to GitHub's generated notes.
+      - name: Write release notes
+        if: needs.preflight.outputs.release_channel != 'preview' && needs.preflight.outputs.previous_tag != ''
+        continue-on-error: true
+        timeout-minutes: 5
+        env:
+          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
+          OPENAI_API_KEY: ${{ secrets.OPENAI_API_KEY }}
+        run: |
+          node scripts/generate-release-notes.ts \
+            --repository "${{ github.repository }}" \
+            --tag "${{ needs.preflight.outputs.tag }}" \
+            --ref "${{ needs.preflight.outputs.ref }}" \
+            --previous-tag "${{ needs.preflight.outputs.previous_tag }}" \
+            --version "${{ needs.preflight.outputs.version }}" \
+            --output release-notes.md
+          if [[ -f release-notes.md ]]; then
+            cat release-notes.md >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+          fi
+
       # A preview release gets a warning instead of generated notes. Generated
       # notes would list every commit since the previous preview, which is
       # unmerged branch history no one should read as a changelog, and would
@@ -917,8 +943,8 @@ jobs:
           tag_name: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.tag }}
           target_commitish: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.ref }}
           name: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.release_name }}
-          generate_release_notes: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.release_channel != 'preview' }}
-          body_path: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.release_channel == 'preview' && 'release-notes.md' || '' }}
+          generate_release_notes: ${{ hashFiles('release-notes.md') == '' }}
+          body_path: ${{ hashFiles('release-notes.md') != '' && 'release-notes.md' || '' }}
           previous_tag: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.previous_tag }}
           prerelease: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.is_prerelease }}
           make_latest: ${{ needs.preflight.outputs.make_latest }}

apps/desktop/src/updates/DesktopUpdates.ts

@@ -70,6 +70,7 @@ const UpdateInfo = Schema.Struct({
   version: Schema.String,
   // Malformed notes must not block update-state decoding; normalizeDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes validates separately.
   releaseNotes: Schema.optional(Schema.Unknown),
+  releaseDate: Schema.optional(Schema.String),
 });
 
 const DownloadProgressInfo = Schema.Struct({
@@ -895,6 +896,7 @@ export const make = Effect.gen(function* () {
             info.releaseNotes,
             info.version,
             state.channel,
+            info.releaseDate,
           );
           yield* setState(
             reduceDesktopUpdateStateOnUpdateAvailable(

apps/desktop/src/updates/releaseNotes.test.ts

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ describe("normalizeDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes", () => {
       releaseNotes: [
         {
           version: "0.0.36-nightly.20260828.1213",
+          releasedAt: "2026-08-28",
           items: [
             "fix(opencode): handle child approvals, stops, and model catalogs by @human in #8480",
             "fix(web): keep long task drawers usable on small screens by @human in #8313",
@@ -60,6 +61,37 @@ describe("normalizeDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("reads a generated summary as a note and skips the folded full list", () => {
+    const fixes = Array.from({ length: 9 }, (_, index) => `- Fix ${index + 1} (#${index + 1})`);
+    const result = normalizeDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes(
+      [
+        "**v1.2.4** · 12 changes from 3 contributors",
+        "## Highlights",
+        "Link machines (beta).",
+        "## Fixes",
+        ...fixes,
+        "<details>",
+        "<summary>Full changelog</summary>",
+        "* fix: raw entry by @human in https://github.com/pingdotgg/t3code/pull/1",
+        "</details>",
+      ].join("\n"),
+      "1.2.4",
+      "latest",
+      "2026-10-29T10:00:00.000Z",
+    );
+
+    expect(result.releaseNotes).toEqual([
+      {
+        version: "1.2.4",
+        releasedAt: "2026-10-29T10:00:00.000Z",
+        stats: "12 changes from 3 contributors",
+        intro: "Link machines (beta).",
+        items: fixes.map((_, index) => `Fix ${index + 1}`),
+        totalItems: 10,
+      },
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it("does not count Markdown or HTML section headings as changes", () => {
     const changes = Array.from({ length: 8 }, (_, index) => `Change ${index + 1}`);
     const result = normalizeDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes(
@@ -80,6 +112,35 @@ describe("normalizeDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes", () => {
     ]);
   });
 
+  it("reads handwritten notes with their own <details> as a list", () => {
+    const result = normalizeDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes(
+      "- Older fix\n- Newer fix\n<details><summary>Logs</summary>\n- hidden\n</details>",
+      "1.2.3",
+      "latest",
+    );
+
+    expect(result.releaseNotes).toEqual([
+      { version: "1.2.3", items: ["hidden", "Logs", "Newer fix", "Older fix"], totalItems: 4 },
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("dates the offered release from the feed and older nightlies by their build day", () => {
+    const result = normalizeDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes(
+      [
+        { version: "0.0.41-nightly.20260914.1707", note: "- Nightly change 2" },
+        { version: "0.0.41-nightly.20260913.1700", note: "- Nightly change 1" },
+      ],
+      "0.0.41-nightly.20260914.1707",
+      "nightly",
+      "2026-09-14T18:30:00.000Z",
+    );
+
+    expect(result.releaseNotes.map(({ releasedAt }) => releasedAt)).toEqual([
+      "2026-09-14T18:30:00.000Z",
+      "2026-09-13",
+    ]);
+  });
+
   it("drops releases from other trains before grouping on nightly", () => {
     const releaseNotes = [
       { version: "0.0.41-preview.20260914.1683", note: "- Maintainer test build" },

apps/desktop/src/updates/releaseNotes.ts

@@ -93,11 +93,46 @@ function isIgnoredReleaseNoteLine(line: string): boolean {
 interface ExtractedReleaseNoteItems {
   readonly items: ReadonlyArray<string>;
   readonly totalItems: number;
+  readonly intro?: string;
+  readonly stats?: string;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Reads a generated summary (`scripts/generate-release-notes.ts`): a `v1.2.3 · N changes…`
+ * header, a highlights paragraph, and fix bullets. PR numbers are left to the GitHub page.
+ */
+function extractReleaseNoteSummary(summary: string): ExtractedReleaseNoteItems {
+  let stats: string | undefined;
+  const intro: string[] = [];
+  const items: string[] = [];
+  for (const rawLine of stripMarkup(summary).split("\n")) {
+    const line = rawLine.trim().replace(/\s+/g, " ");
+    if (line === "" || /^#{1,6}\s+/.test(line)) continue;
+    if (stats === undefined && /^v\S+ · /.test(line)) {
+      stats = line.slice(line.indexOf(" · ") + 3);
+      continue;
+    }
+    const text = line
+      .replace(/^[-*]\s+/, "")
+      .replace(/\s*\((?:#\d+(?:,\s*)?)+\)\.?$/, "")
+      .trim();
+    if (/^[-*]\s+/.test(line)) items.push(text);
+    else intro.push(text);
+  }
+  return {
+    items,
+    totalItems: items.length + intro.length,
+    ...(intro.length > 0 ? { intro: intro.join(" ") } : {}),
+    ...(stats ? { stats } : {}),
+  };
 }
 
 function extractReleaseNoteItems(note: string | null | undefined): ExtractedReleaseNoteItems {
   if (!note) return { items: [], totalItems: 0 };
 
+  // Generated summaries fold GitHub's full list under this exact <details> block.
+  const summaryEnd = note.search(/<details>\s*<summary>\s*Full changelog\s*<\/summary>/i);
+  if (summaryEnd >= 0) return extractReleaseNoteSummary(note.slice(0, summaryEnd));
   const items: string[] = [];
   let totalItems = 0;
   for (const rawLine of stripMarkup(note).split("\n")) {
@@ -117,6 +152,15 @@ function extractReleaseNoteItems(note: string | null | undefined): ExtractedRele
   return { items: items.toReversed(), totalItems };
 }
 
+// The update feed dates only the offered version; prerelease versions carry their UTC build day.
+const PRERELEASE_BUILD_DAY = /-(?:nightly|preview)\.(\d{4})(\d{2})(\d{2})\.\d+$/;
+
+function resolveReleasedAt(version: string, offeredVersion: string, releaseDate?: string) {
+  if (version === offeredVersion && releaseDate) return releaseDate;
+  const day = PRERELEASE_BUILD_DAY.exec(version);
+  return day ? `${day[1]}-${day[2]}-${day[3]}` : undefined;
+}
+
 interface NormalizedDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes {
   readonly releaseNotes: ReadonlyArray<DesktopUpdateReleaseNote>;
   readonly omittedReleaseCount: number;
@@ -127,6 +171,7 @@ export function normalizeDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes(
   releaseNotes: unknown,
   fallbackVersion: string,
   channel: DesktopUpdateChannel,
+  releaseDate?: string,
 ): NormalizedDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes {
   const rawNotes = (
     typeof releaseNotes === "string"
@@ -137,13 +182,17 @@ export function normalizeDesktopUpdateReleaseNotes(
   ).filter((entry) => desktopUpdateChannelOf(entry.version) === channel);
 
   const normalizedNotes = rawNotes.flatMap((entry) => {
-    const { items, totalItems } = extractReleaseNoteItems(entry.note);
+    const { items, totalItems, intro, stats } = extractReleaseNoteItems(entry.note);
     if (totalItems === 0) return [];
+    const releasedAt = resolveReleasedAt(entry.version, fallbackVersion, releaseDate);
     return [
       {
         version: entry.version,
         items,
         totalItems,
+        ...(intro ? { intro } : {}),
+        ...(stats ? { stats } : {}),
+        ...(releasedAt ? { releasedAt } : {}),
       },
     ];
   });

apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarUpdatePill.browser.test.tsx

@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ function publish(update: DesktopUpdateState | null) {
   });
 }
 
-const releaseNotes = () => document.querySelector('[aria-label="Nightly update release notes"]');
+const releaseNotes = () => document.querySelector('[aria-label="Update release notes"]');
 
 describe("SidebarUpdatePill release notes", () => {
   it("closes when the release notes stop applying", async () => {

apps/web/src/components/sidebar/SidebarUpdatePill.tsx

@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ function shouldUseSidebarUpdateReleaseNotesPopover(
   showUpdateDetails: boolean,
   state: DesktopUpdateState | null,
 ): boolean {
-  return showUpdateDetails && state?.channel === "nightly" && state.releaseNotes.length > 0;
+  return showUpdateDetails && (state?.releaseNotes.length ?? 0) > 0;
 }
 
 function handleSidebarUpdateReleaseNotesPopoverOpenChange(
@@ -542,7 +542,7 @@ function SidebarUpdateControl() {
         {showReleaseNotesPopover && state ? (
           <PopoverPopup
             align="center"
-            aria-label="Nightly update release notes"
+            aria-label="Update release notes"
             initialFocus={false}
             onKeyDownCapture={(event) => {
               if (