---
name: android-release-notes
description: >-
  Generate Google Play Console release notes: gather user-facing changes,
  draft en-US within the 500-character limit, translate every listing locale
  your Play Console requires, output paste-ready locale XML. Use when the user
  asks for Android release notes, Play Store what's new, localised store listing
  updates, or Play Console upload copy. Do not improvise markdown-only notes;
  follow this skill.
---

# Android release notes (Play Console)

Produce **Google Play release notes** for the current build: one XML block per required listing locale, ready to paste into Play Console.

**This skill is mandatory** when the user requests Android / Play Store release notes. Do not write ad-hoc changelog markdown instead of Play XML.

## Suggested layers

Adapt names to your repo. The pattern matters more than the labels.

| Layer | Role |
|-------|------|
| Version source | Where `versionName` / `versionCode` (or equivalent) live |
| Change baseline | Git range or release train that defines "what's new" |
| Locale list | The locales your Play Console listing actually requires |
| Output artifact | Saved XML next to the release binary (version folder) |

## Default workflow

Agents **must** follow this order:

1. **Read this skill** — do not skip to freeform markdown.
2. Read version identifiers from your project's version source (for example `app/build.gradle`, `build.gradle.kts`, or a version file you maintain).
3. Gather commits / shipped changes since the baseline for this release train. Override the baseline when the default is wrong.
4. If the conversation includes **uncommitted or unreleased work** that will ship in this build, include it in en-US even if it is not yet in git.
5. Draft **en-US** release notes (≤500 characters): user-facing, 2–4 short lines. Do **not** paste commit subjects verbatim. No emoji (Play plain text).
6. **Human quality gate (recommended):** pause for a light English review before translating. Bad en-US fans out to every market.
7. Translate approved en-US into every other required listing locale (maintain a locale table in your repo; keep regional pairs distinct where needed).
8. **Save** XML beside the release artifacts (for example `release/<version>/release-notes.xml`).
9. **Deliver** the full XML in the chat response for copy-paste into Play Console (API upload is optional and separate).
10. Validate every required locale is present and each block is ≤500 characters.

## Trigger phrases

- "make the Android release notes"
- "generate release notes" / "write release notes" (Android / Play context)
- "Play Store what's new" / "Play Console release notes"
- "localised store listing" / "translate release notes"
- Preparing or uploading an Android release

## Do not

- Replace Play XML with informal markdown changelogs as the ship artifact
- Output only en-US when the listing has multiple locales
- Use emoji, markdown, or HTML inside locale blocks
- Paste raw git commit subjects into Play notes
- Include the version number in the note text (Play shows version separately)
- Publish secret paths, credentials, or private product internals into a public skill fork

## Required output format

```xml
<en-US>
...
</en-US>
<ar>
...
</ar>
```

Include **every** locale your Play Console listing requires. Max **500 characters** per block.

## Writing guidelines

- Lead with the most noticeable user benefit.
- Group related fixes ("Stability improvements and crash fixes" not eight separate crash lines).
- Drop internal-only work (refactors, CI, build tooling) unless it affects users.
- Keep regional variants appropriately distinct (for example `es-419` vs `es-ES`, `pt-BR` vs `pt-PT`, `en-US` vs `en-GB`).
- Translate from **en-US**, not from raw git messages.

### Commit hint → user-facing (examples)

| Commit hint | User-facing line |
|-------------|------------------|
| crash fixes | Stability improvements and crash fixes |
| offline assets | More content available offline |
| fix dismiss on upgrade screen | Fixed an issue with the upgrade screen |

### Example en-US

```
Stability improvements and crash fixes.
More content now works offline.
Upgrade and ad flows behave more reliably.
```

## Locale list

Do not hardcode another app's locale set. Maintain a small table or JSON file in **your** repo listing Play locale codes your console requires, and update it when Play adds or removes listing languages.

Treat unpublished or partially localised in-app languages the same as full ones for **store notes**: if Play lists the locale, emit a block.

## Quality check

- [ ] All required locale blocks present
- [ ] Each block ≤ 500 characters
- [ ] en-US reviewed before translation fan-out
- [ ] No emoji / markdown / HTML in blocks
- [ ] Version in the binary matches the notes you are uploading
- [ ] XML saved with the release artifacts

## Optional second pass

For languages you cannot read, a **second model** can surface translation queries only (odd calques, broken placeholders, missing benefit). It does not replace the English gate or your Accept before paste.

## Further reading

- Play Console release notes limits and paste flow (current Google documentation)
- Pair with an iOS What's New skill when you ship the same version on both stores