philoserf/skills/cc-release-review

Reads Claude Code release notes and compares them against the user's current configuration to surface actionable updates. Tracks which version was last reviewed so repeat invocations skip already-evaluated releases.

Workflow

1. Detect versions

Run claude --version to get the installed version (e.g., 2.1.128 (Claude Code) — extract the version number).

Read ~/.claude/state/cc-release-review-version.txt to get the last reviewed version. If the file doesn't exist, this is a first run.

Compare:

• Same version: Tell the user "Already reviewed version X" and stop unless they confirm.
• Different version: Proceed. Report the gap: "Reviewing v2.1.112 → v2.1.128 (last reviewed: v2.1.111 — 17 versions to cover)."
• No state file: Proceed. Note "First review — no prior version tracked."

2. Get release notes (bulk)

Ask the user to run /release-notes with no arguments. Tell them: "Run /release-notes (no args) and press Enter (or send any message) so the full chronological dump reaches me."

Do not read any config files yet. Wait for the release notes to arrive.

If the user already provided release notes earlier in this session, reuse them.

The dump format is reliable:

Version 2.1.117:
· item one
· item two

Version 2.1.118:
· item one
...

Versions are listed chronologically, earliest first. Some versions may be skipped (e.g., 2.1.115, 2.1.124, 2.1.125) — that's normal; only versions with public release notes appear. Bullets use · (middle dot).

Slice the buffer from the first Version X.Y.Z: block where Z > last_reviewed through the end. That's the review scope. If no version is newer, tell the user they're up to date and skip to step 5.

3. Read config (after release notes arrive)

Once the relevant slice is in context, scan it for keywords (settings names, hook events, permission patterns, env vars, CLI flags, skill/agent fields) and read only the config files relevant to what changed. Don't blanket-read everything.

Available config files for reference:

| File | What to look for | | ------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- | | ~/.claude/settings.json | hooks, permissions, statusLine, plugins | | ~/.claude/settings.local.json | local overrides (may not exist) | | ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md | workflow instructions, tool references | | ~/.claude/.claude/CLAUDE.md | project-level instructions | | ~/.claude/rules/*.md | rule files that reference CLI features |

Also use Glob/Grep to discover additional config (.mcp.json, skill frontmatter, hook scripts, agent frontmatter) when a release note touches something specific.

4. Analyze and produce one consolidated report

For each release-note item in the slice, classify it: action-required, notable-but-not-actionable, or noise. Then produce a single report following references/report-template.md — three sections (Action items / Notable / Added surface area), skip any that's empty.

5. Update version tracking

After presenting the report, write the installed version to ~/.claude/state/cc-release-review-version.txt.

Format: just the version string on one line (e.g., 2.1.128).

Guidelines

• Don't recommend what's already configured. If a new hook event exists and the user already wires it, mention it under "Notable" or skip it.
• Be specific in action items. Don't say "consider updating hooks." Say which hook, which file, which line, what to change.
• Respect the user's style. Match patterns already in settings.json (async flags, timeouts, command paths) when suggesting additions.
• Don't auto-apply changes. This skill is advisory. Present the report; let the user decide what to implement.
• Collapse cross-version themes. If the same area gets refined across multiple versions (e.g. find fd-usage reduction in v2.1.120 + v2.1.121), one line beats two.
• Don't list every fix. Bug fixes that don't intersect the user's config don't need their own bullet — a one-sentence summary in the report header covers them.

Do not use when

• Scoring the whole harness against a quality rubric — use cc-review
• Capturing lessons from the current conversation into CLAUDE.md — use claudemd-capture