GitLab Changelog Generator
A Chrome extension that adds a Generate Changelog button next to every tag on a GitLab project’s tags page. Pick two tags, and the extension fetches all commits between them, resolves the linked issues, and produces a structured changelog — ready to copy, export as Markdown, or publish directly to a GitLab wiki page.
Works with gitlab.com and any self-hosted GitLab instance. No API tokens needed — it uses your existing browser session.
Installation
- Go to
chrome://extensionsand enable Developer mode (top-right toggle). - Click Load unpacked and select the extension folder.
- The GitLab icon appears in your browser toolbar.
A Chrome Web Store release is coming. Once published, installation will be a single click.
Setup
Add a GitLab instance
- Click the extension icon in the toolbar, then Manage GitLab Instances — or right-click the icon and choose Options.
- Enter the base URL of your GitLab instance, e.g.
https://gitlab.example.com. - Optionally add a label (e.g. “Work GitLab”) to tell instances apart.
- Click Add & Grant Permission and accept the Chrome permission prompt.
You can add as many instances as you need. The extension only runs on hosts you have explicitly granted.
Branch issue regex (optional)
In Options → Advanced Settings you can set a regex that extracts an issue number from a branch name when no closed issue can be found via the GitLab API.
| Regex | Matches branch |
|---|---|
^(\d+)[-_] |
757-fix-graphql-field |
(?:^\/\/)(\d+)[-_] |
feature/757-fix-graphql-field |
The regex must contain exactly one capture group for the issue number. Leave blank to disable.
Generating a Changelog
- Navigate to any project’s Tags page (
/-/tags). - A small icon (🏷) appears next to each tag name. Click it.
- A modal opens with the selected tag as the From tag (older).
- Choose the To tag (newer) from the dropdown — it defaults to the next tag above.
- If your project’s issues live in a separate GitLab project, set the Issue project field (supports autocomplete after 3 characters). The extension remembers your choice per project.
- Click Generate Changelog.
The extension then:
- Fetches all commits between the two tags
- Resolves every MR linked to those commits
- Finds all issues closed by those MRs
- Falls back to branch-name regex if no issues are found via the API
- Resolves cross-project issue references (e.g.
group/other-project#77)
Changelog Output
Issues section
Lists all linked issues grouped by state:
- Closed — issues resolved in this range
- Open — issues referenced but still open
- Other / Referenced — issues mentioned but not fully resolved
Each entry is a direct link to the issue in GitLab.
Copy Issues copies the section as Markdown to the clipboard.
Commits section
Lists every commit with:
- Short SHA linked to the commit in GitLab
- Commit title
- Chips for each linked issue (click to open the issue)
Copy Commits copies the section as Markdown to the clipboard.
Export as Markdown
Downloads a changelog_<fromTag>_to_<toTag>.md file containing both sections in the format below.
# Changelog: v1.0.0 → v1.1.0
## Issues (5) — v1.0.0 → v1.1.0
### Closed (3)
- [#42 Login fails on Firefox](https://gitlab.example.com/group/project/-/issues/42)
- [#48 Add dark mode](https://...)
### Open (2)
- ...
## Commits (12) — v1.0.0 → v1.1.0
- [`abc12345`](https://.../commit/abc12345) Fix login validation [#42](https://.../issues/42)
- [`def67890`](https://.../commit/def67890) Add dark-mode toggle [#48](https://.../issues/48)
Publish to Wiki
After generating a changelog you can publish it directly to a GitLab wiki page.
- Click Publish to Wiki in the changelog header.
- A panel expands with two fields:
- Project — the GitLab project whose wiki should receive the page. Supports autocomplete (type 3+ characters). Defaults to the last project you used and is remembered per code project.
- Wiki path —
[parent] / [page slug]. The parent (e.g.releases) is remembered per project. The page slug defaults to the “to” tag name.
- The Full path preview updates live (e.g.
releases/v1.1.0). - Click Publish.
- If the page does not exist yet it is created.
- If it already exists it is updated.
- An Open page → link appears on success.
The Wiki feature must be enabled on the target project (Settings → General → Visibility → Wiki), otherwise the API returns 404.
Dark Mode
The changelog modal fully supports dark mode and respects your OS setting automatically.
Privacy
The extension communicates exclusively with the GitLab instance(s) you configure. No data leaves your browser to any third-party service. All API calls use your existing logged-in session (same-origin cookies) — no API tokens or credentials are stored.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| No changelog icon on the tags page | Check that you added and granted permission for this instance in Options |
| Issues section is empty | Try setting the Issue project field to the project where issues live |
| Wiki publish returns 404 | Enable the Wiki feature in the target project’s Settings → General → Visibility |
| Icon appears but clicks do nothing | Reload the tab after installing or updating the extension |
Version History
| Version | Highlights |
|---|---|
| 1.5.0 | Issue project selector with autocomplete; wiki publish; cross-project issue resolution; npm publish script |
| 1.4.0 | Issues and Commits sections with per-section copy buttons; commit SHAs linked |
| 1.3.0 | Commit→MR API for thorough issue resolution; bounded concurrency |
| 1.2.0 | Export as Markdown |
| 1.1.0 | Configurable GitLab instances with per-host permissions |
| 1.0.0 | Initial release |