# Changelog Generation \[Fetch release notes and render a changelog page]

## Overview

Vocs can fetch release data from a changelog adapter and render it as a changelog page in your docs. Out of the box, Vocs includes:

* A GitHub Releases adapter (`Changelog.github`)
* A simple adapter interface for custom sources (`Changelog.from`)
* A built-in `::changelog` MDX directive
* A `vocs/server` action for rendering releases in your own components

## Recipes

### Configure a Changelog Source

Add a changelog adapter to `vocs.config.ts`:

```ts [vocs.config.ts]
import { Changelog, defineConfig } from 'vocs/config'

export default defineConfig({
  changelog: Changelog.github({ repo: 'wevm/vocs' })
})
```

With this configuration, Vocs fetches releases from the GitHub Releases API.

### Use the GitHub Adapter

Use `Changelog.github()` to read releases from a GitHub repository.

```ts
import { Changelog } from 'vocs/config'

Changelog.github({
  repo: 'wevm/vocs',
  prereleases: true,
  token: process.env['GITHUB_TOKEN']
})
```

Use the options as follows:

* `repo`: GitHub repository in `owner/repo` format
* `prereleases`: Include prereleases in the returned changelog
* `token`: Optional GitHub token for authenticated requests and higher rate limits

If you do not pass `token`, Vocs falls back to `GITHUB_TOKEN`.

### Render the Built-in Changelog

Use the `::changelog` directive in an MDX page to render releases from your configured adapter.

```mdx [src/pages/changelog.mdx]
# Changelog

::changelog
```

You can also limit the number of releases shown:

```mdx [src/pages/changelog.mdx]
::changelog{limit=10}
```

This is how the [Vocs changelog page](/changelog) is rendered.

### Write a Custom Adapter

If your releases live somewhere other than GitHub, create a custom adapter with `Changelog.from()`.

```ts [vocs.config.ts]
import { Changelog, defineConfig } from 'vocs/config'

export default defineConfig({
  changelog: Changelog.from({
    type: 'custom',
    async fetch() {
      return [
        {
          version: 'v1.0.0',
          title: 'v1.0.0',
          date: '2026-04-21T00:00:00.000Z',
          body: 'Initial release.',
          url: 'https://example.com/releases/v1.0.0'
        }
      ]
    }
  })
})
```

Each release should provide:

* `version`: Release tag or version string
* `title`: Human-readable release title
* `date`: ISO timestamp for the release date
* `body`: Markdown release notes
* `url`: Canonical release URL

### Fetch Releases Yourself

For custom pages or layouts, use `Actions.fetchChangelog()` in a server component and render the releases yourself.

```tsx
import { Actions } from 'vocs/server' // [!code focus]

export default async function Page() {
  const releases = await Actions.fetchChangelog({ limit: 10 }) // [!code focus]

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Changelog</h1>
      {releases.map((release) => (
        <article key={release.version}>
          <h2>
            <a href={release.url}>{release.title}</a>
          </h2>
          <p>{new Date(release.date).toLocaleDateString()}</p>
          <div dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: release.bodyHtml ?? '' }} />
        </article>
      ))}
    </div>
  )
}
```

`fetchChangelog()` renders each release body from Markdown to HTML before returning it.

## See More

<Cards>
  <Card title="changelog config" description="Full reference for the changelog adapter, GitHub options, and custom adapter shape." icon="settings" to="/reference/site-config#changelog" />
</Cards>