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YESreplaces $29/mosaves $348/yrback to the verdict

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Saved on this device only. Tick prerequisites first, then work the phases in order · do not start one until the checks above it pass.

A changelog page and a what's-new widget: Markdown entries rendered to a static page and RSS, a badge that knows the last entry a visitor saw, and a script that posts new entries to Slack. One of the smallest real products on the list and a good first build.

estimated effort one sittingthe files for this build are in the project pack

BuildA Node script rendering MarkdownWidgetOne vanilla-JS file under 3 KB

Before step 1

Everything below is assumed from the first step. Tick each one when you actually have it, not when you plan to.

installfree
Why Everything in this build runs on it: the server, the scripts, the tests.
Get it Download the LTS installer from nodejs.org, or install with your package manager (brew install node, or nvm install 22). Restart the terminal afterwards. open ↗
Verify node --version prints v22 or higher
installfree
Why Every step below is a command you type or a file you edit.
Get it VS Code (code.visualstudio.com), Cursor or Zed. Open a folder for the project and use the editor's built-in terminal. open ↗
Verify You can open a folder and run a command in its terminal
installfree
Why History for your code, and the way most hosts deploy.
Get it Install from git-scm.com or with your package manager, then run git init in the project folder once it exists. open ↗
Verify git --version prints a version
accountfree
Why The changelog is static files.
Get it Cloudflare Pages, Netlify, or a folder in your current site. open ↗
API keyfree
Why Phase 4 posts new entries.
Get it api.slack.com/apps > Incoming Webhooks. open ↗

Data model

Create these before the first phase that stores anything. Changing a table later is the expensive kind of change.

changelog/YYYY-MM-DD-slug.md with frontmatter: title, date, category (new | improved | fixed), and the body.

Environment variables

These go in a .env file the app reads at startup. The pack's .env.example is this table as a file · copy it, never commit the filled-in version.

Variable	Needed	Example	Where the value comes from
`SITE_URL`	required	`https://yourdomain.com/changelog`	Public base of the changelog.
`SLACK_WEBHOOK_URL`secret	optional	`https://hooks.slack.com/services/...`	For the publish script. Empty disables it.

The build, in order

1
The page
Entries rendered newest first with categories; a validating build; RSS.
1. terminal
  mkdir changelog && cd changelog && git init && npm init -y && npm pkg set type=module && npm install markdown-it@14 gray-matter@4 mkdir -p changelog public && cp .env.example .env
done when · tick each as it passes
next phase
2
The widget
A badge from latest.json cleared by opening the panel.
done when · tick each as it passes
next phase
3
Design
A timeline, category colours, dark mode, no style leaks.
done when · tick each as it passes
next phase
4
Distribution
Slack on publish.
done when · tick each as it passes
next phase
5
Deploy
One command from Markdown to live; README.
2. Files README.md
done when · tick each as it passes
next phase
6
Private changelogproduct builder
A customer-only changelog behind your app's login.
done when · tick each as it passes

what this build does not replace

The hosted editor and reaction analytics.
the hosted editor
Slack and Twitter auto-posting
reaction analytics
private changelogs behind their auth

after v1, if you want it

Email digests of entries
Reactions stored in a tiny endpoint

Need the files? The project pack on the verdict page hands your agent the whole brief · more dev tools.