reno

What it is and what it does

Reno is a release notes manager built for distributed teams that want to avoid merge conflicts and manual coordination when writing release notes. Instead of a single changelog file that multiple developers edit simultaneously, reno stores each note in its own file alongside the code it describes. This lets developers write notes when changes are fresh, submit them through the same code review process, and avoid rebasing conflicts. Reno automatically groups notes by category (features, bug fixes, known issues, etc.) and ties them to releases using git tags, so you don't have to manually track which changes went into which version.

The package integrates with Sphinx for documentation builds and supports backporting notes to maintenance branches. It uses git as its storage backend, meaning release notes live in version control with the code they describe. Reno is designed for high-throughput teams and is used primarily in OpenStack projects. The package is currently dormant—no active development for 893 days—but remains stable and functional for its core workflow.

Use it for:

• Coordinate release notes across a large distributed team without merge conflicts by storing each note in a separate file.
• Automatically generate release notes tied to git tags, eliminating manual version tracking and the risk of missing changes.
• Backport bug-fix notes from a main branch to maintenance branches alongside code patches.
• Integrate release notes into Sphinx documentation builds for automated, styled release history.
• Correct or update published release notes after a release without changing the version they're associated with.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Reno manages release notes by storing individual note files in git, organizing them by category, and automatically generating compiled release notes tied to git tags.

Yes, if you need a git-native, merge-conflict-free release notes workflow for a team. The dormant maintenance status is acceptable for a stable, focused tool with no known vulnerabilities. Not recommended if you need active development, frequent updates, or support for non-git workflows.

Install

reno on PyPI

pip install reno

uv add reno

poetry add reno

Installing reno

Before you install

Low install friction with a pure-Python wheel and four straightforward runtime dependencies. Maintenance is dormant—last release was 893 days ago—so expect no active bug fixes or feature work, though the package remains functional for its core use case.

License in practice

Licensed under Apache (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute reno freely in commercial and open-source projects without copyleft obligations.

Quickstart

pip install reno

reno new bugfix-title
reno report

Requires git repository initialized in the working directory; reno reads git tags and commit history to associate notes with versions.

Verify before relying

• Whether dormant status means security patches will be applied if vulnerabilities are discovered.
• Whether the package's Sphinx integration works with current Sphinx versions without additional configuration.
• Compatibility with git workflows other than linear or simple branching (e.g., complex rebase scenarios).

Package facts

Evidence: reno-4.1.0-py3-none-any.whl

Tags

More Documentation packages