From b12b9746c6fab8038aa074003fd43f8d68378f54 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: "dolgolyov.alexei" <dolgolyov.alexei@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2026 15:33:34 +0300
Subject: [PATCH] docs: add RELEASE_NOTES.md pattern for CI release notes

CI scans for RELEASE_NOTES.md in the repo and prepends its content
to the auto-generated Downloads section in the release body.
---
 gitea-python-ci-cd.md | 44 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 44 insertions(+)

diff --git a/gitea-python-ci-cd.md b/gitea-python-ci-cd.md
index 8ccc734..152f54a 100644
--- a/gitea-python-ci-cd.md
+++ b/gitea-python-ci-cd.md
@@ -600,6 +600,50 @@ git tag v0.2.0-alpha.1
 git push origin v0.2.0-alpha.1
 ```
 
+### 8.1. Release Notes from File
+
+Instead of hardcoding release notes in the workflow, keep a `RELEASE_NOTES.md` in the repo. The CI scans for it and prepends its content to the auto-generated Downloads section.
+
+**Workflow:**
+1. Before tagging, write `RELEASE_NOTES.md` with changes for this release
+2. Commit, tag, push — CI picks up the file automatically
+3. Release body = your notes + auto-generated download/Docker instructions
+
+**CI implementation:**
+
+```yaml
+- name: Checkout
+  uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+- name: Create release
+  run: |
+    # Scan for RELEASE_NOTES.md (repo root first, then up to 3 levels deep)
+    NOTES_FILE=$(find . -maxdepth 3 -name "RELEASE_NOTES.md" -type f | head -1)
+    if [ -n "$NOTES_FILE" ]; then
+      export RELEASE_NOTES=$(cat "$NOTES_FILE")
+      echo "Found release notes: $NOTES_FILE"
+    else
+      export RELEASE_NOTES=""
+      echo "No RELEASE_NOTES.md found"
+    fi
+
+    # Python reads RELEASE_NOTES from env, prepends to Downloads section
+    BODY_JSON=$(python3 -c "
+    import json, os, textwrap
+    notes = os.environ.get('RELEASE_NOTES', '')
+    sections = []
+    if notes.strip():
+        sections.append(notes.strip())
+    sections.append('## Downloads\n...')  # auto-generated part
+    print(json.dumps('\n\n'.join(sections)))
+    ")
+
+    # Create release with combined body
+    curl -s -X POST ... -d "{\"body\": $BODY_JSON, ...}"
+```
+
+If `RELEASE_NOTES.md` is absent, the release uses only the auto-generated Downloads section — no manual notes needed for quick pre-releases.
+
 ## 9. Gitea vs GitHub Actions Differences
 
 | Feature | GitHub Actions | Gitea Actions |