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How to Connect GitHub to Saylo

Automatically generate changelogs from your repository commits using AI

Complete Integration Guide

Saylo's GitHub integration automatically analyzes your commits, generates professional changelogs using AI, and keeps your users updated with every release. The system monitors push events to your main/master branch and creates beautiful, user-focused changelog entries.

This guide walks you through the complete setup process, from GitHub OAuth authorization to testing your first automated changelog generation.

What You'll Get with GitHub Integration

Transform your GitHub repository into an automated changelog generator with these powerful features:

AI-Powered Changelog Generation

Saylo uses OpenAI's GPT-4 to analyze your commits and generate professional, user-focused changelog entries.

  • • Intelligent commit message analysis
  • • File change impact assessment
  • • User-facing change detection
  • • Professional content formatting

Real-time Webhook Integration

Secure webhook integration that triggers changelog generation on every push to main/master branch.

  • • Push event monitoring
  • • HMAC-SHA256 signature verification
  • • Automatic webhook secret generation
  • • Duplicate detection and prevention

Integration Notifications

Automatically notify your team via Slack and Discord when new changelogs are generated.

  • • Slack webhook integration
  • • Discord webhook support
  • • Rich message formatting
  • • Direct links to changelog entries

Security & Reliability

Enterprise-grade security with proper OAuth flow and webhook validation.

  • • GitHub OAuth 2.0 authentication
  • • Minimal required permissions
  • • Secure token storage
  • • Error handling and retries

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Follow these steps to connect GitHub to your Saylo project:

1

Access Project Settings

Navigate to your Saylo project dashboard and access the integrations settings.

How to access settings:

  1. 1. Go to your Saylo project dashboard
  2. 2. Click on "Settings" in the sidebar
  3. 3. Navigate to the "Integrations" tab
  4. 4. Find the GitHub integration card

Note: You need admin access to your Saylo project to configure integrations.

2

Authorize GitHub Access

Click "Connect GitHub" to start the OAuth authorization process with GitHub.

OAuth authorization process:

  1. 1. Click "Connect GitHub" in the integration card
  2. 2. You'll be redirected to GitHub's authorization page
  3. 3. GitHub will request permissions for repository access
  4. 4. Click "Authorize Saylo" to grant access
  5. 5. You'll be redirected back to your Saylo project

Permissions requested: Repository access and webhook management for automatic changelog generation.

3

Select Your Repository

Choose which GitHub repository you want to connect for changelog generation.

Repository selection:

  1. 1. After authorization, you'll see a list of your repositories
  2. 2. Select the repository you want to monitor
  3. 3. The system will automatically detect the default branch
  4. 4. Click "Connect Repository" to proceed

Supported: Both public and private repositories that you have admin access to.

4

Configure Integration Settings

Set up your preferences for changelog generation and notifications.

Configuration options:

  • • Auto-publish: Automatically publish changelogs or save as drafts
  • • Slack notifications: Send notifications to your Slack workspace
  • • Discord notifications: Send notifications to your Discord channel
  • • Webhook secret: Automatically generated for security

Pro tip: Start with auto-publish disabled to review generated changelogs before publishing.

5

Test the Integration

Make a test commit to verify that changelog generation is working correctly.

Testing steps:

  1. 1. Make a test commit to your connected repository
  2. 2. Push the commit to the main/master branch
  3. 3. Wait 1-2 minutes for processing
  4. 4. Check your Saylo dashboard for the new changelog entry
  5. 5. Verify the content and formatting

Success indicator: You should see a new changelog entry with AI-generated content and an automatically created image.

How Changelog Generation Works

Understanding the AI-powered changelog generation process:

AI Analysis Process

When you push commits to your repository, Saylo's AI analyzes each commit to understand the changes and generate user-focused changelog content.

Analysis steps:

  1. 1. GitHub webhook sends push event to Saylo's API endpoint
  2. 2. System retrieves commit details and file changes from GitHub API
  3. 3. AI analyzes commit messages and file diffs for user impact
  4. 4. Changes are categorized (features, bug fixes, improvements)
  5. 5. Professional changelog content is generated using GPT-4
  6. 6. Changelog image is created using DALL-E
  7. 7. Entry is saved to database with metadata

Supported Commit Formats

Saylo works with any commit format but provides better results with conventional commits.

Conventional Commits (Recommended)

  • feat: add new feature
  • fix: resolve bug
  • docs: update documentation
  • style: formatting changes
  • refactor: code restructuring

Traditional Commits

  • Add user authentication
  • Fix login bug
  • Update README
  • Improve performance

File Change Analysis

The AI analyzes file changes to determine user-facing impact and categorize changes appropriately.

Impact assessment:

  • • High Impact: UI components, pages, API endpoints
  • • Medium Impact: Styling, functionality, performance
  • • Low Impact: Configuration, utilities, internal files

Changelog Generation Examples

See how your commits are transformed into professional changelog entries:

Feature Commit

Commit: feat: add dark mode support

Generated Entry:
✨ Added dark mode support for improved user experience

Category: Features | Impact: High

Bug Fix Commit

Commit: fix: resolve mobile navigation issue

Generated Entry:
🐛 Fixed mobile navigation menu not displaying correctly

Category: Bug Fixes | Impact: High

Performance Improvement

Commit: perf: optimize database queries

Generated Entry:
⚡ Improved application performance with optimized database queries

Category: Improvements | Impact: Medium

Best Practices for GitHub Integration

Get the most out of your GitHub integration with these expert tips:

Commit Message Guidelines

  • • Use conventional commit format for better categorization
  • • Write clear, descriptive commit messages
  • • Include issue numbers when relevant
  • • Use present tense ("add" not "added")
  • • Focus on user-facing changes

Branch Strategy

  • • Connect your main/master branch for production releases
  • • Use feature branches for development
  • • Merge to main when ready for release
  • • Consider connecting multiple branches for different environments

Integration Settings

  • • Start with auto-publish disabled for review
  • • Set up Slack/Discord notifications for team awareness
  • • Monitor webhook delivery logs in GitHub
  • • Regularly review generated changelog quality

Team Workflow

  • • Establish commit message conventions with your team
  • • Use pull requests for code review
  • • Squash commits before merging to main
  • • Set up branch protection rules

Common Issues & Solutions

Quick fixes for the most common GitHub integration problems:

Webhook Not Receiving Events?

If commits aren't triggering changelog generation:

  • • Check that you're pushing to the connected branch (main/master)
  • • Verify the webhook is active in your GitHub repository settings
  • • Check GitHub's webhook delivery logs for failed attempts
  • • Ensure your repository is public or Saylo has access
  • • Verify the webhook URL is accessible from the internet

OAuth Authentication Issues?

If you encounter authentication problems:

  • • Check that your GitHub OAuth app is properly configured
  • • Verify the callback URL matches exactly
  • • Ensure you have admin access to the repository
  • • Try disconnecting and reconnecting the integration
  • • Check browser console for any JavaScript errors

Changelog Not Generating?

If commits aren't being analyzed:

  • • Verify that commits follow conventional format
  • • Check that the repository is properly connected
  • • Look for any error messages in your Saylo dashboard (app.saylo.io or app.localhost:3000)
  • • Ensure OpenAI API key is configured and valid
  • • Check application logs for processing errors

Need Help?

If you're still experiencing issues:

  • • Check the GitHub repository for known issues
  • • Review the Saylo documentation
  • • Contact support with specific error messages and logs
  • • Check webhook delivery logs in your GitHub repository settings

Ready to Automate Your Changelogs?

Connect your GitHub repository and start automatically generating beautiful changelogs from your commits. Never manually write a changelog again!

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