> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.swisstools.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Publish and Distribute Your Release Notes

> Edit AI-generated draft release notes, publish the final version, and distribute to your team via Slack, email, or as a downloadable HTML file.

After Swisstools generates a release, you have a draft in hand. From there you can refine the content, publish it to lock the final version, and send it to your audience through Slack, email, or as a downloadable HTML file.

## Edit a draft

Click any release in the list to open it. Draft releases are fully editable:

* Update the **Title** field at the top of the panel.
* Edit the **Content** field, which contains the AI-generated Markdown.
* Switch between the **Edit** and **Preview** tabs to see the rendered output as you work.
* Click **Save** when you are done.

<Note>
  Published releases are locked. Once you click **Publish**, the title and content can no longer be edited. Review your release in the Preview tab before publishing.
</Note>

## Publish a release

Click **Publish** in the action bar to mark a release as Published. Publishing locks the content and records a publication timestamp. The release remains visible in the list and can still be distributed after publishing.

## Distribute via Slack

Set up the Slack integration in **Settings** before sending releases to a channel.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Configure Slack integration">
    1. Go to the **Settings** tab on the Release page.
    2. Under **Slack Integration**, enter your Slack bot token — it starts with `xoxb-`.
    3. Enter the **Channel ID** (for example, `C0123456789`) and the **Channel Name**.
    4. Click **Connect Slack**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send a release to Slack">
    Open any draft or published release and click **Send Slack** in the action bar. The release content is posted to the configured channel immediately.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Distribute via email

Configure email distribution settings first so Swisstools knows where to send releases and how to style them.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Configure email settings">
    1. Go to the **Settings** tab on the Release page.
    2. Under **Email Distribution**, enter recipient email addresses — one address per line.
    3. Optionally configure branding:
       * **Logo URL** — an image displayed at the top of the email.
       * **Primary color** and **Secondary color** — hex values used in the email template.
       * **Font** — the typeface applied to the email body.
       * **Footer text** — displayed at the bottom of every email (for example, an unsubscribe line or company name).
    4. Click **Save Email Settings**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send a release via email">
    Open any release and click **Send Email** in the action bar. Swisstools renders the Markdown content as a styled HTML email and delivers it to all configured recipients.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Export to HTML

Click **Export HTML** in the action bar to download the release as a standalone HTML file. This is useful for publishing on your own website, attaching to a changelog, or sharing with people outside your Swisstools workspace.

## Scheduled releases

You can automate release creation so you do not have to trigger it manually each time. Go to **Settings** → **Schedule & Publish** to configure two independent options.

**Publish Mode** controls what happens after generation completes:

* **Manual** — the release stays in Draft until you click Publish.
* **Auto** — the release is published automatically as soon as generation finishes.

**Automatic Generation** lets you schedule recurring release creation:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Weekly">
    A release is generated every week. Swisstools uses the last release date as the start of the commit window and the current date as the end.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Monthly">
    A release is generated once a month on the same cadence, covering commits since the previous release.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Custom interval">
    Choose any interval by setting a number and unit — for example, every 2 weeks or every 3 months. Swisstools calculates the next run date and shows it in the schedule settings after you save.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

Enable automatic generation by checking **Enable automatic release creation**, selecting a frequency, and clicking **Save Schedule**.