diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7e7f2cd60..b2be8845f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -129,15 +129,24 @@ For testing all components provide `data-testid` attributes as selectors, so the
 `row-checkbox`        | Checkbox for selecting a row
 `row-name`            | Name of the row / file
 
-### Releasing a new version
-
-- Pull the latest changes from `main` or `stableX`;
-- Checkout a new branch with the tag name (e.g `v4.0.1`): `git checkout -b v<version>`;
-- Run `npm version patch --no-git-tag-version` (`npm version minor --no-git-tag-version` if minor). This will return a new version name, make sure it matches what you expect;
-- Commit, push and create PR;
-- Add the change log content from the 'Changelog' action on Github to `CHANGELOG.md`;
-- Commit and push;
-- Get your PR reviewed and merged;
-- Create [a release on github](https://github.com/nextcloud-libraries/nextcloud-dialogs/releases) with the version as tag (e.g `v4.0.1`) and add the changelog content as description
-
-![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/14975046/124442568-2a952500-dd7d-11eb-82a2-402f9170231a.png)
+### 📤 Releasing a new version
+
+- Pull the latest changes from `main` or `stableX`
+- Checkout a new branch with the tag name (e.g `v4.0.1`): `git checkout -b v<version>`
+- Run `npm version patch --no-git-tag-version` (`npm version minor --no-git-tag-version` if minor).
+  This will return a new version name, make sure it matches what you expect
+- Generate the changelog content from the [release](https://github.com/nextcloud-libraries/nextcloud-dialogs/releases) page.
+  Create a draft release, select the previous tag, click `generate` then paste the content to the `CHANGELOG.md` file
+  1. adjust the links to the merged pull requests and authors so that the changelog also works outside of GitHub
+     by running `npm run prerelease:format-changelog`.
+     This will apply this regex: `by @([^ ]+) in ((https://github.com/)nextcloud-libraries/nextcloud-dialogs/pull/(\d+))`
+     Which this as the replacement: `[\#$4]($2) \([$1]($3$1)\)`
+  2. use the the version as tag AND title (e.g `v4.0.1`)
+  3. add the changelog content as description
+- Commit, push and create PR
+- Get your PR reviewed and merged
+- Create a milestone with the follow-up version at https://github.com/nextcloud-libraries/nextcloud-dialogs/milestones
+- Move all open tickets and PRs to the follow-up
+- Close the milestone of the version you release
+- Publish the previously drafted release on GitHub
+  ![image](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/14975046/124442568-2a952500-dd7d-11eb-82a2-402f9170231a.png)
diff --git a/build/format-changelog.mjs b/build/format-changelog.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..bd81970ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/build/format-changelog.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+/**
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Nextcloud GmbH and Nextcloud contributors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+ */
+import { readFile, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+
+console.info('🔎 checking format of CHANGELOG.md')
+
+const file = join(import.meta.dirname, '..', 'CHANGELOG.md')
+const content = await readFile(file, { encoding: 'utf-8' })
+
+const formatted = content.replaceAll(
+	/by @([^ ]+) in ((https:\/\/github.com\/)nextcloud-libraries\/nextcloud-dialogs\/pull\/(\d+))/g,
+	'[\\#$4]($2) \\([$1]($3$1)\\)',
+)
+
+if (formatted !== content) {
+	console.info('✏️ fixing format')
+	await writeFile(file, formatted)
+	console.info('🎉 done')
+} else {
+	console.info('✅ no formatting needed - done.')
+}
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2c7551a9b..0a9799fff 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
     "dev": "vite --mode development build",
     "dev:watch": "vite --mode development build --watch",
     "doc": "typedoc --tsconfig tsconfig-typedoc.json --highlightLanguages vue --plugin typedoc-plugin-missing-exports --out dist/doc dist/index.d.ts dist/filepicker.d.ts && touch dist/doc/.nojekyll",
+    "prerelease:format-changelog": "node build/format-changelog.mjs",
     "lint": "eslint lib/",
     "lint:fix": "eslint --fix lib/",
     "stylelint": "stylelint lib/**/*.vue",