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+# Pending changelog entry directory
+
+This directory contains changelog entries that have not yet been merged
+to the changelog file ([`../ChangeLog`](../ChangeLog)).
+
+## What requires a changelog entry?
+
+Write a changelog entry if there is a user-visible change. This includes:
+
+* Bug fixes in the library or in sample programs: fixing a security hole,
+  fixing broken behavior, fixing the build in some configuration or on some
+  platform, etc.
+* New features in the library, new sample programs, or new platform support.
+* Changes in existing behavior. These should be rare. Changes in features
+  that are documented as experimental may or may not be announced, depending
+  on the extent of the change and how widely we expect the feature to be used.
+
+We generally don't include changelog entries for:
+
+* Documentation improvements.
+* Performance improvements, unless they are particularly significant.
+* Changes to parts of the code base that users don't interact with directly,
+  such as test code and test data.
+
+Until Mbed TLS 2.24.0, we required changelog entries in more cases.
+Looking at older changelog entries is good practice for how to write a
+changelog entry, but not for deciding whether to write one.
+
+## Changelog entry file format
+
+A changelog entry file must have the extension `*.txt` and must have the
+following format:
+
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Security
+   * Change description.
+   * Another change description.
+
+Features
+   * Yet another change description. This is a long change description that
+     spans multiple lines.
+   * Yet again another change description.
+
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+
+The permitted changelog entry categories are as follows:
+<!-- Keep this synchronized with STANDARD_CATEGORIES in assemble_changelog.py! -->
+
+    API changes
+    Default behavior changes
+    Requirement changes
+    New deprecations
+    Removals
+    Features
+    Security
+    Bugfix
+    Changes
+
+Use “Changes” for anything that doesn't fit in the other categories.
+
+## How to write a changelog entry
+
+Each entry starts with three spaces, an asterisk and a space. Continuation
+lines start with 5 spaces. Lines wrap at 79 characters.
+
+Write full English sentences with proper capitalization and punctuation. Use
+the present tense. Use the imperative where applicable. For example: “Fix a
+bug in mbedtls_xxx() ….”
+
+Include GitHub issue numbers where relevant. Use the format “#1234” for an
+Mbed TLS issue. Add other external references such as CVE numbers where
+applicable.
+
+Credit bug reporters where applicable.
+
+**Explain why, not how**. Remember that the audience is the users of the
+library, not its developers. In particular, for a bug fix, explain the
+consequences of the bug, not how the bug was fixed. For a new feature, explain
+why one might be interested in the feature. For an API change or a deprecation,
+explain how to update existing applications.
+
+See [existing entries](../ChangeLog) for examples.
+
+## How `ChangeLog` is updated
+
+Run [`../scripts/assemble_changelog.py`](../scripts/assemble_changelog.py)
+from a Git working copy
+to move the entries from files in `ChangeLog.d` to the main `ChangeLog` file.