[DOCS] Add use_local_changelogs to changelog.yml

[lcawl]

Background

https://github.com/elastic/elastic-otel-java/actions/runs/34202678209/job/101984907127#step:11:36 is returning the following error:

Errors
  --input-products is not supported when sourcing changelog entries from the 
CDN, because entries are fetched by key (one per PR) and there is no pool 
enumeration. Pass --force-local or --directory to bundle from a local checkout 
instead.

The affected pipeline is defined here: https://github.com/elastic/elastic-otel-java/blob/main/.github/workflows/pre-post-release.yml#L105

I think this error relates to elastic/docs-builder#3922
If you don't specify --force-local, the changelog bundle command assumes you're pulling changelogs from S3.
The --input-products option doesn't work with S3-based changelogs.

Solution

If it's true that all of the relevant changelogs exist in the docs/changelog folder (i.e. not in S3), you can add the --force-local option or the equivalent bundle.use_local_changelogs setting, per https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/tree/main/data/release-notes/configure-ref#bundle-entry-sourcing.

I've also removed the output setting from the changelog.yml file in this PR, since that's no longer supported per elastic/docs-builder#3856

AI analysis

What the workflow actually does

pre-post-release.yml(pre phase):

docs-builder changelog bundle \
  --input-products 'edot-java * *' \
  --output-products 'edot-java ${RELEASE_VERSION} ga' \
  --output docs/releases/${RELEASE_VERSION}.yaml \
  --description "${description}"
docs-builder changelog remove edot-java-release ${RELEASE_VERSION}

Their profile is the same filter: products: "edot-java * *".

This is a folder-as-source-of-truth pipeline:

1. PRs land changelog YAML in docs/changelog (changelog add / changelog-submit). Those files already omit target (see docs/changelog/upstream-update.yaml and entries inside docs/releases/1.12.0.yaml).
2. Pre-release bundles everything currently in that folder for edot-java, regardless of version.
3. Release version is workflow input via --output-products / --output, not a field on each file.
4. changelog remove wipes the folder so the next release does not double-count.

What is actually likely broken

Two docs-builder changes collide with this repo:

1. CDN is the default when bundle.repo resolves. They set bundle.repo / bundle.owner and do not pass --directory, --force-local, or bundle.use_local_changelogs. bundle.directory is used for local discovery after the source gate; it does not force local. Then --input-products is a hard error on the CDN path (no pool enumeration).
2. Profile output: "{version}.yaml" is a hard error in profile-based changelog bundle. Their current job is option-mode with an explicit YAML --output, so this does not fire today. The commented-out changelog bundle edot-java-release ${VERSION} would fail until output is removed. {changelog} /releases/ currently consumes 1.12.0.yaml-style names; conventional {repo}-{product}-{version}.yaml would be a second, separate migration.

Git vs S3: where otel-java changelog YAML actually lives

Not “all files live only in git” and not “some unreleased files exist only in S3.” It is both, at different lifecycle stages.

In the repo (authoring / current release window):

• changelog-submit commits YAML into docs/changelog on the PR branch.
• changelog-upload on push to main copies whatever is in that folder to S3 (changelog/elastic/elastic-otel-java/main/...).
• Current main has only docs/changelog/upstream-update.yaml (PR 1212, 2026-08-26) plus .gitkeep.

Removed from the repo at pre-release:

• 0f0030d (pre release: elastic-otel-java v1.12.0, 2026-07-31) deleted 1089.yaml, 1093.yaml, 1117.yaml, and the previous upstream-update.yaml after writing docs/releases/1.12.0.yaml. changelog remove does not delete S3 objects.

On the public CDN (S3 public bucket via CloudFront):

• https://d10xozp44eyz7q.cloudfront.net/changelog/elastic/elastic-otel-java/main/registry.json still lists those four already-bundled files, generated_at 2026-07-24 (before the 1.12.0 wipe). The current git upstream-update.yaml is not in that registry.
• Individual YAML GETs from that pool returned 500 via the docs fetcher; the registry is enough to know the pool was published and was not updated after the wipe / after PR 1212.

What this does and does not prove:

• Unreleased work for the next release is in git (docs/changelog), not “S3-only.”
• Already-bundled entries remain on the public pool after git delete. Bundling from CDN would mix those in again and could miss the current git-only file if the public registry is stale.
• Private-bucket vs public-CDN lag is not fully proven (no private S3 access). Public state is enough to treat CDN as the wrong source for this workflow.
• Fork PRs can be regenerated onto S3 at merge without a committed file; that is a general docs-builder path, not something observed in this repo’s current tree.

Options

1. Keep the folder model; force local sourcing (recommended for this team)

No change to --input-products semantics. Any of:

• --force-local on the bundle step
• --directory docs/changelog (also forces local)
• bundle.use_local_changelogs: true in docs/changelog.yml

Leave --input-products 'edot-java * *' as-is. Version stays on --output-products / --output. Remove stays profile-based with the wildcard products pattern.

This is the smallest unbreak. It does not require commit hashes or PR lists.

2. PR list, GitHub release, promotion report, or --start-git-ref/--end-git-ref

Valid, but a different source of truth. Only required if they stop treating “whatever is in docs/changelog since last wipe” as correct. Their changelog:skip release PRs and upstream-update rename (N.yaml → upstream-update.yaml) are built around the folder model. Git range also does not auto-include notes.

Not the only option, and not the one that matches this workflow.

[github-actions]

📋 Changelog

Generated changelog entry for docs/changelog/1231.yaml:

prs:
- https://github.com/elastic/elastic-otel-java/pull/1231
type: docs
products:
- product: edot-java
  lifecycle: ga
title: Add use_local_changelogs to changelog.yml

This comment is informational — editing it does not change what gets uploaded. On merge, the entry is regenerated from the live PR record (title, labels) and uploaded to S3. To change the preview, edit the PR title or labels and let the changelog workflow re-run.

[github-actions]

🔍 Preview links for changed docs

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[github-actions]

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