diff --git a/changes/README.md b/changes/README.md
index 34cd5ca2..c22364a6 100644
--- a/changes/README.md
+++ b/changes/README.md
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ How fragments turn into a release:
 
 - At release time, `bun run changelog:build` (and `bun run changelog:prerelease-notes`) pipes every pending fragment through `claude -p` to merge related items, drop noise, and rewrite into a clean user-facing release body. Write fragments as raw, informative notes — don't worry about polished prose, deduping across PRs, or line-by-line phrasing. The polish step handles all of that.
 - The polish step treats pending fragments as the final release outcome, not prerelease history. If a feature is added and then renamed or fixed before the stable cut, ship the final feature bullet instead of separate prerelease-only breaking/fix entries.
+- GitHub release notes and prerelease notes use short top-level items with nested bullets for the change, user benefit, and any useful action note. The stable `CHANGELOG.md` can stay in compact single-line bullets.
 - `internal` fragments stay in `CHANGELOG.md` (inside a collapsed `<details>` block) but are dropped from the GitHub release notes entirely.
 - The polished `CHANGELOG.md` and `release/release-notes.md` are committed and reviewed before tagging — edit the Markdown by hand if Claude misses something.
 
diff --git a/changes/release-notes-tooling.md b/changes/release-notes-tooling.md
index 060bb3fb..d6aa7e6a 100644
--- a/changes/release-notes-tooling.md
+++ b/changes/release-notes-tooling.md
@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@ area: release
 
 - Release-note polishing treats pending fragments and reviewed prerelease notes as a cumulative final outcome, collapsing prerelease-only fixes or breakages into the final user-facing change.
 - Prerelease note generation reuses existing reviewed notes and merges only new fragment material, and `make clean` preserves `release/prerelease-notes.md`.
+- Release-note polishing now asks Claude to write short, nested highlight bullets so longer changes are easier to scan.
diff --git a/scripts/build-changelog.test.ts b/scripts/build-changelog.test.ts
index 3a5518f7..c45a1f85 100644
--- a/scripts/build-changelog.test.ts
+++ b/scripts/build-changelog.test.ts
@@ -43,6 +43,14 @@ function fragmentTypesInPrompt(input: string): string[] {
     .map((line) => line.slice('type: '.length).trim());
 }
 
+function assertReleaseNotesPromptRequestsNestedBullets(input: string): void {
+  assert.match(input, /In MODE: release-notes, use short top-level change bullets/);
+  assert.match(input, /Nested bullets should cover the change, user benefit, and any user action/);
+  assert.match(input, /Do not require the exact nested labels/);
+  assert.match(input, /Keep nested bullets short, concrete, and readable by non-technical users/);
+  assert.match(input, /Avoid paragraph-style release-note bullets/);
+}
+
 function defaultPolishedBody(input: string): string {
   const mode = modeFromPrompt(input);
   const types = fragmentTypesInPrompt(input);
@@ -437,6 +445,12 @@ test('writeChangelogArtifacts prompts Claude to summarize the final stable outco
         /Multiple fixes within the same prerelease cycle should collapse into one current-state bullet/,
       );
     }
+
+    const releaseNotesPrompt = stub.calls.find(
+      (call) => modeFromPrompt(call.input) === 'release-notes',
+    );
+    assert.ok(releaseNotesPrompt, 'expected a release-notes Claude invocation');
+    assertReleaseNotesPromptRequestsNestedBullets(releaseNotesPrompt.input);
   } finally {
     fs.rmSync(workspace, { recursive: true, force: true });
   }
@@ -706,6 +720,7 @@ test('writePrereleaseNotesForVersion prompts Claude to revise stale prerelease b
       prompt,
       /Multiple fixes within the same prerelease cycle should collapse into one current-state bullet/,
     );
+    assertReleaseNotesPromptRequestsNestedBullets(prompt);
   } finally {
     fs.rmSync(workspace, { recursive: true, force: true });
   }
diff --git a/scripts/build-changelog.ts b/scripts/build-changelog.ts
index 523d7863..6a268993 100644
--- a/scripts/build-changelog.ts
+++ b/scripts/build-changelog.ts
@@ -260,14 +260,18 @@ You will receive a list of FRAGMENT entries below. Each fragment has metadata (t
 
    </details>
    Do not include the Internal section at all in MODE: release-notes; internal fragments will not be present in the input for that mode.
-4. Each bullet should:
-   - Lead with a short feature/area name in title case followed by a colon, e.g. "Playlist browser:", "Windows overlay:", "Stats dashboard:". Pick the name from the fragment's bullet content, not the raw 'area:' slug.
+4. Each top-level change item should:
+   - Lead with a short feature/area name in title case. Pick the name from the fragment's bullet content, not the raw 'area:' slug.
    - Be written in user-facing language. Drop implementation jargon, internal class names, file paths, and PR numbers.
    - Be merged with related bullets when possible. If five fragments all touch Windows overlay z-order/focus/restore, write one or two bullets that summarize the overall improvement instead of five.
    - Drop bullets that only describe PR housekeeping, CodeRabbit follow-ups, or test-only changes that don't affect users.
    - Preserve the substance of breaking changes that remain breaking after applying the Release Outcome Rules. Do not soften or omit them.
-5. Do not invent features. Every bullet must be grounded in the input fragments.
-6. Do not include the version heading (## v...) — that wrapper is added by the caller.
+5. In MODE: changelog, each item may be a conventional single-level bullet, e.g. "- Playlist Browser: Adds faster saved-show browsing."
+6. In MODE: release-notes, use short top-level change bullets with two or three nested bullets when an item needs explanation.
+   Nested bullets should cover the change, user benefit, and any user action or compatibility note when useful. Do not require the exact nested labels; natural phrasing is fine. Omit the action bullet when no action is needed.
+   Keep nested bullets short, concrete, and readable by non-technical users. Avoid paragraph-style release-note bullets.
+7. Do not invent features. Every bullet must be grounded in the input fragments.
+8. Do not include the version heading (## v...) — that wrapper is added by the caller.
 
 The input begins below.