Copilot Skills: Release note generation skill should also quote co-authors (#45819)

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fix/what does it change/how was it tested (even manually, if necessary)?
-->
## Summary of the Pull Request

Release note generation skill add support for quoting co-authors

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## PR Checklist

- [ ] Closes: #xxx
<!-- - [ ] Closes: #yyy (add separate lines for additional resolved
issues) -->
- [ ] **Communication:** I've discussed this with core contributors
already. If the work hasn't been agreed, this work might be rejected
- [ ] **Tests:** Added/updated and all pass
- [ ] **Localization:** All end-user-facing strings can be localized
- [ ] **Dev docs:** Added/updated
- [ ] **New binaries:** Added on the required places
- [ ] [JSON for
signing](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/main/.pipelines/ESRPSigning_core.json)
for new binaries
- [ ] [WXS for
installer](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/main/installer/PowerToysSetup/Product.wxs)
for new binaries and localization folder
- [ ] [YML for CI
pipeline](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/main/.pipelines/ci/templates/build-powertoys-steps.yml)
for new test projects
- [ ] [YML for signed
pipeline](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/blob/main/.pipelines/release.yml)
- [ ] **Documentation updated:** If checked, please file a pull request
on [our docs
repo](https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/windows-uwp/tree/docs/hub/powertoys)
and link it here: #xxx

<!-- Provide a more detailed description of the PR, other things fixed,
or any additional comments/features here -->
## Detailed Description of the Pull Request / Additional comments

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wherever possible, but list manual validation steps taken as well -->
## Validation Steps Performed

Result may vary because of uncertainty of LLM, while I can get this
result during my tests

<img width="696" height="147" alt="image"
src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/9d20670f-b9fb-4630-b6b4-f94c2a5d2284"
/>

.github/skills/release-note-generation/references/SampleOutput.md

@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
- - Added mouse button actions so you can choose what left, right, or middle click does. Thanks [@PesBandi](https://github.com/PesBandi)!  
+ - Added mouse button actions so you can choose what left, right, or middle click does in [#1234](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/pull/1234) by [@PesBandi](https://github.com/PesBandi)  
 
- - Aligned window styling with current Windows theme for a cleaner look. Thanks [@sadirano](https://github.com/sadirano)!  
+ - Aligned window styling with current Windows theme for a cleaner look in [#1235](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/pull/1235) by [@sadirano](https://github.com/sadirano)  
 
- - Ensured screen readers are notified when the selected item in the list changes for better accessibility.
+ - Ensured screen readers are notified when the selected item in the list changes for better accessibility in [#1236](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/pull/1236)
 
- - Implemented configurable UI test pipeline that can use pre-built official releases instead of building everything from scratch, reducing test execution time from 2+ hours.
+ - Implemented configurable UI test pipeline that can use pre-built official releases instead of building everything from scratch, reducing test execution time from 2+ hours in [#1237](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/pull/1237)
 
- - Fixed Alt+Left Arrow navigation not working when search box contains text. Thanks [@jiripolasek](https://github.com/jiripolasek)!  
+ - Fixed Alt+Left Arrow navigation not working when search box contains text in [#1238](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/pull/1238) by [@jiripolasek](https://github.com/jiripolasek)  

.github/skills/release-note-generation/references/step1-collection.md

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # Step 1: Collection and Milestones
 
 ## 1.0 To-do
+- 1.0.0 Verify GitHub CLI authentication (REQUIRED)
 - 1.0.1 Generate MemberList.md (REQUIRED)
 - 1.1 Collect PRs
 - 1.2 Assign Milestones (REQUIRED)
@@ -20,6 +21,34 @@
 
 ---
 
+## 1.0.0 Verify GitHub CLI Authentication (REQUIRED)
+
+⚠️ **BLOCKING:** The collection script requires an authenticated `gh` CLI to fetch PR metadata and co-author information via GitHub's GraphQL API. Without authentication, PR data and `NeedThanks` attribution will be incomplete.
+
+### Check authentication status
+
+```powershell
+gh auth status
+```
+
+**If authenticated:** You'll see `Logged in to github.com account <username>`. Proceed to 1.0.1.
+
+**If NOT authenticated:** Run the login flow before continuing:
+
+```powershell
+# Interactive login (opens browser for OAuth)
+gh auth login --hostname github.com --web
+
+# Or use a personal access token
+gh auth login --with-token <<< "YOUR_GITHUB_TOKEN"
+```
+
+**Required scopes:** `repo` (for reading PR data and assigning milestones)
+
+After login, verify again with `gh auth status` and confirm exit code 0.
+
+---
+
 ## 1.0.1 Generate MemberList.md (REQUIRED)
 
 Create `Generated Files/ReleaseNotes/MemberList.md` from the **PowerToys core team** section in [COMMUNITY.md](../../../COMMUNITY.md).
@@ -80,6 +109,8 @@ The script detects both merge commits (`Merge pull request #12345`) and squash c
 **Output** (in `Generated Files/ReleaseNotes/`):
 - `milestone_prs.json` - raw PR data
 - `sorted_prs.csv` - sorted PR list with columns: Id, Title, Labels, Author, Url, Body, CopilotSummary, NeedThanks
+  - `Author`: Comma-separated list of all contributors (PR opener + co-authors from commit trailers)
+  - `NeedThanks`: Comma-separated list of external contributors to thank (excludes core team members from MemberList.md). Empty string means no thanks needed.
 
 ---
 

.github/skills/release-note-generation/references/step4-summarization.md

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ For each CSV in `Generated Files/ReleaseNotes/grouped_csv/`, create a markdown f
 - Use the “Verb-ed + Scenario + Impact” sentence structure—make readers think, “That’s exactly what I need” or “Yes, that’s an awesome fix.”; The "impact" can be end-user focused (written to convey user excitement) or technical (performance/stability) when user-facing impact is minimal.
 - If nothing special on impact or unclear impact, mark as needing human summary
 - Source from Title, Body, and CopilotSummary (prefer CopilotSummary when available)
-- If the column `NeedThanks` in CSV is `True`, append: `Thanks [@Author](https://github.com/Author)!`
+- The `NeedThanks` column contains a comma-separated list of external contributor usernames who should be thanked (empty = no thanks needed, all authors are core team). For each non-empty `NeedThanks` value, append thanks for **every** listed contributor: `Thanks [@user1](https://github.com/user1)!` for a single contributor, or `Thanks [@user1](https://github.com/user1) and [@user2](https://github.com/user2)!` for two, or `Thanks [@user1](https://github.com/user1), [@user2](https://github.com/user2), and [@user3](https://github.com/user3)!` for three or more.
 - Do NOT include PR numbers in bullet lines
 - Do NOT mention “security” or “privacy” issues, since these are not known and could be leveraged by attackers in earlier versions. Instead, describe the user-facing scenario, usage, or impact.
 - If confidence < 70%, write: `Human Summary Needed: <PR full link>`
@@ -72,13 +72,13 @@ Some items in the Development section may overlap and should be moved to the Mod
 
 ## Advanced Paste
 
-- Wrapped paste option lists in a single ScrollViewer
-- Added image input handling for AI-powered transformations
+- Wrapped paste option lists in a single ScrollViewer in [#5678](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/pull/5678)
+- Added image input handling for AI-powered transformations in [#5679](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/pull/5679)
 ...
 
 ## Awake
 
-- Fixed timed mode expiration. Thanks [@daverayment](https://github.com/daverayment)!
+- Fixed timed mode expiration in [#5680](https://github.com/microsoft/PowerToys/pull/5680) by [@daverayment](https://github.com/daverayment)
 ...
 
 ---