diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 2b2b24a..273d6ad 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # Generated reports from local testing
 report.md
 weekly-report.md
+comment-template.md
 *.md.bak
 
 # macOS
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 8c3e488..013a2fb 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,17 +7,46 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+- **Comment summary template**: Auto-generate an editable highlights template from merged PR data
+  - New `--summary-template` CLI flag and `summary-template` action input
+  - New `--summary-template-file=FILE` CLI flag and `summary-template-file` action input
+  - Collects merged PR titles, URLs, authors, and labels during report generation
+  - Groups PRs by repository with placeholder sections for human curation
+  - New `comment-template` action output for downstream workflow steps
+  - Labels from PRs are included to aid thematic categorization
+  - Auto-detects contributors from merged PRs (filters bots and Copilot)
+  - Uses markdown link format for clean GitHub rendering
+  - See [Comment Summary Template docs](docs/comment-summary-template.md) for details
+- **Release tracking in summary template**: Repos that publish releases now show them in the template
+  - Fetches releases published in the report date range via GitHub API
+  - Displays a single releases table at the top of the template (omitted if no releases)
+  - Table columns: Repository, Release (name/tag with link), Date
+  - Sorted by publication date (newest first)
+  - Works for both organization repos and external tracked repos
+  - Helps summarize important milestones alongside PR activity
+- **Releases column in main report**: Include release activity directly in the primary report table
+  - Adds a **Releases** column to the main activity table for each repository
+  - Counts non-draft releases published in the report date range and includes them in the totals row
+  - Clickable link to repo releases page when count > 0
+  - Keeps release metrics alongside issues, PRs, and commits for a unified overview
+
 ### Fixed
 - **Corrupted documentation**: Rewrote `docs/testing.md` to remove duplicated/interleaved content and restore a clean testing guide
 - **Corrupted tests README**: Rewrote `tests/README.md` to remove duplicated content and ensure it only references existing test files
 - **CLI error message**: Changed misleading `ERROR: GITHUB_OUTPUT environment variable not set!` to a debug message in CLI mode (GITHUB_OUTPUT is only relevant in GitHub Actions)
 - **Hyperlinks documentation**: Fixed `docs/hyperlinks.md` overview that incorrectly said "metrics greater than 1" when the actual behavior is "metrics greater than 0"
+- **`set -e` safety for API calls**: Restructured all `api_call` assignments to use `if var=$(api_call ...); then` pattern so that API failures are handled gracefully instead of aborting the script
+- **Date formatting in releases table**: Use non-zero-padded day format (`Feb 5` instead of `Feb 05`) for consistent display with documentation examples
+- **Clickable links comment**: Fixed comment that said "if > 1" to match actual `format_metric()` behavior of linking when count is > 0
 
 ### Changed
 - **CONTRIBUTING.md**: Updated from generic Python template (referenced `pip install`, `pytest`, PEP 8) to accurate shell-project instructions with correct tooling (`bash`, `curl`, `jq`) and test commands
 - **Argument parsing**: Removed no-op `shift` statements inside `for arg in "$@"` loop in `generate-report.sh` (shift has no effect inside a for loop)
 - **Copilot instructions**: Added `.tmp/` file staging guidelines to prevent heredoc/shell escaping issues
 - **`.gitignore`**: Added `.tmp/` working directory for file staging
+- **Debug output**: All debug messages are now gated behind `--debug` CLI flag / `debug` action input (silent by default)
+- **Comment template docs**: Softened wording from "all merged PRs" to "merged PRs" and documented the 100-item-per-page API limit
 
 ## [2.2.0] - 2025-10-23
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index e7d6fdb..9653410 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ A powerful GitHub Action that generates comprehensive activity reports across Gi
 
 - **📊 Comprehensive Analytics**: Issues, PRs, commits, and activity summaries
 - **🔗 Clickable Metrics**: Numbers > 0 link directly to GitHub search results for quick navigation
+- **📝 Comment Summary Template**: Auto-generates an editable highlights template with merged PR details and labels
 - **🌐 External Repository Tracking**: Monitor repositories outside your primary organization
 - **⚡ Smart Activity Detection**: Captures ALL repository activity (commits, issues, PRs, updates) with intelligent filtering
 - **🔄 Complete Coverage**: Handles organizations with hundreds of repositories via pagination
@@ -86,6 +87,12 @@ export GITHUB_TOKEN=ghp_xxxxx
 # Track external repositories (from other organizations)
 ./generate-report.sh --token=ghp_xxxxx --track-external-repos=executablebooks/sphinx-proof,executablebooks/sphinx-exercise
 
+# Generate report with comment summary template
+./generate-report.sh --token=ghp_xxxxx --summary-template
+
+# Custom summary template output file
+./generate-report.sh --token=ghp_xxxxx --summary-template --summary-template-file=highlights.md
+
 # View the generated report
 cat report.md
 ```
@@ -105,6 +112,9 @@ cat report.md
 - `--exclude=REPOS` - Comma-separated list of repos or regex patterns to exclude (e.g., `repo1,lecture-.*\.notebooks`)
 - `--track-external-repos=LIST` - Comma-separated list of external repos to track (format: `org/repo`, e.g., `executablebooks/sphinx-proof,executablebooks/sphinx-exercise`)
 - `--delay=SECONDS` - Delay between API calls (default: 0)
+- `--summary-template` - Generate a comment summary template with merged PR details
+- `--summary-template-file=FILE` - Output filename for summary template (default: `comment-template.md`)
+- `--debug` - Enable verbose debug output
 
 The report is saved to `report.md` (or your specified output file) in the current directory.
 
@@ -118,6 +128,9 @@ The report is saved to `report.md` (or your specified output file) in the curren
 | `exclude-repos` | Comma-separated list of repository names or regex patterns to exclude (e.g., `repo1,lecture-.*\.notebooks`) | No | `''` |
 | `track-external-repos` | Comma-separated list of external repositories to track (format: `org/repo`, e.g., `executablebooks/sphinx-proof,executablebooks/sphinx-exercise`) | No | `''` |
 | `api-delay` | Delay in seconds between API calls to avoid rate limits (0 = no delay) | No | `0` |
+| `summary-template` | Generate a comment summary template with merged PR details (`true`/`false`) | No | `false` |
+| `summary-template-file` | Output filename for the comment summary template | No | `comment-template.md` |
+| `debug` | Enable verbose debug output (`true`/`false`) | No | `false` |
 
 ## Outputs
 
@@ -125,6 +138,7 @@ The report is saved to `report.md` (or your specified output file) in the curren
 |--------|-------------|
 | `report-content` | The full generated report content |
 | `report-summary` | A brief summary of the report metrics |
+| `comment-template` | The generated comment summary template content (when `summary-template` is enabled) |
 
 ## How It Works
 
@@ -171,23 +185,35 @@ jobs:
   weekly-report:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
-      # Step 1: Generate the report (our action)
+      # Step 1: Generate the report and comment summary template
       - name: Generate weekly report
-        uses: QuantEcon/action-weekly-report@v2  # Always uses latest v2.x.x release
+        uses: QuantEcon/action-weekly-report@v2
         with:
           github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
           organization: 'QuantEcon'
           track-external-repos: 'executablebooks/sphinx-proof,executablebooks/sphinx-exercise'
+          summary-template: 'true'
       
-      # Step 2: Create issue with report (separate action - optional)
+      # Step 2: Create issue from report
       - name: Create issue from report
+        id: create-issue
         uses: peter-evans/create-issue-from-file@v4
         with:
           title: Weekly Activity Report
-          content-filepath: weekly-report.md  # Action outputs to weekly-report.md
+          content-filepath: weekly-report.md
           labels: report, automated
+      
+      # Step 3: Post the comment summary template on the new issue
+      - name: Post comment summary template
+        if: hashFiles('comment-template.md') != ''
+        uses: peter-evans/create-or-update-comment@v4
+        with:
+          issue-number: ${{ steps.create-issue.outputs.issue-number }}
+          body-path: comment-template.md
 ```
 
+**How it works:** Step 1 generates both `weekly-report.md` and `comment-template.md`. Step 2 creates the issue. Step 3 posts the template as the first comment on that issue — ready for a maintainer to edit into a curated highlights summary.
+
 **Note:** The action outputs to `weekly-report.md` by default. In CLI mode, it uses `report.md`.
 
 ## Report Format
@@ -207,6 +233,7 @@ For large organizations, use the `api-delay` parameter to add delays between req
 ## Documentation
 
 - **[Testing Guide](docs/testing.md)** - How to test and validate the action
+- **[Comment Summary Template](docs/comment-summary-template.md)** - Auto-generated highlights from merged PRs
 - **[Technical Details](docs/improvements.md)** - Implementation details
 - **[Validation Examples](docs/validation.md)** - Real-world validation
 - **[Release Notes](docs/releases/)** - Version-specific changes
diff --git a/action.yml b/action.yml
index 7ff09d9..fdeb6d6 100644
--- a/action.yml
+++ b/action.yml
@@ -26,6 +26,18 @@ inputs:
     description: 'Delay in seconds between API calls to avoid rate limits (0 = no delay)'
     required: false
     default: '0'
+  summary-template:
+    description: 'Generate a comment summary template with merged PR details (true/false)'
+    required: false
+    default: 'false'
+  summary-template-file:
+    description: 'Output filename for the comment summary template'
+    required: false
+    default: 'comment-template.md'
+  debug:
+    description: 'Enable verbose debug output (true/false)'
+    required: false
+    default: 'false'
 
 outputs:
   report-content:
@@ -34,6 +46,9 @@ outputs:
   report-summary:
     description: 'A brief summary of the report metrics'
     value: ${{ steps.generate.outputs.report-summary }}
+  comment-template:
+    description: 'The generated comment summary template content (when summary-template is enabled)'
+    value: ${{ steps.generate.outputs.comment-template }}
 
 runs:
   using: 'composite'
@@ -48,4 +63,7 @@ runs:
         INPUT_OUTPUT_FORMAT: ${{ inputs.output-format }}
         INPUT_EXCLUDE_REPOS: ${{ inputs.exclude-repos }}
         INPUT_TRACK_EXTERNAL_REPOS: ${{ inputs.track-external-repos }}
-        INPUT_API_DELAY: ${{ inputs.api-delay }}
\ No newline at end of file
+        INPUT_API_DELAY: ${{ inputs.api-delay }}
+        INPUT_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE: ${{ inputs.summary-template }}
+        INPUT_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE_FILE: ${{ inputs.summary-template-file }}
+        INPUT_DEBUG: ${{ inputs.debug }}
diff --git a/docs/README.md b/docs/README.md
index 8abf4af..22eb5e2 100644
--- a/docs/README.md
+++ b/docs/README.md
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 
 - [Testing Guide](testing.md) - How to test and validate the action
 - [Hyperlink Feature](hyperlinks.md) - Interactive metrics with clickable links
+- [Comment Summary Template](comment-summary-template.md) - Auto-generated highlights from merged PRs
 - [Technical Details](improvements.md) - Implementation and architecture
 - [Validation](validation.md) - Real-world examples and verification
 - [Release Notes](releases/) - Version history and changes
@@ -24,6 +25,12 @@
 - URL formats and destinations
 - Usage examples
 
+**[Comment Summary Template](comment-summary-template.md)**
+- Auto-generate highlights from merged PR data
+- Label-aware categorization
+- Editable template workflow
+- Action outputs for downstream steps
+
 ### Technical Documentation
 
 **[Implementation Details](improvements.md)**
diff --git a/docs/comment-summary-template.md b/docs/comment-summary-template.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0e28147
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/comment-summary-template.md
@@ -0,0 +1,169 @@
+# Comment Summary Template
+
+The comment summary template feature auto-generates an editable markdown template containing merged PR details from the report period. This helps write the "highlights" comment that accompanies each activity report.
+
+> **Note:** The template includes up to 100 merged PRs and 100 releases per repository (the GitHub API default page size). For most repositories and weekly report windows, this covers all activity.
+
+## Background
+
+Activity reports generated by this action contain a metrics table (issues, PRs, commits). The accompanying comment — written by a maintainer — provides high-level context about what was accomplished. This feature bridges the gap by collecting the raw PR data needed to write that comment.
+
+See [QuantEcon/meta#280](https://github.com/QuantEcon/meta/issues/280) for an example of a report with a hand-written highlights comment.
+
+## Usage
+
+### CLI
+
+```bash
+# Generate report with comment summary template
+./generate-report.sh --token=ghp_xxxxx --summary-template
+
+# Custom output filename
+./generate-report.sh --token=ghp_xxxxx --summary-template --summary-template-file=highlights.md
+```
+
+### GitHub Action
+
+```yaml
+- name: Generate activity report
+  uses: QuantEcon/action-weekly-report@v2
+  with:
+    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+    summary-template: 'true'
+    summary-template-file: 'comment-template.md'
+```
+
+## Output Format
+
+The template is written to `comment-template.md` (default) and contains:
+
+1. **Placeholder summary** — Editable topic bullets for high-level themes
+2. **Releases table** — All releases published in the period in a single table (omitted if none)
+3. **Merged PRs by repository** — Merged PRs with title, URL, labels, and author
+4. **Contributor acknowledgement** — Auto-generated from PR authors (bots and Copilot excluded)
+
+### Example Output
+
+```markdown
+**High Level Summary:**
+
+1. **[Topic 1]** _Add a high-level summary of work in this area._
+2. **[Topic 2]** _Add another thematic summary._
+
+---
+
+## 📦 Releases
+
+| Repository | Release | Date |
+|------------|---------|------|
+| lecture-python.myst | [publish-2026feb19b](https://github.com/.../publish-2026feb19b) | Feb 19 |
+| quantecon-book-theme | [v0.17.0](https://github.com/.../v0.17.0) | Feb 19 |
+| QuantEcon.py | [v0.11.0](https://github.com/.../v0.11.0) | Feb 15 |
+
+**lecture-python.myst:**
+  - [Update consumer problem lecture](https://github.com/QuantEcon/lecture-python.myst/pull/757) [maintenance] (@HumphreyYang)
+  - [Fix typo in GDP lecture](https://github.com/QuantEcon/lecture-python.myst/pull/756) (@contributor)
+
+**quantecon-book-theme:**
+  - [Major refactor for responsiveness](https://github.com/QuantEcon/quantecon-book-theme/pull/335) [infrastructure, priority: high] (@mmcky)
+
+---
+
+thanks @HumphreyYang, @mmcky, and @contributor for all your contributions.
+```
+
+## How Labels Help
+
+When PRs have labels (e.g., `maintenance`, `infrastructure`, `bug`, `priority: high`), they appear in brackets next to each PR. This makes it easier to:
+
+- **Group by theme** — Quickly identify which PRs relate to maintenance vs. new features
+- **Prioritize highlights** — Spot high-priority work at a glance
+- **Categorize** — Reorganize the flat per-repo list into thematic sections
+
+For maximum benefit, use standardized labels across repositories. See [QuantEcon/meta#178](https://github.com/QuantEcon/meta/issues/178) for the labels standardization initiative.
+
+## Workflow
+
+### Automated (GitHub Actions)
+
+The template can be auto-posted as a comment on the activity report issue:
+
+```yaml
+# Step 1: Generate report + template
+- name: Generate weekly report
+  uses: QuantEcon/action-weekly-report@v2
+  with:
+    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+    summary-template: 'true'
+
+# Step 2: Create issue from report
+- name: Create issue from report
+  id: create-issue
+  uses: peter-evans/create-issue-from-file@v4
+  with:
+    title: Weekly Activity Report
+    content-filepath: weekly-report.md
+    labels: report, automated
+
+# Step 3: Post template as first comment
+- name: Post comment summary template
+  if: hashFiles('comment-template.md') != ''
+  uses: peter-evans/create-or-update-comment@v4
+  with:
+    issue-number: ${{ steps.create-issue.outputs.issue-number }}
+    body-path: comment-template.md
+```
+
+The template lands as the first comment on the new issue. A maintainer then edits that comment to curate the highlights.
+
+### Manual
+
+1. Run the action or CLI with `summary-template` enabled
+2. Open `comment-template.md` — merged PRs are listed by repo
+3. Reorganize into thematic sections (Lectures, Infrastructure, Libraries, etc.)
+4. Add high-level context for each section
+5. Remove PRs that don't need highlighting (e.g., automated dependency bumps)
+6. Post as a comment on the activity report issue
+
+## Action Outputs
+
+The template content is also available as the `comment-template` output for use in downstream workflow steps:
+
+```yaml
+- name: Generate report
+  id: report
+  uses: QuantEcon/action-weekly-report@v2
+  with:
+    github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+    summary-template: 'true'
+
+# Option 1: Pass to an action input (recommended — inherently safe)
+- name: Post comment
+  uses: peter-evans/create-or-update-comment@v4
+  with:
+    issue-number: 1
+    body: ${{ steps.report.outputs.comment-template }}
+
+# Option 2: Use via environment variable (safe for run steps)
+- name: Use template content
+  env:
+    TEMPLATE: ${{ steps.report.outputs.comment-template }}
+  run: echo "$TEMPLATE"
+```
+
+> **Security note:** Never interpolate `${{ steps.report.outputs.comment-template }}`
+> directly in a `run:` block. The output contains PR titles, labels, and author names
+> which could include shell metacharacters. Always pass it through an `env:` variable
+> or an action `with:` input to avoid shell injection.
+
+## Inputs
+
+| Input | Description | Default |
+|-------|-------------|---------|
+| `summary-template` | Enable template generation (`true`/`false`) | `false` |
+| `summary-template-file` | Output filename | `comment-template.md` |
+
+| CLI Flag | Description |
+|----------|-------------|
+| `--summary-template` | Enable template generation |
+| `--summary-template-file=FILE` | Output filename (default: `comment-template.md`) |
diff --git a/generate-report.sh b/generate-report.sh
index 1dce81f..0662d08 100755
--- a/generate-report.sh
+++ b/generate-report.sh
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ END_DATE=""
 CLI_TOKEN=""
 CLI_ORG=""
 CLI_OUTPUT=""
+CLI_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE=""
+CLI_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE_FILE=""
+CLI_DEBUG=""
 
 show_usage() {
     cat << EOF
@@ -23,6 +26,9 @@ OPTIONS:
     --exclude=REPOS             Comma-separated list of repos to exclude (supports regex patterns)
     --track-external-repos=LIST Comma-separated list of external repos (format: org/repo,org/repo)
     --delay=SECONDS             Delay between API calls (default: 0)
+    --summary-template          Generate a comment summary template with merged PR details
+    --summary-template-file=FILE Output filename for summary template (default: comment-template.md)
+    --debug                     Enable verbose debug output
     --help                      Show this help message
 
 EXAMPLES:
@@ -50,6 +56,12 @@ EXAMPLES:
     # Track external repositories
     $0 --token=ghp_xxxxx --track-external-repos=executablebooks/sphinx-proof,executablebooks/sphinx-exercise
 
+    # Generate report with comment summary template
+    $0 --token=ghp_xxxxx --summary-template
+
+    # Custom summary template filename
+    $0 --token=ghp_xxxxx --summary-template --summary-template-file=highlights.md
+
 ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES:
     GITHUB_TOKEN or INPUT_GITHUB_TOKEN       GitHub token
     INPUT_ORGANIZATION                        Organization name
@@ -57,6 +69,9 @@ ENVIRONMENT VARIABLES:
     INPUT_EXCLUDE_REPOS                       Repositories to exclude
     INPUT_TRACK_EXTERNAL_REPOS                External repositories to track
     INPUT_API_DELAY                           API delay in seconds
+    INPUT_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE                     Enable summary template generation (true/false)
+    INPUT_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE_FILE                Summary template output filename
+    INPUT_DEBUG                                Enable debug output (true/false)
 
 OUTPUT:
     Report is saved to: report.md (or specified --output file)
@@ -91,6 +106,15 @@ for arg in "$@"; do
         --output=*)
             CLI_OUTPUT="${arg#*=}"
             ;;
+        --summary-template)
+            CLI_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE="true"
+            ;;
+        --summary-template-file=*)
+            CLI_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE_FILE="${arg#*=}"
+            ;;
+        --debug)
+            CLI_DEBUG="true"
+            ;;
         --help)
             show_usage
             exit 0
@@ -103,8 +127,17 @@ for arg in "$@"; do
     esac
 done
 
-echo "DEBUG: Starting report generation"
-echo "DEBUG: Environment check - GITHUB_OUTPUT: ${GITHUB_OUTPUT:-NOT_SET}"
+# Resolve debug flag early so debug() function works
+DEBUG_MODE="${CLI_DEBUG:-${INPUT_DEBUG:-false}}"
+
+debug() {
+    if [ "$DEBUG_MODE" = "true" ]; then
+        echo "DEBUG: $*"
+    fi
+}
+
+debug "Starting report generation"
+debug "Environment check - GITHUB_OUTPUT: ${GITHUB_OUTPUT:-NOT_SET}"
 
 # Get inputs - CLI args take precedence over environment variables
 GITHUB_TOKEN="${CLI_TOKEN:-${GITHUB_TOKEN:-${INPUT_GITHUB_TOKEN}}}"
@@ -113,6 +146,8 @@ OUTPUT_FORMAT="${INPUT_OUTPUT_FORMAT:-markdown}"
 EXCLUDE_REPOS="${CLI_EXCLUDE:-${INPUT_EXCLUDE_REPOS:-}}"
 TRACK_EXTERNAL_REPOS="${CLI_EXTERNAL_REPOS:-${INPUT_TRACK_EXTERNAL_REPOS:-}}"
 API_DELAY="${CLI_DELAY:-${INPUT_API_DELAY:-0}}"
+SUMMARY_TEMPLATE="${CLI_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE:-${INPUT_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE:-false}}"
+SUMMARY_TEMPLATE_FILE="${CLI_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE_FILE:-${INPUT_SUMMARY_TEMPLATE_FILE:-comment-template.md}}"
 
 # Set output file based on context
 # - GitHub Actions: Use weekly-report.md for backward compatibility
@@ -138,9 +173,10 @@ if [ -z "$GITHUB_TOKEN" ]; then
     exit 1
 fi
 
-echo "DEBUG: Inputs - ORG: $ORGANIZATION, FORMAT: $OUTPUT_FORMAT, EXCLUDE: $EXCLUDE_REPOS"
-echo "DEBUG: External repos: $TRACK_EXTERNAL_REPOS"
-echo "DEBUG: Output file: $OUTPUT_FILE"
+debug "Inputs - ORG: $ORGANIZATION, FORMAT: $OUTPUT_FORMAT, EXCLUDE: $EXCLUDE_REPOS"
+debug "External repos: $TRACK_EXTERNAL_REPOS"
+debug "Output file: $OUTPUT_FILE"
+debug "Summary template: $SUMMARY_TEMPLATE (file: $SUMMARY_TEMPLATE_FILE)"
 
 # Validate external repos format (must be org/repo)
 if [ -n "$TRACK_EXTERNAL_REPOS" ]; then
@@ -281,39 +317,91 @@ process_external_repo() {
     
     # Count total current open issues
     local current_issues_response
-    current_issues_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/issues?state=open")
     local current_issues=0
-    current_issues=$(echo "$current_issues_response" | jq 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.pull_request == null)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    if current_issues_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/issues?state=open"); then
+        current_issues=$(echo "$current_issues_response" | jq 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.pull_request == null)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    fi
     
     # Count opened issues in the date range
     local opened_response
-    opened_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/issues?state=all")
     local opened_issues=0
-    opened_issues=$(echo "$opened_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.created_at >= $since and .created_at <= $until and .pull_request == null)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    if opened_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/issues?state=all"); then
+        opened_issues=$(echo "$opened_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.created_at >= $since and .created_at <= $until and .pull_request == null)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    fi
     
     # Count closed issues in the date range
     local closed_response
-    closed_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/issues?state=closed")
     local closed_issues=0
-    closed_issues=$(echo "$closed_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.closed_at != null and .closed_at >= $since and .closed_at <= $until and .pull_request == null)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    if closed_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/issues?state=closed"); then
+        closed_issues=$(echo "$closed_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.closed_at != null and .closed_at >= $since and .closed_at <= $until and .pull_request == null)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    fi
     
     # Count merged PRs in the date range
     local prs_response
-    prs_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/pulls?state=closed")
     local merged_prs=0
-    merged_prs=$(echo "$prs_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.merged_at != null and .merged_at >= $since and .merged_at <= $until)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    if prs_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/pulls?state=closed"); then
+        merged_prs=$(echo "$prs_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.merged_at != null and .merged_at >= $since and .merged_at <= $until)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    fi
+    
+    # Collect merged PR details for summary template
+    local local_ext_pr_details=""
+    if [ "$SUMMARY_TEMPLATE" = "true" ] && [ "$merged_prs" -gt 0 ]; then
+        local_ext_pr_details=$(echo "$prs_response" | jq -c --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" --arg repo "$repo_name" --arg org "$repo_org" '
+            if type == "array" then
+                [.[] | select(.merged_at != null and .merged_at >= $since and .merged_at <= $until) |
+                {
+                    repo: ($org + "/" + $repo),
+                    org: $org,
+                    number: .number,
+                    title: .title,
+                    url: .html_url,
+                    author: .user.login,
+                    labels: [.labels[]?.name],
+                    merged_at: .merged_at
+                }] | .[]
+            else empty end
+        ' 2>/dev/null)
+    fi
     
     # Count opened PRs in the date range
     local all_prs_response
-    all_prs_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/pulls?state=all")
     local opened_prs=0
-    opened_prs=$(echo "$all_prs_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.created_at >= $since and .created_at <= $until)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    if all_prs_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/pulls?state=all"); then
+        opened_prs=$(echo "$all_prs_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.created_at >= $since and .created_at <= $until)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    fi
     
     # Count commits in the date range
     local commits_response
-    commits_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/commits?since=${WEEK_AGO}&until=${NOW}")
     local commits=0
-    commits=$(echo "$commits_response" | jq 'if type == "array" then length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    if commits_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/commits?since=${WEEK_AGO}&until=${NOW}"); then
+        commits=$(echo "$commits_response" | jq 'if type == "array" then length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    fi
+    
+    # Count releases published in the date range
+    local releases_response
+    local releases=0
+    if releases_response=$(api_call "/repos/${full_repo}/releases"); then
+        releases=$(echo "$releases_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.published_at != null and .published_at >= $since and .published_at <= $until and .draft == false)] | length else 0 end' 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+    fi
+    
+    # Collect release details for summary template
+    local local_ext_release_details=""
+    if [ "$SUMMARY_TEMPLATE" = "true" ] && [ "$releases" -gt 0 ]; then
+        local_ext_release_details=$(echo "$releases_response" | jq -c --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" --arg repo "$full_repo" --arg org "$repo_org" '
+            if type == "array" then
+                [.[] | select(.published_at != null and .published_at >= $since and .published_at <= $until and .draft == false) |
+                {
+                    repo: $repo,
+                    org: $org,
+                    tag: .tag_name,
+                    name: (.name // .tag_name),
+                    url: .html_url,
+                    published_at: .published_at,
+                    body: (.body // "" | split("\n")[0:3] | join(" "))
+                }] | .[]
+            else empty end
+        ' 2>/dev/null)
+    fi
     
     # Handle null/empty values
     current_issues=${current_issues:-0}
@@ -322,9 +410,19 @@ process_external_repo() {
     merged_prs=${merged_prs:-0}
     opened_prs=${opened_prs:-0}
     commits=${commits:-0}
+    releases=${releases:-0}
     
     # Return values as JSON for easy parsing
-    echo "{\"repo\":\"$full_repo\",\"current_issues\":$current_issues,\"opened_issues\":$opened_issues,\"closed_issues\":$closed_issues,\"opened_prs\":$opened_prs,\"merged_prs\":$merged_prs,\"commits\":$commits}"
+    # Include PR details and release details as nested arrays for summary template
+    local pr_details_json="[]"
+    if [ -n "$local_ext_pr_details" ]; then
+        pr_details_json=$(echo "$local_ext_pr_details" | jq -s '.')
+    fi
+    local release_details_json="[]"
+    if [ -n "$local_ext_release_details" ]; then
+        release_details_json=$(echo "$local_ext_release_details" | jq -s '.')
+    fi
+    echo "{\"repo\":\"$full_repo\",\"current_issues\":$current_issues,\"opened_issues\":$opened_issues,\"closed_issues\":$closed_issues,\"opened_prs\":$opened_prs,\"merged_prs\":$merged_prs,\"releases\":$releases,\"commits\":$commits,\"pr_details\":$pr_details_json,\"release_details\":$release_details_json}"
 }
 
 # Get all repositories and filter by activity
@@ -485,6 +583,7 @@ total_closed_issues=0
 total_merged_prs=0
 total_commits=0
 total_opened_prs=0
+total_releases=0
 failed_repos=0
 rate_limited_repos=0
 report_content=""
@@ -514,11 +613,16 @@ if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
 
 ## Summary
 
-| Repository | Current Issues | Opened Issues | Closed Issues | Opened PRs | Merged PRs | Commits |
-|------------|----------------|---------------|---------------|------------|------------|---------|"
-    echo "DEBUG: Initial report content set, length: ${#report_content}"
+| Repository | Current Issues | Opened Issues | Closed Issues | Opened PRs | Merged PRs | Releases | Commits |
+|------------|----------------|---------------|---------------|------------|------------|----------|---------|"
+    debug "Initial report content set, length: ${#report_content}"
 fi
 
+# Initialize summary template data collection
+# We collect merged PR details and release info as newline-delimited JSON records
+summary_template_data=""
+summary_release_data=""
+
 # Process each repository
 repo_count=0
 repos_with_activity=0
@@ -529,8 +633,7 @@ while IFS= read -r repo; do
     echo "Processing repository: $repo"
     
     # Count total current open issues
-    current_issues_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/issues?state=open")
-    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+    if current_issues_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/issues?state=open"); then
         current_issues=$(echo "$current_issues_response" | jq 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.pull_request == null)] | length else 0 end')
     else
         current_issues=0
@@ -542,8 +645,7 @@ while IFS= read -r repo; do
     fi
     
     # Count opened issues in the date range
-    opened_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/issues?state=all")
-    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+    if opened_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/issues?state=all"); then
         opened_issues=$(echo "$opened_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.created_at >= $since and .created_at <= $until and .pull_request == null)] | length else 0 end')
     else
         opened_issues=0
@@ -555,8 +657,7 @@ while IFS= read -r repo; do
     fi
     
     # Count closed issues in the date range
-    closed_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/issues?state=closed")
-    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+    if closed_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/issues?state=closed"); then
         closed_issues=$(echo "$closed_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.closed_at != null and .closed_at >= $since and .closed_at <= $until and .pull_request == null)] | length else 0 end')
     else
         closed_issues=0
@@ -568,9 +669,35 @@ while IFS= read -r repo; do
     fi
     
     # Count merged PRs in the date range
-    prs_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/pulls?state=closed")
-    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+    if prs_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/pulls?state=closed"); then
         merged_prs=$(echo "$prs_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.merged_at != null and .merged_at >= $since and .merged_at <= $until)] | length else 0 end')
+        
+        # Collect merged PR details for summary template
+        if [ "$SUMMARY_TEMPLATE" = "true" ] && [ "$merged_prs" -gt 0 ]; then
+            local_pr_details=$(echo "$prs_response" | jq -c --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" --arg repo "$repo" --arg org "$ORGANIZATION" '
+                if type == "array" then
+                    [.[] | select(.merged_at != null and .merged_at >= $since and .merged_at <= $until) |
+                    {
+                        repo: $repo,
+                        org: $org,
+                        number: .number,
+                        title: .title,
+                        url: .html_url,
+                        author: .user.login,
+                        labels: [.labels[]?.name],
+                        merged_at: .merged_at
+                    }] | .[]
+                else empty end
+            ' 2>/dev/null)
+            if [ -n "$local_pr_details" ]; then
+                if [ -n "$summary_template_data" ]; then
+                    summary_template_data="${summary_template_data}
+${local_pr_details}"
+                else
+                    summary_template_data="$local_pr_details"
+                fi
+            fi
+        fi
     else
         merged_prs=0
         if echo "$prs_response" | jq -e '.error' 2>/dev/null | grep -q "rate_limit"; then
@@ -581,8 +708,7 @@ while IFS= read -r repo; do
     fi
     
     # Count opened PRs in the date range (both open and closed)
-    all_prs_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/pulls?state=all")
-    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+    if all_prs_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/pulls?state=all"); then
         opened_prs=$(echo "$all_prs_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.created_at >= $since and .created_at <= $until)] | length else 0 end')
     else
         opened_prs=0
@@ -594,8 +720,7 @@ while IFS= read -r repo; do
     fi
     
     # Count commits in the date range
-    commits_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/commits?since=${WEEK_AGO}&until=${NOW}")
-    if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+    if commits_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/commits?since=${WEEK_AGO}&until=${NOW}"); then
         commits=$(echo "$commits_response" | jq 'if type == "array" then length else 0 end')
     else
         commits=0
@@ -606,6 +731,44 @@ while IFS= read -r repo; do
         fi
     fi
     
+    # Count releases published in the date range
+    if releases_response=$(api_call "/repos/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/releases"); then
+        releases=$(echo "$releases_response" | jq --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" 'if type == "array" then [.[] | select(.published_at != null and .published_at >= $since and .published_at <= $until and .draft == false)] | length else 0 end')
+        
+        # Collect release details for summary template
+        if [ "$SUMMARY_TEMPLATE" = "true" ] && [ "$releases" -gt 0 ]; then
+            local_release_details=$(echo "$releases_response" | jq -c --arg since "$WEEK_AGO" --arg until "$NOW" --arg repo "$repo" --arg org "$ORGANIZATION" '
+                if type == "array" then
+                    [.[] | select(.published_at != null and .published_at >= $since and .published_at <= $until and .draft == false) |
+                    {
+                        repo: $repo,
+                        org: $org,
+                        tag: .tag_name,
+                        name: (.name // .tag_name),
+                        url: .html_url,
+                        published_at: .published_at,
+                        body: (.body // "" | split("\n")[0:3] | join(" "))
+                    }] | .[] 
+                else empty end
+            ' 2>/dev/null)
+            if [ -n "$local_release_details" ]; then
+                if [ -n "$summary_release_data" ]; then
+                    summary_release_data="${summary_release_data}
+${local_release_details}"
+                else
+                    summary_release_data="$local_release_details"
+                fi
+            fi
+        fi
+    else
+        releases=0
+        if echo "$releases_response" | jq -e '.error' 2>/dev/null | grep -q "rate_limit"; then
+            rate_limited_repos=$((rate_limited_repos + 1))
+        else
+            failed_repos=$((failed_repos + 1))
+        fi
+    fi
+    
     # Handle null/empty values
     current_issues=${current_issues:-0}
     opened_issues=${opened_issues:-0}
@@ -613,6 +776,7 @@ while IFS= read -r repo; do
     merged_prs=${merged_prs:-0}
     opened_prs=${opened_prs:-0}
     commits=${commits:-0}
+    releases=${releases:-0}
     
     # Add to totals
     total_current_issues=$((total_current_issues + current_issues))
@@ -621,10 +785,11 @@ while IFS= read -r repo; do
     total_merged_prs=$((total_merged_prs + merged_prs))
     total_opened_prs=$((total_opened_prs + opened_prs))
     total_commits=$((total_commits + commits))
+    total_releases=$((total_releases + releases))
     
     # Only include repos with actual activity (exclude repos with all zeros in activity columns)
     # Note: We check activity metrics only, not current_issues (which is current state, not activity)
-    if [ $((opened_issues + closed_issues + opened_prs + merged_prs + commits)) -gt 0 ]; then
+    if [ $((opened_issues + closed_issues + opened_prs + merged_prs + commits + releases)) -gt 0 ]; then
         repos_with_activity=$((repos_with_activity + 1))
         if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
             # Create GitHub search URLs for clickable metrics
@@ -634,34 +799,36 @@ while IFS= read -r repo; do
             closed_issues_url="https://github.com/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/issues?q=is:issue+closed:${start_display}..${end_display}"
             opened_prs_url="https://github.com/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/pulls?q=is:pr+created:${start_display}..${end_display}"
             merged_prs_url="https://github.com/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/pulls?q=is:pr+merged:${start_display}..${end_display}"
+            releases_url="https://github.com/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/releases"
             commits_url="https://github.com/${ORGANIZATION}/${repo}/commits?since=${start_display}&until=${end_display}"
             
-            # Format metrics as clickable links if > 1
+            # Format metrics as clickable links if > 0
             current_issues_display=$(format_metric "$current_issues" "$current_issues_url")
             opened_issues_display=$(format_metric "$opened_issues" "$opened_issues_url")
             closed_issues_display=$(format_metric "$closed_issues" "$closed_issues_url")
             opened_prs_display=$(format_metric "$opened_prs" "$opened_prs_url")
             merged_prs_display=$(format_metric "$merged_prs" "$merged_prs_url")
+            releases_display=$(format_metric "$releases" "$releases_url")
             commits_display=$(format_metric "$commits" "$commits_url")
             
             report_content="${report_content}
-| $repo | $current_issues_display | $opened_issues_display | $closed_issues_display | $opened_prs_display | $merged_prs_display | $commits_display |"
+| $repo | $current_issues_display | $opened_issues_display | $closed_issues_display | $opened_prs_display | $merged_prs_display | $releases_display | $commits_display |"
         fi
     else
-        echo "DEBUG: Skipping $repo from report (no activity: all metrics are zero)"
+        debug "Skipping $repo from report (no activity: all metrics are zero)"
     fi
     
 done <<< "$repo_names"
 
-echo "DEBUG: Processed $repo_count repositories"
-echo "DEBUG: Repositories with activity (included in report): $repos_with_activity"
-echo "DEBUG: Repositories skipped (no activity): $((repo_count - repos_with_activity))"
-echo "DEBUG: Final report content length: ${#report_content}"
+debug "Processed $repo_count repositories"
+debug "Repositories with activity (included in report): $repos_with_activity"
+debug "Repositories skipped (no activity): $((repo_count - repos_with_activity))"
+debug "Final report content length: ${#report_content}"
 
 # Add summary to report
 if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
     report_content="${report_content}
-|**Total**|**$total_current_issues**|**$total_opened_issues**|**$total_closed_issues**|**$total_opened_prs**|**$total_merged_prs**|**$total_commits**|
+|**Total**|**$total_current_issues**|**$total_opened_issues**|**$total_closed_issues**|**$total_opened_prs**|**$total_merged_prs**|**$total_releases**|**$total_commits**|
 
 ## Details
 
@@ -671,6 +838,7 @@ if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
 - **Total Issues Closed:** $total_closed_issues
 - **Total PRs Opened:** $total_opened_prs
 - **Total PRs Merged:** $total_merged_prs
+- **Total Releases:** $total_releases
 - **Total Commits:** $total_commits"
     
     # Add warnings about incomplete data if any API calls failed
@@ -704,6 +872,7 @@ if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
         ext_total_merged_prs=0
         ext_total_commits=0
         ext_total_opened_prs=0
+        ext_total_releases=0
         ext_repos_with_activity=0
         ext_report_content=""
         
@@ -722,8 +891,33 @@ if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
             closed_issues=$(echo "$repo_result" | jq -r '.closed_issues')
             opened_prs=$(echo "$repo_result" | jq -r '.opened_prs')
             merged_prs=$(echo "$repo_result" | jq -r '.merged_prs')
+            releases=$(echo "$repo_result" | jq -r '.releases')
             commits=$(echo "$repo_result" | jq -r '.commits')
             
+            # Extract PR details for summary template
+            if [ "$SUMMARY_TEMPLATE" = "true" ]; then
+                ext_pr_details=$(echo "$repo_result" | jq -c '.pr_details[]?' 2>/dev/null)
+                if [ -n "$ext_pr_details" ]; then
+                    if [ -n "$summary_template_data" ]; then
+                        summary_template_data="${summary_template_data}
+${ext_pr_details}"
+                    else
+                        summary_template_data="$ext_pr_details"
+                    fi
+                fi
+                
+                # Extract release details for summary template
+                ext_release_details=$(echo "$repo_result" | jq -c '.release_details[]?' 2>/dev/null)
+                if [ -n "$ext_release_details" ]; then
+                    if [ -n "$summary_release_data" ]; then
+                        summary_release_data="${summary_release_data}
+${ext_release_details}"
+                    else
+                        summary_release_data="$ext_release_details"
+                    fi
+                fi
+            fi
+            
             # Add to totals
             ext_total_current_issues=$((ext_total_current_issues + current_issues))
             ext_total_opened_issues=$((ext_total_opened_issues + opened_issues))
@@ -731,9 +925,10 @@ if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
             ext_total_merged_prs=$((ext_total_merged_prs + merged_prs))
             ext_total_opened_prs=$((ext_total_opened_prs + opened_prs))
             ext_total_commits=$((ext_total_commits + commits))
+            ext_total_releases=$((ext_total_releases + releases))
             
             # Only include repos with activity
-            if [ $((opened_issues + closed_issues + opened_prs + merged_prs + commits)) -gt 0 ]; then
+            if [ $((opened_issues + closed_issues + opened_prs + merged_prs + commits + releases)) -gt 0 ]; then
                 ext_repos_with_activity=$((ext_repos_with_activity + 1))
                 
                 # Create GitHub search URLs
@@ -742,6 +937,7 @@ if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
                 closed_issues_url="https://github.com/${full_repo}/issues?q=is:issue+closed:${start_display}..${end_display}"
                 opened_prs_url="https://github.com/${full_repo}/pulls?q=is:pr+created:${start_display}..${end_display}"
                 merged_prs_url="https://github.com/${full_repo}/pulls?q=is:pr+merged:${start_display}..${end_display}"
+                releases_url="https://github.com/${full_repo}/releases"
                 commits_url="https://github.com/${full_repo}/commits?since=${start_display}&until=${end_display}"
                 
                 # Format metrics as clickable links if > 0
@@ -750,12 +946,13 @@ if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
                 closed_issues_display=$(format_metric "$closed_issues" "$closed_issues_url")
                 opened_prs_display=$(format_metric "$opened_prs" "$opened_prs_url")
                 merged_prs_display=$(format_metric "$merged_prs" "$merged_prs_url")
+                releases_display=$(format_metric "$releases" "$releases_url")
                 commits_display=$(format_metric "$commits" "$commits_url")
                 
                 ext_report_content="${ext_report_content}
-| $full_repo | $current_issues_display | $opened_issues_display | $closed_issues_display | $opened_prs_display | $merged_prs_display | $commits_display |"
+| $full_repo | $current_issues_display | $opened_issues_display | $closed_issues_display | $opened_prs_display | $merged_prs_display | $releases_display | $commits_display |"
             else
-                echo "DEBUG: Skipping $full_repo from report (no activity: all metrics are zero)"
+                debug "Skipping $full_repo from report (no activity: all metrics are zero)"
             fi
         done
         
@@ -765,14 +962,14 @@ if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
 
 ## External Repositories
 
-| Repository | Current Issues | Opened Issues | Closed Issues | Opened PRs | Merged PRs | Commits |
-|------------|----------------|---------------|---------------|------------|------------|---------|${ext_report_content}
-|**Total**|**$ext_total_current_issues**|**$ext_total_opened_issues**|**$ext_total_closed_issues**|**$ext_total_opened_prs**|**$ext_total_merged_prs**|**$ext_total_commits**|"
+| Repository | Current Issues | Opened Issues | Closed Issues | Opened PRs | Merged PRs | Releases | Commits |
+|------------|----------------|---------------|---------------|------------|------------|----------|---------|${ext_report_content}
+|**Total**|**$ext_total_current_issues**|**$ext_total_opened_issues**|**$ext_total_closed_issues**|**$ext_total_opened_prs**|**$ext_total_merged_prs**|**$ext_total_releases**|**$ext_total_commits**|"
             
-            echo "DEBUG: External repositories with activity: $ext_repos_with_activity"
-            echo "DEBUG: External repos totals - Issues: $ext_total_opened_issues opened, $ext_total_closed_issues closed | PRs: $ext_total_opened_prs opened, $ext_total_merged_prs merged | Commits: $ext_total_commits"
+            debug "External repositories with activity: $ext_repos_with_activity"
+            debug "External repos totals - Issues: $ext_total_opened_issues opened, $ext_total_closed_issues closed | PRs: $ext_total_opened_prs opened, $ext_total_merged_prs merged | Commits: $ext_total_commits"
         else
-            echo "DEBUG: No external repository activity in date range"
+            debug "No external repository activity in date range"
         fi
     fi
     
@@ -782,7 +979,133 @@ if [ "$OUTPUT_FORMAT" = "markdown" ]; then
 fi
 
 # Create summary
-summary="Summary: $total_current_issues current open issues, $total_opened_issues issues opened, $total_closed_issues issues closed, $total_opened_prs PRs opened, $total_merged_prs PRs merged, $total_commits commits"
+summary="Summary: $total_current_issues current open issues, $total_opened_issues issues opened, $total_closed_issues issues closed, $total_opened_prs PRs opened, $total_merged_prs PRs merged, $total_releases releases, $total_commits commits"
+
+# Generate comment summary template if enabled
+if [ "$SUMMARY_TEMPLATE" = "true" ]; then
+    echo "Generating comment summary template..."
+    
+    template_content="**High Level Summary:**
+
+<!-- 
+  Edit this template to create your activity summary comment.
+  Below are all merged PRs from the report period, grouped by repository.
+  Reorganize into thematic sections (e.g., Lectures, Infrastructure, Libraries)
+  and add high-level context about what was accomplished.
+-->
+
+1. **[Topic 1]** _Add a high-level summary of work in this area._
+2. **[Topic 2]** _Add another thematic summary._
+
+---"
+    
+    # --- Releases table (Option A: single table at top, omitted if no releases) ---
+    if [ -n "$summary_release_data" ]; then
+        template_content="${template_content}
+
+## 📦 Releases
+
+| Repository | Release | Date |
+|------------|---------|------|"
+        
+        # Sort all releases by published_at descending
+        sorted_releases=$(echo "$summary_release_data" | jq -s 'sort_by(.published_at) | reverse | .[]' -c 2>/dev/null)
+        
+        while IFS= read -r release_json; do
+            [ -z "$release_json" ] && continue
+            release_repo=$(echo "$release_json" | jq -r '.repo')
+            release_name=$(echo "$release_json" | jq -r '.name')
+            release_tag=$(echo "$release_json" | jq -r '.tag')
+            release_url=$(echo "$release_json" | jq -r '.url')
+            release_date=$(echo "$release_json" | jq -r '.published_at' | cut -d'T' -f1)
+            # Format the date as "Feb 5" style — non-zero-padded day (GNU %-d first, then BSD %e trimmed, then fallback)
+            release_date_display=$(date -d "$release_date" "+%b %-d" 2>/dev/null || date -j -f "%Y-%m-%d" "$release_date" "+%b %e" 2>/dev/null | sed 's/  / /' || echo "$release_date")
+            # Use name if different from tag, otherwise just show tag
+            if [ "$release_name" != "$release_tag" ] && [ -n "$release_name" ]; then
+                release_label="${release_name} (${release_tag})"
+            else
+                release_label="${release_tag}"
+            fi
+            template_content="${template_content}
+| ${release_repo} | [${release_label}](${release_url}) | ${release_date_display} |"
+        done <<< "$sorted_releases"
+    fi
+    
+    # --- PR listings per repository ---
+    if [ -n "$summary_template_data" ]; then
+        # Get unique repos from the collected PR data
+        repo_list=$(echo "$summary_template_data" | jq -r '.repo' | sort -u)
+        
+        while IFS= read -r template_repo; do
+            [ -z "$template_repo" ] && continue
+            
+            template_content="${template_content}
+
+**${template_repo}:**"
+            
+            # Get PRs for this repo, sorted by merged_at
+            repo_prs=$(echo "$summary_template_data" | jq -c --arg repo "$template_repo" 'select(.repo == $repo)' | jq -s 'sort_by(.merged_at) | reverse | .[]' -c 2>/dev/null)
+            
+            while IFS= read -r pr_json; do
+                [ -z "$pr_json" ] && continue
+                pr_title=$(echo "$pr_json" | jq -r '.title')
+                pr_url=$(echo "$pr_json" | jq -r '.url')
+                pr_author=$(echo "$pr_json" | jq -r '.author')
+                pr_labels=$(echo "$pr_json" | jq -r '.labels | if length > 0 then " [" + join(", ") + "]" else "" end')
+                
+                template_content="${template_content}
+  - [${pr_title}](${pr_url})${pr_labels} (@${pr_author})"
+            done <<< "$repo_prs"
+            
+        done <<< "$repo_list"
+    elif [ -z "$summary_release_data" ]; then
+        # No PRs and no releases
+        template_content="${template_content}
+
+_No merged PRs or releases found in the report period._"
+    fi
+    
+    # Build contributors line from actual PR authors
+    contributors_line=""
+    if [ -n "$summary_template_data" ]; then
+        # Get unique non-bot authors, sorted alphabetically
+        contributors=$(echo "$summary_template_data" | jq -r '.author' | grep -v '\[bot\]$' | grep -vi '^copilot$' | sort -uf)
+        contributor_count=$(echo "$contributors" | grep -c . || true)
+        
+        if [ "$contributor_count" -gt 0 ]; then
+            # Format as @user1, @user2, and @user3
+            formatted=""
+            i=0
+            while IFS= read -r author; do
+                [ -z "$author" ] && continue
+                i=$((i + 1))
+                if [ $i -eq 1 ]; then
+                    formatted="@${author}"
+                elif [ $i -eq "$contributor_count" ]; then
+                    formatted="${formatted}, and @${author}"
+                else
+                    formatted="${formatted}, @${author}"
+                fi
+            done <<< "$contributors"
+            contributors_line="thanks ${formatted} for all your contributions."
+        fi
+    fi
+    
+    if [ -z "$contributors_line" ]; then
+        contributors_line="<!-- No contributors found — add manually if needed -->"
+    fi
+    
+    template_content="${template_content}
+
+---
+
+${contributors_line}"
+    
+    # Save template to file
+    echo "$template_content" > "$SUMMARY_TEMPLATE_FILE"
+    echo "Comment summary template generated: $SUMMARY_TEMPLATE_FILE"
+    debug "Summary template length: ${#template_content}"
+fi
 
 # Save report to file
 echo "$report_content" > "$OUTPUT_FILE"
@@ -790,15 +1113,15 @@ echo "$report_content" > "$OUTPUT_FILE"
 echo "Report generated: $OUTPUT_FILE"
 
 # Debug: Check if GITHUB_OUTPUT is set and accessible
-echo "DEBUG: GITHUB_OUTPUT environment variable: ${GITHUB_OUTPUT:-NOT_SET}"
-echo "DEBUG: Report content length: ${#report_content}"
-echo "DEBUG: Summary: $summary"
+debug "GITHUB_OUTPUT environment variable: ${GITHUB_OUTPUT:-NOT_SET}"
+debug "Report content length: ${#report_content}"
+debug "Summary: $summary"
 
 # Set outputs
 if [ -n "$GITHUB_OUTPUT" ]; then
-    echo "DEBUG: Writing to GITHUB_OUTPUT file"
-    echo "DEBUG: Content preview (first 100 chars): ${report_content:0:100}"
-    echo "DEBUG: Summary preview: $summary"
+    debug "Writing to GITHUB_OUTPUT file"
+    debug "Content preview (first 100 chars): ${report_content:0:100}"
+    debug "Summary preview: $summary"
     
     # Use a unique delimiter to avoid conflicts with content
     delimiter="QUANTECON_REPORT_END_$(date +%s)"
@@ -808,10 +1131,18 @@ if [ -n "$GITHUB_OUTPUT" ]; then
     
     echo "report-summary=$summary" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
     
-    echo "DEBUG: Outputs written to GITHUB_OUTPUT"
-    echo "DEBUG: GITHUB_OUTPUT file size: $(wc -c < "$GITHUB_OUTPUT")"
+    # Add summary template output if enabled
+    if [ "$SUMMARY_TEMPLATE" = "true" ] && [ -n "$template_content" ]; then
+        template_delimiter="QUANTECON_TEMPLATE_END_$(date +%s)"
+        echo "comment-template<<${template_delimiter}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        echo "$template_content" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+        echo "${template_delimiter}" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+    fi
+    
+    debug "Outputs written to GITHUB_OUTPUT"
+    debug "GITHUB_OUTPUT file size: $(wc -c < "$GITHUB_OUTPUT")"
 else
-    echo "DEBUG: GITHUB_OUTPUT not set (expected in CLI mode, outputs are for GitHub Actions only)"
+    debug "GITHUB_OUTPUT not set (expected in CLI mode, outputs are for GitHub Actions only)"
 fi
 
 echo "Report generated successfully!"