diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 214357707..3e9ca5622 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -48,12 +48,16 @@ $(call def-help-heading,TODO: some of these need updating)
 $(call def-help-heading,---------------------------------------)
 $(call def-help-heading, )
 
-# just to include "make help" in help:
-help2: $(call def-help,[help], list documented rules in this makefile. "make RULE -n" shows more detail. )
+add-to-help-1: $(call def-help,[help], list documented rules in this makefile )
 
-help-%: $(call def-help,[help-SECTION], list documented rules in one section of this makefile. )
+help-%: $(call def-help,help-SECTION, list documented rules in the given section )
 	make help 2>&1 | sed -n '/$*/,/: $$/p'
 
+%-help: $(call def-help,SECTION-help, same but easier to type (can append "-help" to any "make RULE") )
+	@make help 2>&1 | sed -n '/$*/,/: $$/p'
+
+add-to-help-2: $(call def-help,RULE -n, show what RULE would do )
+
 ###############################################################################
 # VARS
 
@@ -176,10 +180,10 @@ VERSIONSENSITIVEFILES=\
 VERSIONFILE=.version
 
 # two or three-part version string, whatever's in VERSION
-VERSION:=$(shell cat $(VERSIONFILE))
+VERSION=$(shell cat $(VERSIONFILE))
 
 # the number of commits since the last tag
-PATCHLEVEL:=$(shell git describe --tags --match 'hledger-[0-9]*' --long | awk -F- '{print $$3}')
+PATCHLEVEL=$(shell git describe --tags --match 'hledger-[0-9]*' --long | awk -F- '{print $$3}')
 #PATCHLEVEL:=$(shell git describe --tags --match 'hledger-web-[0-9]*' --long | awk -F- '{print $$4}')
 # the number of commits since the last_release tag
 #PATCHLEVEL:=$(shell git rev-list last_release..HEAD | wc -l)
@@ -223,8 +227,8 @@ WARNINGS:=\
 # from stack's dist dir, hopefully there's just one. If not (after cabal upgrade), will get warnings. Maybe obsolete ?
 #CABALMACROSFLAGS=-optP-include -optP hledger/.stack-work/dist/*/*/build/autogen/cabal_macros.h
 
-BUILDFLAGS1:=-rtsopts $(WARNINGS) $(INCLUDEPATHS) $(PREFERMACUSRLIBFLAGS) $(GHCMEMFLAGS) $(CABALMACROSFLAGS) -DPATCHLEVEL=$(PATCHLEVEL) -DDEVELOPMENT
-BUILDFLAGS:=$(BUILDFLAGS1) -DVERSION='"$(VERSION)dev"'
+BUILDFLAGS1=-rtsopts $(WARNINGS) $(INCLUDEPATHS) $(PREFERMACUSRLIBFLAGS) $(GHCMEMFLAGS) $(CABALMACROSFLAGS) -DPATCHLEVEL=$(PATCHLEVEL) -DDEVELOPMENT
+BUILDFLAGS=$(BUILDFLAGS1) -DVERSION='"$(VERSION)dev"'
 # PROFBUILDFLAGS:=-prof -fprof-auto -osuf hs_p
 # # sp needs different quoting:
 # AUTOBUILDFLAGS:=$(BUILDFLAGS1) -DVERSION='\"$(VERSION)dev\"' # $(PROFBUILDFLAGS)
@@ -240,8 +244,8 @@ BUILDFLAGS:=$(BUILDFLAGS1) -DVERSION='"$(VERSION)dev"'
 # # some other thing for linux binary filenames
 # RELEASEBINARYSUFFIX=$(shell echo "-$(VERSION)-`uname`-`arch`" | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
 
-TIME:=$(shell date +"%Y%m%d%H%M")
-MONTHYEAR:=$(shell date +'%B %Y')
+TIME=$(shell date +"%Y%m%d%H%M")
+MONTHYEAR=$(shell date +'%B %Y')
 
 ###############################################################################
 $(call def-help-subheading,INSTALLING:)
@@ -1100,47 +1104,6 @@ haddock: \
 # # 	cd site/api && \
 # # 	hoogle --convert=main.txt --output=default.hoo
 
-# changelogs
-#
-# commits are appended as date-ordered org nodes to doc/CHANGES.org
-# for easy editing.  This is used as the basis for package changelogs
-# (hledger*/CHANGES) and release notes (site/release-notes.md).
-
-DRAFTCHANGELOG=doc/CHANGES.org
-LASTCHANGELOGREF:=`grep -E '^[a-f0-9]{8}$$' $(DRAFTCHANGELOG) | tail -1`
-#TODO: list only from LASTTAG if no refs are present
-#LASTTAG:=`git describe --tags --abbrev=0`
-#GREPCHANGELOGREF:=grep -E '^[a-f0-9]{8}$$' $(DRAFTCHANGELOG)
-#LASTCHANGELOGREF:=`($(GREPCHANGELOGREF) -q && ($(GREPCHANGELOGREF) | tail -1))` || `echo $(LASTTAG)`
-
-draft-changelog-start: \
-	$(call def-help,draft-changelog-start, add an empty changelog outline to $(DRAFTCHANGELOG) )
-	@make draft-changelog-template >>$(DRAFTCHANGELOG)
-
-draft-changelog-template: \
-	$(call def-help,draft-changelog-template, print an empty org outline for drafting changelogs. )
-	@echo "* draft changelog for `git describe --tags --abbrev=0`"
-	@echo "** hledger-lib"
-	@echo "** hledger"
-	@echo "** hledger-ui"
-	@echo "** hledger-web"
-	@echo "** hledger-api"
-	@echo "** project"
-
-draft-changelog-update: \
-	$(call def-help,draft-changelog-update, add any new commits as org nodes to $(DRAFTCHANGELOG) )
-	@make draft-changelog-$(LASTCHANGELOGREF) >> $(DRAFTCHANGELOG)
-
-draft-changelog-%: \
-	$(call def-help,draft-changelog-STARTREF, print commits from STARTREF as org nodes. Eg: make draft-changelog-hledger-1.3 )
-	@git log --abbrev-commit --reverse --pretty=format:'ORGNODE %s (%an)%n%b%h' $*.. \
-		| sed -e 's/^\*/-/' -e 's/^ORGNODE/***/' \
-		| sed -e 's/ (Simon Michael)//'
-
-draft-changelog-add-%: \
-	$(call def-help,draft-changelog-add-STARTREF, add commits from STARTREF as org nodes to $(DRAFTCHANGELOG). Eg: make draft-changelog-add-HEAD~1 )
-	@make draft-changelog-$* >>$(DRAFTCHANGELOG)
-
 #
 
 # in subsequent rules, allow automatic variables to be used in prerequisites (use $$)
@@ -1219,6 +1182,71 @@ site/manual2-1.md: site/manual-start.md site/manual-end.md $(MANPAGES) \
 # 	echo pandoc $< -t man -s --template doc/webmanual.template -o $@
 # too hard, see Shake.hs
 
+########################
+# 2017 changelog process
+# make help-changenotes
+
+# Commit messages are periodically appended to this org outline,
+# and before release it is edited down to make the package changelogs
+# (hledger*/CHANGES) and release notes (site/release-notes.md).
+# The notes for past releases are kept in the outline,
+# in case they might come in handy again.
+# It is not specific to any particular branch, and not tracked with git.
+CHANGENOTES=CHANGENOTES.org
+
+LASTTAG=$(shell git describe --tags --abbrev=0)
+
+# The last git revision referenced in the change notes. 
+# (Or, if there are no change notes, the last tag.
+# Tries hard to be warning free and run shell commands only when needed.)
+CHANGENOTESLASTREV=$(subst %,,$(subst %%,$(LASTTAG),%$(shell [ -f $(CHANGENOTES) ] && (grep -E '^[a-f0-9]{8}$$' $(CHANGENOTES) | tail -1) )%))
+
+# create change notes file if it doesn't exist.. shouldn't happen much.
+$(CHANGENOTES):
+	@make changenotes-start
+
+changenotes-start: \
+		$(call def-help,changenotes-start, add a new outline named after $(VERSIONFILE) in $(CHANGENOTES). Run after bumping $(VERSIONFILE). )
+	@(\
+		echo "* change notes for hledger-$(VERSION)" ;\
+		echo "** hledger-lib" ;\
+		echo "** hledger" ;\
+		echo "** hledger-ui" ;\
+		echo "** hledger-web" ;\
+		echo "** hledger-api" ;\
+		echo "** hledger-install" ;\
+		echo "** project" ;\
+		) >>$(CHANGENOTES)
+
+# TODO problem: this only checks the last (bottom-most) git rev in the
+# change notes file, so after manual editing has begun this may re-add
+# commits which are already in the file.
+changenotes-update: $(CHANGENOTES) \
+		$(call def-help,changenotes-update, add any not-yet-added(*) commits to $(CHANGENOTES). Run periodically (* it may get this wrong once manual editing has begun). )
+	@make changenotes-show-from-$(CHANGENOTESLASTREV) >>$(CHANGENOTES)
+	@echo "Latest items in $(CHANGENOTES):"
+	@make changenotes-show | tail -10
+	@make changenotes-show-last
+
+changenotes-update-from-%: \
+#		$(call def-help,changenotes-update-from-REV, add commits from this git revision onward to $(CHANGENOTES) )
+	@make changenotes-show-from-$* >>$(CHANGENOTES)
+
+changenotes-show-from-%: \
+#		$(call def-help,changenotes-show-from-REV, show commits from this git revision onward as org nodes )
+	@git log --abbrev-commit --reverse --pretty=format:'ORGNODE %s (%an)%n%b%h' $*.. \
+		| sed -e 's/^\*/-/' -e 's/^ORGNODE/***/' \
+		| sed -e 's/ (Simon Michael)//'
+
+changenotes-show: $(CHANGENOTES) \
+		$(call def-help,changenotes-show, show all the org headlines recorded in $(CHANGENOTES) )
+	@cat $(CHANGENOTES) | grep '*'
+
+# git l is a local alias with output like "2017-08-16 0a0e6d18 tools: make help-SECTION (HEAD -> master)"
+changenotes-show-last: $(CHANGENOTES) \
+		$(call def-help,changenotes-show-last, show the last commit recorded in $(CHANGENOTES) )
+	@git l -1 $(CHANGENOTESLASTREV)
+
 ###############################################################################
 $(call def-help-subheading,RELEASING:)
 #$(call def-help-subheading,see also developer guide -> how to -> do a release)
@@ -1433,9 +1461,9 @@ hackageupload: \
 describe: $(call def-help,describe, show a precise git-describe version string )
 	@git describe --tags --match 'hledger-[0-9]*' --dirty
 
-showreleaseauthors: $(call def-help,showreleaseauthors, show author names since last release)
-	@echo Commit authors since last release:
-	@git shortlog -sn $(CHANGELOGSTART)..
+# showreleaseauthors: $(call def-help,showreleaseauthors, show author names since last release)
+# 	@echo Commit authors since last release:
+# 	@git shortlog -sn $(CHANGELOGSTART)..  # TODO undefined
 
 cloc: $(call def-help,cloc, count lines of source code )
 	@echo Lines of code including tests: