diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e06586738
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+General project changes are in doc/CHANGES.md.
+Package-specific changes are in hledger*/CHANGES.md.
diff --git a/Shake.hs b/Shake.hs
index 43de48ae0..5bff52e01 100755
--- a/Shake.hs
+++ b/Shake.hs
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ main = do
         pkgdirs = packages
         pkgandprojdirs = "" : pkgdirs
         cabalfiles = [p </> p <.> "cabal" | p <- packages]
-        changelogs = map (</> "CHANGES.md") pkgandprojdirs
+        changelogs = map (</> "CHANGES.md") pkgdirs ++ ["doc/CHANGES.md"]
         packagemanversionm4s = [p </> ".version.m4" | p <- packages]
         packagemandatem4s = [p </> ".date.m4" | p <- packages]
 
diff --git a/doc/CHANGELOGS.md b/doc/CHANGELOGS.md
index eafc228c0..7213052a3 100644
--- a/doc/CHANGELOGS.md
+++ b/doc/CHANGELOGS.md
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Before release, and preferably daily/weekly as well:
 - `./Shake changelogs`
 - edit the new changelog items
     - open the five changelogs
-      - in emacs: `M-x dired-find`, `-name CHANGES.md`, `(`, split into 5 columns, open each one, narrow from last release heading to top
+      - in emacs: `C-x d */CHANGES.md`, `(`, split into 5 columns, open each one, narrow from last release heading to top
     - in each changelog
       - paste section headings from top comment if needed
       - process new items, from top-most section heading upward
diff --git a/CHANGES.md b/doc/CHANGES.md
similarity index 100%
rename from CHANGES.md
rename to doc/CHANGES.md
diff --git a/doc/RELEASING.md b/doc/RELEASING.md
index 1f4f62ca5..4fb64c3c7 100644
--- a/doc/RELEASING.md
+++ b/doc/RELEASING.md
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ It should be improved each time it is used.
   - embedded asciinema demos (hledger/embeddedfiles/*.cast)
   - shell completions (hledger/shell-completion/hledger-completion.bash)  
         `just completions`, commit any changes
-  - changelogs x 5 (**/CHANGES.md)  
+  - changelogs x 5 (*/CHANGES.md)  
         `just changelogs [-c]`  
         add notable changes from site, finance repos to project changelog (major release only)  
         add issue links with `md-issue-refs`, uniquify