diff --git a/.agent/skills/onboard-team-area/SKILL.md b/.agent/skills/onboard-team-area/SKILL.md
index d849e17db2d..c7bc9165147 100644
--- a/.agent/skills/onboard-team-area/SKILL.md
+++ b/.agent/skills/onboard-team-area/SKILL.md
@@ -56,9 +56,9 @@ node .github/scripts/owners.js validate
 ./task checks
 ```
 
-No `NEXT_CHANGELOG.md` entry; this is ownership/config only. Write the PR using the `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md` sections (Why / Changes / Tests).
+No `.nextchanges/` entry; this is ownership/config only. Write the PR using the `.github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md` sections (Why / Changes / Tests).
 
 ## Experimental vs stable, and graduation
 
-- **Experimental** — code under `experimental/<area>/`, tests under `acceptance/experimental/<area>/`. Register it under the hidden parent in `cmd/experimental/experimental.go`, or top-level in `cmd/cmd.go` with `Hidden: true` (as `ssh` does). Experimental commands still ship enabled in every release; `Hidden` only removes them from `--help`, it does not gate or compile them out. No `NEXT_CHANGELOG` entries while experimental. To hand a build to testers, push a `bugbash-<topic>` branch (auto-builds a snapshot) and share the `internal/bugbash/exec.sh` one-liner.
-- **Graduating to stable** — `git mv` the feature-complete commands to `cmd/<area>/` + `libs/<area>/`, register them top-level in `cmd/cmd.go`, keep the old `experimental` paths as deprecated cobra aliases (`sub.Hidden = true`, `sub.Deprecated = '...'`), add OWNERS rules for the new stable paths, and add the `NEXT_CHANGELOG` entry. See `experimental/aitools` graduating to top-level `aitools` (PR #4917) as the worked example.
+- **Experimental** — code under `experimental/<area>/`, tests under `acceptance/experimental/<area>/`. Register it under the hidden parent in `cmd/experimental/experimental.go`, or top-level in `cmd/cmd.go` with `Hidden: true` (as `ssh` does). Experimental commands still ship enabled in every release; `Hidden` only removes them from `--help`, it does not gate or compile them out. No `.nextchanges/` entries while experimental. To hand a build to testers, push a `bugbash-<topic>` branch (auto-builds a snapshot) and share the `internal/bugbash/exec.sh` one-liner.
+- **Graduating to stable** — `git mv` the feature-complete commands to `cmd/<area>/` + `libs/<area>/`, register them top-level in `cmd/cmd.go`, keep the old `experimental` paths as deprecated cobra aliases (`sub.Hidden = true`, `sub.Deprecated = '...'`), add OWNERS rules for the new stable paths, and add a `.nextchanges/` entry. See `experimental/aitools` graduating to top-level `aitools` (PR #4917) as the worked example.
diff --git a/.nextchanges/bundles/5799-spark-python-task.md b/.nextchanges/bundles/5799-spark-python-task.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f9e0c25ea00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.nextchanges/bundles/5799-spark-python-task.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+`bundle generate job` now downloads workspace files referenced by `spark_python_task`, rewriting them to a relative path like it already does for notebooks. Git-sourced files and cloud URIs are left untouched ([#5799](https://github.com/databricks/cli/pull/5799)).
diff --git a/.nextchanges/cli/5096-profile-precedence.md b/.nextchanges/cli/5096-profile-precedence.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..1a80d7cc183
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.nextchanges/cli/5096-profile-precedence.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+An explicitly selected profile (`--profile` or a bundle's `workspace.profile`) now takes precedence over auth environment variables (`DATABRICKS_HOST`, `DATABRICKS_TOKEN`, etc.) instead of being silently shadowed by them; env vars still fill auth fields the profile leaves empty ([#5096](https://github.com/databricks/cli/issues/5096)).
diff --git a/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md b/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 57d93cb0fcd..00000000000
--- a/NEXT_CHANGELOG.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,17 +0,0 @@
-# NEXT CHANGELOG
-
-## Release v1.7.0
-
-### Notable Changes
-
-### CLI
-
-* An explicitly selected profile (`--profile` or a bundle's `workspace.profile`) now takes precedence over auth environment variables (`DATABRICKS_HOST`, `DATABRICKS_TOKEN`, etc.) instead of being silently shadowed by them; env vars still fill auth fields the profile leaves empty ([#5096](https://github.com/databricks/cli/issues/5096)).
-
-### Bundles
-
- * `bundle generate job` now downloads workspace files referenced by `spark_python_task`, rewriting them to a relative path like it already does for notebooks. Git-sourced files and cloud URIs are left untouched ([#5799](https://github.com/databricks/cli/pull/5799)).
-
-### Dependency updates
-
-### API Changes