diff --git a/.github/workflows/build-lint-test.yml b/.github/workflows/build-lint-test.yml
index 3cae922..06f9028 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/build-lint-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/build-lint-test.yml
@@ -16,6 +16,8 @@ jobs:
       - run: yarn install --frozen-lockfile
       - run: yarn setup:postinstall
       - run: yarn build
+      # below step will fail if there're still changes to commit after "yarn build"
+      # see if dist/index.js modified after "yarn build".
       - run: git diff --quiet || { echo 'working directory dirty after "yarn build"'; exit 1; }
       - run: yarn lint
       - run: yarn test
diff --git a/dist/index.js b/dist/index.js
index a2a9fb0..cf5369e 100644
--- a/dist/index.js
+++ b/dist/index.js
@@ -64800,11 +64800,29 @@ async function updatePackageChangelog(packageMetadata, updateSpecification, root
         repoUrl: repositoryUrl,
         formatter: formatChangelog,
     });
-    if (!newChangelogContent) {
+    if (newChangelogContent) {
+        return await external_fs_.promises.writeFile(changelogPath, newChangelogContent);
+    }
+    const hasUnReleased = hasUnreleasedChanges(changelogContent, repositoryUrl);
+    if (!hasUnReleased) {
         const packageName = packageMetadata.manifest.name;
         throw new Error(`"updateChangelog" returned an empty value for package ${packageName ? `"${packageName}"` : `at "${packagePath}"`}.`);
     }
-    return await external_fs_.promises.writeFile(changelogPath, newChangelogContent);
+    return undefined;
+}
+/**
+ * Checks if there are unreleased changes in the changelog.
+ * @param changelogContent - The string formatted changelog.
+ * @param repositoryUrl - The repository url.
+ * @returns The boolean true if there are unreleased changes, otherwise false.
+ */
+function hasUnreleasedChanges(changelogContent, repositoryUrl) {
+    const changelog = (0,auto_changelog_dist.parseChangelog)({
+        changelogContent,
+        repoUrl: repositoryUrl,
+        formatter: formatChangelog,
+    });
+    return Object.keys(changelog.getUnreleasedChanges()).length !== 0;
 }
 /**
  * Updates the given manifest per the update specification as follows:
diff --git a/src/package-operations.test.ts b/src/package-operations.test.ts
index 4c63eed..cd3f9d8 100644
--- a/src/package-operations.test.ts
+++ b/src/package-operations.test.ts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@ jest.mock('@metamask/action-utils/dist/file-utils', () => {
 jest.mock('@metamask/auto-changelog', () => {
   return {
     updateChangelog: jest.fn(),
+    parseChangelog: jest.fn(),
   };
 });
 
@@ -260,6 +261,7 @@ describe('package-operations', () => {
     const readFileMock = jest.spyOn(fs.promises, 'readFile');
 
     const updateChangelogMock = jest.spyOn(autoChangelog, 'updateChangelog');
+    const parseChangelogMock = jest.spyOn(autoChangelog, 'parseChangelog');
 
     const getMockPackageMetadata = (
       dirPath: string,
@@ -354,6 +356,7 @@ describe('package-operations', () => {
           getMockWritePath(dir, 'CHANGELOG.md'),
           mockNewChangelog,
         );
+        expect(parseChangelogMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(0);
       });
 
       it('re-throws changelog read error', async () => {
@@ -437,8 +440,19 @@ describe('package-operations', () => {
         const changelogContent = 'I am a changelog.';
         readFileMock.mockImplementationOnce(async () => changelogContent);
 
-        // This will cause an error
+        // no new changelog content and no unreleased changes will cause an error
         updateChangelogMock.mockImplementation(async () => '');
+        const actualChangelog = jest.requireActual(
+          '@metamask/auto-changelog/dist/changelog',
+        );
+        parseChangelogMock.mockImplementationOnce(() => {
+          return {
+            ...actualChangelog,
+            getUnreleasedChanges() {
+              return {};
+            },
+          };
+        });
 
         const packageMetadata = getMockPackageMetadata(dir, manifest);
         const updateSpecification = {
@@ -472,6 +486,74 @@ describe('package-operations', () => {
           repoUrl,
           formatter: expect.any(Function),
         });
+        expect(parseChangelogMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+        expect(parseChangelogMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+          changelogContent,
+          repoUrl,
+          formatter: expect.any(Function),
+        });
+      });
+
+      it('succeeds if updated changelog is empty, but there are unreleased changes', async () => {
+        const originalVersion = '1.0.0';
+        const newVersion = '1.0.1';
+        const dir = mockDirs[0];
+        const name = packageNames[0];
+        const manifest = getMockManifest(name, originalVersion);
+
+        const repoUrl = 'https://fake';
+        const changelogContent = 'I am a changelog.';
+        readFileMock.mockImplementationOnce(async () => changelogContent);
+
+        updateChangelogMock.mockImplementation(async () => '');
+        const actualChangelog = jest.requireActual(
+          '@metamask/auto-changelog/dist/changelog',
+        );
+        parseChangelogMock.mockImplementationOnce(() => {
+          return {
+            ...actualChangelog,
+            getUnreleasedChanges() {
+              return {
+                Fixed: ['Something'],
+              };
+            },
+          };
+        });
+
+        const packageMetadata = getMockPackageMetadata(dir, manifest);
+        const updateSpecification = {
+          newVersion,
+          packagesToUpdate: new Set(packageNames),
+          repositoryUrl: repoUrl,
+          shouldUpdateChangelog: true,
+          synchronizeVersions: false,
+        };
+
+        await updatePackage(packageMetadata, updateSpecification);
+        expect(writeFileMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+        expect(writeFileMock).toHaveBeenNthCalledWith(
+          1,
+          getMockWritePath(dir, 'package.json'),
+          jsonStringify({
+            ...cloneDeep(manifest),
+            [ManifestFieldNames.Version]: newVersion,
+          }),
+        );
+        expect(updateChangelogMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+        expect(updateChangelogMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+          changelogContent,
+          currentVersion: newVersion,
+          isReleaseCandidate: true,
+          projectRootDirectory: dir,
+          repoUrl,
+          formatter: expect.any(Function),
+        });
+        expect(parseChangelogMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+        expect(parseChangelogMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+          changelogContent,
+          repoUrl,
+          formatter: expect.any(Function),
+        });
       });
 
       it('throws if updated changelog is empty, and handles missing package name', async () => {
@@ -486,8 +568,19 @@ describe('package-operations', () => {
         const changelogContent = 'I am a changelog.';
         readFileMock.mockImplementationOnce(async () => changelogContent);
 
-        // This will cause an error
+        // no new changelog content and no unreleased changes will cause an error
         updateChangelogMock.mockImplementation(async () => '');
+        const actualChangelog = jest.requireActual(
+          '@metamask/auto-changelog/dist/changelog',
+        );
+        parseChangelogMock.mockImplementationOnce(() => {
+          return {
+            ...actualChangelog,
+            getUnreleasedChanges() {
+              return {};
+            },
+          };
+        });
 
         const packageMetadata = getMockPackageMetadata(dir, manifest);
         const updateSpecification = {
@@ -521,6 +614,12 @@ describe('package-operations', () => {
           repoUrl,
           formatter: expect.any(Function),
         });
+        expect(parseChangelogMock).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+        expect(parseChangelogMock).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+          changelogContent,
+          repoUrl,
+          formatter: expect.any(Function),
+        });
       });
 
       it('updates a package without synchronizing dependency versions', async () => {
diff --git a/src/package-operations.ts b/src/package-operations.ts
index 2f8cb37..a6132f2 100644
--- a/src/package-operations.ts
+++ b/src/package-operations.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import {
   validatePolyrepoPackageManifest,
   writeJsonFile,
 } from '@metamask/action-utils';
-import { updateChangelog } from '@metamask/auto-changelog';
+import { parseChangelog, updateChangelog } from '@metamask/auto-changelog';
 import { promises as fs } from 'fs';
 import pathUtils from 'path';
 import prettier from 'prettier';
@@ -276,7 +276,13 @@ async function updatePackageChangelog(
     repoUrl: repositoryUrl,
     formatter: formatChangelog,
   });
-  if (!newChangelogContent) {
+
+  if (newChangelogContent) {
+    return await fs.writeFile(changelogPath, newChangelogContent);
+  }
+
+  const hasUnReleased = hasUnreleasedChanges(changelogContent, repositoryUrl);
+  if (!hasUnReleased) {
     const packageName = packageMetadata.manifest.name;
     throw new Error(
       `"updateChangelog" returned an empty value for package ${
@@ -285,7 +291,26 @@ async function updatePackageChangelog(
     );
   }
 
-  return await fs.writeFile(changelogPath, newChangelogContent);
+  return undefined;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Checks if there are unreleased changes in the changelog.
+ * @param changelogContent - The string formatted changelog.
+ * @param repositoryUrl - The repository url.
+ * @returns The boolean true if there are unreleased changes, otherwise false.
+ */
+function hasUnreleasedChanges(
+  changelogContent: string,
+  repositoryUrl: string,
+): boolean {
+  const changelog = parseChangelog({
+    changelogContent,
+    repoUrl: repositoryUrl,
+    formatter: formatChangelog,
+  });
+
+  return Object.keys(changelog.getUnreleasedChanges()).length !== 0;
 }
 
 /**