diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/changelog/index.ts b/lib/workers/repository/changelog/index.ts
index 9a5babdff717a210b497c51bd3d8185cb56fda42..773ef3886051e7de105095ca24283860b7f6d35f 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/changelog/index.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/changelog/index.ts
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import pMap from 'p-map';
+import { BranchUpgradeConfig } from '../../common';
 import { getChangeLogJSON } from '../../pr/changelog';
 
 // istanbul ignore next
@@ -7,10 +8,12 @@ async function embedChangelog(upgrade): Promise<void> {
 }
 
 // istanbul ignore next
-export async function embedChangelogs(branches): Promise<void> {
+export async function embedChangelogs(
+  branchUpgrades: Record<string, BranchUpgradeConfig[]>
+): Promise<void> {
   const upgrades = [];
-  for (const branch of branches) {
-    for (const upgrade of branch.upgrades) {
+  for (const branchName of Object.keys(branchUpgrades)) {
+    for (const upgrade of branchUpgrades[branchName]) {
       upgrades.push(upgrade);
     }
   }
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/index.ts b/lib/workers/repository/index.ts
index 1459bc3ff220bc4e788f9d03530596b84602b25d..da3ef0840866316eebbd90718052bc4cb6ae5ac7 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/index.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/index.ts
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ import { RenovateConfig } from '../../config';
 import { logger, setMeta } from '../../logger';
 import { platform } from '../../platform';
 import { addSplit, getSplits, splitInit } from '../../util/split';
-import { embedChangelogs } from './changelog';
 import handleError from './error';
 import { finaliseRepo } from './finalise';
 import { initRepo } from './init';
@@ -38,8 +37,6 @@ export async function renovateRepository(
       config
     );
     await ensureOnboardingPr(config, packageFiles, branches);
-    await embedChangelogs(branches);
-    addSplit('changelogs');
     const res = await updateRepo(config, branches, branchList);
     addSplit('update');
     if (res !== 'automerged') {
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/updates/branchify.ts b/lib/workers/repository/updates/branchify.ts
index e2aa1903d00187d7f67861088fc6d8cc8cbab19e..0b3409b7d134fc414a4f3ab25f0cbb6a4d6837a4 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/updates/branchify.ts
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/updates/branchify.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { RenovateConfig, ValidationMessage } from '../../../config';
 import { addMeta, logger, removeMeta } from '../../../logger';
 import * as template from '../../../util/template';
 import { BranchConfig, BranchUpgradeConfig } from '../../common';
+import { embedChangelogs } from '../changelog';
 import { flattenUpdates } from './flatten';
 import { generateBranchConfig } from './generate';
 import { Merge } from 'type-fest';
@@ -109,6 +110,7 @@ export async function branchifyUpgrades(
     );
   }
   logger.debug(`Returning ${Object.keys(branchUpgrades).length} branch(es)`);
+  await embedChangelogs(branchUpgrades);
   for (const branchName of Object.keys(branchUpgrades)) {
     // Add branch name to metadata before generating branch config
     addMeta({