diff --git a/devel/submodules.md b/devel/submodules.md
index bec58b861..6edca7275 100644
--- a/devel/submodules.md
+++ b/devel/submodules.md
@@ -26,4 +26,4 @@ If you changed [kubernetes-client/python-base](https://github.com/kubernetes-cli
 scripts/update-submodule.sh
 ```
 
-Create a commit "generated python-base update" and send a PR to the main repo.
+After the script finishes, please create a commit "generated python-base update" and send a PR to this repository.
diff --git a/scripts/update-submodule.sh b/scripts/update-submodule.sh
index 267dcb41e..86aa5a4b5 100755
--- a/scripts/update-submodule.sh
+++ b/scripts/update-submodule.sh
@@ -14,13 +14,18 @@
 # See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 # limitations under the License.
 
+
 # Update python-base submodule and collect release notes.
 # Usage:
-#   scripts/update-submodule.sh
 #
-# Create a commit "generated python-base update" and send a PR to the main repo.
-# NOTE: not all python-base changes are user-facing, and you may want to remove
-# some of the non-user-facing release notes from CHANGELOG.md.
+#   $ scripts/update-submodule.sh
+#
+#   # To update the release notes for a specific release (e.g. v18.17.0a1):
+#   $ TARGET_RELEASE="v18.17.0a1" scripts/update-submodule.sh
+#
+# After the script finishes, please create a commit "generated python-base update"
+# and send a PR to this repository.
+# TODO(roycaihw): make the script send a PR
 
 set -o errexit
 set -o nounset
@@ -31,58 +36,30 @@ declare -r repo_root
 cd "${repo_root}"
 
 source scripts/util/changelog.sh
+go get k8s.io/release/cmd/release-notes
 
-# TODO(roycaihw): make the script send a PR by default (standalone mode), and
-# have an option to make the script reusable by other release automations.
 TARGET_RELEASE=${TARGET_RELEASE:-"v$(grep "^CLIENT_VERSION = \"" scripts/constants.py | sed "s/CLIENT_VERSION = \"//g" | sed "s/\"//g")"}
-SUBMODULE_SECTION=${SUBMODULE_SECTION:-"\*\*Submodule Change:\*\*"}
 
 # update submodule
 git submodule update --remote
-pulls=$(git diff --submodule | egrep -o "^  > Merge pull request #[0-9]+" | sed 's/  > Merge pull request #//g')
 
 # download release notes
-release_notes=""
-submodule_repo="kubernetes-client/python-base"
-echo "Downloading release notes from submodule repo."
-for pull in ${pulls}; do
-  pull_url="https://github.com/$submodule_repo/pull/${pull}"
-  echo "+++ Downloading python-base patch to /tmp/${pull}.patch"
-  curl -o "/tmp/${pull}.patch" -sSL "${pull_url}.patch"
-  subject=$(grep -m 1 "^Subject" "/tmp/${pull}.patch" | sed -e 's/Subject: \[PATCH//g' | sed 's/.*] //')
-  pull_uid="$submodule_repo#${pull}"
-  release_note="- ${subject} [${pull_uid}](${pull_url})\n"
-  release_notes+=${release_note}
-  # remove the patch file from /tmp
-  rm -f "/tmp/${pull}.patch"
-done
-
-# find the place in the changelog that we want to edit
-line_to_edit="1"
-if util::changelog::has_release $TARGET_RELEASE; then
-  # the target release exists
-  release_first_line=$(util::changelog::find_release_start $TARGET_RELEASE)
-  release_last_line=$(util::changelog::find_release_end $TARGET_RELEASE)
-  if util::changelog::has_section_in_range "$SUBMODULE_SECTION" "$release_first_line" "$release_last_line"; then
-    # prepend to existing section
-    line_to_edit=$(($(util::changelog::find_section_in_range "$SUBMODULE_SECTION" "$release_first_line" "$release_last_line")+1))
-    release_notes=${release_notes::-2}
-  else
-    # add a new section
-    line_to_edit=$(($(util::changelog::find_release_start $TARGET_RELEASE)+4))
-    release_notes="$SUBMODULE_SECTION\n$release_notes"
-  fi
-else
-  # add a new release
-  # TODO(roycaihw): ideally a parent script updates the generated client and
-  # fills in the Kubernetes API Version based on the OpenAPI spec.
-  release_notes="# $TARGET_RELEASE\n\nKubernetes API Version: TBD\n\n$SUBMODULE_SECTION\n$release_notes"
-fi
-
-echo "Writing the following release notes to CHANGELOG line $line_to_edit:"
-echo -e $release_notes
+start_sha=$(git diff | grep "^-Subproject commit " | sed 's/-Subproject commit //g')
+end_sha=$(git diff | grep "^+Subproject commit " | sed 's/+Subproject commit //g')
+output="/tmp/python-base-relnote.md"
+release-notes --dependencies=false --org kubernetes-client --repo python-base --start-sha $start_sha --end-sha $end_sha --output $output
+sed -i 's/(\[\#/(\[kubernetes-client\/python-base\#/g' $output
 
 # update changelog
-sed -i "${line_to_edit}i${release_notes}" CHANGELOG.md
+IFS_backup=$IFS
+IFS=$'\n'
+sections=($(grep "^### " $output))
+IFS=$IFS_backup
+for section in "${sections[@]}"; do
+  # ignore section titles and empty lines; replace newline with liternal "\n"
+  release_notes=$(sed -n "/$section/,/###/{/###/!p}" $output | sed -n "{/^$/!p}" | sed ':a;N;$!ba;s/\n/\\n/g')
+  util::changelog::write_changelog "$TARGET_RELEASE" "$section" "$release_notes"
+done
 
+rm -f $output
 echo "Successfully updated CHANGELOG for submodule."
diff --git a/scripts/util/changelog.sh b/scripts/util/changelog.sh
index a17d97774..672b82336 100755
--- a/scripts/util/changelog.sh
+++ b/scripts/util/changelog.sh
@@ -75,3 +75,35 @@ function util::changelog::find_section_in_range {
   done
   echo $line
 }
+
+# write_changelog writes release_notes to section in target_release
+function util::changelog::write_changelog {
+  local target_release="$1"
+  local section="$2"
+  local release_notes="$3"
+
+  # find the place in the changelog that we want to edit
+  local line_to_edit="1"
+  if util::changelog::has_release $target_release; then
+    # the target release exists
+    release_first_line=$(util::changelog::find_release_start $target_release)
+    release_last_line=$(util::changelog::find_release_end $target_release)
+    if util::changelog::has_section_in_range "$section" "$release_first_line" "$release_last_line"; then
+      # prepend to existing section
+      line_to_edit=$(($(util::changelog::find_section_in_range "$section" "$release_first_line" "$release_last_line")+1))
+    else
+      # add a new section; plus 4 so that the section is placed below "Kubernetes API Version"
+      line_to_edit=$(($(util::changelog::find_release_start $target_release)+4))
+      release_notes="$section\n$release_notes\n"
+    fi
+  else
+    # add a new release
+    release_notes="# $target_release\n\nKubernetes API Version: To Be Updated\n\n$section\n$release_notes\n"
+  fi
+
+  echo "Writing the following release notes to CHANGELOG line $line_to_edit:"
+  echo -e $release_notes
+
+  # update changelog
+  sed -i "${line_to_edit}i${release_notes}" $changelog
+}