diff --git a/contentctl/actions/release_notes.py b/contentctl/actions/release_notes.py
index 60dd991c..f3358fa2 100644
--- a/contentctl/actions/release_notes.py
+++ b/contentctl/actions/release_notes.py
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ def release_notes(self, config:release_notes) -> None:
                 raise ValueError(f"latest branch {config.latest_branch} does not exist in the repository. Make sure your branch name is correct")
             if config.compare_against not in repo.branches:
                 raise ValueError(f"compare_against branch {config.compare_against} does not exist in the repository. Make sure your branch name is correct")
-                compare_against = config.compare_against
+            compare_against = config.compare_against
             commit1 = repo.commit(config.latest_branch)
             commit2 = repo.commit(compare_against)    
             diff_index = commit2.diff(commit1)
diff --git a/contentctl/objects/config.py b/contentctl/objects/config.py
index 7206b9a6..6643ae7b 100644
--- a/contentctl/objects/config.py
+++ b/contentctl/objects/config.py
@@ -965,8 +965,9 @@ class release_notes(Config_Base):
                                           "second newest tag at runtime.")
     new_tag:Optional[str] = Field(None, description="Name of the tag containing new content. If it is not supplied,"
                                           " then it will be inferred as the newest tag at runtime.")
-    latest_branch:Optional[str] = Field(None, description="Branch for which we are generating release notes")
-    compare_against: str = Field(default="develop", description="Branch for which we are generating release notes against")
+    latest_branch:Optional[str] = Field(None, description="Branch name for which we are generating release notes for")
+    compare_against:Optional[str] = Field(None, description="Branch name for which we are comparing the files changes against")
+
     def releaseNotesFilename(self, filename:str)->pathlib.Path:
         #Assume that notes are written to dist/. This does not respect build_dir since that is
         #only a member of build