Commit Skill

Pre-flight

1. •Build gate — A PreToolUse hook in .claude/settings.local.json automatically runs make all before any git commit and blocks the commit if the build fails. Do NOT run make all manually — the hook handles it. If the hook reports a build failure, fix the issue before retrying.
2. •Submodule check — Run git submodule status. The only submodule is lib/rmlui. If prefixed with +, the pointer has moved.
   • •If the user's work involved RmlUI submodule changes, those need to be committed inside the submodule first, then the updated pointer committed in the main repo.
   • •If the submodule pointer moved but the user didn't intentionally change it, ask before staging it — it may be an accidental pointer drift.
   • •Use git diff --submodule=log to show what commits the pointer moved across.

Staging

1. •Review all changes — Run git status and git diff (unstaged) and git diff --staged (staged).
   • •Show the user a clear summary of what's staged vs unstaged.
   • •Flag any files that look like they don't belong (.cfg written by the engine, accidental binary files, etc.).
   • •Never stage game/ contents (it's gitignored runtime data).

Commit message

1. •Match existing style — Check git log --oneline -5 for recent message patterns. This repo uses:
   • •Area: short imperative description format (e.g. RmlUI: add Modern HUD toggle)
   • •Common prefixes: RmlUI, Post-process, Sprint FOV, Engine, Build, UI
   • •Keep subject under 72 characters
   • •Add body paragraph only if the change needs explanation beyond the subject line

Confirmation

1. •

   Show summary and ask — Present:

   • •Files to be committed (with submodule pointer changes called out separately)
   • •Proposed commit message
   • •Ask user to confirm, edit the message, or make additional changes before committing
2. •

   Commit — Only after user confirms. Use Co-Authored-By trailer as required.

Submodule workflow reference

The only submodule is lib/rmlui. When committing RmlUI submodule changes:

# 1. Inside the submodule — commit and push
cd lib/rmlui/
git add <files>
git commit -m "Description of submodule change"
git push origin rmlui

# 2. Back in main repo — stage the updated pointer
cd /path/to/project-root
git add lib/rmlui
git commit -m "Update RmlUI submodule (description of why)"

Submodule pointer commits should explain what changed in the submodule, e.g.:

• •Update RmlUI submodule (add custom element support)