Commit Skill

Create well-crafted git commit messages following established best practices.

Purpose

Generate commit messages that effectively communicate context about changes to fellow developers and future maintainers. A diff shows what changed; the commit message explains why.

Workflow

1. Analyze Changes

Run these commands to understand the current state:

git status
git diff --staged
git diff
git log --oneline -5

Review:

• •What files are modified, added, or deleted
• •The nature of the changes (bug fix, feature, refactor, docs, etc.)
• •Recent commit message style in the repository

2. Stage Appropriate Files

Critical: Only commit files modified during the current session. Never use git add -A or git add . unless explicitly instructed.

git add <specific-file-paths>

3. Craft the Commit Message

Apply the seven rules from references/git-commit-guide.md:

1. •Separate subject from body with a blank line
2. •Limit subject to 50 characters (72 hard limit)
3. •Capitalize the subject line
4. •No period at end of subject
5. •Use imperative mood in subject ("Add feature" not "Added feature")
6. •Wrap body at 72 characters
7. •Explain what and why, not how

Subject Line Test

A proper subject completes this sentence:

If applied, this commit will [your subject line]

Examples:

• •"Add user authentication middleware" ✓
• •"Fix race condition in connection pool" ✓
• •"Added new feature" ✗ (not imperative)
• •"Fixing bug" ✗ (not imperative)

4. Commit Format

For simple changes (no body needed):

git commit -m "Fix typo in README installation section"

For changes requiring explanation:

git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
Refactor database connection handling

The previous implementation created a new connection for each query,
causing performance issues under load. This change introduces connection
pooling with a configurable pool size.

- Add ConnectionPool class with acquire/release methods
- Update DatabaseClient to use pool instead of direct connections
- Add pool_size configuration option (default: 10)

Resolves: #234
EOF
)"

5. Verify

After committing:

git log -1
git status

Quick Reference

Additional Resources

For detailed guidelines and examples, consult:

• •references/git-commit-guide.md - Complete guide with the seven rules explained in depth, examples of good and bad commits, and references to authoritative sources