Commit

Drafts a style-compliant commit message by analyzing all local changes.

Scope

Covers:

•Analyzing local git changes (staged, unstaged, and untracked files)
•Drafting commit messages that comply with Sun Lab conventions
•Presenting the draft for the user to commit manually

Does not cover:

•Staging or committing files (the user handles this)
•Pushing to remote repositories
•Creating pull requests or managing branches

Workflow

You MUST follow these steps exactly when this skill is invoked.

Step 1: Gather context

Run the following git commands in parallel using the Bash tool:

•git status to see all changed, staged, and untracked files. Never use the -uall flag.
•git diff to see unstaged changes and git diff --cached to see staged changes.
•git log --oneline -10 to see recent commit messages for style context.

Step 2: Analyze changes

Review every changed file and understand:

•What was changed (new features, bug fixes, refactors, removals, updates)
•Why the change was made (the purpose, not the mechanics)
•Whether the changes represent a single focused change or bundled related modifications

Do NOT read files that are not part of the changes unless absolutely necessary to understand the purpose of a change.

Step 3: Draft the commit message

Generate a commit message following the style rules below. Present the draft to the user. The user will stage and commit manually.

Content rules

Changes only. The commit message must describe ONLY the changes themselves. Nothing else belongs in the message.

Forbidden content:

•Authorship details, co-author tags, or attribution lines (e.g., Co-Authored-By)
•References to tools, agents, or AI assistance unless the user explicitly requests it
•Metadata unrelated to the changes (timestamps, ticket numbers, etc. unless requested)
•Commentary on the process used to make the changes

The message is a record of what changed in the code, not how or by whom the changes were produced.

Style rules

Format

Header line limit: The first line (header) must be no longer than 72 characters. This ensures proper display in Git logs, GitHub, and other tools.

Single-line commits: Use for focused, single-purpose changes.

text

Added Python 3.14 support.
Fixed a bug that allowed valves to violate keepalive guard.
Optimized the behavior of camera ID discovery functionality.

Multi-line commits: Use for changes that bundle related modifications. Insert a blank line after the header, then prefix each detail bullet with -- .

text

Added MCP server module for agentic library interaction.

-- Added mcp_server.py exposing camera discovery and video session management.
-- Added 'axvs mcp' CLI command to start the MCP server.
-- Added frame display support to MCP video sessions.
-- Fixed various documentation and code style inconsistencies.

Verb tense

Start with a past tense verb:

Verb	Use case
Added	New features, files, or functionality
Fixed	Bug fixes and error corrections
Updated	Modifications to existing functionality
Refactored	Code restructuring without behavior changes
Optimized	Performance improvements
Improved	Enhancements to existing features
Removed	Deletions of code, files, or features
Deprecated	Marking functionality for future removal
Prepared	Release preparation tasks
Finalized	Completing a feature or release

Punctuation

Always end commit messages (header and every bullet) with a period.

Content focus

Focus on what was changed and why, not how. Be specific and descriptive.

Examples

Good commit messages:

text

Added trigger_type field to all task templates.
Fixed zone range calculation for occupancy zones.
Updated configuration-verification skill with cross-platform support.
Refactored style guide into separate domain-specific files.
Removed deprecated API endpoints from configuration loader.

Good multi-line commit:

text

Refactored skill architecture to support user-invocable skills.

-- Extracted commit style guide into a dedicated /commit skill.
-- Updated python-style skill to reference /commit for commit conventions.
-- Added the /commit skill to CLAUDE.md available skills table.

Avoid:

text

fixed bug                          # Too vague, no punctuation
Updated stuff                      # Not specific
Changes to Task.cs                 # Describes file, not change
WIP                                # Not descriptive
Add new feature                    # Present tense, no period
This commit fixes the login bug    # Unnecessary preamble
Co-Authored-By: ...                # Authorship does not belong in messages
Generated with AI assistance       # Tool attribution does not belong

Input/output examples

Input (What was done)	Output (Commit message)
Added user authentication with JWT tokens	Added JWT-based authentication for user sessions.
Fixed bug where dates displayed incorrectly	Fixed date formatting in timezone conversion.
Updated dependencies and refactored error handling	Updated dependencies and standardized error response format.
Removed deprecated API endpoints	Removed deprecated v1 API endpoints from configuration.
Refactored the zone detection logic for clarity	Refactored zone detection logic to improve readability.

Common mistakes

Wrong	Correct	Issue
`fixed bug`	`Fixed null reference in zone detection.`	Too vague, no punctuation
`Updated stuff`	`Updated MQTT topic names to match spec.`	Not specific
`Changes to Task.cs`	`Added corridor reset logic to Task.`	Describes file, not change
`WIP`	`Added initial zone boundary detection.`	Not descriptive
`Add new feature`	`Added new feature.`	Present tense, no period
`This commit fixes the login bug`	`Fixed login validation error.`	Unnecessary preamble
`Fixed bug (Co-Authored-By: ...)`	`Fixed login validation error.`	Authorship in message

Related skills

Skill	Relationship
`/python-style`	Provides Python conventions; invoke before making Python changes
`/cpp-style`	Provides C++ conventions; invoke before making C++ changes
`/csharp-style`	Provides C# conventions; invoke before making C# changes
`/explore-codebase`	Provides project context that helps write accurate commit messages

Proactive behavior

After completing substantial code changes (new features, bug fixes, refactors), proactively offer to draft a commit message. For example: "Would you like me to draft a commit message for these changes?"

Do NOT stage or commit files. Present the drafted message for the user to use manually.

Verification checklist

You MUST verify the commit message against this checklist before presenting it to the user.

text

Commit Message Compliance:
- [ ] Starts with past tense verb (Added, Fixed, Updated, Refactored, Removed, etc.)
- [ ] Header line ≤ 72 characters
- [ ] Ends with a period
- [ ] Describes *what* was changed and *why*, not *how*
- [ ] Specific and descriptive (not vague like "Updated stuff")
- [ ] Multi-line format used for bundled changes (if applicable)
- [ ] Multi-line bullets prefixed with `-- ` and each ends with a period
- [ ] Contains NO authorship details, co-author tags, or attribution
- [ ] Contains NO references to tools or AI unless explicitly requested by the user
- [ ] Contains ONLY information about the changes themselves