Git Cc

git-cc

Comprehensive reference for git-cc (SKalt/git-cc) - a git extension that helps write and validate Conventional Commits.

Version: 0.2.6 (current as of May 2026) Source: https://github.com/SKalt/git-cc Spec: https://www.conventionalcommits.org/en/v1.0.0/

Interactive vs Non-Interactive Commands

git-cc is primarily an interactive TUI for composing commits, but it has well-defined non-interactive paths. The TUI is the intended experience for humans at a real terminal - it only becomes a problem when an automated agent runs it without a TTY.

Forms that launch the TUI (block on $EDITOR / /dev/tty):

• git cc (no args)
• git cc <partial-prefix> like git cc feat or git cc 'feat(scope)' - drops you into the TUI starting partway through
• git cc <msg> (positional, without --no-edit) - validates the header, then opens $EDITOR for the body
• git cc --redo - reuses the last message but still opens an editor
• Any invocation that fails validation (unknown type, undefined scope when scopes are configured, header over header_max_length with enforce_header_max_length: true) - falls back into the TUI to fix the problem

Forms that are non-interactive (safe to script):

• git cc -m '<complete-conventional-commit>' - defaults to --no-edit, the canonical scripted form
• git cc '<msg>' --no-edit - same, via the positional form
• git cc '<msg>' --dry-run - prints the resulting message and exits without touching git (still requires a valid header)
• git cc --show-config, git cc --version, git cc --help, git cc --init, git cc --generate-shell-completion ...

If you are running unattended (inside another agent, in CI, or in a scripted shell), prefer the non-interactive forms above and make sure your message is fully valid - an invalid type or scope drops back into the TUI even with --dry-run.

If you are an interactive user (or a tool/skill that knows how to drive a TUI - e.g. a terminal-multiplexer wrapper, an expect-style harness, a TUI-aware editor), running the interactive forms directly is fine and supported.

When in doubt, run git cc --help first - it exits cleanly and shows every flag.

Prerequisites

Installation

# macOS / Linux (Homebrew tap)
brew tap skalt/git-cc
brew install git-cc

# Linux / macOS (installer script - prints help with --help; verify shasum first)
repo=skalt/git-cc; branch=master
curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/$repo/$branch/scripts/install.sh -o /tmp/install.sh
shasum -a 256 /tmp/install.sh
chmod +x /tmp/install.sh && /tmp/install.sh

# Manual: download a release for your platform from
#   https://github.com/SKalt/git-cc/releases/latest
# Supported formats: tar.gz, apk, brew, deb, exe, rpm

# From source (requires go >= 1.19, $GOPATH/bin on $PATH)
git clone https://github.com/SKalt/git-cc.git
cd git-cc && make install

# Verify installation
git-cc --version          # standalone
git cc --version          # as git extension (any binary on $PATH named git-* works as a subcommand)

git-cc is source-provided software (not OSI open-source). Noncommercial / personal / 30-day commercial trial use is allowed under PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 and PolyForm Free Trial 1.0.0. Continued commercial use requires a paid license: https://github.com/sponsors/skalt/sponsorships?tier_id=335824.

Generate a Config

A config is optional - without one, git-cc validates against the default Angular types. To pin types or add scopes:

# Initialize a config in the nearest sensible location (.config/commit_convention.yaml)
git cc --init

# Choose the on-disk format (default yaml)
git cc --init --config-format yaml
git cc --init --config-format yml
git cc --init --config-format toml

Show Resolved Config

# Print the search path and which config file (if any) is active
git cc --show-config

CLI Structure

git-cc is a single binary - no nested subcommands. The full surface is one command plus flags.

git-cc                              # Equivalent to `git cc` (any flag combination below)
├── (no args)                       # Interactive TUI - compose a commit from scratch
├── <prefix>                        # e.g. `feat`, `feat(api)` - TUI seeded mid-form
├── <message>                       # e.g. `feat: add login` - validate; opens $EDITOR for body unless --no-edit
├── -m <message> [-m <body> ...]    # Validate full message(s); --no-edit is implied
├── --redo                          # Reuse last commit message (interactive)
├── --dry-run                       # Print resulting message; do not commit
├── --init                          # Generate a config file
├── --show-config                   # Print config search path + active config
├── --version                       # Print git-cc version
├── --help / -h                     # Print usage
├── --generate-man-page             # Write a man page into your manpath
└── --generate-shell-completion     # Print bash/zsh/fish/powershell completion to stdout

Pass-through flags (forwarded to `git commit`):
  -a/--all   --allow-empty   --author <str>   --date <str>
  --no-edit  --no-gpg-sign   --no-post-rewrite   --no-signoff
  -n/--no-verify   --verify   -s/--signoff

Configuration

Config File Resolution Order

git-cc searches for a config file named commit_convention.{yaml,yml,toml} in this order (first hit wins). Within a directory, yaml is preferred over yml, and yml over toml.

1. ${PWD}/
2. ${REPO_ROOT}/ (skipped if not in a git repo)
3. ${REPO_ROOT}/.config/ (skipped if not in a git repo)
4. ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/ (defaults to ~/.config/)

If no config is found, git-cc falls back to the default Angular commit types and accepts any scope.

Minimal commit_convention.yaml

# .config/commit_convention.yaml
# Omit commit_types to use the default Angular set (feat, fix, docs, style,
# perf, test, build, chore, ci, refactor, revert).
commit_types:
  - feat: adds a new feature
  - fix: fixes a bug
  - docs: changes only the documentation
  - chore: maintenance, tooling

# Defining scopes lets `git-cc` validate them and show descriptions in the TUI.
# Omit `scopes` entirely if you don't want scope validation.
scopes:
  - parser: parses conventional commits
  - cli: command-line UI
  - dist: release and distribution

# Header is `type(scope)!: description` - max length applies to that whole line.
header_max_length: 72            # default 72
enforce_header_max_length: false # if true, an over-length header is rejected

TOML Equivalent

# .config/commit_convention.toml
header_max_length = 72
enforce_header_max_length = false

[[commit_types]]
feat = "adds a new feature"
[[commit_types]]
fix = "fixes a bug"

[[scopes]]
parser = "parses conventional commits"
[[scopes]]
cli = "command-line UI"

Environment

git-cc does not define its own env vars. It honors the standard git / shell ones:

# Editor used for the commit body when not --no-edit
export GIT_EDITOR=vim          # git-specific; takes precedence
export EDITOR=vim              # generic fallback

# XDG search path for the global config
export XDG_CONFIG_HOME=$HOME/.config

# Disable git pagers when scripting
export GIT_PAGER=cat
export PAGER=cat

Writing Commits (Non-Interactive)

The canonical scripted form is git cc -m '<message>'. With -m, --no-edit is implied, so this never blocks on an editor.

Validate and commit a single header

# Header only (no body)
git cc -m 'feat: add login page'
git cc -m 'fix(parser): handle empty input'
git cc -m 'docs: update README install steps'

Mark a breaking change

# `!` before the colon
git cc -m 'refactor(api)!: drop deprecated /v1 endpoints'

# Or use a BREAKING CHANGE: footer (multiple -m flags become paragraphs)
git cc \
  -m 'refactor(api): rewrite request layer' \
  -m 'BREAKING CHANGE: removed /v1; clients must migrate to /v2.'

Multi-paragraph body

# Each subsequent -m becomes a paragraph in the commit body
git cc \
  -m 'feat(auth): add JWT refresh' \
  -m 'Issues a new token when within 5 minutes of expiry.' \
  -m 'Refs: #123'

Positional form (must add --no-edit to stay non-interactive)

# Without --no-edit, this opens $EDITOR for the body after validating the header
git cc 'feat: add login page' --no-edit

# Quote messages that contain shell metacharacters (parens, !, spaces, $)
git cc 'fix(parser)!: handle $-prefixed identifiers' --no-edit

Dry run

# Print the resulting message and the would-be `git commit` invocation; do not commit
git cc -m 'feat: example' --dry-run
git cc 'feat(scope): example' --no-edit --dry-run

# Note: --dry-run still requires a valid header. An unknown type or undefined scope
# drops back into the TUI even with --dry-run.

Writing Commits (Interactive)

These forms launch the TUI. Use them only at a real terminal (or behind a tool/skill that drives a TUI).

# Full interactive composer
git cc

# Seed the TUI partway through
git cc feat                    # type already chosen, skip to scope/description
git cc 'feat(parser)'          # type + scope chosen, skip to description

# Reuse the last commit's message as a starting point
git cc --redo

Pass-Through Flags (forwarded to git commit)

git-cc validates the message, then delegates to git commit with these flags forwarded as-is. Semantics are identical to git-commit(1).

# Stage all tracked, modified files (-a)
git cc -m 'fix(api): null-check response' -a

# DCO sign-off
git cc -m 'feat(cli): add --json flag' -s
git cc -m 'feat(cli): add --json flag' --signoff

# Skip pre-commit / commit-msg hooks
git cc -m 'chore: rebase fixup' -n
git cc -m 'chore: rebase fixup' --no-verify

# Force hooks to run (default `--verify true`; spell out for clarity)
git cc -m 'feat: ship it' --verify

# Skip GPG signing for this commit only
git cc -m 'docs: typo' --no-gpg-sign

# Suppress the post-rewrite hook (e.g. inside a rebase script)
git cc -m 'fix: rebase resolution' --no-post-rewrite

# Override author / date metadata (pure passthrough to git commit)
git cc -m 'fix(import): patch CVE-2024-1234' \
  --author 'Jane Doe <jane@example.com>' \
  --date '2026-05-13T10:00:00-04:00'

# Allow an empty commit (no staged changes)
git cc -m 'chore: trigger CI' --allow-empty

# Suppress an auto-added Signed-off-by trailer (when default sign-off is configured)
git cc -m 'feat: skip dco' --no-signoff

Generate Man Page / Shell Completion

# Drop a man page into your $MANPATH (writes the file - non-interactive)
git cc --generate-man-page

# Print a shell completion script for sourcing
git cc --generate-shell-completion bash > ~/.git-cc-completion.bash
git cc --generate-shell-completion zsh  > ~/.git-cc-completion.zsh
git cc --generate-shell-completion fish > ~/.config/fish/completions/git-cc.fish
git cc --generate-shell-completion powershell > git-cc-completion.ps1

Conventional Commits Reference

These are the rules git-cc validates. For broader commit discipline (atomicity, splitting, branching strategy), see the atomic-git-commits skill.

Header format

type(scope)!: description

body (optional, blank-line-separated paragraphs)

footer (optional - `Token: value` pairs, e.g. `BREAKING CHANGE:`, `Refs:`, `Closes:`)

Type (required)

A single noun describing the kind of change. Defaults from the Angular convention (override with commit_types in config):

Scope (optional)

A noun in parentheses describing the affected area: feat(parser):, fix(cli):. If scopes is set in your config, only listed scopes are accepted. If absent, any (or no) scope is accepted.

Breaking change

Two ways - either is sufficient, both are allowed:

• Append ! before the colon: feat(api)!: remove /v1 endpoints
• Add a BREAKING CHANGE: <description> footer (recognized by Conventional Commits tooling and changelog generators)

A breaking change correlates with a MAJOR semver bump.

Description

A short, imperative-mood summary of the change. Keep the full header (type(scope)!: description) at or under header_max_length (default 72) so it stays readable in git log --oneline. Set enforce_header_max_length: true in config to make over-length headers a hard error.

Body

Free-form explanation. Separated from the header by exactly one blank line. Use -m repeatedly to write the body inline; otherwise let git-cc delegate to $EDITOR.

Footer

Trailers in Token: value form (one per line, no blank line within the footer block). The standard recognized tokens are BREAKING CHANGE: and BREAKING-CHANGE: (treated identically). Custom trailers like Refs:, Closes:, Signed-off-by:, Reviewed-by: are passed through to git untouched.

Global Flags

Output Formatting and Recipes

git-cc produces no structured output - it either commits, prints the rendered message (--dry-run), prints config metadata (--show-config), or fails. Compose it with standard text tools.

Capture a rendered message without committing

# Get just the would-be commit message (drop the trailing "would run: ..." line)
git cc -m 'feat(api): add /v2/users' --dry-run \
  | sed -n '1,/^would run:/{ /^would run:/d; p; }'

Validate without committing

# Exit 0 means the header parses and (if scopes/types are configured) is valid.
# Exit non-zero or a TTY error means the header is invalid.
if git cc -m 'feat: ship it' --dry-run >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo valid
else
  echo invalid
fi

Stage everything and commit in one shot

git cc -m 'fix(parser): handle empty input' -a

Generate a config and add it to source control

git cc --init
git add .config/commit_convention.yaml
git cc -m 'chore(repo): add commit-convention config' --no-verify

Use git-cc as a commit-msg hook

git-cc validates messages but is not a commit-msg hook itself. To gate git commit on Conventional Commits without running the TUI, parse the message with git-cc -m "$(cat "$1")" --dry-run from .git/hooks/commit-msg:

#!/usr/bin/env bash
# .git/hooks/commit-msg
msg=$(cat "$1")
if ! git cc -m "$msg" --dry-run >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "commit-msg: not a valid Conventional Commit" >&2
  echo "  $msg" >&2
  exit 1
fi

For richer linting, pair with commitlint (separate tool, not part of git-cc).