# Orient Commit

> Draft a git commit message documenting what changed and why, with the findings that drove it, for review before committing.

- Skill: `chaitanya299/orient-commit` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 2 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add chaitanya299/orient-commit`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/chaitanya299/orient-commit/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: Chaitanya299 (https://skillmd.com/u/chaitanya299)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/chaitanya299/orient-commit

---


# orient-commit

Draft a git commit message that documents what changed and why, present it for
review, and commit only after explicit approval.

## 0. Secret gate (run first)
Before anything else, refuse to commit a secret. From `git diff --staged`:
- If a staged file is a `.env` (any name except `*.example`), STOP.
- If the staged diff contains a secret literal — `AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}`, `ghp_[A-Za-z0-9]{36}`,
  `sk-[A-Za-z0-9]{20,}`, or `-----BEGIN [A-Z ]*PRIVATE KEY-----` — STOP.

On a match: name the file and line, tell the user to unstage it
(`git restore --staged <file>`) and rotate the key. Never commit it, never work around this.

## 1. Determine what's staged
Read `git diff --staged`. If nothing is staged, read `git diff` and `git status`,
list the changed files, and ask which to stage. Never run `git add -A` unprompted.

## 1b. Reminder: is a dependency change worth an ADR?
From `git diff --staged --name-only`: if a dependency or build manifest is staged —
`package.json`, `go.mod`, `Cargo.toml`, `requirements.txt`, `pyproject.toml`, `Gemfile`,
`pom.xml`, `build.gradle`, `composer.json`, `Dockerfile`, `docker-compose.yml` (lockfiles
don't count) — and no ADR is staged in this commit, look at the diff. If it **added or
swapped a dependency or datastore** (not a version bump or lockfile churn), name it and
offer `orient-decide` before drafting. A routine bump → say so and continue. This is a
list-based reminder, not a guarantee, and it never blocks the commit.

## 2. Draft the message
Use this shape:

```
<type>(<scope>): <imperative summary, under 72 chars>

What changed
- <concrete, file-level, specific>

Why
- <the reasoning, not a restatement of the diff>

Findings
- <what was discovered while doing this: the actual root cause, the
  measurement, the constraint hit, the thing that turned out not to
  be true. Cite file:line or a command's output. If nothing was
  discovered, omit this section entirely rather than padding it.>

Trade-offs
- <what was knowingly accepted, if any>

Decision: ADR-NNNN   <- only when an ADR covers this change
```

## 3. Present and stop
Show the full message and stop. State plainly that nothing has been committed. Offer
three responses: approve, edit, or regenerate.

## 4. Commit only after approval
Commit only after explicit approval, using a heredoc to preserve formatting:

```bash
git commit -F - <<'EOF'
<the approved message>
EOF
```

Never `--amend`, never `push`, never `--no-verify`.

## Anti-slop rules
- No invented findings. If nothing was discovered, omit the Findings section.
- No marketing adjectives. No "improved" or "enhanced" without a measurement.
- If the change is trivial, a one-line message is the correct output.