Git Commit Rewrite

Git Commit Rewrite

Overview

Rewrites non-Conformant commit subjects in recent history into Conventional Commits format. Destructive — changes commit SHAs. Refuses to silently rewrite already-pushed commits; instead presents a 3-option menu (Cancel / Force-push / Branch-based).

Force mode: if the invocation contains the token force or --force, that menu and every other interactive gate are skipped and the rewrite is force-pushed — see "Force mode" in the main git-commit/SKILL.md.

Announce at start: "I'm using the git-commit-rewrite skill to rewrite these commit messages."

Workflow

Before starting, Read the main git-commit SKILL.md at <plugin-root>/skills/git-commit/SKILL.md — the safety check details, regex, "Mapping Common Non-Conformant Patterns" table, in-place / branch-based rewrite scripts, and post-rewrite cleanup commands all live there. The variant relies on those sections.

Then follow ## Workflow: /git-commit-rewrite in the main SKILL.md exactly. Steps:

1. Determine the rewrite range — default base is the upstream merge-base (or main / master merge-base); or HEAD~N if the user specifies a count. Never use --root.
2. Run safety checks A, B, C — working tree clean; HEAD attached; check whether any commit in range is on a remote.
3. If commits are pushed, present the 3-option menu (Cancel / Force-push / Branch-based). Do NOT silently refuse. Default to Cancel.
4. Identify non-conformant commits via the Conventional Commits regex; skip merges with --no-merges.
5. Generate new messages using the "Mapping Common Non-Conformant Patterns" table; move ticket prefixes (e.g. proj #N:) to a Refs: footer; preserve each original body verbatim.
6. Show old → new plan and wait for explicit confirmation.
7. Apply the rewrite:
   • Option 2 (in-place): git filter-branch --msg-filter with scripts/rewrite_msg.py and the mapping at /tmp/cc-rewrite-map.tsv, then git push --force-with-lease (never --force).
   • Option 3 (branch-based): create ${branch}-cc off the base, cherry-pick + --amend each commit with the new message, push the new branch.
8. Post-rewrite: show git log --oneline <base>..HEAD; tell the user how to drop the refs/original/ backup; clean /tmp/cc-rewrite-map.tsv.

Force mode (force keyword): if the invocation contains the standalone token force or --force (case-insensitive), the user has pre-consented — skip the safety checks in step 2, skip the step 3 menu (auto in-place rewrite even if pushed), and in step 6 show the plan but do not wait. After applying, if any rewritten commit was already on the remote, finish with git push --force (bare — the only place it's allowed). Git's own filter-branch constraints still apply. Full rules: ## Workflow: /git-commit-rewrite → "Force mode" in the main git-commit/SKILL.md.

The script lives at <plugin-root>/skills/git-commit/scripts/rewrite_msg.py (in the main skill — variants share it).

Red Flags

Same Never/Always lists as the main <plugin-root>/skills/git-commit/SKILL.md. In particular:

• Never --force push — except in force mode (the force keyword), where bare --force is the user's opted-in choice; otherwise only --force-with-lease after explicit user consent.
• Never rewrite pushed commits without showing the 3-option menu first — except in force mode, where the keyword is the pre-consent.
• Never use git filter-branch --root.
• Never drop ticket references — move them to a Refs: footer.
• Never rewrite merge commits — use --no-merges.
• Always preserve the original commit body verbatim.

Integration

Pairs with: git-commit — first commit working-tree changes, then rewrite stale history separately. Called by: Manual user invocation only. Never auto-run during another skill's workflow.