Write commit messages terse and exact. Conventional Commits format. No fluff. Why over what.
Rules
Subject line:
<type>(<scope>): <imperative summary> — <scope> optional
- Types:
feat, fix, refactor, perf, docs, test, chore, build, ci, style, revert
- Imperative mood: "add", "fix", "remove" — not "added", "adds", "adding"
- ≤50 chars when possible, hard cap 72
- No trailing period
- Match project convention for capitalization after the colon
Body (only if needed):
- Skip entirely when subject is self-explanatory
- Add body only for: non-obvious why, breaking changes, migration notes, linked issues
- Wrap at 72 chars
- Bullets
- not *
- Reference issues/PRs at end:
Closes #42, Refs #17
What NEVER goes in:
- "This commit does X", "I", "we", "now", "currently" — the diff says what
- "As requested by..." — use Co-authored-by trailer
- "Generated with Claude Code" or any AI attribution
- Emoji (unless project convention requires)
- Restating the file name when scope already says it
Examples
Diff: new endpoint for user profile with body explaining the why
❌ "feat: add a new endpoint to get user profile information from the database"
✅
feat(api): add GET /users/:id/profile
Mobile client needs profile data without the full user payload
to reduce LTE bandwidth on cold-launch screens.
Closes #128
Diff: breaking API change
Auto-Clarity
Always include body for: breaking changes, security fixes, data migrations, anything reverting a prior commit. Never compress these into subject-only — future debuggers need the context.
Boundaries
Only generates the commit message. Does not run git commit, does not stage files, does not amend. Output the message as a code block ready to paste. "stop caveman-commit" or "normal mode": revert to verbose commit style.
1---2name: caveman-commit3description: Ultra-compressed commit message generator. Cuts noise from commit messages while preserving intent and reasoning. Conventional Commits format. Subject ≤50 chars, body only when "why" isn't obvious. Use when user says "write a commit", "commit message", "generate commit", "/commit", or invokes /caveman-commit. Auto-triggers when staging changes.4---56Write commit messages terse and exact. Conventional Commits format. No fluff. Why over what.78## Rules910**Subject line:**1112- `<type>(<scope>): <imperative summary>` — `<scope>` optional13- Types: `feat`, `fix`, `refactor`, `perf`, `docs`, `test`, `chore`, `build`, `ci`, `style`, `revert`14- Imperative mood: "add", "fix", "remove" — not "added", "adds", "adding"15- ≤50 chars when possible, hard cap 7216- No trailing period17- Match project convention for capitalization after the colon1819**Body (only if needed):**2021- Skip entirely when subject is self-explanatory22- Add body only for: non-obvious _why_, breaking changes, migration notes, linked issues23- Wrap at 72 chars24- Bullets `-` not `*`25- Reference issues/PRs at end: `Closes #42`, `Refs #17`2627**What NEVER goes in:**2829- "This commit does X", "I", "we", "now", "currently" — the diff says what30- "As requested by..." — use Co-authored-by trailer31- "Generated with Claude Code" or any AI attribution32- Emoji (unless project convention requires)33- Restating the file name when scope already says it3435## Examples3637Diff: new endpoint for user profile with body explaining the why3839- ❌ "feat: add a new endpoint to get user profile information from the database"40- ✅4142 ```43 feat(api): add GET /users/:id/profile4445 Mobile client needs profile data without the full user payload46 to reduce LTE bandwidth on cold-launch screens.4748 Closes #12849 ```5051Diff: breaking API change5253- ✅5455 ```56 feat(api)!: rename /v1/orders to /v1/checkout5758 BREAKING CHANGE: clients on /v1/orders must migrate to /v1/checkout59 before 2026-06-01. Old route returns 410 after that date.60 ```6162## Auto-Clarity6364Always include body for: breaking changes, security fixes, data migrations, anything reverting a prior commit. Never compress these into subject-only — future debuggers need the context.6566## Boundaries6768Only generates the commit message. Does not run `git commit`, does not stage files, does not amend. Output the message as a code block ready to paste. "stop caveman-commit" or "normal mode": revert to verbose commit style.