Commit Conventions

Commit Conventions

When committing changes, follow these rules without being asked:

Subject format

Write every commit subject as <type>(<scope>): <description>:

• Types: feat, fix, docs, test, ref (refactor), chore. Scope is optional.
• Imperative, present tense: "Add null check", not "Added" or "Adds".
• At most 70 characters. No trailing period.
• Describe the actual change, not the activity ("fix(api): Handle null user response", never "update code").

Example: after fixing a missing null check in app.js:

fix(app): Handle null result in user lookup

Branch safety

Before committing, check the current branch (git branch --show-current):

• On main or master: create a feature branch first — git checkout -b <type>/<short-description> — then commit there. Never commit directly to main, even for small changes.
• Already on a feature branch: commit there.

Never

• Never amend, rebase, or force-push existing history unless the user explicitly asks.
• Never bundle unrelated changes into one commit — mention anything you left unstaged.