Git Commit

Git Commit with Conventional Commits

Overview

Create standardized, semantic git commits using the Conventional Commits specification. Analyze the actual diff to determine appropriate type, scope, and message, then format the final commit as:

• Title
• A brief about what changed
• Changes explanation

Conventional Commit Format

<type>[optional scope]: <description>

[brief summary of what changed]

[changes explanation]

[optional footer(s)]

Where:

• Title: The Conventional Commit subject line.
• A brief about what changed: A short paragraph or 1-2 concise sentences summarizing the overall change.
• Changes explanation: A compact explanation of the main edits, preferably as short bullets when multiple changes need to be called out.

Commit Types

Breaking Changes

# Exclamation mark after type/scope
feat!: remove deprecated endpoint

# BREAKING CHANGE footer
feat: allow config to extend other configs

BREAKING CHANGE: `extends` key behavior changed

Workflow

1. Analyze Diff

# If files are staged, use staged diff
git diff --staged

# If nothing staged, use working tree diff
git diff

# Also check status
git status --porcelain

2. Stage Files (if needed)

If nothing is staged or you want to group changes differently:

# Stage specific files
git add path/to/file1 path/to/file2

# Stage by pattern
git add *.test.*
git add src/components/*

# Interactive staging
git add -p

Never commit secrets (.env, credentials.json, private keys).

3. Generate Commit Message

Analyze the diff to determine:

• Type: What kind of change is this?
• Scope: What area/module is affected?
• Description: One-line summary of what changed (present tense, imperative mood, <72 chars)
• Brief: A short summary of the overall change in plain language
• Changes explanation: The key implementation details worth preserving in history

Output the final commit message in this order:

1. Title
2. A brief about what changed
3. Changes explanation

4. Execute Commit

# Single line
git commit -m "<type>[scope]: <description>"

# Multi-line with body/footer
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
<type>[scope]: <description>

<brief summary of what changed>

Changes explanation:
- <change detail 1>
- <change detail 2>

<optional footer>
EOF
)"

Best Practices

• One logical change per commit
• Present tense: "add" not "added"
• Imperative mood: "fix bug" not "fixes bug"
• Keep the body structured as: brief summary, then changes explanation
• Reference issues: Closes #123, Refs #456
• Keep description under 72 characters

Git Safety Protocol

• NEVER update git config
• NEVER run destructive commands (--force, hard reset) without explicit request
• NEVER skip hooks (--no-verify) unless user asks
• NEVER force push to main/master
• If commit fails due to hooks, fix and create NEW commit (don't amend)