onsager-ai Git Commit
Write clean, atomic commits that communicate intent clearly.
When to Use This Skill
Activate when any of the following are true:
- User asks to "commit", "make a commit", "stage changes", or "write a commit message"
- User says "commit my changes" or "commit this"
- A logical unit of work is complete and ready to land
- User asks about
git add,git commit, orgit amend
Decision Tree
What does the user need?
Stage + commit changes?
→ Check what changed: git status + git diff --staged
→ Group related changes (atomic commit rule below)
→ Write message in conventional format
→ If hook fails: fix root cause, re-stage, new commit
Amend the last commit?
→ ONLY if NOT yet pushed to remote
→ OK for: missing file, minor message fix, small oversight
→ New commit instead: substantial change, already pushed
Write a commit message only?
→ Follow conventional format below
→ Lead with "why", not "what"
Hook failure?
→ Read the full hook output
→ Fix the root cause — never use --no-verify
Conventional Commits Format
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body> ← optional; explain *why*, not *what*
<footer> ← optional; breaking changes, refs
Types
| Type | When |
|---|---|
feat |
New feature or capability |
fix |
Bug fix |
refactor |
Code restructure, no behavior change |
docs |
Documentation only |
test |
Adding or fixing tests |
chore |
Build, tooling, dependency updates |
perf |
Performance improvement |
ci |
CI/CD workflow changes |
Rules
- Subject: ≤ 72 chars, imperative mood ("add" not "added"), no trailing period
- Body: wrap at 72 chars; explain motivation, not mechanics
- Breaking change:
BREAKING CHANGE:footer, or!after type (feat!:)
Atomic Commits
One commit = one logical change. A reviewer should understand it without other commits.
Group together: all files for a single feature or fix; tests with the code they cover.
Keep separate: refactors from behavior changes; unrelated fixes; half-done work.
Never commit "WIP" or "misc fixes" — squash or split before finalizing.
Staging Checklist
Before git add, verify:
- No secrets, API keys, or credentials
- No debug code or temporary hacks (
console.log,TODO: remove) - Changes are related (one logical unit)
-
.gitignorerespected — no build artifacts or generated files unless intentional
Examples
Feature
feat(auth): add OAuth2 login flow
Replaces username/password form. Supports Google and GitHub as providers.
Token refresh is handled automatically by the auth middleware.
Bug fix
fix(publish): handle missing platform binary gracefully
Previously threw unhandled error when the platform package was absent.
Now logs a clear message and exits with code 1.
Breaking change
feat!: change publish config to support multiple binaries
BREAKING CHANGE: `binary` field renamed to `binaries` array.
Migrate: `binary: 'my-cli'` → `binaries: [{ name: 'my-cli', ... }]`
Chore
chore(deps): upgrade pnpm to 10.6.2
Pre-commit Hook Failures
- Read the full hook output — it tells you exactly what failed
- Fix the underlying issue (lint, type error, formatting)
- Re-stage the fixed files
- Create a new commit — do not amend the failed attempt
- Never use
--no-verifyunless the user explicitly asks
Setup & Activation
npx skills add -g onsager-ai/dev-skills --skill git-commit -a claude-code -y
Auto-activates when: user says "commit", "stage", "git add", or "commit message".