Semantic Git

Semantic Git

Manage Git commits using conventional commit format with atomic commits and concise messages.

This skill is zagi-aware and is designed to work well with AI IDEs (Cursor, etc.)

Tooling

• Preferred: zagi (a better git interface for agents).
  • Assume zagi is installed if:
    • git is aliased to zagi in the shell or
    • a zagi binary is available.
  • When in doubt, treat git as if it may be zagi-compatible and avoid using exotic flags.
  • Even when zagi is available, generate plain git commands and let any git → zagi integration handle them.
• Fallback: plain git when zagi is not available.

When to Use

• Committing changes to git
• Staging files for commit
• Creating commit messages
• Managing atomic commits
• Before pushing changes

Core Principles

• Atomic commits: Stage and commit related changes together. Tests go with implementation code.
• User confirmation: Always confirm with user before committing and before moving to the next commit.
• Conventional format: Use conventional commit message format (feat, fix, etc.) unless directed otherwise.
• Concise messages: Keep messages brief and to the point. Omit description unless change is complicated.
• Command transparency: Always show the exact git commands that will be run (which may be handled by zagi via alias/wrapper), and ask whether the user wants:
  • to run them manually, or
  • to have the agent run them.

Commit Message Format

<type>[optional scope]: <subject>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Types

• feat: A new feature
• fix: A bug fix
• docs: Documentation only changes
• style: Changes that do not affect the meaning of the code (white-space, formatting, missing semi-colons, etc.)
• refactor: A code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature
• perf: A code change that improves performance
• test: Adding missing tests or correcting existing tests
• build: Changes that affect the build system or external dependencies
• ci: Changes to CI configuration files and scripts
• chore: Maintenance tasks (updating build tasks, dependencies, etc.; no production code change)
• revert: Revert a previous commit

Breaking Changes

Use ! after the type/scope to indicate breaking changes:

• feat!: add new API
• fix(api)!: change response format

Subject Line

• Use imperative mood: "add feature" not "added feature" or "adds feature"
• First letter lowercase (unless starting with proper noun)
• No period at the end
• Keep under 72 characters when possible

Body and Footer

• Omit body unless change is complicated or requires explanation
• When needed, be concise and reference issues, PRs, or documentation
• Use footer for breaking changes: BREAKING CHANGE: <description>

Workflow

1. Implement atomic change: Code + tests together.
   • Use test: for test-only changes.
2. Run CI checks: Verify types, tests, and linting pass before staging.
   • Prefer a single CI command if it exists (e.g., pnpm ci, npm run ci, just ci).
   • If no CI command, run checks individually (typecheck, test, lint).
   • If any check fails, stop and report – do not proceed.
3. Stage atomic changes: Group related files together (implementation + tests).
4. Suggest commit message: Generate a conventional commit message based on changes.
5. Generate commands:

   • Construct explicit shell commands using git (which may be an alias or wrapper such as zagi), for example:

     git add path/to/file1 path/to/file2
     GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS" \
     GIT_COMMITTER_DATE="YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS" \
     git commit -m "feat: add feature"
     

   • Always print these commands to the user in order.

6. Ask for execution preference:
   • Ask the user whether they want:
     • to copy-paste and run the commands themselves, or
     • to have the agent run them.
   • Only execute commands after explicit user approval.
7. Commit:
   • When executing, run exactly the printed commands.
   • Respect any user instructions about backdating timestamps or additional flags.
8. Next commit:
   • Before staging the next set of changes, confirm with the user that the previous commit is complete and understood.

Automation Mode

If user requests "continue to X" or "automate until X":

• Proceed with atomic commits automatically, but still print commands.
• For each commit:
  • Show the staging and commit commands.
  • Optionally execute them automatically, as per the user’s automation request.
• Resume asking for confirmation when X is reached.
• X can be: specific file, feature completion, test passing, etc.

Stop and Ask Protocols

Stop and ask user before:

• Adding type ignores (@ts-ignore, # type: ignore, etc.).
• Adding suppressions (ESLint disable, pylint disable, etc.).
• Using any type or similar type escapes.
• When uncertain how to proceed with implementation.
• When requirements are unclear.
• When a destructive git operation is proposed (reset --hard, checkout ., clean -f, push --force); prefer safer alternatives and explain the risks.

Examples

Simple feature or behaviour change:

feat: add user authentication

Feature with scope:

feat(api): add user endpoint

Bug fix:

fix: resolve memory leak in cache

Breaking change:

feat!: migrate to new API version

Test-only change:

test: improve unit tests for auth service

Refactor (no behavior change):

refactor: extract validation logic into separate function

Complex change (with body):

feat(api): add pagination support

Implements cursor-based pagination for large datasets.
See docs/api/pagination.md for details.

References

For detailed guidance, see:

• references/conventional-commits.md – Commit format and examples
• references/ci-verification.md – CI check patterns and verification
• references/co-authors.md – Handling Co-Authored-By trailers and zagi co-author stripping