THE COMMIT MESSAGE LAW
THE RULE
Single line. Imperative mood. Aim for 50 characters, max 72. State WHAT changed, not WHY or HOW.
FORMAT DETECTION
Project format varies. Check before committing:
- Project CLAUDE.md for documented format
git log --oneline -10for recent patterns- Ask if unclear
Common patterns:
feat: Add feature(conventional commits)Add feature(plain verb)
EXAMPLES
GOOD:
Add dark mode toggleFix lightbox navigationExtract shared logic
BAD:
Add dark mode toggle component to settings...Added support for dark modeRefactored for better maintainability
THE WHY
Diffs tell the story. Commit message states the change. History is scannable. Long messages hide the change.
Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.