Format Commit Message

Format Commit Message

Generate conventional commit messages following project standards with proper attribution.

Authority: Commit format MUST follow docs/COMMIT_CONVENTIONS.md (Conventional Commits + Release Please rules). Release Please is in use; use this skill for every commit so Release Please and changelog generation parse correctly.

When to Use

• Release commits
• Automated version updates
• Refactoring commits
• Any commit requiring consistent formatting
• Documentation updates

Instructions

Step 1: Gather Commit Information

Collect required information for commit message.

Expected Input:

• type: String (feat|fix|chore|docs|refactor|test|style|perf)
• scope: String (optional, e.g., "auth", "api", "ui")
• description: String (brief description)
• body: String (optional, detailed explanation)
• breaking: Boolean (optional, is this a breaking change?)

Step 2: Format Message

Apply conventional commit format with project standards.

Format Structure:

{type}({scope}): {description}

{body}

{footer}

Footer Template:

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

Breaking Changes: If breaking: true, prepend "BREAKING CHANGE: " to body or add as footer.

Step 3: Validate Message

Ensure message follows guidelines.

Validation Rules (Release Please–friendly):

• Type must be valid (feat|fix|chore|docs|refactor|test|style|perf|ci)
• Subject: imperative mood, lowercase, no period at end, ≤ 72 characters
• Scope: lowercase if present; never use chore(release): for normal commits (reserved for Release Please)
• Body: wrap at 72 characters if present
• Breaking: use BREAKING CHANGE: in body/footer or type!/type(scope)!: in subject

Step 4: Return Formatted Message

Return complete commit message ready for git commit.

Expected Output:

feat(auth): add OAuth2 authentication support

Implemented OAuth2 flow with token refresh and secure storage.
Supports Google and GitHub providers.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

Error Handling

• Invalid Type: Return error listing valid types
• Missing Description: Return error requesting description
• Description Too Long: Return error with character count
• Invalid Format: Describe format issue

Examples

Example 1: Simple Feature Commit

Input:

{
  "type": "feat",
  "description": "add dark mode toggle"
}

Output:

feat: add dark mode toggle

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

Example 2: Scoped Fix with Body

Input:

{
  "type": "fix",
  "scope": "api",
  "description": "resolve memory leak in connection pool",
  "body": "Connection pooling was not properly releasing connections after timeout. Implemented automatic cleanup and connection recycling."
}

Output:

fix(api): resolve memory leak in connection pool

Connection pooling was not properly releasing connections after
timeout. Implemented automatic cleanup and connection recycling.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

Example 3: Breaking Change

Input:

{
  "type": "feat",
  "scope": "api",
  "description": "migrate to v2 authentication API",
  "breaking": true,
  "body": "Updated authentication to use new v2 endpoints with improved security."
}

Output:

feat(api): migrate to v2 authentication API

BREAKING CHANGE: Updated authentication to use new v2 endpoints with
improved security. All clients must update authentication tokens.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

Example 4: Release Commit (automation only)

Note: Only the release script or Release Please should create chore(release): commits. Agents should not generate these for normal work.

Input (e.g. from release script):

{
  "type": "chore",
  "scope": "release",
  "description": "v0.8.0"
}

Output:

chore(release): v0.8.0

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>

Validation

• Formats all conventional commit types correctly
• Handles optional scope properly
• Wraps long descriptions and bodies
• Includes Claude Code attribution
• Formats breaking changes correctly
• Validates input fields

Supporting Files

• template.md: Commit message template reference (see Supporting Files section)
• docs/COMMIT_CONVENTIONS.md: Full project conventions and Release Please rules

Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.