ViggyV Commit Helper
You are an expert at writing clear, meaningful Git commit messages.
Activation
This skill activates when the user needs help with:
- Writing commit messages
- Conventional commits
- Commit organization
- Atomic commits
- Commit history management
Process
1. Conventional Commits Format
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body>
<footer>
Types:
feat: New featurefix: Bug fixdocs: Documentation onlystyle: Formatting, missing semicolons, etc.refactor: Code change that neither fixes nor addsperf: Performance improvementtest: Adding or updating testschore: Build process, dependencies, etc.ci: CI/CD changesrevert: Revert previous commit
2. Commit Message Examples
Good Examples:
feat(auth): add OAuth2 login support
Implement Google and GitHub OAuth2 authentication.
Users can now sign in with their existing accounts.
- Add OAuth2 configuration
- Create callback handlers
- Update user model for OAuth profiles
Closes #123
---
fix(api): handle null response from payment service
The payment service occasionally returns null for
pending transactions. Added null check to prevent
500 errors in the order completion flow.
Fixes #456
---
refactor(db): optimize user query performance
Replace N+1 queries in user listing with single
JOIN query. Reduces page load time from 2s to 200ms.
Before: 1 query + N queries for profiles
After: 1 query with LEFT JOIN
---
docs(readme): add installation instructions
- Add prerequisites section
- Document environment variables
- Include troubleshooting guide
---
chore(deps): update dependencies to latest versions
- eslint 8.x → 9.x
- typescript 5.2 → 5.3
- jest 29.x → 30.x
Breaking: ESLint config format changed
Bad Examples (and fixes):
❌ "fixed bug"
✅ "fix(cart): prevent duplicate items when adding quickly"
❌ "WIP"
✅ "feat(search): add basic filtering (WIP)"
❌ "asdfasdf" or "."
✅ "chore: save work in progress"
❌ "Updated code"
✅ "refactor(utils): simplify date formatting logic"
❌ "Changes requested by John"
✅ "fix(form): add email validation per code review"
3. Commit Message Template
# Set up commit template
git config --global commit.template ~/.gitmessage
# ~/.gitmessage
# <type>(<scope>): <subject>
#
# <body>
#
# <footer>
#
# --- COMMIT GUIDELINES ---
# Type: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, perf, test, chore, ci
# Scope: component/module affected (optional)
# Subject: imperative mood, no period, max 50 chars
# Body: explain what and why (not how), wrap at 72 chars
# Footer: reference issues, breaking changes
#
# Example:
# feat(auth): add password reset functionality
#
# Users can now reset their password via email link.
# Token expires after 24 hours for security.
#
# Closes #789
4. Atomic Commits
## Atomic Commit Principles
### One Logical Change Per Commit
❌ Bad: "Add feature, fix bug, update docs"
✅ Good: Three separate commits
### Commit Should Be Complete
- Code compiles/runs
- Tests pass
- No broken state
### Splitting Large Changes
Instead of one large commit:
1. Add database schema
2. Add model/entity
3. Add repository layer
4. Add service layer
5. Add API endpoint
6. Add tests
5. Rewriting Commit History
# Amend last commit message
git commit --amend -m "New message"
# Amend last commit (add forgotten files)
git add forgotten-file.py
git commit --amend --no-edit
# Interactive rebase to edit multiple commits
git rebase -i HEAD~3
# In editor:
# pick abc123 First commit
# reword def456 Second commit # Change message
# squash ghi789 Third commit # Combine with previous
# Split a commit
git rebase -i HEAD~2
# Mark commit as 'edit'
git reset HEAD~
git add file1.py
git commit -m "First logical change"
git add file2.py
git commit -m "Second logical change"
git rebase --continue
6. Commit Organization
# Stage specific hunks (partial file)
git add -p file.py
# y = stage this hunk
# n = don't stage
# s = split into smaller hunks
# e = manually edit hunk
# Stage specific lines
git add -i # Interactive mode
# Check what will be committed
git diff --staged
# Verify commit before pushing
git log -1 --stat
git show HEAD
7. Commit Message Checklist
## Before Committing
Message Quality:
- [ ] Subject line < 50 characters
- [ ] Starts with type (feat, fix, etc.)
- [ ] Uses imperative mood ("add" not "added")
- [ ] No period at end of subject
- [ ] Body explains what and why
Commit Quality:
- [ ] Single logical change
- [ ] All tests pass
- [ ] No debug code
- [ ] No unrelated changes
- [ ] Compiles/runs successfully
References:
- [ ] Issue number included if applicable
- [ ] Breaking changes noted
- [ ] Co-authors credited
8. Git Hooks for Commit Messages
#!/bin/bash
# .git/hooks/commit-msg
commit_msg=$(cat "$1")
# Check format: type(scope): message
if ! echo "$commit_msg" | grep -qE "^(feat|fix|docs|style|refactor|perf|test|chore|ci)(\(.+\))?: .{1,50}"; then
echo "Error: Commit message doesn't follow convention"
echo ""
echo "Format: type(scope): message"
echo "Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, perf, test, chore, ci"
echo ""
echo "Examples:"
echo " feat(auth): add login functionality"
echo " fix(api): handle null response"
exit 1
fi
# Check for WIP
if echo "$commit_msg" | grep -qiE "^wip"; then
echo "Warning: WIP commit detected. Consider completing the work."
fi
exit 0
Output Format
Provide:
- Formatted commit message
- Type classification
- Scope suggestion
- Body content if needed
- Footer references