Commit Messages
Follow these conventions when creating commits for projects.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Committing code changes
- Writing commit messages
- Formatting git history
- Following commit Conventional Commit conventions
- Referencing issues in commits
Prerequisites
Before committing, ensure you're working on a feature branch, not the main branch.
# Check current branch
git branch --show-current
If you're on main or master, create a new branch first:
# Create and switch to a new branch
git checkout -b <type>/<short-description>
Branch naming should follow the pattern: <type>/<short-description> where type matches the commit type (e.g., feat/add-user-auth, fix/null-pointer-error, ref/extract-validation).
Format
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body>
<footer>
The header is required. Scope is optional. All lines must stay under 100 characters.
π Types of Commit
-
feat: A new feature for the user or system
Example:feat(auth): add Google login feature -
fix: A bug fix for the user or system
Example:fix(button): resolve issue with button hover state -
chore: Routine tasks like maintenance or updating dependencies
Example:chore(deps): update react to version 17.0.2 -
docs: Documentation updates
Example:docs(readme): update installation instructions -
style: Changes related to code style (e.g., formatting, missing semi-colons)
Example:style(button): fix button alignment in CSS -
refactor: Code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature
Example:refactor(auth): simplify login form validation logic -
test: Adding or updating tests
Example:test(auth): add unit tests for login function -
build: Changes that affect the build system or external dependencies
Example:build(webpack): add webpack config for production build -
ci: Continuous integration-related changes
Example:ci(gitlab): update CI config for deployment pipeline -
perf: Code changes that improve performance Example:
perf(api): optimize database queries for faster responses -
env: Changes related to environment setup or configuration Example:
env(docker): update Dockerfile for staging environment -
sec: Security fixes or improvements Example:
sec(auth): add encryption for user passwords -
config: Changes to configuration files Example:
config: update .eslint rules for stricter code checks -
api: Updates to API contracts or integrations Example:
api(user): add new endpoint for user profile updates
Additional Commit Types
revert: Reverts a previous commit
Example: revert(auth): rollback Google login feature
merge: Indicates a merge commit
Example: merge: branch 'feature/auth' into 'main'
deps: Dependency-specific updates
Example: deps: bump axios from 0.21.1 to 0.24.0
design: UI or UX improvements
Example: design(button): update hover effect
Subject Line Rules
- Use imperative, present tense: "Add feature" not "Added feature"
- Capitalize the first letter
- No period at the end
- Maximum 70 characters
Body Guidelines
- Explain what and why, not how
- Use imperative mood and present tense
- Include motivation for the change
- Contrast with previous behavior when relevant
Footer: Issue References
Reference issues in the footer using these patterns:
Fixes GH-1234
Fixes #1234
Fixes-1234
Refs LINEAR-ABC-123
Fixescloses the issue when mergedRefslinks without closing
AI-Generated Changes
When changes were primarily generated by a coding agent (like Copilot), include the Co-Authored-By attribution in the commit footer:
Co-Authored-By: Copilot <>
This is the only indicator of AI involvement that should appear in commits. Do not add phrases like "Generated by AI", "Written with Claude", or similar markers in the subject, body, or anywhere else in the commit message.
Examples
Simple fix
fix(api): Handle null response in user endpoint
The user API could return null for deleted accounts, causing a crash
in the dashboard. Add null check before accessing user properties.
Fixes-5678
Co-Authored-By: Claude <noreply@anthropic.com>
Feature with scope
feat(alerts): Add Slack thread replies for alert updates
When an alert is updated or resolved, post a reply to the original
Slack thread instead of creating a new message. This keeps related
notifications grouped together.
Refs GH-1234
Refactor
ref: Extract common validation logic to shared module
Move duplicate validation code from three endpoints into a shared
validator class. No behavior change.
Breaking change
feat(api)!: Remove deprecated v1 endpoints
Remove all v1 API endpoints that were deprecated in version 23.1.
Clients should migrate to v2 endpoints.
BREAKING CHANGE: v1 endpoints no longer available
Fixes-9999
Revert Format
revert: feat(api): Add new endpoint
This reverts commit abc123def456.
Reason: Caused performance regression in production.
Principles
- Each commit should be a single, stable change
- Commits should be independently reviewable
- The repository should be in a working state after each commit
References
For a deeper understanding of Conventional Commits, check out the official documentation: Conventional Commits.