Git Commit with Conventional Commits

Overview

Create standardized, semantic git commits using the Conventional Commits specification. Analyze the actual diff to determine appropriate type, scope, and message.

Conventional Commit Format

<type>[optional scope]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Commit Types

Breaking Changes

# Exclamation mark after type/scope
feat!: remove deprecated endpoint

# BREAKING CHANGE footer
feat: allow config to extend other configs

BREAKING CHANGE: `extends` key behavior changed

Workflow

1. Analyze Diff

# If files are staged, use staged diff
git diff --staged

# If nothing staged, use working tree diff
git diff

# Also check status
git status --porcelain

2. Stage Files & Group by Context

Review the changes and determine if they belong to a single logical change or multiple distinct changes.

Logical Grouping Strategy:

• Split by Context: If changes cover multiple independent contexts (e.g., a refactor, a new feature, and a doc update), create separate commits for each.
• Order Matters: Commit prerequisites (e.g., refactors, dependency updates) before the features that use them.
• Atomic Commits: Each commit must be self-contained and leave the codebase in a working state.

If nothing is staged or you want to group changes differently:

# Stage specific files
git add path/to/file1 path/to/file2

# Stage by pattern
git add *.test.*
git add src/components/*

# Interactive staging
git add -p

Never commit secrets (.env, credentials.json, private keys).

3. Generate Commit Message

Analyze the diff to determine:

• Type: What kind of change is this?
• Scope: What area/module is affected?
• Description: One-line summary of what changed (present tense, imperative mood, <72 chars)

4. Execute Commit

# Single line
git commit -m "<type>[scope]: <description>"

# Multi-line with body/footer
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
<type>[scope]: <description>

<optional body>

<optional footer>
EOF
)"

Best Practices

• One logical change per commit
• Present tense: "add" not "added"
• Imperative mood: "fix bug" not "fixes bug"
• Reference issues: Closes #123, Refs #456
• Keep description under 72 characters

Git Safety Protocol

• NEVER update git config
• NEVER run destructive commands (--force, hard reset) without explicit request
• NEVER skip hooks (--no-verify) unless user asks
• NEVER force push to main/master
• If commit fails due to hooks, fix and create NEW commit (don't amend)