split-commit

name	split-commit
description	Split a commit with mixed changes into separate commits

Split Commit

Keywords: git, commit split, atomic commits, rewrite history, force-with-lease, two-group split, bisectable, git reset, interactive patch, git add -p

Split a commit that mixes unrelated changes (e.g., docstrings + features) into separate commits.

Usage

• /git:split-commit - Split the most recent commit
• /git:split-commit <commit-hash> - Split a specific commit

Instructions

1. Identify the commit to split:

   • If $ARGUMENTS is empty, use HEAD
   • Otherwise, use the provided commit hash

2. Show the commit contents:

   git show <commit> --stat
   git show <commit>
   

   Output this prompt as plain text and stop (do NOT use AskUserQuestion — this is free-text input): "How would you like to split this commit? Describe the two (or more) groups of changes."

3. Save original files before resetting:

   mkdir -p tmp/claude-artifacts/split-commit
   # For each file in the commit
   git show <commit>:<filepath> > tmp/claude-artifacts/split-commit/<filename>_original
   

4. Reset to parent commit:

   git reset --hard <commit>^
   

5. Apply first group of changes:

   • Using the saved files in tmp/claude-artifacts/split-commit/ as reference, apply only the first group
   • Ask the operator for commit message

   git add <files>
   git commit -m "<message>
   
   Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[e-mail]>"
   

6. Apply remaining changes:

   • Restore full versions from tmp/claude-artifacts/split-commit/ originals
   • Ask the operator for commit message

   git add <files>
   git commit -m "<message>
   
   Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <[e-mail]>"
   

7. Verify and push:

   git log --oneline -3
   

   Ask the operator: "Ready to force push these changes?"

   git push origin <branch> --force-with-lease
   

Important Notes

• This rewrites history - only use on commits not yet merged
• Always save files to tmp/claude-artifacts/split-commit/ BEFORE resetting
• The original commit is replaced by multiple new commits
• This workflow assumes the two groups of changes are in separate files. If both groups modify the same file, use git add -p (interactive patch mode) after step 4 to selectively stage each group instead of restoring from tmp/claude-artifacts/split-commit/