| name | commit |
| description | **WORKFLOW SKILL** — Stage changes, write clear commit messages, and commit following best practices. USE FOR: committing code changes; writing conventional commit messages; staging files before commits; amending previous commits; creating atomic commits; generating commit messages from diffs. DO NOT USE FOR: pushing to remote (use git push); resolving merge conflicts; branching or rebasing. |
| user-invocable | true |
Commit Workflow
Overview
This skill guides a structured commit workflow: analyze changes, stage appropriately, write a clear commit message, and commit.
Workflow Steps
1. Analyze Changes
Review what has changed before committing:
- Check status: Understand which files are modified, added, or deleted
- Review diffs: Understand what and why each change was made
- Group related changes: Identify logical units of work that belong together
2. Stage Changes
Stage files intentionally — avoid git add . unless all changes are part of one commit:
- Atomic commits: Each commit should represent one logical change
- Partial staging: Use
git add -p for interactive staging when a file contains multiple unrelated changes
- Review before staging: Confirm no debug code, secrets, or unrelated files are included
3. Write Commit Message
Follow this structure:
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body>
<footer>
Type (pick one):
| Type | When to Use |
|---|
feat | New feature or capability |
fix | Bug fix |
docs | Documentation only |
style | Formatting, missing semicolons, etc. (no logic change) |
refactor | Code restructuring (no feature or fix) |
test | Adding or updating tests |
chore | Build, CI, tooling, dependencies |
perf | Performance improvement |
Subject line rules:
- Use imperative mood: "add" not "added" or "adds"
- No period at the end
- Keep under 72 characters
- Capitalize the first letter
Body (when needed):
- Explain what and why, not how
- Wrap at 72 characters
- Separate from subject with a blank line
Footer (when applicable):
- Reference issues:
Closes #123, Fixes #456
- Note breaking changes:
BREAKING CHANGE: <description>
4. Commit
- Review the commit message one more time
- Commit with
git commit
- Verify with
git log --oneline -1
Common Patterns
Simple change:
fix(auth): prevent token refresh race condition
Feature with context:
feat(api): add pagination to user list endpoint
Implement offset-based pagination with configurable page size.
Default limit is 20 items per page. Includes cursor-based
navigation for large datasets.
Closes #234
Breaking change:
refactor(config)!: rename environment variables for consistency
BREAKING CHANGE: DATABASE_URL is now DB_CONNECTION_STRING
Quality Checklist
Before finalizing a commit, verify:
