commit-style

name	commit-style
description	Provides educational guidance on writing good git commit messages. Activates when users ASK QUESTIONS about commit message formats, styles, conventional commits, classic commits, atomic commit principles, or git best practices. Does NOT activate when users want to PERFORM a commit (use the commit-action skill instead).

Git Commit Message Guidelines

This skill provides educational context about writing effective git commit messages.

When to Activate

Activate this skill when the user asks questions about:

• How to write commit messages
• Commit message formats or styles
• Conventional commits vs classic commits
• What makes a good commit message
• Atomic commits
• Git best practices for commits

When NOT to Activate

Do NOT use this skill when the user wants to perform a commit. The following are handled by the commit skill:

• "commit these changes"
• "let's commit"
• "make a commit"
• "commit this"

For action requests, the commit skill invokes the /commit workflow.

Available Commit Styles

This plugin supports multiple commit styles. For detailed rules, examples, and anti-patterns, read the style files in the styles/ directory:

• Classic (styles/classic.md) - Traditional git commit style following the "7 Rules"
• Conventional (styles/conventional.md) - Structured format for automation

Quick Reference

Aspect	Classic	Conventional
Subject case	Capitalized	lowercase
Type prefix	No	Yes (feat:, fix:, etc.)
Max subject	50 chars	50 chars (including type)
Body wrap	72 chars	72 chars
Mood	Imperative	Imperative
Automation	Manual	Changelog/semver friendly

Atomic Commits

An atomic commit represents a single, complete, coherent unit of work.

Principles

1. Single Responsibility: One commit = one logical change
2. Reversibility: Can be reverted without side effects
3. Completeness: Leaves codebase in working state
4. Describable: Can be explained in one sentence without "and also"

Red Flags (Non-Atomic)

• Multiple unrelated concerns in one commit
• Using "and" to connect separate ideas in message
• Mix of bug fix + new feature
• Changes across unrelated modules
• Difficult to revert cleanly

Benefits

• Easier code review: Reviewers understand each change
• Clean git history: Meaningful, navigable history
• Safe git bisect: Find bugs efficiently
• Simple reverts: Undo specific changes without collateral damage

Recommendations

• Default to classic commits for most projects
• Use conventional commits when you need:
  • Automated changelog generation
  • Semantic version bumping
  • Structured commit history for tooling
• Always write atomic commits regardless of style
• Use /commit to generate properly formatted messages

Detailed Style Guides

For comprehensive rules, examples, and anti-patterns for each style, read the corresponding file in the styles/ directory. The style files are the authoritative source for formatting rules.