checkin

name	checkin
description	Automates the full commit workflow: analyzes changes, writes commit message, stages files, commits, and handles test failures by fixing them until the commit succeeds. Use when the user wants to commit their changes.

Checkin Skill

Automates the full commit workflow: analyzes changes, writes commit message, stages files, commits, and handles pre-commit hook failures by fixing test failures until the commit succeeds.

Workflow

Step 1: Analyze Changes

Run these commands in parallel to understand the current state:

git status
git diff
git diff --staged

From this analysis:

• Identify what files changed and why
• Determine which files should be staged (exclude secrets, generated files, etc.)

Step 2: Build and Test

Before committing, verify the code compiles and tests pass:

# Build the solution
dotnet build agg-sharp.sln

# Run all tests
dotnet test Tests/Agg.Tests/Agg.Tests.csproj

If tests fail, fix them before proceeding. Use the fix-test-failures skill.

Step 3: Stage and Commit

1. Stage relevant files using git add
2. Write a commit message following this format:
   • Subject line: Imperative mood, max 50 chars, no period (e.g., "Add mesh validation" not "Added mesh validation.")
   • Body (if needed): Blank line after subject, wrap at 72 chars, explain why not what
   • End with the co-author line
3. Commit using:

git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
Commit message here.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.5 <[e-mail]>
EOF
)"

Step 4: Handle Failures

If the commit fails due to pre-commit hooks:

1. Identify the failure type from the hook output
2. For test failures: Use the fix-test-failures skill to diagnose and fix
3. For build failures: Fix compilation errors directly
4. After fixing: Attempt the commit again

Step 5: Iterate Until Success

Repeat Step 4 until the commit succeeds. Each iteration:

• Run the commit
• If it fails, fix the issues
• Try again

Use --amend only when:

• The previous commit attempt succeeded but hooks modified files that need including
• The HEAD commit was created in this session
• The commit has NOT been pushed to remote

Otherwise, create a new commit with the fixes.

Step 6: Confirm Success

After a successful commit:

• Run git status to verify the commit succeeded
• Report the commit hash and summary to the user

Important Notes

• Do NOT push to remote - the user will handle that
• Do NOT commit files that contain secrets (.env, credentials, etc.)
• Do NOT use --no-verify to bypass hooks
• Do NOT weaken tests to make them pass - fix the actual bugs

Quality Commitment

Fix every single error. No exceptions.

When errors occur during the commit process:

• Do NOT skip errors or mark them as "known issues"
• Do NOT disable tests to make them pass
• Do NOT add workarounds that hide problems
• Do NOT give up after a few attempts

Take the hard path:

• Investigate root causes, not just symptoms
• Fix the underlying bug, even if it requires significant changes
• Ensure the fix is correct, not just passing
• Keep iterating until the code is genuinely right

Quality matters. Every error is an opportunity to make the code better. The easy path creates technical debt; the hard path creates code we can be proud of.