multiline-commit-messages

# Multiline commit messages The Shell tool sends commands as a single string. Heredoc syntax (`<<'EOF'`) inside `$(cat ...)` is fragile and can fail silently — the literal `$(cat <<'EOF' ...` ends up as the commit message instead of the intended text. ## Rule Prefer single-quoted strings with embedded newlines over `$(cat <<'EOF' ...)`: ```bash git commit -s -m 'short summary line Longer body paragraph explaining why the change exists. Additional context if needed.' ``` ## Why heredocs are fragile The Shell tool passes the command as a single string argument. When you write: ```bash git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF' message EOF )" ``` the `EOF` delimiter, newlines, and nested quoting can interact unpredictably, and the result is the raw `$(cat <<'EOF' ...` text appearing as the commit message. Single-quoted strings with literal newlines are simple, portable, and always work. If the message itself must contain a single quote, close and reopen the quote (`'\''`) or fall back to a temp file passed via `-F`. ## Sign off Every commit still needs its `Signed-off-by` trailer — see [git-staging](../../../.cursor/rules/git-staging.mdc). Pass `-s` on the same `git commit` invocation.