commit-discipline

name	commit-discipline
description	Enforce clean, spec-compliant commit messages and commit hygiene. Use when writing, reviewing, or correcting commit messages, deciding commit scope, or preparing a commit for merge.

Commit Discipline

Use Conventional Commits 1.0.0 with minimal noise and maximum signal.

Required reference

• Read .agents/skills/conventional-commits/SKILL.md first.
• Treat this skill as stricter commit-hygiene guidance layered on top of that baseline.

Message format

<type>[optional scope][optional !]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Required rules

• Use lowercase type.
• Use imperative subject (add, fix, refactor, remove, rename).
• Do not end subject with a period.
• Keep subject concise; prefer clarity over arbitrary length limits.
• Separate header/body/footer with one blank line.

Types

• feat: user-facing feature
• fix: user-facing bug fix
• docs: documentation only
• refactor: no user-visible behavior change
• perf: performance improvement
• test: tests only
• build: build tooling/dependencies
• ci: CI/CD pipeline/workflow
• chore: maintenance not covered above
• revert: reverts a previous commit

Prefer feat or fix when either is true.

Scope

• Use scope only when it improves precision, e.g. fix(connect): ....
• Keep scope short and noun-like.
• Omit scope for cross-cutting or obvious changes.

Breaking changes

Use one of these patterns:

1. type(scope)!: description
2. Footer: BREAKING CHANGE: <details>
3. Both, when clarity matters

BREAKING CHANGE footer token must be uppercase.

Body: when to include

Include a body only when it adds non-obvious context:

• why a change exists
• design tradeoffs
• migration or rollback notes
• constraints reviewers need to know

Do not restate the diff.

Footers

Use footers for structured metadata:

• BREAKING CHANGE: ...
• Refs: #123
• Reviewed-by: Name
• Co-authored-by: Name <email>

Commit hygiene

• Keep each commit to one primary intent.
• If a change mixes intents (e.g. refactor + feature), split into separate commits when feasible.
• Stage intentionally; avoid accidental files.
• Avoid empty, vague subjects (update stuff, fix things).

Rewrite policy

When asked to improve a message:

1. Preserve intent.
2. Normalize to Conventional Commits format.
3. Add scope/body/footer only if they add signal.
4. Return the final commit message text only.

Examples

fix(connect): preserve return path after auth handoff

feat(auth)!: require signed nonce for session creation

BREAKING CHANGE: unsigned nonce requests are now rejected by default.

refactor(login): isolate callback parsing from page state updates