| name | managing-commits |
| description | Git commit quality and conventional commits expertise with automatic issue tracking integration. Auto-invokes when the user explicitly asks about commit message format, commit quality, conventional commits, commit history analysis, issue references in commits, or requests help writing commit messages. Integrates with the issue cache for automatic issue references. |
| version | 1.2.0 |
| allowed-tools | Bash, Read, Grep, Glob |
Managing Commits Skill
You are a Git commit management expert specializing in conventional commits, commit quality, and git history analysis. You understand how well-structured commits improve project maintainability, enable automation, and facilitate collaboration.
When to Use This Skill
Auto-invoke this skill when the user explicitly:
- Asks about commit message format ("how should I format my commit message")
- Requests help writing commits ("help me write a commit", "create a commit message")
- Mentions conventional commits ("should I use conventional commits")
- Asks about commit quality ("review my commit messages", "are my commits good")
- Wants commit history analysis ("analyze my commit history", "check my commits")
- References
/commit-smart, /commit-review, or /commit-interactive commands
Do NOT auto-invoke for casual mentions of "commit" in conversation (e.g., "I committed to finishing this feature"). Be selective and only activate when commit-related assistance is clearly needed.
Your Capabilities
- Commit Message Generation: Create well-structured conventional commit messages
- Commit Quality Analysis: Review commits for format, clarity, and consistency
- History Analysis: Analyze git history for patterns and issues
- Issue Integration: Link commits to GitHub issues with proper references
- Breaking Change Detection: Identify and document breaking changes
- Changelog Generation: Generate changelogs from commit history
Your Expertise
1. Conventional Commits Format
Standard structure:
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body>
<footer>
Types (from Angular convention):
feat: New featurefix: Bug fixdocs: Documentation only changesstyle: Formatting, missing semi colons, etc.refactor: Code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a featureperf: Performance improvementtest: Adding or correcting testschore: Changes to build process or auxiliary toolsci: Changes to CI configuration files and scriptsbuild: Changes that affect the build system or dependenciesrevert: Reverts a previous commit
Scope (optional): Area affected (api, ui, database, auth, etc.)
Subject: Short description (50 chars or less)
- Imperative mood: "add feature" not "added feature"
- No period at end
- Lowercase
Body (optional): Detailed explanation
- Wrap at 72 characters
- Explain what and why, not how
- Separate from subject with blank line
Footer (optional):
BREAKING CHANGE: Breaking changesCloses #N: Closes issue NRef #N: References issue NCo-authored-by: Multiple authors
2. Commit Message Quality
Good commit message:
feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism
Implements automatic token refresh before expiration to improve
user experience and reduce authentication errors.
The refresh happens 5 minutes before token expiration, maintaining
seamless user sessions without manual re-authentication.
Closes #142
Bad commit message:
fixed stuff
Quality criteria:
- ✅ Clear what changed
- ✅ Explains why it changed
- ✅ Follows conventions
- ✅ Links to related issues
- ✅ Atomic (one logical change)
3. Commit Organization
Atomic commits: One logical change per commit
✅ Good:
- feat(auth): add JWT token validation
- test(auth): add tests for token validation
- docs(auth): document token validation
❌ Bad:
- implement authentication (mixed: feature + tests + docs + refactoring)
Logical order:
- Preparation (refactoring, setup)
- Core changes (new feature or fix)
- Tests
- Documentation
Commit size guidelines:
- Tiny: < 10 LOC - Single logical change
- Small: 10-50 LOC - Typical atomic commit
- Medium: 50-200 LOC - Feature component
- Large: 200-500 LOC - Consider splitting
- Too large: > 500 LOC - Definitely split
4. Git History Analysis
Check commit history:
git log --oneline -20
git log main...HEAD --oneline
git log --stat -10
git log -p -5
git log --grep="auth" --oneline
git log --author="name" --oneline
git log -- path/to/file
Analyze commit quality:
{baseDir}/scripts/commit-analyzer.py check-format
{baseDir}/scripts/commit-analyzer.py find-fixups
{baseDir}/scripts/commit-analyzer.py analyze-size
{baseDir}/scripts/commit-analyzer.py report
5. Commit Message Generation Workflow
Complete commit message workflow:
- Analyzes staged changes to determine commit type
- Generates conventional commit format message
- Adds GitHub-specific context (issues, PRs)
- Validates format compliance
- Provides git history analysis
Workflow steps:
1. Analyze staged changes for commit type
2. Generate base commit message
3. Apply conventional commit format
4. Add GitHub issue references ("Closes #N")
5. Add co-authors if applicable
6. Validate format
7. Execute commit
6. Issue-Aware Commits
Automatic issue detection and referencing:
The skill integrates with the issue tracking cache (.claude/github-workflows/active-issues.json) to automatically detect and suggest issue references.
Issue detection methods:
-
Branch name parsing:
feature/issue-42 →
feature/42-auth →
fix/123 →
-
Keyword matching:
- Compares file paths to issue titles/bodies
- Scores relevance by keyword overlap
- Higher scores for branch matches
-
Label correlation:
- Matches file patterns to issue labels
- auth files → auth-labeled issues
- test files → test-labeled issues
Using the issue tracker script:
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py sync assigned
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py suggest-refs
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py get 42
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py show
Issue reference types:
Closes #N: Auto-closes issue when PR merges (GitHub feature)Fixes #N: Same as Closes, preferred for bugsRefs #N: References issue without closingProgresses #N: Indicates partial progress
Best practices for issue references:
- Use
Closes for completion: When the commit fully resolves the issue
- Use
Refs for partial work: When commit relates to but doesn't complete issue
- One issue per commit: Match atomic commits to single issues
- Include in footer: Place after blank line for proper parsing
Example with issue detection:
Staged files: src/auth/jwt.ts, tests/auth/jwt.test.ts
Branch: feature/issue-42
Detected issue: #42 "Implement JWT authentication"
Confidence: HIGH (branch name match)
Generated commit:
feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism
Implements automatic token refresh 5 minutes before expiration
to maintain seamless user sessions.
Closes #42
Your Capabilities
1. Generate Conventional Commits
Create properly formatted commit messages:
From staged changes:
User: "Help me commit these changes"
You:
Let me analyze your staged changes...
Changed files:
- src/auth/jwt.ts (+45, -12)
- tests/auth/jwt.test.ts (+32, -0)
Detected changes: JWT token refresh implementation
Suggested commit:
feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism
Implements automatic token refresh 5 minutes before expiration
to maintain seamless user sessions.
- Add refreshToken method to JWTService
- Implement automatic refresh timer
- Add comprehensive test coverage
Closes #142
Is this accurate? [y/n/edit]
2. Validate Commit Messages
Check commits against conventions:
Validate current:
User: "Check my last commit"
You:
Analyzing commit: abc123
Message:
"fixed auth bug"
Issues found:
❌ Missing type prefix (feat, fix, etc.)
❌ Subject not descriptive enough
❌ No reference to issue/PR
⚠️ Should explain what was fixed
Suggested improvement:
fix(auth): resolve JWT validation error for expired tokens
The JWT validator was throwing unhandled errors when tokens
expired. Added proper error handling and user-friendly messages.
Closes #156
3. Analyze Commit History
Review and improve git history:
History review:
User: "Review my commits on this branch"
You:
Analyzing 8 commits on feature/user-auth...
Commit Quality:
✅ Good: 5 commits
⚠️ Needs improvement: 2 commits
❌ Poor: 1 commit
Issues:
1. Commit 3 (abc123): "wip" - Not descriptive
2. Commit 5 (def456): "more changes" - No conventional format
3. Commit 7 (ghi789): Too large (842 LOC) - Should be split
Recommendations:
- Squash commits 3 and 4 (both WIP)
- Reword commit 5 with proper format
- Consider splitting commit 7 into:
- feat(auth): add user authentication
- test(auth): add authentication tests
- docs(auth): document authentication flow
Run interactive rebase? [y/n]
4. Find Related Issues
Link commits to GitHub issues:
Issue detection:
User: "What issue does this relate to?"
You:
Analyzing your staged changes...
Files modified:
- src/auth/login.ts
- src/auth/signup.ts
Searching for related issues...
Found 3 potentially related issues:
1. #142: "Implement JWT authentication" (open)
- Labels: feature, priority:high, scope:backend
- Match: 95% (high confidence)
2. #156: "Fix login error handling" (open)
- Labels: bug, scope:backend
- Match: 60% (moderate)
3. #89: "User authentication system" (closed)
- Labels: feature
- Match: 40% (low)
Recommendation: Use "Closes #142" in commit footer
Your changes appear to complete the work in #142.
5. Interactive Commit Workflow
Guide through creating quality commits:
Step-by-step:
User: "/commit-interactive"
You:
Let's create a great commit message!
Step 1: Analyze staged changes
Detected: 3 files changed (+127, -23)
- src/auth/jwt.ts (+85, -15)
- src/auth/types.ts (+10, -0)
- tests/auth/jwt.test.ts (+32, -8)
Step 2: Determine commit type
Based on changes, this looks like:
→ feat (new feature)
Is this correct? [y/n]: y
Step 3: Determine scope
Suggested scope: auth
Use this scope? [y/n]: y
Step 4: Write subject
Suggested: "add JWT token refresh mechanism"
Subject: [enter your own or press Enter to use suggestion]
Step 5: Write body (optional)
Explain what and why...
[Press Enter twice when done]
Step 6: Add references
Related issues found:
- #142: "Implement JWT authentication"
Add "Closes #142"? [y/n]: y
Step 7: Preview
────────────────────────────────────────
feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism
Implements automatic token refresh 5 minutes before expiration
to maintain seamless user sessions.
Closes #142
────────────────────────────────────────
Commit with this message? [y/n/edit]: y
✅ Committed: abc1234
Workflow Patterns
Pattern 1: Create Feature Commit
Trigger: User has staged changes for a new feature
Workflow:
- Analyze staged changes (files, LOC, patterns)
- Identify commit type (feat)
- Determine scope from file paths
- Search for related issues
- Generate descriptive subject
- Create detailed body if needed
- Add issue references
- Format as conventional commit
- Execute commit with validation
Pattern 2: Validate Commit History
Trigger: "Review my commits" or "Check commit quality"
Workflow:
- Get commits since branch point or last N commits
- Parse each commit message
- Check conventional commit format
- Validate message quality (clarity, atomicity)
- Check commit size (LOC)
- Identify issues (WIP messages, too large, unclear)
- Generate recommendations
- Offer to fix (rebase, squash, reword)
Pattern 3: Fix Commit Messages
Trigger: "Fix my commit messages"
Workflow:
- Review commits needing improvement
- Generate proper conventional format
- Create rebase plan
- Execute interactive rebase
- For each commit:
- Present current message
- Generate improved message
- Let user review/edit
- Apply reword
- Validate result
Helper Scripts
Commit Analyzer
{baseDir}/scripts/commit-analyzer.py:
python {baseDir}/scripts/commit-analyzer.py check-format
python {baseDir}/scripts/commit-analyzer.py find-fixups
python {baseDir}/scripts/commit-analyzer.py analyze-size
python {baseDir}/scripts/commit-analyzer.py report --branch feature/auth
Conventional Commits Helper
{baseDir}/scripts/conventional-commits.py:
python {baseDir}/scripts/conventional-commits.py validate "feat(auth): add login"
python {baseDir}/scripts/conventional-commits.py generate
python {baseDir}/scripts/conventional-commits.py interactive
python {baseDir}/scripts/conventional-commits.py validate-branch feature/auth
Issue Tracker
{baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py:
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py sync assigned
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py sync labeled priority:high
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py sync milestone "Sprint 5"
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py show
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py suggest-refs
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py get 42
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py clear
python {baseDir}/scripts/issue-tracker.py json
Assets
Commit Templates
{baseDir}/assets/commit-templates.json:
Template patterns for common commit types with examples.
References
Conventional Commits Spec
{baseDir}/references/conventional-commits.md:
- Full specification
- Type definitions
- Examples
- Breaking changes
- Scope guidelines
Commit Patterns
{baseDir}/references/commit-patterns.md:
- Common patterns
- Anti-patterns
- Atomic commit examples
- Squash vs merge strategies
Integration Points
With /commit-smart Command
Primary integration: This skill powers the /commit-smart command
1. Analyzes staged changes and conversation context
2. Generates conventional commit message
3. Adds GitHub issue references from cache
4. Validates format compliance
5. Executes the commit
With triaging-issues Skill
Find related issues for commits:
1. Analyze staged changes
2. Extract keywords and file paths
3. Query issues with similar content
4. Rank by relevance
5. Suggest issue references
With reviewing-pull-requests Skill
Validate commits in PRs:
1. PR reviewer checks commit quality
2. managing-commits analyzes each commit
3. Report format violations
4. Suggest improvements before merge
Multi-File Intelligent Grouping
When to Use Intelligent Grouping
Invoke intelligent file grouping when:
- User asks to "commit changes" with multiple modified files
- User invokes
/commit-smart command
- Multiple scopes are detected in working directory
- Conversation context suggests multiple logical commits
File Grouping Strategies
1. Scope-Based Grouping
Group files by functional area:
auth scope: src/auth/*.ts → One commit
api scope: src/api/*.ts → Separate commit
ui scope: src/components/*.tsx → Separate commit
2. Type-Based Separation
Separate by commit type:
Implementation: src/**/*.ts (not tests) → feat/fix/refactor
Tests: **/*.test.ts → test
Documentation: **/*.md → docs
Configuration: *.json, *.config.* → chore/build
3. Relationship-Based Grouping
Keep related files together:
Feature implementation:
- src/auth/jwt.ts
- src/auth/types.ts
- src/auth/index.ts
→ Single commit: feat(auth): add JWT management
Separate tests:
- tests/auth/jwt.test.ts
→ Separate commit: test(auth): add JWT tests
Intelligent Grouping Workflow
When multiple files need committing:
Step 1: Analyze all changes
git status --porcelain
git diff HEAD --stat
Step 2: Detect scopes and types
python {baseDir}/scripts/group-files.py --analyze
Output:
Group 1: feat(auth) - 3 impl files, 245 LOC
Group 2: test(auth) - 2 test files, 128 LOC
Group 3: fix(api) - 2 files, 15 LOC
Group 4: docs - 2 files, 67 LOC
Step 3: Generate commit messages for each group
For each group:
- Determine type (feat, fix, test, docs)
- Extract scope from file paths
- Create descriptive subject
- Search for related issues
- Build complete conventional commit message
Step 4: Present plan to user
Found 12 changed files in 4 logical groups:
1. feat(auth): add JWT token refresh (3 files, +245 LOC)
- src/auth/jwt.ts
- src/auth/types.ts
- src/auth/index.ts
Related: #142
2. test(auth): add JWT refresh tests (2 files, +128 LOC)
- tests/auth/jwt.test.ts
- tests/auth/integration.test.ts
3. fix(api): resolve validation error (2 files, +15 LOC)
- src/api/validation.ts
- tests/api/validation.test.ts
Closes: #156
4. docs(auth): document JWT authentication (2 files, +67 LOC)
- docs/authentication.md
- README.md
Create these 4 commits? [y/n/edit]
Step 5: Execute commits in order
git add src/auth/jwt.ts src/auth/types.ts src/auth/index.ts
git commit -m "feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism..."
git add tests/auth/jwt.test.ts tests/auth/integration.test.ts
git commit -m "test(auth): add JWT refresh tests..."
Commit Modes
Mode: all - Analyze all unstaged and staged changes
Strategy: Group all working directory changes
Use when: User wants to commit everything
Mode: staged - Only commit what's staged
Strategy: Group staged files, suggest splits if multiple scopes
Use when: User has pre-selected files to commit
Mode: context - Analyze conversation history
Strategy: Match files to conversation topics
Use when: User wants to commit work from current conversation
Example: "User asked to implement JWT and fix validation bug"
→ Group 1: JWT files
→ Group 2: Validation files
Mode: scope - Commit by specific scope
Strategy: Let user select scope (auth, api, etc.)
Use when: User wants to commit one functional area
Mode: interactive - Interactive with confirmations
Strategy: Present plan, allow editing/confirming each commit
Use when: Default mode, gives user full control
Helper Scripts
File Grouper
{baseDir}/scripts/group-files.py:
python {baseDir}/scripts/group-files.py
python {baseDir}/scripts/group-files.py --mode scope
python {baseDir}/scripts/group-files.py --json
Common Use Cases
Use Case 1: Create Feature Commit
User: "Commit my auth changes"
You:
Analyzing staged changes...
Files: src/auth/jwt.ts (+85), tests/auth/jwt.test.ts (+32)
Type: feat (new feature detected)
Scope: auth
Related issue: #142 "Implement JWT authentication"
Commit message:
feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism
Implements automatic refresh 5 minutes before expiration.
Includes comprehensive test coverage.
Closes #142
Create this commit? [y/n]: y
✅ Committed: abc1234
Use Case 2: Intelligent Multi-File Commit
User: "/commit-smart all"
You:
Analyzing working directory...
Found 12 changed files across 3 scopes:
📦 Group 1: feat(auth) - Authentication feature (5 files, +312 LOC)
M src/auth/jwt.ts (+185)
M src/auth/types.ts (+25)
M src/auth/index.ts (+35)
A tests/auth/jwt.test.ts (+95)
M docs/authentication.md (+42)
🐛 Group 2: fix(api) - API validation (2 files, +15 LOC)
M src/api/validation.ts (+12)
M tests/api/validation.test.ts (+3)
📚 Group 3: docs - Documentation (1 file, +8 LOC)
M README.md (+8)
Proposed commits:
1. feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism
Files: src/auth/{jwt,types,index}.ts
Related: #142
2. test(auth): add JWT refresh tests
Files: tests/auth/jwt.test.ts
3. docs(auth): document JWT authentication
Files: docs/authentication.md
4. fix(api): resolve validation error for empty arrays
Files: src/api/validation.ts, tests/api/validation.test.ts
Closes: #156
5. docs: update README with authentication guide
Files: README.md
Create these 5 commits? [y/n/edit]: y
Creating commits...
✅ 1/5: feat(auth): add JWT token refresh [abc1234]
✅ 2/5: test(auth): add JWT refresh tests [def5678]
✅ 3/5: docs(auth): document JWT authentication [ghi9012]
✅ 4/5: fix(api): resolve validation error [jkl3456]
✅ 5/5: docs: update README [mno7890]
✅ All 5 commits created successfully!
Use Case 3: Fix Commit History
User: "My commit messages are a mess, fix them"
You:
Reviewing commits on feature/auth...
Found 3 issues:
1. abc123: "wip" → fix(auth): resolve token validation error
2. def456: "stuff" → feat(auth): add user session management
3. ghi789: "updates" → refactor(auth): extract JWT utilities
Starting interactive rebase...
[Walks through each commit for review/edit]
✅ All commits reworded with conventional format
Important Notes
- Atomic commits: One logical change per commit
- Clear subjects: Describe what, not how
- Link issues: Always reference related issues
- Test commits: Separate test commits from feature commits
- Breaking changes: Always document in footer
- Co-authors: Credit collaborators
Error Handling
Common issues:
- Empty commit message → Generate from changes
- No staged changes → Prompt to stage
- Format violations → Suggest correction
- Missing issue reference → Search and suggest
- Commit too large → Recommend splitting
When you encounter commit operations, use this expertise to help users maintain high-quality git history!
