git-commit-best-practices

name	git-commit-best-practices
description	Write effective git commit messages following conventional commits format

Git Commit Best Practices

When to use this skill

Use this skill when you need to write git commit messages, review commit history, or establish commit message standards for a project.

Language guidelines

• Always write commit messages in English
• This ensures consistency and international collaboration

How to format commit messages

Use Conventional Commits format

<type>[optional scope]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Choose the right type

• feat: New feature
• fix: Bug fix
• docs: Documentation changes
• style: Code style changes (formatting, missing semicolons, etc.)
• refactor: Code refactoring without functional changes
• test: Adding or updating tests
• chore: Maintenance tasks, dependency updates, etc.

Write effective descriptions

• Use present tense ("add feature" not "added feature")
• Use imperative mood ("fix bug" not "fixes bug")
• Keep subject line concise (50-72 characters)
• Separate subject from body with blank line
• Limit body lines to 72 characters

How to write good commit messages

Before committing

1. Review all changes in the files being committed
2. Check for unintended changes or debug code
3. Ensure the commit message accurately describes what changed and why
4. Keep messages concise but descriptive

Example commit messages

feat(dns): add DNS monitoring service

Implement DNS monitoring with automatic health checks
and alerting for failed queries.

Closes #123

fix(handler): resolve null pointer exception in DNS check

The handler was not properly validating input parameters,
causing crashes when receiving malformed requests.

docs: update API documentation

Add examples for new endpoints and clarify authentication
requirements.

refactor(database): optimize query performance

Replace N+1 queries with JOIN operations to reduce
database load from 500ms to 50ms.

test: add unit tests for DNS checker

Cover edge cases including timeout handling and
invalid response parsing.

How to reference issues

Add issue numbers in the footer when applicable:

feat(auth): implement OAuth2 login

Add support for Google and GitHub OAuth providers.

Closes #456
Related #789

Best practices checklist

• Message is in English
• Type is appropriate for the change
• Subject line is under 72 characters
• Subject uses imperative mood
• Body explains "why" not just "what"
• No trailing whitespace
• References related issues if applicable