| name | commit-message-generator |
| description | Generate commit titles and descriptions from uncommitted changes. Use when the user asks to generate a commit message, wants help writing a commit, or says 'commit', 'commit message', 'what should I commit', or similar. |
Commit Message Generator
When to Use
- User asks for a commit message for their current changes
- User says "commit", "commit message", "generate commit", "what should I commit"
- User has uncommitted changes and needs a properly formatted commit message
- Before pushing code to the repository
Procedure
Step 1: Analyze Uncommitted Changes
Run these commands to understand what changed:
git status --short
git diff HEAD
git ls-files --others --exclude-standard
Step 2: Categorize Changes
Analyze the diff output and categorize changes into one of the Conventional Commit types:
| Type | When to Use |
|---|
feat | New functionality, new endpoints, new components |
fix | Bug fixes, error corrections |
docs | Documentation only changes |
test | Adding or updating tests |
chore | Dependencies, config, tooling, CI/CD |
refactor | Code restructuring without behavior change |
perf | Performance improvements |
style | Formatting, whitespace, semicolons (not CSS) |
Step 3: Determine Scope
Identify the scope based on which part of the codebase was changed:
| Scope | When to Use |
|---|
(frontend) | Changes in apps/frontend/ or frontend/ |
(backend) | Changes in apps/backend/ or backend/ |
(api) | API endpoints, routes, controllers |
(auth) | Authentication, authorization |
(db) | Database schemas, models, migrations |
(ui) | UI components, styling |
(ci) | CI/CD pipelines, GitHub Actions |
(config) | Configuration files, environment setup |
| (omitted) | Changes span multiple modules or are global |
Step 4: Generate Commit Message
Format
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body>
Rules for Subject Line
- Lowercase: Start with lowercase letter
- Imperative mood: "add feature" not "added feature" or "adds feature"
- No period: Don't end with a period
- Max 72 chars: Keep the subject line concise
- Be specific: "add vendor rating endpoint" not "update api"
Rules for Body (Description)
- Separate from subject with a blank line
- Explain why not what (the diff shows what)
- Wrap at 72 characters
- Use bullet points for multiple changes
- Reference issue numbers if applicable:
Closes #123
Step 5: Handle Multiple Logical Changes
If the uncommitted changes contain multiple unrelated changes, suggest splitting them into separate commits:
- Identify distinct groups of changes
- Generate a separate commit message for each group
- Provide
git add commands to stage each group separately:
git add src/api/vendors/
git commit -m "feat(api): add vendor rating endpoint"
git add docs/
git commit -m "docs: update API reference for vendor rating"
Step 6: Present to User
Present the commit message(s) in a clean, copy-pasteable format:
feat(api): add vendor rating endpoint
Implement POST /api/v1/vendors/:id/rate to allow authenticated users
to submit ratings. Includes input validation and duplicate-vote guard.
Closes #123
If multiple commits are suggested, number them and provide the staging commands.
Output Format
Always output:
- Summary of changes detected — Brief overview of what files changed and what the changes do
- Recommended commit message(s) — In a fenced code block, ready to copy
- Staging commands (if splitting) —
git add commands for each logical group
Examples
Single Commit
Changes detected: Modified backend/src/routes/auth.ts to fix token expiration handling.
fix(auth): handle expired refresh token gracefully
Return 401 with a clear error message instead of crashing when
the refresh token has expired. The client can now detect this
and redirect to the login page.
Multiple Commits
Changes detected: Added new vendor endpoint + updated documentation + fixed lint config.
Commit 1/3:
git add backend/src/routes/vendors/
git commit -m "feat(api): add vendor assignment endpoint
Implement POST /api/v1/events/:id/vendors to assign vendors to events.
Includes RBAC check for organizer role.
Closes #45"
Commit 2/3:
git add docs/
git commit -m "docs: add vendor API reference"
Commit 3/3:
git add .eslintrc.js
git commit -m "chore(config): update eslint rules for new endpoint patterns"
References
