commit-message

name	commit-message
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to "create a commit", "generate commit message", "commit changes", "make a commit", mentions "conventional commits", or discusses commit message formatting. Provides guided workflow for creating properly formatted commit messages with line length validation and required trailers.
version	0.2.0

Conventional Commit Message Creation

Create properly formatted conventional commit messages following project standards with line length validation and required trailers.

Purpose

Generate commit messages that:

• Follow conventional commits format (type(scope): description)
• Use component names or GitHub issue numbers as scope
• Respect line length limits (50 for subject, 72 for body)
• Include required trailers (Signed-off-by, Assisted-by)
• Match Tekton commit message standards

Quick Workflow

1. Analyze changes: Run git status and git diff to understand modifications
2. Determine scope: Use component name from changed files, or GitHub issue number if available
3. Generate message: Create conventional commit message with proper formatting
4. Add trailers: Include Signed-off-by and Assisted-by trailers
5. Confirm with user: Display message and wait for approval before committing

CRITICAL: Never commit without explicit user confirmation.

Conventional Commit Format

Structure

<type>(<scope>): <description>

[optional body]

Signed-off-by: <name> <email>
Assisted-by: <model-name> (via Cursor)
```text

### Type Selection

Choose the appropriate commit type based on changes:

| Type | Description | Example |
| ------ | ------------- | --------- |
| `feat` | New features | `feat(tektonpipeline): add HA support` |
| `fix` | Bug fixes | `fix(reconciler): resolve race condition` |
| `docs` | Documentation | `docs(README): update installation steps` |
| `refactor` | Code refactoring | `refactor(installerset): simplify logic` |
| `test` | Test changes | `test(tektonchain): add unit tests` |
| `chore` | Maintenance | `chore(deps): update go dependencies` |
| `build` | Build system | `build(Makefile): add vendor target` |
| `ci` | CI/CD changes | `ci(github): add golangci-lint action` |
| `perf` | Performance | `perf(cache): optimize lookup speed` |
| `style` | Code style | `style(format): run fumpt formatter` |
| `revert` | Revert commit | `revert: undo breaking API change` |

For complete type reference, see `references/commit-types.md`.

### Scope Rules

#### Priority 1: Component from changed files

Analyze staged files to identify the primary component:

```bash
# Get list of staged files
git diff --cached --name-only
```text

| File pattern | Scope | Example commit |
| ------------ | ----- | -------------- |
| `pkg/reconciler/kubernetes/tektonpipeline/*` | `tektonpipeline` | `fix(tektonpipeline): resolve status update` |
| `pkg/reconciler/kubernetes/tektonchain/*` | `tektonchain` | `feat(tektonchain): add OCI support` |
| `pkg/reconciler/openshift/*` | component name | `fix(tektondashboard): fix route creation` |
| `pkg/reconciler/common/*` | `common` | `refactor(common): simplify installerset` |
| `pkg/apis/*` | `api` | `feat(api): add new CRD field` |
| `docs/*` | `docs` or filename | `docs(README): update steps` |
| `test/*` | component being tested | `test(tektonchain): add unit tests` |
| `cmd/*` | command name | `feat(operator): add new flag` |
| Root files | filename | `chore(Makefile): add target` |
| `AGENTS.md`, `CLAUDE.md` | `docs` | `docs(AGENTS.md): update conventions` |

#### Priority 2: GitHub issue number (optional)

If the work is tracked in a GitHub issue and the user provides one, it can be used as the scope:

```text
# Branch: fix-123-installerset-race
# Scope: #123 or component name
# Result: fix(installerset): resolve race condition

Fixes #123
```text

Add `Fixes #NNN` or `Closes #NNN` in the commit body (not the scope) — this is the standard GitHub convention for auto-closing issues.

#### Priority 3: Ask user

If changed files span multiple components or scope is unclear, ask the user which component is the primary focus.

## Line Length Requirements

### Subject Line

- **Target**: 50 characters maximum
- **Hard limit**: 72 characters (Tekton community standard)
- **Format**: `type(scope): description` counts toward limit
- **Tips**: Use present tense, no period at end

```text
# Good (44 chars)
feat(tektonpipeline): add HA support

# Too long - shorten the subject
feat(tektonpipeline): add comprehensive high-availability support for pipeline controller
```text

### Body

- **Wrap at 72 characters per line**
- **Blank line** required between subject and body
- **Content**: Explain why, not what (code shows what)
- **Format**: Wrap manually or use heredoc in git commit

```text
feat(tektonpipeline): add HA support

Enable leader election in the pipeline reconciler to support
high-availability deployments. This prevents split-brain issues
when multiple operator replicas are running.

Signed-off-by: Developer Name <[e-mail]>
Assisted-by: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (via Cursor)
```text

## Required Trailers

### Signed-off-by

**Always include**: `Signed-off-by: <name> <email>`

This certifies the Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO) — required by tektoncd upstream.

**Detection priority order**:

1. Environment variables: `$GIT_AUTHOR_NAME` and `$GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL`
2. Git config: `git config user.name` and `git config user.email`
3. If neither configured, ask user to provide details

```bash
# Check environment variables first
echo "$GIT_AUTHOR_NAME <$GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL>"

# Fallback to git config
git config user.name
git config user.email
```text

For complete detection logic, see `references/trailer-detection.md`.

### Assisted-by

**Always include**: `Assisted-by: <model-name> (via Cursor)`

**Format examples**:

```text
Assisted-by: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (via Cursor)
Assisted-by: Claude Opus 4.5 (via Cursor)
```text

Use the actual model name (Claude Sonnet 4.5, Claude Opus 4.5, etc.).

## User Confirmation Requirement

**CRITICAL RULE**: Always ask for user confirmation before executing `git commit`.

### Confirmation Workflow

1. **Generate** the commit message following all rules above
2. **Display** the complete message to the user with separator
3. **Ask**: "Should I commit with this message? (y/n)"
4. **Wait** for user response
5. **Commit** only if user confirms (yes/y/affirmative)

### Example Interaction

```text
Generated commit message:
---
feat(tektonchain): add OCI bundle support

Enable storing Tekton Chains signatures in OCI registries. This
allows signing artifacts without requiring a separate storage
backend.

Signed-off-by: Developer Name <[e-mail]>
Assisted-by: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (via Cursor)
---

Should I commit with this message? (y/n)
```text

Wait for user response before proceeding.

## Commit Execution

Use heredoc format for proper multi-line handling:

```bash
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
feat(tektonchain): add OCI bundle support

Enable storing Tekton Chains signatures in OCI registries.

Signed-off-by: Developer Name <[e-mail]>
Assisted-by: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (via Cursor)
EOF
)"
```text

**Never use**:

- `--no-verify` (skips pre-commit hooks)
- `--no-gpg-sign` (skips signing)
- `--amend` (unless explicitly requested and safe)

## Complete Examples

### Feature with component scope

```text
feat(tektonpipeline): add HA leader election

Enable leader election in the pipeline reconciler to support
high-availability deployments with multiple operator replicas.

Signed-off-by: Jane Developer <[e-mail]>
Assisted-by: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (via Cursor)
```text

### Bug fix closing a GitHub issue

```text
fix(installerset): resolve concurrent reconcile panic

Prevent nil pointer dereference when two reconcile loops run
concurrently on the same InstallerSet object.

Fixes #789

Signed-off-by: John Developer <[e-mail]>
Assisted-by: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (via Cursor)
```text

### Documentation update

```text
docs(AGENTS.md): update architecture conventions

Add InstallerSet naming patterns and clarify platform split
rules for contributors.

Signed-off-by: Jane Developer <[e-mail]>
Assisted-by: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (via Cursor)
```text

### Breaking change

```text
feat(api)!: remove deprecated TektonConfig fields

Remove fields deprecated in v0.60 from TektonConfig spec.
Operators upgrading from v0.60 must migrate before upgrading.

BREAKING CHANGE: Removed spec.targetNamespace and spec.profile
from TektonConfig. Use spec.config instead. See migration guide.

Signed-off-by: John Developer <[e-mail]>
Assisted-by: Claude Sonnet 4.5 (via Cursor)
```text

## Format standards

Follow [Tekton commit message standards](https://github.com/tektoncd/community/blob/master/standards.md#commit-messages):

- Conventional commit format (`type(scope): description`)
- Subject line: target 50 characters, hard limit 72
- Body lines wrapped at 72 characters
- Required `Signed-off-by` trailer (DCO)
- No trailing punctuation on the subject

## Auto-Detection Summary

When generating commit messages:

1. Run `git status` (without -uall flag)
2. Run `git diff` for staged and unstaged changes
3. Identify primary component from staged file paths
4. If scope unclear, ask user
5. If user mentions a GitHub issue number, add `Fixes #NNN` to body
6. Analyze staged files to determine commit type
7. Generate appropriate scope and description
8. Detect author info from environment variables or git config
9. Ensure subject line is ≤50 characters (max 72)
10. Wrap body text at 72 characters per line
11. Add required trailers (Signed-off-by and Assisted-by)
12. Format according to conventional commits standard
13. **Display message and ask for user confirmation**
14. Only commit after receiving confirmation

## Additional Resources

For detailed information:

- **`references/commit-types.md`** - Complete commit type reference with descriptions
- **`references/trailer-detection.md`** - Author detection logic and priority order