| name | commit-messages |
| description | Use when creating git commits, writing commit messages, or when about to run git commit -- enforces structured commit message format with imperative mood, capitalized subjects, 72-char wrapping |
| license | MIT |
Writing Commit Messages
Overview
Every commit message follows a consistent format. The subject line completes the sentence: "If applied, this commit will <your subject line>". When present, the body explains why, not what.
The project uses Conventional Commits with type-prefixed body lines. Type and scope are lowercase; the description after the colon is capitalized and imperative.
Detect Project Convention First
Follow existing instructions for commits if present in the repository. Check git log --oneline -20 to see recent patterns and match the existing style.
Project convention always wins. The rules below are the default when no convention is detected.
How to Write
Subject line (first line)
- Use a Conventional Commits type (
fix:, feat:, refactor:, style:, perf:, docs:, chore:).
- Only use
feat: if the commit introduces a new feature or functionality.
- Pick the most important type as the prefix. If the commit contains multiple types of changes, chain them after a comma:
fix: resolve layout reactivity and extract version history tool.
- Imperative mood, capitalized after colon, no trailing period, max 72 chars.
- If there is a clear scope (e.g. a specific package), use
feat(canvas): or fix(backend):.
Body (optional, but recommended for multi-change commits)
- Separate from subject by one blank line.
- Each line starts with a type prefix and colon:
fix:, feat:, refactor:, style:, etc.
- Describe what changed briefly, focusing on user-facing or structural impact.
- Keep each line under 72 chars.
- Order lines by importance (fixes first, then features, then refactors, then style).
- No bullet points — type colons replace them.
- Don't write trivial changes as new lines so that we don't bloat the commit message, only use what is essential to the commit changes made.
References
Consider the following references when creating new commit messages:
