| name | eli-commit |
| description | Generate a plain-language commit message from staged changes. Trigger when the user says "/eli-commit", "write a commit message", "commit message eli5", "explain these changes for git", "what should my commit say", or "help me write a commit".
|
ELI-COMMIT — Plain-Language Commit Message
Reads staged changes and writes a commit message that explains the why, not just the what.
Steps
1. Read staged changes
git diff --cached 2>/dev/null
If nothing staged, also try:
git diff HEAD~1..HEAD 2>/dev/null
2. Write the commit message
Subject line (required, ≤ 72 chars):
- Starts with a verb: Add, Fix, Remove, Update, Simplify
- Answers "what and why" in plain language
- No jargon in the subject — if a technical term is unavoidable, follow with a plain equivalent
Body (optional, use when the why isn't obvious):
- 2–4 bullet points
- Focus on why this change was made, not what files changed (the diff shows that)
- Plain language — a teammate who joined yesterday should understand
Rules
- If the diff is empty, ask the user to describe the change
- Use conventional commit format ONLY if the project already uses it (check existing commits)
- Never summarize the diff literally ("changed line 42 of auth.js") — explain the reason
- Short, clear subject line beats a long, jargon-heavy one every time
Example
Staged change: adds retry logic to API calls
Output:
Add automatic retry when the server is temporarily unavailable
- Without this, a single slow moment would fail the whole request for the user
- Now we try up to 3 times with a short pause between attempts
- No change to the user-facing experience — this is invisible when it works
