checkin

name	checkin
description	Automates the full commit workflow: analyzes changes, writes commit message, stages files, commits, and handles pre-commit hook failures by fixing test failures until the commit succeeds. Use when the user wants to commit their changes.

Checkin Skill

Automates the full commit workflow: analyzes changes, writes commit message, stages files, commits, and handles pre-commit hook failures by fixing test failures until the commit succeeds.

Workflow

Step 1: Analyze Changes

Run these commands in parallel to understand the current state:

git status
git diff
git diff --staged

From this analysis:

• Identify what files changed and why
• Determine which files should be staged (exclude secrets, generated files, etc.)

Step 2: Stage and Commit

1. Stage relevant files using git add
2. Write a commit message following this format:
   • Subject line: Imperative mood, max 50 chars, no period (e.g., "Add user authentication" not "Added user authentication.")
   • Body (if needed): Blank line after subject, wrap at 72 chars, explain why not what
   • End with the co-author line
3. Commit using:

git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
Commit message here.

Co-Authored-By: Claude <[e-mail]>
EOF
)"

Step 3: Handle Pre-Commit Failures

If the commit fails due to pre-commit hooks:

1. Identify the failure type from the hook output
2. For test failures: Launch the fix-test-failures agent using the Task tool:

   Task(subagent_type="fix-test-failures", prompt="<paste the test failure output here>")
   

   This agent will autonomously diagnose and fix the failing tests.
3. For lint/format failures: Run cargo fmt and cargo clippy --fix to resolve
4. After fixing: Attempt the commit again

Step 4: Iterate Until Success

Repeat Step 3 until the commit succeeds. Each iteration:

• Run the commit
• If it fails, fix the issues
• Try again

Use --amend only when:

• The previous commit attempt succeeded but hooks modified files that need including
• The HEAD commit was created in this session
• The commit has NOT been pushed to remote

Otherwise, create a new commit with the fixes.

Step 5: Confirm Success

After a successful commit:

• Run git status to verify the commit succeeded
• Report the commit hash and summary to the user

Important Notes

• Do NOT push to remote - the user will handle that
• Do NOT commit files that contain secrets (.env, credentials, etc.)
• Do NOT use --no-verify to bypass hooks
• Do NOT weaken tests to make them pass - fix the actual bugs

Quality Commitment

Fix every single error. No exceptions.

When errors occur during the commit process:

• Do NOT skip errors or mark them as "known issues"
• Do NOT disable tests to make them pass
• Do NOT add workarounds that hide problems
• Do NOT give up after a few attempts

Take the hard path:

• Investigate root causes, not just symptoms
• Fix the underlying bug, even if it requires significant changes
• Ensure the fix is correct, not just passing
• Keep iterating until the code is genuinely right

Quality matters. Every error is an opportunity to make the code better. The easy path creates technical debt; the hard path creates code we can be proud of.