format-commit-message

name	format-commit-message
description	Generate standardized conventional commit messages with Claude Code attribution. Use when creating automated commits, release commits, or any git commit requiring consistent formatting.

Format Commit Message

Generate conventional commit messages following project standards with proper attribution.

Authority: Commit format MUST follow docs/COMMIT_CONVENTIONS.md (Conventional Commits + Release Please rules). Release Please is in use; use this skill for every commit so Release Please and changelog generation parse correctly.

When to Use

• Release commits
• Automated version updates
• Refactoring commits
• Any commit requiring consistent formatting
• Documentation updates

Instructions

Step 1: Gather Commit Information

Collect required information for commit message.

Expected Input:

• type: String (feat|fix|chore|docs|refactor|test|style|perf)
• scope: String (optional, e.g., "auth", "api", "ui")
• description: String (brief description)
• body: String (optional, detailed explanation)
• breaking: Boolean (optional, is this a breaking change?)

Step 2: Format Message

Apply conventional commit format with project standards.

Format Structure:

{type}({scope}): {description}

{body}

{footer}

Footer Template:

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

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

Breaking Changes: If breaking: true, prepend "BREAKING CHANGE: " to body or add as footer.

Step 3: Validate Message

Ensure message follows guidelines.

Validation Rules (Release Please–friendly):

• Type must be valid (feat|fix|chore|docs|refactor|test|style|perf|ci)
• Subject: imperative mood, lowercase, no period at end, ≤ 72 characters
• Scope: lowercase if present; never use chore(release): for normal commits (reserved for Release Please)
• Body: wrap at 72 characters if present
• Breaking: use BREAKING CHANGE: in body/footer or type!/type(scope)!: in subject

Step 4: Return Formatted Message

Return complete commit message ready for git commit.

Expected Output:

feat(auth): add OAuth2 authentication support

Implemented OAuth2 flow with token refresh and secure storage.
Supports Google and GitHub providers.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

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

Error Handling

• Invalid Type: Return error listing valid types
• Missing Description: Return error requesting description
• Description Too Long: Return error with character count
• Invalid Format: Describe format issue

Examples

Example 1: Simple Feature Commit

Input:

{
  "type": "feat",
  "description": "add dark mode toggle"
}

Output:

feat: add dark mode toggle

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

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

Example 2: Scoped Fix with Body

Input:

{
  "type": "fix",
  "scope": "api",
  "description": "resolve memory leak in connection pool",
  "body": "Connection pooling was not properly releasing connections after timeout. Implemented automatic cleanup and connection recycling."
}

Output:

fix(api): resolve memory leak in connection pool

Connection pooling was not properly releasing connections after
timeout. Implemented automatic cleanup and connection recycling.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

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

Example 3: Breaking Change

Input:

{
  "type": "feat",
  "scope": "api",
  "description": "migrate to v2 authentication API",
  "breaking": true,
  "body": "Updated authentication to use new v2 endpoints with improved security."
}

Output:

feat(api): migrate to v2 authentication API

BREAKING CHANGE: Updated authentication to use new v2 endpoints with
improved security. All clients must update authentication tokens.

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

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

Example 4: Release Commit (automation only)

Note: Only the release script or Release Please should create chore(release): commits. Agents should not generate these for normal work.

Input (e.g. from release script):

{
  "type": "chore",
  "scope": "release",
  "description": "v0.8.0"
}

Output:

chore(release): v0.8.0

🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)

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

Validation

• Formats all conventional commit types correctly
• Handles optional scope properly
• Wraps long descriptions and bodies
• Includes Claude Code attribution
• Formats breaking changes correctly
• Validates input fields

Supporting Files

• template.md: Commit message template reference (see Supporting Files section)
• docs/COMMIT_CONVENTIONS.md: Full project conventions and Release Please rules