commit

name	commit
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to "commit", "save changes", "create a commit", or mentions git commit. Creates a well-formatted commit with conventional message.
category	development
argument-hint	["message"]

Create a git commit for the current changes.

Context

Gather the following before doing anything else:

• Current git status: !git status
• Current git diff (staged and unstaged): !git diff HEAD
• Current branch: !git branch --show-current
• Recent commits (for style reference): !git log --oneline -10

Steps

1. Check for changes. Run git status. If the working tree is clean and there are no staged changes, stop and tell the user there is nothing to commit.

2. Understand the diff. Run git diff HEAD to see every staged and unstaged change. If only untracked files exist (no modifications or staged content), list them and ask the user which ones to include.

3. Check recent commit style. Run git log --oneline -10. If the project uses conventional commits (feat:, fix:, docs:, etc.), follow that convention. Otherwise write a plain imperative sentence.

4. Decide the commit message.

   • If $ARGUMENTS is provided, use it verbatim as the commit message.
   • Otherwise, generate a message from the diff:
     • First line: under 72 characters, imperative mood, focusing on why the change was made.
     • If the change is non-trivial, add a blank line followed by a body that explains context, motivation, or trade-offs.

5. Stage files. Prefer adding specific files by name rather than git add -A or git add ., which can accidentally include secrets or large binaries. Review untracked files individually before staging.

6. Never commit secrets. Before staging, scan for files that likely contain secrets: .env, .env.*, credentials.json, *.pem, *.key, token, or any file with "secret" in its name. If found, skip those files and warn the user.

7. Create the commit. Use a HEREDOC so multi-line messages render correctly:

   git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
   <first line>
   
   <optional body>
   EOF
   )"
   

8. Show the result. Run git log -1 to confirm the commit was created successfully.

Edge Cases

• No changes at all: Tell the user the working tree is clean. Do not create an empty commit.
• Only untracked files: List them and ask which to include. Do not blindly git add -A.
• Merge commits: If git status shows a merge in progress, use git commit without -m flags to preserve the default merge message, unless the user explicitly provides a message.
• Pre-commit hook failure: If the commit fails due to a hook, diagnose the error, fix the issue, re-stage, and create a new commit. Never use --no-verify unless the user explicitly asks.
• Large diff: If the diff is very large, focus the message on the high-level intent rather than listing every file.