git-commit

name	git-commit
description	Commit changes with an emphasis on tidiness and reviewability: small, focused commits, with clear rationale in messages.

Git Commit

Use this skill as the playbook for producing reviewable commits and a clean, consistent commit history.

Phase 1: Review changes

1. Check what files have changed
2. If there are no changes to commit, inform the user and stop
3. If there are unstaged changes, stage relevant hunks or files with git add -p or git add

Rules:

• Keep commits small, focused, and atomic
• Avoid commits that mix unrelated changes (e.g., "Address feedback")
• Never stage or commit files that look like secrets (e.g. .env, credentials, API keys)

Phase 2: Generate commit message

1. Remember commit message best practices
2. Write a short subject line:
   • Up to 50 chars
   • Start subject with a capital letter, don’t end with a period
   • Use imperative mood (e.g. "Fix memory leak while scrolling widget")
3. Leave a blank line between subject and body
4. Only when needed (don’t force it for trivial changes), write a body:
   • Wrap lines at 72 chars
   • Focus on "what" and "why", not the "how"
     • Explain the motivation
     • Mention side effects, trade-offs, or alternatives considered
     • Reference relevant issue IDs / tickets at the bottom if known
5. Check style of recent commits in the repo (tone, structure, capitalization, length, etc): git log -10 --oneline
6. Generate a message that adheres to the style in the repo while following best practices

Rules:

• Never stage files that look like secrets (e.g. .env, credentials, API keys)
• Do not add yourself as an author or contributor
• Do not include "Generated with ...", "Co-Authored-By: ...", or any AI attribution

Phase 3: Commit

1. Commit staged changes with git commit

Rules:

• Avoid git commit --amend unless explicitly requested
• Do not bypass hooks with git commit --no-verify
  • If git commit fails due to hooks, fix issues and retry
• Use git commit -F (or heredoc) when there is a body, never newline escapes in -m.
• Never push to remotes unless explicitly requested