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Guidelines for creating git commit messages, use when committing changes to a git repository.

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SKILL.md

name git-commit
description Guidelines for creating git commit messages, use when committing changes to a git repository.

IMPORTANT: you must follow the commit message format and guidelines.

Before Creating the Commit

  • Use read based git commands to understand the current state of the repository for any requested commits.
  • Minimize git commands used to only what is necessary to understand context for creating the commit.
  • Check for any accidentally staged files.
  • Ensure commit message and description adheres to the guidelines below.

Commit Message Format

Use conventional commit format: type(scope): subject

Common types: feat, fix, refactor, perf, docs, test, chore, style

Guidelines:

  • Keep subject line under 72 characters
  • For simple changes, the subject line may be sufficient
  • Add a body when changes involve multiple files or need explanation
  • Limit body to 3-5 bullet points for most commits
  • IMPORTANT: avoid extra newlines/bank lines between bullet points

When to Include WHY (Not Just WHAT)

Include reasoning only when:

  • Security implications exist
  • Performance trade-offs were made
  • The change fixes a non-obvious bug
  • Breaking changes or migration steps are needed
  • The approach chosen could be confusing without context

Otherwise, focus on describing WHAT changed concisely.

Examples

✅ Good Commit Messages

Example 1: Feature addition

feat(auth): add OAuth2 authentication support

- Implement OAuth2 provider integration
- Add token refresh mechanism
- Create middleware for protected routes

Example 2: Bug fix

fix(api): prevent null pointer in user lookup

Handle case where user ID doesn't exist in database

Example 3: Refactor

refactor(payments): extract Stripe logic into service layer

- Move API calls to PaymentService
- Simplify controller methods
- Add error handling helpers

Example 4: Performance improvement

perf(search): add caching layer for search queries

Reduces average query time from 200ms to 15ms

❌ Bad Commit Messages

Example 1: Too verbose with unnecessary explanations

fix(api): prevent null pointer in user lookup

I noticed that when users try to look up a profile that doesn't exist,
we were getting crashes. This was happening because the old developer
didn't add proper validation. I decided to fix this by adding a check
to see if the user exists first before trying to access their data.
This is important because we don't want the app to crash.

Why bad: Over-explains obvious reasoning, includes unnecessary backstory

Example 2: Vague and non-descriptive

update stuff

- changed some files
- fixed things

Why bad: No useful information about what actually changed

Example 3: Lists every file change

feat(ui): update dashboard

- Modified Dashboard.tsx line 42
- Changed Button.tsx line 15
- Updated styles.css line 203
- Fixed typo in Header.tsx line 8

Why bad: Describes "what" at too low a level instead of the meaningful changes

Example 4: Missing context for complex change

refactor(auth): change token validation

Why bad: Should explain WHY this subtle change matters (e.g., "use RS256 instead of HS256 for better security")

Example 5: Overly technical without the "so what"

fix(db): update sequelize query

Changed findOne to findByPk in UserModel.getById

Why bad: Technical detail without explaining the impact or reason