Git Commit Workflow

Expert guidance for commit message conventions, staging practices, and commit best practices using conventional commits and explicit staging workflows.

Core Expertise

• Conventional Commits: Standardized format for automation and clarity
• Explicit Staging: Always stage files individually with clear visibility
• Logical Grouping: Group related changes into focused commits
• Communication Style: Humble, factual, concise commit messages
• Pre-commit Integration: Run checks before committing

Note: Commits are made on main branch and pushed to remote feature branches for PRs. See git-branch-pr-workflow skill for the main-branch development pattern.

Conventional Commit Format

Standard Format

type(scope): description

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Commit Types

• feat: New feature for the user
• fix: Bug fix for the user
• docs: Documentation changes
• style: Formatting, missing semicolons, etc (no code change)
• refactor: Code restructuring without changing behavior
• test: Adding or updating tests
• chore: Maintenance tasks, dependency updates, linter fixes
• perf: Performance improvements
• ci: CI/CD changes

Examples

# Feature with scope
git commit -m "feat(auth): implement OAuth2 integration"

# Bug fix with body
git commit -m "fix(api): resolve null pointer in user service

Fixed race condition where user object could be null during
concurrent authentication requests."

# Documentation update
git commit -m "docs(readme): update installation instructions"

# Breaking change
git commit -m "feat(api)!: migrate to GraphQL endpoints

BREAKING CHANGE: REST endpoints removed in favor of GraphQL.
See migration guide at docs/migration.md"

# Multiple fixes
git commit -m "fix(auth): resolve login validation issues

- Handle empty email addresses
- Validate password strength requirements
- Add rate limiting to prevent brute force

Fixes #123, #124"

Commit Message Best Practices

DO:

• Use imperative mood ("add feature" not "added feature")
• Keep first line under 72 characters
• Be concise and factual
• ALWAYS reference related issues - every commit should link to relevant issues
• Use GitHub closing keywords: Fixes #123, Closes #456, Resolves #789
• Use Refs #N for related issues that shouldn't auto-close
• Use lowercase for type and scope
• Be humble and modest

DON'T:

• Use past tense ("added" or "fixed")
• Include unnecessary details in subject line
• Use vague descriptions ("update stuff", "fix bug")
• Omit issue references - always link commits to their context
• Use closing keywords (Fixes) when you only mean to reference (Refs)

Scope Guidelines

Common scopes by area:

# Feature areas
feat(auth): login system changes
feat(api): API endpoint changes
feat(ui): user interface changes
feat(db): database schema changes

# Component-specific
fix(header): navigation menu bug
fix(footer): copyright date
fix(sidebar): responsive layout

# Infrastructure
chore(deps): dependency updates
chore(ci): CI/CD configuration
chore(docker): container configuration

Explicit Staging Workflow

Always Stage Files Individually

# Show current status
git status --porcelain

# Stage files one by one for visibility
git add src/auth/login.ts
git add src/auth/oauth.ts
git status  # Verify what's staged

# Show what will be committed
git diff --cached --stat
git diff --cached  # Review actual changes

# Commit with conventional message
git commit -m "feat(auth): add OAuth2 support"

Pre-commit Hook Integration

Pre-commit hooks often AUTO-MODIFY files (formatters, linters with autofix). This is expected behavior.

# 1. Run pre-commit checks
pre-commit run --all-files --show-diff-on-failure

# 2. Check if pre-commit modified any files
git status --porcelain
# M  src/file.ts     <- Modified by pre-commit (formatting)

# 3. Stage modified tracked files (original + pre-commit modifications)
git add -u

# 4. Verify pre-commit passes now
pre-commit run --all-files  # Should exit 0

# 5. Commit with all changes
git commit -m "feat(feature): add feature with formatting fixes"

Understanding Pre-commit Exit Codes:

• Exit 0: All hooks passed
• Exit 1: Hook failed OR files were modified (re-stage and re-run)

Pre-commit file modifications are normal - stage them and proceed with the commit.

Explicit Staging Best Practices

# ✅ Explicit staging with review
git status
git add src/feature/new-file.ts
git add tests/feature.test.ts
git diff --cached --stat
git commit -m "feat(feature): add new feature with tests"

Logical Change Grouping

Group Related Changes

# Example: Authentication feature with multiple files
# Group 1: Core implementation
git add src/auth/oauth.ts
git add src/auth/token.ts
git commit -m "feat(auth): implement OAuth2 token handling"

# Group 2: Tests
git add tests/auth/oauth.test.ts
git add tests/auth/token.test.ts
git commit -m "test(auth): add OAuth2 integration tests"

# Group 3: Documentation
git add docs/api/authentication.md
git add README.md
git commit -m "docs(auth): document OAuth2 flow"

Separate Concerns

# Example: Mixed changes
# Separate linter fixes from feature work

# Group 1: Linter/formatting (chore commit)
git add src/**/*.ts  # (only formatting changes)
git add .eslintrc
git commit -m "chore(lint): apply ESLint fixes and update config"

# Group 2: Feature implementation (feat commit)
git add src/feature/implementation.ts
git add tests/feature.test.ts
git commit -m "feat(feature): add new user management feature"

Change Classification

Linter/Formatting Group:

• Whitespace-only changes
• Lock files (package-lock.json, Cargo.lock)
• Auto-generated linter configs
• Commit type: chore

Feature/Fix Groups:

• Implementation code
• Related tests
• Relevant documentation
• Commit type: feat, fix, refactor

Documentation Group:

• README updates
• API documentation
• User guides
• Commit type: docs

Communication Style

Humble, Fact-Based Messages

# ✅ GOOD: Concise, factual, modest
git commit -m "fix(auth): handle edge case in token refresh"

git commit -m "feat(api): add pagination support

Implements cursor-based pagination for list endpoints.
Includes tests and documentation."

# ❌ BAD: Vague, verbose, or overly confident
git commit -m "fix stuff"
git commit -m "AMAZING new feature that revolutionizes everything!!!"
git commit -m "Updated some files to make things work better and faster"

Focus on Facts

• What changed: Describe the change objectively
• Why it changed: Explain the reason if non-obvious
• Impact: Note breaking changes or important effects

# Example with context
git commit -m "perf(db): optimize user query with index

Added composite index on (user_id, created_at) to improve
query performance for user activity feeds.

Reduces query time from 800ms to 45ms for typical workloads."

Workflow Examples

Complete Staging and Commit Flow

# 1. Check current state
git status

# 2. Run pre-commit checks
pre-commit run --all-files

# 3. Stage files explicitly
git add src/feature.ts
git add tests/feature.test.ts

# 4. Review what's staged
git status
git diff --cached --stat

# 5. Commit with conventional message
git commit -m "feat(feature): add new capability

Implements X feature with Y functionality.
Includes unit tests and integration tests.

Closes #123"

# 6. Verify commit
git log -1 --stat

Amending Commits

# Fix last commit (before pushing)
git add forgotten-file.ts
git commit --amend --no-edit

# Update commit message
git commit --amend -m "feat(auth): improved OAuth2 implementation"

Interactive Staging

# Stage parts of a file
git add -p file.ts

# Review hunks and choose:
# y - stage this hunk
# n - do not stage
# s - split into smaller hunks
# e - manually edit hunk

Best Practices

Commit Frequency

• Commit early and often: Small, focused commits
• One logical change per commit: Easier to review and revert
• Keep commits atomic: Each commit should be a complete, working state

Commit Message Length

# Subject line: ≤ 72 characters
feat(auth): add OAuth2 support

# Body: ≤ 72 characters per line (wrap)
# Use blank line between subject and body

GitHub Issue References (Autolink Format)

ALWAYS reference related GitHub issues in commit messages. This creates traceability, enables project management, and provides context for future code archaeology.

Autolink Reference Formats

GitHub automatically converts these patterns into clickable links:

Format	Example	Use Case
#N	#123	Same repository issue/PR
GH-N	GH-123	Alternative same-repo format
owner/repo#N	octo-org/api#456	Cross-repository reference

Closing Keywords

GitHub recognizes 9 keywords to automatically close issues when commits merge to the default branch:

Keyword	Variants	Effect
close	close, closes, closed	Closes the issue
fix	fix, fixes, fixed	Closes the issue
resolve	resolve, resolves, resolved	Closes the issue

Reference Syntax Patterns

# Close issue in same repository
Fixes #123
Closes #456
Resolves #789

# Close issue in different repository
Fixes octo-org/octo-repo#100

# Close multiple issues (use full keyword for each)
Fixes #123, fixes #456, fixes #789

# Reference without closing (for related context)
Refs #234
Related to #567
See #890

Formatting Flexibility

• Case insensitive: FIXES #123, Fixes #123, fixes #123
• Optional colon: Fixes: #123, Fixes #123
• Whitespace: Fixes #123 or Fixes#123 (space optional)

When to Use Each Pattern

Scenario	Pattern	Example
Bug fix that resolves an issue	Fixes #N	Fixes #123
Feature that completes an issue	Closes #N	Closes #456
Work related to but not completing issue	Refs #N	Refs #789
Partial progress on larger issue	Refs #N	Refs #101
Breaking change with migration guide	See #N	See #202

Important: Keywords only auto-close issues when merged to the default branch. PRs targeting other branches link but don't auto-close.

Issue Reference Examples

# Fix with auto-close (single issue)
git commit -m "fix(api): handle timeout

Fixes #123"

# Feature linked to multiple issues
git commit -m "feat(ui): redesign dashboard

Implements designs from #456
Closes #457, closes #458"

# Cross-repository reference
git commit -m "fix(shared): resolve validation bug

Fixes org/shared-lib#42"

# Breaking change with migration reference
git commit -m "feat(api)!: change authentication

BREAKING CHANGE: API key format changed.
See migration guide: #789"

# Reference without closing (use "Refs" or "Related to")
git commit -m "refactor(auth): extract token validation

Refs #234"

Troubleshooting

Accidentally Staged Wrong Files

# Unstage specific file
git restore --staged wrong-file.ts

# Unstage all
git restore --staged .

Wrong Commit Message

# Amend last commit message (before push)
git commit --amend -m "corrected message"

# After push (prefer pre-push correction when possible)
git commit --amend -m "corrected message"
git push --force-with-lease origin branch-name

Forgot to Add File to Last Commit

# Add file and amend
git add forgotten-file.ts
git commit --amend --no-edit

Need to Split Last Commit

# Undo last commit but keep changes staged
git reset --soft HEAD~1

# Unstage all
git restore --staged .

# Stage and commit in groups
git add group1-file.ts
git commit -m "first logical group"

git add group2-file.ts
git commit -m "second logical group"