Git Commit with Conventional Commits

Overview

Create standardized, semantic git commits using the Conventional Commits specification. Analyze the actual diff to determine appropriate type, scope, and message.

Conventional Commit Format

<type>[optional scope]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Commit Types

Type

Purpose

feat

New feature

fix

Bug fix

docs

Documentation only

style

Formatting/style (no logic)

refactor

Code refactor (no feature/fix)

perf

Performance improvement

test

Add/update tests

build

Build system/dependencies

ci

CI/config changes

chore

Maintenance/misc

revert

Revert commit

Breaking Changes

# Exclamation mark after type/scope
feat!: remove deprecated endpoint

# BREAKING CHANGE footer
feat: allow config to extend other configs

BREAKING CHANGE: `extends` key behavior changed

Workflow

1. Analyze Diff

# If files are staged, use staged diff
git diff --staged

# If nothing staged, use working tree diff
git diff

# Also check status
git status --porcelain

2. Stage Files (if needed)

If nothing is staged or you want to group changes differently:

# Stage specific files
git add path/to/file1 path/to/file2

# Stage by pattern
git add *.test.*
git add src/components/*

# Interactive staging
git add -p

Never commit secrets (.env, credentials.json, private keys).

3. Generate Commit Message

Analyze the diff to determine:

Type: What kind of change is this?
Scope: What area/module is affected?
Description: One-line summary of what changed (present tense, imperative mood, <72 chars)

4. Execute Commit

# Single line
git commit -m "<type>[scope]: <description>"

# Multi-line with body/footer
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
<type>[scope]: <description>

<optional body>

<optional footer>
EOF
)"

Best Practices

One logical change per commit
Present tense: "add" not "added"
Imperative mood: "fix bug" not "fixes bug"
Reference issues: Closes #123, Refs #456
Keep description under 72 characters

Git Safety Protocol

NEVER update git config
NEVER run destructive commands (--force, hard reset) without explicit request
NEVER skip hooks (--no-verify) unless user asks
NEVER force push to main/master
If commit fails due to hooks, fix and create NEW commit (don't amend)