Git Commit Helper

SKILL.md

Git Commit Helper

Quick start

Analyze staged changes and generate commit message:

# View staged changes
git diff --staged

# Generate commit message based on changes
# (Claude will analyze the diff and suggest a message)

Commit message format

Follow conventional commits format:
<type>(<scope>): <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer]

Types

feat: New feature

fix: Bug fix

docs: Documentation changes

style: Code style changes (formatting, missing semicolons)

refactor: Code refactoring

test: Adding or updating tests

chore: Maintenance tasks

Examples

Feature commit:

feat(auth): add JWT authentication

Implement JWT-based authentication system with:
- Login endpoint with token generation
- Token validation middleware
- Refresh token support

Bug fix:

fix(api): handle null values in user profile

Prevent crashes when user profile fields are null.
Add null checks before accessing nested properties.

Refactor:

refactor(database): simplify query builder

Extract common query patterns into reusable functions.
Reduce code duplication in database layer.

Analyzing changes

Review what's being committed:

# Show files changed
git status

# Show detailed changes
git diff --staged

# Show statistics
git diff --staged --stat

# Show changes for specific file
git diff --staged path/to/file

Commit message guidelines

DO:

Use imperative mood ("add feature" not "added feature")

Keep first line under 50 characters

Capitalize first letter

No period at end of summary

Explain WHY not just WHAT in body

DON'T:

Use vague messages like "update" or "fix stuff"

Include technical implementation details in summary

Write paragraphs in summary line

Use past tense

Multi-file commits

When committing multiple related changes:

refactor(core): restructure authentication module

- Move auth logic from controllers to service layer
- Extract validation into separate validators
- Update tests to use new structure
- Add integration tests for auth flow

Breaking change: Auth service now requires config object

Scope examples

Frontend:

feat(ui): add loading spinner to dashboard

fix(form): validate email format

Backend:

feat(api): add user profile endpoint

fix(db): resolve connection pool leak

Infrastructure:

chore(ci): update Node version to 20

feat(docker): add multi-stage build

Breaking changes

Indicate breaking changes clearly:

feat(api)!: restructure API response format

BREAKING CHANGE: All API responses now follow JSON:API spec

Previous format:
{ "data": {...}, "status": "ok" }

New format:
{ "data": {...}, "meta": {...} }

Migration guide: Update client code to handle new response structure

Template workflow

Review changes: git diff --staged

Identify type: Is it feat, fix, refactor, etc.?

Determine scope: What part of the codebase?

Write summary: Brief, imperative description

Add body: Explain why and what impact

Note breaking changes: If applicable

Interactive commit helper

Use git add -p for selective staging:

# Stage changes interactively
git add -p

# Review what's staged
git diff --staged

# Commit with message
git commit -m "type(scope): description"

Amending commits

Fix the last commit message:

# Amend commit message only
git commit --amend

# Amend and add more changes
git add forgotten-file.js
git commit --amend --no-edit

Best practices

Atomic commits - One logical change per commit

Test before commit - Ensure code works

Reference issues - Include issue numbers if applicable

Keep it focused - Don't mix unrelated changes

Write for humans - Future you will read this

Commit message checklist

 Type is appropriate (feat/fix/docs/etc.)

 Scope is specific and clear

 Summary is under 50 characters

 Summary uses imperative mood

 Body explains WHY not just WHAT

 Breaking changes are clearly marked

 Related issue numbers are included