Git Commit Workflow

When to Use This Skill

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

For detailed examples, advanced patterns, and best practices, see [REFERENCE.md](REFERENCE.md).

Preconditions

Before staging any files — especially for bulk-edit / commit-loop workflows that touch many subdirectories — verify the working tree is yours alone:

If /git:coworker-check returns anything other than clear, stop and either move to a fresh worktree (git worktree add ../<repo>-<task>) or ask the user before proceeding. See .claude/rules/agent-coworker-detection.md for the four detection signals.

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)]

For footer/trailer patterns (Co-authored-by, BREAKING CHANGE, Release-As), see git-commit-trailers skill.

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."

# 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"

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 should not 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)

Pre-Commit Context Gathering (Recommended)

Before committing, gather all context in one command:

# Basic context: status, staged files, diff stats, recent log
bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/git-commit-workflow/scripts/commit-context.sh"

# With issue matching: also fetches open GitHub issues for auto-linking
bash "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/git-commit-workflow/scripts/commit-context.sh" --with-issues

The script outputs: branch info, staged/unstaged status, diff stats, detected scopes, recent commit style, pre-commit config status, and optionally open issues. Use this output to compose the commit message. See [scripts/commit-context.sh](scripts/commit-context.sh) for details.

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"

Bulk-edit / per-plugin commit loops

When a single change touches many subdirectories (per-plugin, per-package, per-doc) and each needs its own scoped commit for release-please, write a one-shot script rather than chaining commands inline.

Why inline loops fail

Canonical recipe

Write the loop to /tmp/commit-loop-<slug>.sh, then run it in one Bash call. The hook treats the file as a script, not a chain — index-modifying commands are sequential within bash, not racing through separate tool invocations.

#!/bin/bash
# /tmp/commit-loop-trim-descriptions.sh
set -uo pipefail
cd "$REPO_ROOT" || exit 1

for p in plugin-a plugin-b plugin-c; do
  # Skip plugins with nothing staged or modified inside them
  [ -z "$(git status --porcelain "$p/")" ] && continue

  git add "$p/skills/"            # explicit path, never -A or .
  git commit -m "docs($p): trim skill descriptions for listing budget"
done

Invoke once:

bash /tmp/commit-loop-trim-descriptions.sh

Each iteration runs pre-commit hooks and produces a clean per-plugin commit. Use ; or newlines (not &&) between git add and git commit inside the script.

Failure recovery

If the loop aborts mid-way (a pre-commit hook fails on plugin K of N), the commits for plugins 1..K-1 have already landed — they are not rolled back. Recovery rules:

Do not re-stage paths that already committed cleanly; git status is the source of truth for what's left.

Compose a multi-line message with a HEREDOC, not by slurping a temp file.

git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
feat(auth): add OAuth2 support

Implements token refresh and secure storage.

Fixes #123
EOF
)"

Passing the message by path is equally accepted — git commit -F <file> / --file=<file> is git's analogue of gh --body-file, and the bash-antipatterns hook exempts it (#2462):

git commit -F /tmp/commit-msg.txt

What the hook still nudges away from is the roundabout middle ground: writing a temp file and then slurping it back through -m "$(cat /tmp/commit-msg.txt)". Either compose inline with a heredoc, or pass the file by path.

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."

Focus on facts: What changed, Why it changed (if non-obvious), and Impact (breaking changes).

Issue Reference Summary

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

Agentic Optimizations