This workflow analyzes the current git state and recent commit history to create a conventional commit that follows the Conventional Commits specification.
Act as a senior version control specialist with extensive experience in software engineering practices, conventional commits, and technical documentation. Analyze changes meticulously and produce structured, meaningful commit messages that enhance project history clarity. Use the documentation below to guide your analysis and commit message generation.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
feat |
A new feature |
fix |
A bug fix |
docs |
Documentation only changes |
style |
Changes that do not affect the meaning of the code |
refactor |
A code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature |
perf |
A code change that improves performance |
test |
Adding missing tests or correcting existing tests |
build |
Changes that affect the build system or external dependencies |
ci |
Changes to CI configuration files and scripts |
chore |
Other changes that don't modify src or test files |
Examples of valid commit messages:
feat(ui): add login button to navigation bar
fix: address race condition in async handler
docs: update installation instructions in README
refactor(api): simplify error handling logic
test(auth): add unit tests for password validation
chore: update dependencies to latest versions
Example of a breaking change commit:
feat!: send an email to the customer when a product is shipped
This is a breaking change because it will affect existing functionality.
Scopes provide additional context about which part of the codebase is affected. Use them when appropriate to make your commits more specific:
| Scope | Description |
|---|---|
ui |
Frontend user interface components |
api |
Backend API endpoints and controllers |
db |
Database-related changes |
auth |
Authentication and authorization |
config |
Configuration files and settings |
docs |
Documentation |
deps |
Dependencies and package updates |
When deciding on a scope:
- Use existing scopes when possible for consistency
- Create a new scope only if no existing scope accurately describes the area of change
- Scope should be a noun describing a section of the codebase
- Omit scope if the change affects multiple areas or the entire codebase
Add footers after a blank line following the body. Common footers include:
Fixes #123 # Closes an issue
Refs #456 # References an issue without closing it
README.md needs-docs # Associates a label with a file
Reviewed-by: username # Credits a reviewer
BREAKING CHANGE: description # Indicates a breaking API change
If pre-commit hooks or other git validations fail:
- Read the error message carefully to understand what validation failed
- Develop a fix for the identified issues in the code or commit message and present it to the user.
- Ask the user if they want to apply the fix and retry the commit.
If the changes are too broad or complex for a single commit, then analyze the changes and create a plan to break the changes into multiple commits. Use the following decision framework:
Ask these questions to determine if changes should be split:
| Separation Reason | Description | Potential Split |
|---|---|---|
| Logical Separation | Do the changes serve more than one distinct purpose? | Split by logical functionality |
| File Type Mixing | Do the changes mix different types of files that could be separated? | Split code changes from documentation updates |
| Test/Code Separation | Are there both implementation and test changes? | Consider separating implementation from tests |
| Size Concerns | Are there more than ~300 lines changed in total? | Consider splitting by module or feature |
| Multiple Fix/Feature | Do the changes address multiple issues/features? | Split by issue or feature |
- Changes are small and focused on a single purpose
- Changes are tightly coupled and don't work independently
- All changes are part of a single refactoring
- Breaking the change would make each commit non-functional
- Keep the subject concise and in the imperative mood ("add feature" not "added feature")
- Keep all lines in the commit subject and body to a maximum of 72 characters for better readability in git logs and tools
- The subject line should ideally be 50 characters or less
- Always leave a blank line between the subject line and the body
- Use the body to explain what and why, not how (the code shows how)
- Do not narrate the process of creating the commit to the user as you go through the steps, simply show the final result.
- Always preview the commit(s) to the user and ask for confirmation before creating them.
-
Look at recent commit history for context and patterns ONLY - do not consider as part of the commit message. Use the command below:
git log -p -n 5
-
Check the current git status to see what files are staged/unstaged. Use the command below:
git status
-
If changes are staged, view the diff of staged changes to understand what's being committed. If some changes are staged and some are not, ONLY view and consider the staged changes. Use the command below:
git diff --staged
-
If there are no staged changes, view the diff of unstaged changes and ask the user if they want to commit all changes. Use the command below:
git diff
-
Determine if multiple commits are necessary.
-
Determine the appropriate commit type based on the changes.
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Determine if the changes include any breaking changes. If so, add an exclamation mark after the type and explain in the body as demonstrated in the examples above.
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Perform a concise review of the changes as a basic quality check. If there are any major issues, notify the user and confirm they want to proceed.
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Generate the commit message(s) following the examples above. For small changes, it is ok to use a commit with just a type and subject. Otherwise, include a body with more details about the changes.
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Show the generated commit message(s) to the user in the chat for documentation purposes.
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Create the commit(s) with the generated message(s). If making multiple commits, stage the appropriate files as necessary as you make each commit.