Git Commit

Rules

• Never add Co-Authored-By lines to commit messages
• Never mention Claude, AI, agent, copilot, or any automated tooling
• Commits must look like they were written by a human developer

Format

type(scope): subject

body (optional)

• subject: lowercase, imperative mood, no period, max 72 chars
• body: wrap at 72 chars, explain why not what, separated by blank line

Types

Scope

Derive the scope from the primary area of change:

• Module or package name (auth, api, db)
• Feature area (login, checkout, search)
• Layer (ui, server, cli)

Omit scope only when the change is truly project-wide.

Workflow

1. Run git status and git diff --staged (or git diff if nothing staged)
2. Identify the primary change type and scope
3. Write the commit message
4. Stage relevant files by name (avoid git add . or git add -A)
5. Commit using a HEREDOC:

git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
type(scope): subject

optional body
EOF
)"

Examples

feat(auth): add password reset flow

Allow users to reset their password via email link.
Tokens expire after 30 minutes.

fix(api): handle null response from payment gateway

refactor(db): extract query builder into separate module

chore(deps): upgrade react to v19