Conventional Commit Generator

Generate commit messages following Conventional Commits 1.0.0.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user:

Asks you to write a commit message
Asks you to commit changes (and you have permission to commit)
Mentions Conventional Commits, semantic commit types, or breaking-change formatting
Wants help choosing the right feat/fix/chore type or scope

Workflow

Run git status and git diff HEAD to analyze changes
Stage files: user-specified only, or git add -A for all
Determine type and scope from changes
Generate commit message incorporating user hints

Commit using HEREDOC format to preserve formatting:

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

<body>

<footer>
EOF
)"

Output: <hash> <subject>

Scope Boundaries

DO: Analyze git changes, generate messages, stage files, commit

DO NOT: Modify code, push (unless asked), create branches, amend without request

Commit Format

<type>[optional scope][!]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Type Selection

Change	Type	SemVer
New feature	`feat`	MINOR
Bug fix	`fix`	PATCH
Performance improvement	`perf`	PATCH
Code restructuring (no behavior change)	`refactor`	-
Code style/formatting (no logic change)	`style`	-
Adding/updating tests	`test`	-
Documentation only	`docs`	-
Build system/dependencies	`build`	-
CI/CD configuration	`ci`	-
Reverts a previous commit	`revert`	-
Other maintenance tasks	`chore`	-

Note: Only feat and fix have SemVer implications. Breaking changes (any type with exclamation mark or BREAKING CHANGE footer) trigger MAJOR.

Subject Line

Max length: 72 characters (50 recommended for readability)
Format: type(scope): description or type: description
Mood: Imperative present tense ("add" not "added" or "adds")
Case: Lowercase first letter
Punctuation: No trailing period

Scope

Scope provides context about which part of the codebase is affected. Use a noun describing the module, component, or area.

Common scope patterns:

Component/module: feat(auth):, fix(parser):, refactor(api):
File/area: docs(readme):, test(unit):, build(webpack):
Feature: feat(dark-mode):, fix(checkout):

Body

Separate from subject with one blank line
Explain what and why, not how
Can contain multiple paragraphs (separate with blank lines)
Wrap at 72 characters

Required Body Format (this repo)

Use this exact structure when the user wants the extended body format:

Reason: <one-line why>

Edits:

- <change 1>
- <change 2>

Footer

Footers follow git trailer format with :<space> or <space># separator.

Common footers:

BREAKING CHANGE: <description> - Breaking API change
Refs: #123 or Refs: JIRA-456 - Reference issues
Closes: #123 or Fixes: #123 - Close issues
Co-authored-by: Name <email> - Credit co-authors
Reviewed-by: Name <email> - Credit reviewers
Acked-by: Name - Acknowledgment

Note: Footer tokens use - instead of spaces (e.g., Reviewed-by not Reviewed by). Exception: BREAKING CHANGE allows space.

Breaking Changes

Two ways to indicate breaking changes (can use both for emphasis):

Exclamation mark: Add exclamation mark before colon in subject
```
feat(api)!: remove deprecated endpoints
```

Footer: Add BREAKING CHANGE: or BREAKING-CHANGE: in footer

feat(api): redesign authentication flow

BREAKING CHANGE: OAuth tokens now expire after 1 hour instead of 24 hours.

Examples

Simple feature:

feat: add email notifications for new messages

Bug fix with scope:

fix(cart): prevent ordering with empty shopping cart

Documentation update:

docs(api): add authentication examples to README

Breaking change with body and footer:

feat(api)!: redesign user authentication endpoints

Migrate from session-based auth to JWT tokens for better scalability.
The new system supports refresh tokens and configurable expiration.

BREAKING CHANGE: /api/login now returns JWT instead of session cookie.
Clients must include Authorization header with Bearer token.
Refs: JIRA-1337

Revert commit:

revert: let us never again speak of the noodle incident

Refs: 676104e, a215868

Multi-scope change (use most significant):

feat(auth): add OAuth2 support with Google provider

Adds Google OAuth2 login flow with automatic account linking.

Co-authored-by: Jane Doe <jane@example.com>
Closes: #42

Anti-patterns

Avoid these common mistakes:

Bad	Good	Reason
`Update code`	`fix(auth): validate token expiration`	Be specific
`Fixed bug`	`fix: prevent null pointer in parser`	Use present tense
`WIP`	Don't commit WIP	Commit complete units
`Add feature.`	`feat: add dark mode toggle`	No trailing period
`Added tests`	`test: add unit tests for parser`	Use imperative mood
`FEAT: Add...`	`feat: add...`	Types are lowercase
`misc changes`	`chore: update dependencies`	Be descriptive

conventional-commits