Commit Message Generator

Automatically generate conventional commit messages for staged changes.

Philosophy

Commit messages are the history and documentation of your code's evolution.

Core Beliefs

1. Commits Tell a Story: Each commit should explain what changed and why
2. Conventional Format Enables Automation: Structured messages power changelogs and semantic versioning
3. Clarity Over Brevity: A clear 2-line message beats a cryptic 5-word one
4. Context Matters: Messages should be understandable months later without additional context

Why Conventional Commits

• Automated Changelogs: Generate release notes from commit history
• Semantic Versioning: Determine version bumps (major/minor/patch) automatically
• Better Searchability: Find specific types of changes quickly
• Team Communication: Consistent format aids code review and collaboration

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when the user:

• Mentions "commit", "committing", "staged changes", or "ready to commit"
• Shows git add or git status output with staged changes
• Asks "what should my commit message be?"
• Says "I need to commit my changes"
• Asks for help writing commit messages

Decision Framework

Before generating a commit message, ask yourself:

Is This Ready to Commit?

• ✅ Yes - Staged changes represent a single logical unit of work
• ❌ No - Multiple unrelated changes staged → Suggest splitting into separate commits
• ⚠️ Maybe - Large changeset → Review to ensure it's cohesive

What Type of Change Is This?

1. New functionality → feat type
2. Bug fix → fix type
3. Code improvement without behavior change → refactor type
4. Documentation only → docs type
5. Tests only → test type
6. Multiple types → Suggest splitting commits

What Scope Makes Sense?

• Module/component name - For focused changes (e.g., auth, api, ui)
• Feature area - For cross-cutting changes (e.g., validation, logging)
• No scope - For global changes (e.g., dependencies, config)

Should This Be Multiple Commits?

Split if staged changes include:

• ✅ Unrelated features or fixes
• ✅ Refactoring + new feature (split: refactor first, feature second)
• ✅ Multiple bug fixes
• ❌ Feature + tests (keep together)
• ❌ Feature + documentation (keep together)

Decision Tree

User mentions commit
    ↓
Check: Staged changes?
    ↓ Yes
Check: Multiple unrelated changes?
    ↓ No
Check: Follows conventional commits pattern?
    ↓ Generate message
    ↓
Review with user → Commit

Workflow

1. Check for Staged Changes

git status
git diff --staged

If no staged changes, inform the user and suggest staging files first.

2. Analyze Recent Commits for Style

git log --oneline -10

Learn the repository's commit message conventions.

3. Generate Conventional Commit Message

Format: <type>(<scope>): <description>

Types:

• feat - New feature
• fix - Bug fix
• docs - Documentation changes
• style - Code style changes (formatting, semicolons, etc.)
• refactor - Code refactoring (no functional changes)
• test - Adding or updating tests
• chore - Build process, dependency updates, etc.
• perf - Performance improvements
• ci - CI/CD changes

Example:

feat(auth): add two-factor authentication support

- Implement TOTP-based 2FA
- Add backup codes generation
- Include recovery flow for lost devices
- Update user profile settings UI

4. Drupal/WordPress-Specific Patterns

Drupal:

• Config changes: feat(config): add user profile field configuration
• Module work: fix(custom_module): correct permission check in access callback
• Hooks: refactor(hooks): simplify hook_form_alter implementation

WordPress:

• Theme work: style(theme): improve mobile navigation styles
• Plugin work: fix(plugin): correct ACF field validation
• Blocks: feat(blocks): add testimonial Gutenberg block

5. Present to User for Approval

When used via workflow-specialist agent: The agent will use AskUserQuestion to present the commit message for review:

• Show the generated message
• Ask: "Would you like to proceed with this commit message, or would you like to edit it?"
• Options: "Approve and commit" or "Edit message"
• If user selects "Other", they can provide their edited version

When used conversationally: Show the generated commit message and ask: "Here's a commit message based on your changes. Would you like me to commit with this message, or would you like to modify it?"

6. Execute Commit (only after approval)

git commit -m "commit message here"

Or for multi-line messages:

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

- Implement TOTP-based 2FA
- Add backup codes generation
- Include recovery flow
EOF
)"

Integration with CMS Cultivator

This skill complements the /pr-commit-msg slash command:

• This Skill: Automatically triggered during natural conversation

  • "I'm ready to commit"
  • "What should my commit message say?"

• /pr-commit-msg Command: Explicitly invoked for staged changes

  • User deliberately wants commit message generation
  • Batch generation workflow

Both use the same analysis approach but different invocation methods.

Best Practices

1. Analyze the actual changes - Don't just use file names, understand what changed
2. Be specific in scope - Use module name, component name, or feature area
3. Include breaking changes - Add BREAKING CHANGE: footer if applicable
4. Reference tickets - Include ticket numbers if found in branch name
5. Follow project conventions - Match the existing commit style

Example Interactions

Example 1: Simple fix

User: "I fixed the login bug, ready to commit"
[Skill analyzes git diff]
Skill: "I'll generate a commit message for your login fix..."

Generated:
fix(auth): resolve session timeout on remember-me login

- Correct cookie expiration logic
- Add test coverage for remember-me flow

Would you like me to commit with this message?

Example 2: Feature addition

User: "Staged my changes, need to commit"
[Skill analyzes extensive changes]
Skill: "I see you've added a new dashboard widget. Here's a commit message..."

Generated:
feat(dashboard): add performance metrics widget

- Create new widget component
- Add database query for metrics
- Include responsive design
- Add widget to admin dashboard page

Resources

• Conventional Commits
• Angular Commit Guidelines
• Semantic Commit Messages