Git Commit Helper Quick start Analyze staged changes and generate commit message:

View staged changes

git diff --staged

Generate commit message based on changes

(Claude will analyze the diff and suggest a message)

Commit message format

Follow conventional commits format:

():

[optional body]

[optional footer]

Types

feat

New feature

fix

Bug fix

docs

Documentation changes

style

Code style changes (formatting, missing semicolons)

refactor

Code refactoring

test

Adding or updating tests

chore

Maintenance tasks Examples Feature commit: feat(auth): add JWT authentication Implement JWT-based authentication system with: - Login endpoint with token generation - Token validation middleware - Refresh token support Bug fix: fix(api): handle null values in user profile Prevent crashes when user profile fields are null. Add null checks before accessing nested properties. Refactor: refactor(database): simplify query builder Extract common query patterns into reusable functions. Reduce code duplication in database layer. Analyzing changes Review what's being committed:

Show files changed

git status

Show detailed changes

git diff --staged

Show statistics

git diff --staged --stat

Show changes for specific file

git

diff

--staged

path/to/file

Commit message guidelines

DO:

Use imperative mood ("add feature" not "added feature")

Keep first line under 50 characters

Capitalize first letter

No period at end of summary

Explain WHY not just WHAT in body

DON'T:

Use vague messages like "update" or "fix stuff"

Include technical implementation details in summary

Write paragraphs in summary line

Use past tense

Multi-file commits

When committing multiple related changes:

refactor(core): restructure authentication module

- Move auth logic from controllers to service layer

- Extract validation into separate validators

- Update tests to use new structure

- Add integration tests for auth flow

Breaking change: Auth service now requires config object

Scope examples

Frontend:

feat(ui): add loading spinner to dashboard

fix(form): validate email format

Backend:

feat(api): add user profile endpoint

fix(db): resolve connection pool leak

Infrastructure:

chore(ci): update Node version to 20

feat(docker): add multi-stage build

Breaking changes

Indicate breaking changes clearly:

feat(api)!: restructure API response format

BREAKING CHANGE: All API responses now follow JSON:API spec

Previous format:

{ "data": {...}, "status": "ok" }

New format:

{ "data": {...}, "meta": {...} }

Migration guide: Update client code to handle new response structure

Template workflow

Review changes

:

git diff --staged

Identify type

Is it feat, fix, refactor, etc.?

Determine scope

What part of the codebase?

Write summary

Brief, imperative description

Add body

Explain why and what impact

Note breaking changes

If applicable Interactive commit helper Use git add -p for selective staging:

Stage changes interactively

git add -p

Review what's staged

git diff --staged

Commit with message

git commit -m "type(scope): description" Amending commits Fix the last commit message:

Amend commit message only

git commit --amend

Amend and add more changes

git add forgotten-file.js git commit --amend --no-edit Best practices Atomic commits - One logical change per commit Test before commit - Ensure code works Reference issues - Include issue numbers if applicable Keep it focused - Don't mix unrelated changes Write for humans - Future you will read this Commit message checklist Type is appropriate (feat/fix/docs/etc.) Scope is specific and clear Summary is under 50 characters Summary uses imperative mood Body explains WHY not just WHAT Breaking changes are clearly marked Related issue numbers are included