Agent-Skills.md

Agent Skills: Commit

Creates logical git commits from working tree changes. Use when finishing work, saving progress, or organizing changes into commits.

UncategorizedID: lbussell/agent-skills/commit

Repository

lbussell/agent-skills
lbussellLicense: MIT

Install this agent skill to your local

pnpm dlx add-skill https://github.com/lbussell/agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/commit

Skill Files

Browse the full folder contents for commit.

Download Skill

Loading file tree…

skills/commit/SKILL.md

Skill Metadata

Name
commit
Description
Creates logical git commits from working tree changes. Use when finishing work, saving progress, or organizing changes into commits.

Commit

Create one or more logical commits from staged/unstaged changes.

Workflow

  • [ ] Review changes in working tree
  • [ ] Group related changes into logical units
  • [ ] Create commits with well-crafted messages
  • [ ] Verify commit history

Step 1: Review Changes

git status
git diff --stat
git diff  # detailed view if needed

Step 2: Group Logical Changes

Split unrelated changes into separate commits. Each commit should be atomic—one logical change that can be understood, reviewed, and reverted independently. When in doubt, ask.

Good groupings:

  • All changes for a single bug fix
  • All changes for a single feature
  • Refactoring separate from behavior changes
  • Test additions separate from implementation

Signs you need multiple commits:

  • Changes touch unrelated subsystems
  • Commit message needs "and" to describe changes
  • Some changes are refactoring, others are features

Step 3: Stage and Commit

For each logical unit:

git add <files>           # or git add -p for partial staging
git commit -m "Subject line here"

For commits needing a body:

git commit  # opens editor

How to Write a Git Commit Message

  1. Separate subject from body with a blank line
  2. Limit subject line to ~50 characters (72 max)
  3. Capitalize the subject line
  4. Do not end the subject line with a period
  5. Use imperative mood ("Add feature" not "Added feature")
  6. Use body to explain what and why, not how

The Imperative Test

A good subject line completes this sentence:

If applied, this commit will your subject line

✅ Good:

  • "Refactor authentication for readability"
  • "Fix null pointer in user validation"
  • "Add caching to database queries"

❌ Bad:

  • "Fixed bug" (past tense, vague)
  • "Fixing the thing" (present participle)
  • "More changes" (meaningless)

When to Add a Body

Add a body when context isn't obvious from the diff:

  • Explain why the change was made
  • Note side effects or non-obvious consequences
  • Reference related issues or discussions
Add rate limiting to API endpoints

The service was vulnerable to abuse from automated clients
making excessive requests. This adds a token bucket algorithm
limiting clients to 100 requests per minute.

Resolves: #423

Simple Changes

Single-line messages are fine for simple changes:

git commit -m "Fix typo in README"
git commit -m "Remove unused import"

Step 4: Verify

git log --oneline -5

Check that:

  • Each commit is a logical unit
  • Subject lines are clear and imperative
  • History tells a coherent story

Quick Reference

| Rule | Example | |------|---------| | Imperative mood | "Add" not "Added" or "Adds" | | 50 char subject | Keep it concise | | Capitalize | "Fix bug" not "fix bug" | | No trailing period | "Fix bug" not "Fix bug." | | Blank line before body | Required if body present | | 72 char body wrap | For readability |