---

name: commit-message-generator description: Generates conventional commit messages by analyzing git diffs and changes. Use when writing commit messages, following commit conventions, or documenting changes.

Commit Message Generator

Generate clear, conventional commit messages from git diffs.

Quick Start

Analyze staged changes and generate message:

Copygit diff --staged
# Then generate message following conventional commits format

Instructions

Step 1: Analyze Changes

Review the git diff to understand:

• What files changed
• What functionality was added/modified/removed
• Scope of changes (component, module, feature)
• Breaking changes or deprecations

Copygit diff --staged
# or for specific files
git diff --staged path/to/file

Step 2: Determine Commit Type

feat: New feature

• Adding new functionality
• New user-facing capability
• New API endpoint

fix: Bug fix

• Fixing a bug
• Correcting behavior
• Resolving an issue

docs: Documentation

• README updates
• Code comments
• API documentation

style: Code style

• Formatting changes
• Missing semicolons
• Whitespace changes
• No code logic changes

refactor: Code refactoring

• Restructuring code
• No functionality change
• Performance improvements

test: Tests

• Adding tests
• Updating tests
• Test infrastructure

chore: Maintenance

• Dependency updates
• Build configuration
• CI/CD changes
• Tooling updates

perf: Performance

• Performance improvements
• Optimization changes

ci: CI/CD

• CI configuration
• Build scripts
• Deployment changes

build: Build system

• Build tool changes
• External dependencies

revert: Revert

• Reverting previous commit

Step 3: Identify Scope

Scope indicates what part of codebase changed:

• Component name: (button), (navbar)
• Module name: (auth), (api)
• Feature area: (payments), (search)
• Package name: (core), (utils)

Optional but recommended for clarity.

Step 4: Write Description

Subject line (first line):

• Use imperative mood ("add" not "added")
• No period at end
• Max 50-72 characters
• Lowercase after type
• Clear and concise

Body (optional, after blank line):

• Explain what and why, not how
• Wrap at 72 characters
• Use bullet points for multiple changes
• Reference issues/tickets

Footer (optional):

• Breaking changes: BREAKING CHANGE: description
• Issue references: Closes #123, Fixes #456
• Co-authors: Co-authored-by: Name <email>

Step 5: Format Message

Basic format:

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

[optional body]

[optional footer]

Examples:

Copyfeat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism

Implement automatic token refresh when access token expires.
Tokens are refreshed 5 minutes before expiration.

Closes #234

Copyfix(api): handle null response in user endpoint

Previously crashed when user data was null.
Now returns 404 with appropriate error message.

Fixes #567

Copydocs(readme): update installation instructions

Add prerequisites section and troubleshooting guide.

Copyrefactor(utils): simplify date formatting logic

Extract common date operations into helper functions.
No functionality changes.

Copychore(deps): upgrade react to v18.2.0

Update react and react-dom dependencies.
Update tests to match new API.

Common Patterns

Multiple changes in one commit:

Copyfeat(dashboard): add user analytics and export

- Add analytics charts for user activity
- Implement CSV export functionality
- Add date range filter

Closes #123, #124

Breaking change:

Copyfeat(api)!: change authentication endpoint structure

BREAKING CHANGE: Auth endpoints now use /v2/auth prefix.
Update client code to use new endpoints.

Migration guide: docs/migration-v2.md

Revert commit:

Copyrevert: feat(auth): add JWT token refresh

This reverts commit abc123def456.
Reason: Causing issues in production.

Co-authored commit:

Copyfeat(search): implement fuzzy search algorithm

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

Commit Message Quality

Good commit messages:

• Clear and descriptive
• Explain why, not just what
• Reference related issues
• Follow conventions consistently
• Atomic (one logical change)

Bad commit messages:

• "fix stuff"
• "WIP"
• "updates"
• "asdf"
• "fix fix fix"

Workflow Integration

Before committing:

1. Review changes: git diff --staged
2. Ensure changes are atomic
3. Generate appropriate message
4. Commit: git commit -m "type(scope): description"

For detailed commits:

1. Stage changes: git add files
2. Open editor: git commit
3. Write multi-line message
4. Save and close

Amending last commit:

Copygit commit --amend
# Edit message in editor

Interactive staging:

Copygit add -p  # Stage hunks interactively
git commit  # Write message for staged changes

Conventional Commits Spec

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

Required:

• type: Must be one of the defined types
• description: Brief summary of change

Optional:

• scope: Component/module affected
• body: Detailed explanation
• footer: Breaking changes, issue references

Rules:

• Type must be lowercase
• Scope in parentheses
• Colon and space after scope
• Description starts lowercase
• No period at end of description
• Body separated by blank line
• Footer separated by blank line

Advanced

For complex scenarios:

• Multi-commit features
• Monorepo commit conventions
• Automated commit message validation
• Commit message templates
• Semantic versioning integration