howells/commit

<arc_runtime> This workflow requires the full Arc bundle, not a prompts-only install.

Paths in this skill use these conventions:

• agents/..., references/..., disciplines/..., templates/..., scripts/..., rules/..., skills/<name>/... are Arc-owned files at the plugin root. Resolve the plugin root from this skill's filesystem location — it's the directory containing agents/ and skills/.
• ./... is local to this skill's directory.
• .ruler/..., docs/..., src/..., or any project-relative path refers to the user's project repository. </arc_runtime>

Commit Changes

Commit, push, and publish changes, intelligently splitting into separate commits when changes span multiple domains.

Usage:

• /arc:commit - Auto-analyze and commit (may create multiple commits)
• /arc:commit push - Commit, push, then publish changed npm packages if present
• /arc:commit publish - Alias for the push-and-publish path

$ARGUMENTS will be empty, "push", or "publish". Treat "push" and "publish" as the same push-and-publish path.

Current Git State

Status:

!`git status --porcelain 2>/dev/null || echo "(no changes)"`

Changes summary:

!`git diff --stat 2>/dev/null | head -20 || echo "(no diff)"`

Recent commits (for style reference):

!`git log --oneline -5 2>/dev/null || echo "(no commits)"`

Instructions

1. Analyze Changes

Review the git state above. If you need more detail:

2. Determine Commit Strategy

Single commit if:

• All changes are in the same domain/area, OR
• Changes are tightly coupled (e.g., feature + its tests)

Multiple commits if changes span multiple unrelated domains:

• Different packages (e.g., packages/ui, packages/api)
• Different apps (e.g., apps/web, apps/admin)
• Config vs source changes
• Unrelated features or fixes

3. Group Files by Domain

Common groupings:

• packages/<name>/** - Package-specific changes
• apps/<name>/** - App-specific changes
• Root config files (.eslintrc, turbo.json, etc.) - Config
• *.stories.tsx with their component - Same commit as component
• *.test.ts with their source - Same commit as source

4. Create Commits

For each logical group:

1. Stage only files for that group:

   git add [files...]
   

2. Create commit with conventional message format:

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

Commit types:

• feat - New feature
• fix - Bug fix
• refactor - Code refactoring
• chore - Maintenance, deps, config
• docs - Documentation
• test - Tests
• style - Formatting, no code change
• perf - Performance improvement
• ci - CI/CD changes

Commit message rules:

• Use imperative mood: "add" not "added", "fix" not "fixed"
• First line under 72 characters
• Each commit should be atomic (single purpose)
• If you need "and" in the message, consider splitting the commit

5. Handle Pre-commit Hook Failures

If TypeScript or lint errors block the commit:

CRITICAL RULES:

• NEVER use --no-verify or skip hooks
• NEVER use force casting (e.g., as unknown as, as any)
• NEVER use @ts-ignore, @ts-expect-error, or eslint-disable comments
• NEVER use type assertions to bypass errors
• NEVER add empty catch blocks or suppress errors
• Fix the ROOT CAUSE of each error

Fixing Process:

1. Read the error output carefully
2. Identify the exact files and line numbers with issues
3. For TypeScript errors:
   • Read the file and understand the type error
   • Fix the types properly by adding correct type annotations
   • If a type is unclear, use unknown and narrow it with type guards
   • Update interfaces/types as needed
4. For lint errors:
   • Read the file and understand the lint rule violation
   • Fix the code to comply with the rule properly
   • Refactor if needed to follow best practices
5. Stage the fixes with the relevant commit
6. Retry the commit
7. Repeat until all errors are resolved

6. Push Changes (only if push or publish argument provided)

Skip this step unless $ARGUMENTS starts with "push" or "publish".

If pushing:

git push

If the branch has no upstream:

git push -u origin $(git branch --show-current)

If push fails (e.g., diverged history), report the issue - do NOT force push unless explicitly authorized.

7. Publish npm Packages (only if push or publish argument provided)

Skip this step unless $ARGUMENTS starts with "push" or "publish".

Publish only after commits and push have succeeded.

Detect candidate packages:

• Look for changed package.json files and changed files under directories containing a package.json.
• Ignore generated directories such as node_modules, dist, build, .next, .turbo, and coverage output.
• A package is publishable only if package.json has a name, a version, and does not have "private": true.
• Prefer packages with a publishConfig, files, bin, exports, or an explicit package-level prepublishOnly / prepare / build script. If package intent is unclear, ask before publishing.

Pre-publish checks for each candidate:

1. Read the package's package.json.

2. Confirm the package has an npm package name and version.

3. Check whether that exact version is already published:

   npm view <package-name>@<version> version
   

   • If the version exists, skip publishing and report it.
   • If npm returns 404/not found, continue.
   • If npm auth/network fails, stop and report the blocker.

4. Run package-local verification when scripts exist, using the repo's detected package manager consistently:

   • test if a test script exists
   • build if a build script exists
   • typecheck if a typecheck script exists

5. Publish from the package directory:

   npm publish
   

   Use npm publish --access public for scoped public packages when publishConfig.access is public or the existing package is public.

Publishing rules:

• NEVER publish a private package.
• NEVER publish before pushing the commit containing the package version.
• NEVER bump a package version unless the user explicitly asked for a version bump.
• NEVER publish if the working tree has uncommitted files that belong to that package.
• NEVER use --force or delete registry versions.
• If multiple changed packages exist, publish each confirmed publishable package once.

8. Report Results

Tell the user:

• How many commits were created
• Summary of each commit (hash, message)
• Push status (if pushed), or remind them to push when ready
• Publish status for each package (if publish was requested): published, skipped, or blocked

Failure Scenarios

If you cannot fix an error properly:

• Explain why the error exists
• Describe what the proper fix would require (e.g., architectural changes, missing types, etc.)
• Ask for guidance
• Do NOT commit with workarounds