jcsaaddupuy/commit

Git Commit - Agent Usage Guide

Create git commits using Conventional Commits format with clear, concise messages.

Quick Decision: Should I Push?

User says "commit" → ✅ Commit only, do NOT push User says "commit and push" → ✅ Commit AND push User says "push" (after previous commit) → ✅ Push only

Format

<type>(<scope>): <summary>

• type REQUIRED. Use feat for new features, fix for bug fixes. Other common types: docs, refactor, chore, test, perf.
• scope OPTIONAL. Short noun in parentheses for the affected area (e.g., api, parser, ui, docker, ci).
• summary REQUIRED. Short, imperative, <= 72 chars, no trailing period.

Commit Type Guide

| Type | When to Use | Example | |------|-------------|---------| | feat | New feature or capability | feat(auth): add OAuth2 support | | fix | Bug fix | fix(api): handle null response | | docs | Documentation only | docs(readme): update install steps | | refactor | Code change with no feature/fix | refactor(parser): simplify logic | | chore | Maintenance, dependencies | chore(deps): update numpy to 2.4.2 | | test | Adding or updating tests | test(auth): add login edge cases | | perf | Performance improvement | perf(db): optimize query | | style | Code style/formatting | style: apply black formatting | | ci | CI/CD changes | ci: add coverage report | | build | Build system changes | build: update webpack config |

Scope Selection

Common scopes by project type:

Python Projects:

• api, cli, models, services, utils, tests, deps

Docker Projects:

• docker, compose, dockerfile, ci

Frontend Projects:

• ui, components, styles, router, store

Infrastructure:

• ci, deploy, config, scripts

To find commonly used scopes:

git log -n 50 --pretty=format:%s | grep -E '^\w+\(' | sed 's/.*(\(.*\)):.*/\1/' | sort | uniq -c | sort -rn

Message Guidelines

Summary Rules

• Start with lowercase verb (imperative mood)
• No period at the end
• Keep under 72 characters
• Be specific and concise

Good vs Bad Examples

# ✅ GOOD
feat(auth): add JWT token validation
fix(docker): update libglib2.0-0 to available version
chore(deps): upgrade numpy to 2.4.2
test(api): add edge cases for empty input
docs(readme): clarify installation steps

# ❌ BAD
feat: stuff  # Too vague
Fix bug  # No scope, not imperative, vague
feat(auth): Added the JWT token validation.  # Past tense, period
WIP  # No type, meaningless
Updated dependencies  # No type, too generic

Handling Pre-commit Hooks

Pre-commit hooks may run automatically and:

• ✅ Format code (black, prettier)
• ✅ Lint code (ruff, eslint)
• ✅ Run security checks (gitleaks)
• ❌ Fail if issues found

If Pre-commit Hook Fails

# 1. Read the error message
# Hook will show what failed (formatting, linting, security)

# 2. Fix the issues
# - For formatting: Let hook auto-fix, then re-stage
git add <files>
git commit -m "message"  # Hook auto-fixes
git add <fixes>          # Stage hook's fixes
git commit -m "message"  # Commit again

# - For linting: Fix manually
# Review linter output and fix issues
git add <files>
git commit -m "message"

# - For security: Remove secrets, never use --no-verify
# Remove the secret from code
git add <files>
git commit -m "message"

# 3. NEVER skip hooks with --no-verify unless absolutely necessary
# --no-verify bypasses security checks - only use in emergencies

Pre-commit Hook Workflow Example

# Make changes
vim src/module.py

# Stage changes
git add src/module.py

# Attempt commit
git commit -m "feat(api): add new endpoint"

# If black reformats:
# black will auto-format and show changes
# Files were modified by hook
# Commit was blocked

# Re-stage formatted files
git add src/module.py

# Commit again (should succeed now)
git commit -m "feat(api): add new endpoint"

Complete Workflow

Basic Commit Workflow

# 1. Check status
git status

# 2. Review changes
git diff

# 3. Stage files
git add <file1> <file2>
# or stage all
git add .

# 4. Check commonly used scopes (optional)
git log -n 50 --pretty=format:%s | head -20

# 5. Commit with message
git commit -m "type(scope): summary"

# 6. If hooks fail, fix and re-commit
# See "Handling Pre-commit Hooks" section

# 7. Push if user requested it
git push
# or
git push -u origin branch-name  # First time pushing branch

Commit with Body (For Complex Changes)

git commit -m "type(scope): summary" -m "
More detailed explanation of the change.

- Bullet points for multiple changes
- Can include reasoning
- Can reference issues
"

Amending Last Commit

# Fix something in last commit (not pushed yet)
git add <forgotten-file>
git commit --amend --no-edit

# Change last commit message
git commit --amend -m "corrected message"

# ⚠️ NEVER amend commits that have been pushed (unless on feature branch alone)

Special Cases

Multiple Files, Different Changes

If changes don't belong together:

# Commit in logical groups
git add src/auth.py tests/test_auth.py
git commit -m "feat(auth): add OAuth2 support"

git add src/api.py tests/test_api.py  
git commit -m "fix(api): handle null response"

Partial File Staging

# Stage only parts of a file
git add -p file.py

# Will prompt for each change:
# y - stage this hunk
# n - don't stage
# s - split into smaller hunks
# q - quit

Stashing Changes

# Save uncommitted changes temporarily
git stash

# Do other work, make commits

# Restore stashed changes
git stash pop

Notes

• Body is OPTIONAL. Use -m twice if needed (one for subject, one for body)
• Do NOT include breaking-change markers or footers (keep it simple)
• Do NOT add sign-offs (no Signed-off-by)
• Only commit; do NOT push unless user explicitly requests
• If unclear whether a file should be included, ask the user which files to commit
• Treat any caller-provided arguments as additional commit guidance

Argument Handling

Common patterns:

• Freeform instructions → Influence scope, summary, and body
• File paths/globs → Limit which files to commit (only stage those)
• Combined (files + instructions) → Honor both

Examples:

# User: "commit the api changes"
# → Stage api-related files, use scope "api"

# User: "commit src/auth.py with message about OAuth"
# → Stage only src/auth.py, use message mentioning OAuth

# User: "commit all changes"
# → Stage all files (git add .)

Steps (Agent Workflow)

1. Infer from prompt

   • Did user provide specific file paths/globs?
   • Did user provide additional instructions?
   • Did user say "push"?

2. Review changes

   • Run git status to see what's changed
   • Run git diff to understand the changes
   • Limit to argument-specified files if provided

3. Check common scopes (optional)

   • Run git log -n 50 --pretty=format:%s to see commonly used scopes
   • Helps maintain consistency

4. Handle ambiguity

   • If there are ambiguous extra files, ask the user for clarification
   • Don't assume what should be included

5. Stage files

   • Stage only the intended files (all changes if no files specified)
   • Use git add <files> or git add .

6. Commit

   • Run git commit -m "<type>(<scope>): <summary>"
   • Add -m "<body>" if a body is needed
   • If pre-commit hooks fail, fix issues and re-commit

7. Push (if requested)

   • Only push if user said "commit and push" or just "push"
   • Use git push or git push -u origin <branch> for new branches
   • Never push after just "commit" command

Quick Reference

| User Request | Action | |--------------|--------| | "commit" | Commit only | | "commit and push" | Commit then push | | "push" | Push only (after commit) | | "commit the api changes" | Stage api files, commit with scope "api" | | "commit everything" | Stage all files, commit | | "amend" or "fix last commit" | Use git commit --amend |

Examples of Complete Messages

# Feature
git commit -m "feat(auth): add OAuth2 authentication flow"

# Bug fix  
git commit -m "fix(docker): update libglib2.0-0 to available version 2.80.0-6ubuntu3.8"

# Chore/dependency
git commit -m "chore(deps): upgrade numpy to 2.4.2 and polars to 1.38.1"

# Tests
git commit -m "test(api): add edge case tests for null responses"

# Documentation
git commit -m "docs(readme): add installation instructions for Docker"

# Refactoring
git commit -m "refactor(parser): simplify regex matching logic"

# Performance
git commit -m "perf(db): optimize user query with index"

# CI/CD
git commit -m "ci: add pipeline job for integration tests"

# With body
git commit -m "fix(api): handle timeout errors gracefully" -m "
Added retry logic with exponential backoff for API timeouts.
Prevents cascading failures when external service is slow.
"

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. ❌ Pushing when user said "commit" → ✅ Only commit
2. ❌ Using --no-verify to skip hooks → ✅ Fix the issues instead
3. ❌ Vague messages like "fix stuff" → ✅ Be specific
4. ❌ Past tense "added feature" → ✅ Imperative "add feature"
5. ❌ Period at end of summary → ✅ No period
6. ❌ Multiple unrelated changes in one commit → ✅ Split into logical commits
7. ❌ Amending pushed commits → ✅ Only amend unpushed commits
8. ❌ Huge commits → ✅ Commit logical units of work