musserlab/git-conventions
skills/git-conventions/SKILL.md
Git commit practices and conventions. Use when committing changes, writing commit messages, creating branches, or making PRs.
$ install --global
skillsauthnpx skillsauth add musserlab/lab-claude-skills git-conventionsInstall this skill globally with one command. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and Windsurf.
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TrivyContainer and dependency vulnerability scanner
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Snyk (dep)Open source security scanning
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Last scanned: May 9, 2026, 7:30 AM161.8s1 file scanned
SKILL.md
- name:
- git-conventions
- description:
- Git commit practices and conventions. Use when committing changes, writing commit messages, creating branches, or making PRs.
- user-invocable:
- false
Git Practices
Before Starting Work
# Check current branch and status
git status
git branch
# Pull latest changes if on a shared branch
git pull
Committing Changes
-
Commit frequently — after completing each logical unit of work
-
Write descriptive commit messages — explain the "what" and "why"
-
Include the co-author line at the end of commit messages:
Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]> -
Check what will be committed before committing:
git status git diff --staged
Commit Message Format
IMPORTANT: Use multiple -m flags for commit messages — do NOT use heredocs (<<'EOF').
Heredocs create multi-line Bash commands that don't match permission allowlist glob patterns (the * wildcard doesn't match newlines). Multiple -m flags keep the command on a single line.
Single-line message:
git commit -m "Title line here" -m "Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>"
Multi-line message (title + body + co-author):
git commit -m "Title line here" -m "Body paragraph explaining the why." -m "Co-Authored-By: Claude <[email protected]>"
Each -m flag adds a separate paragraph to the commit message (separated by a blank line in the git log).
Don't Commit
- Large output files (check
.gitignore) - Credentials or secrets (
.env,credentials.json, etc.) - IDE-specific files unless project convention says otherwise
- Claude Code worktrees (
.claude/worktrees/) - Rendered HTML from Quarto/Rmarkdown scripts — these are large, regenerable artifacts
When to Prompt User About Commits
- After completing a significant task
- Before switching to a different area of the codebase
- At the end of a working session (use
/doneskill) - After updating documentation
Troubleshooting
"Command not found" for git tools → Git should be available system-wide; check PATH if issues arise
Merge conflicts → Alert the user and explain the conflict before attempting resolution
Git push fails with SSH permission denied
→ SSH keys aren't available in Claude Code's terminal environment
→ Switch remote to HTTPS: git remote set-url origin https://github.com/OWNER/REPO.git
→ The gh CLI provides HTTPS authentication automatically
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