popoffvg/work-commit

Commit Message Rules

Format

<prefix>: <why this change exists>

Prefixes

| Prefix | When | |--------|------| | feat | New functionality, new behavior | | fix | Bug fix — describe the bug, not the fix | | doc | Documentation changes only | | test | Adding or updating tests only | | build | Build system, CI, dependencies | | refactor | Code restructuring without behavior change |

Message Content

The message describes why, not what.

• ❌ feat: add handleRefresh function — describes what was added

• ✅ feat: support token refresh on expired sessions — describes why

• ❌ fix: check for nil pointer in handler — describes the fix

• ✅ fix: crash when auth token is missing from request — describes the bug

• ❌ refactor: move code to utils — describes what

• ✅ refactor: isolate auth logic for reuse across endpoints — describes the goal

Rules

• One prefix per commit
• Message ≤ 72 characters
• Imperative mood: "support", not "supports" or "supported"
• No period at the end
• No ticket/issue numbers unless they add clarity
• If a commit touches tests AND code, use the prefix for the code change (e.g. feat), not test

Granularity

Each TODO = one commit. Exception: if the user explicitly says "join", "merge", or "squash" multiple TODOs, combine them into one commit with a unified message covering all of them.

When squashing N commits on request:

git reset --soft HEAD~N
git commit -m "<prefix>: <unified why covering all N changes>"

The unified message must cover the full scope — do not just repeat the first TODO's message.

Autoresearch rules

Eval checklist:

1. Does the commit message start with a valid prefix (feat|fix|doc|test|build|refactor)?
2. Does the message describe WHY the change exists, not WHAT was changed?
3. Is the message ≤72 chars, imperative mood, no trailing period?
4. Is the prefix correct for the change type (not using feat for a bug fix)?

Test inputs:

• "Commit adding a new API endpoint with tests"
• "Commit fixing a nil pointer dereference"
• "Commit refactoring a function into smaller pieces with no behavior change"

Can change: prefix list, message examples, formatting rules Cannot change: imperative mood requirement, why-not-what principle, 72-char limit Min sessions before eval: 5 Runs per experiment: 3