tomkis/cleanup-commits

Cleanup Commits for PR Review

Reorganize all commits on the current branch into clean, logical commits that are easy to review.

Arguments

• $0 - Base branch to rebase onto (default: main)

Process

1. Preparation

First, verify clean working state and identify the base:

git status --porcelain

If there are uncommitted changes, warn the user and stop.

Get the base branch (use argument or default to main):

• Base branch: ${0:-main}

2. Analyze Changes

Get the full picture of what changed:

git log --oneline ${0:-main}..HEAD
git diff --stat ${0:-main}..HEAD
git diff ${0:-main}..HEAD

Also check the files changed to understand the scope:

git diff --name-only ${0:-main}..HEAD

3. Plan Commits

Based on the diff analysis, identify logical groupings. Common patterns:

• Feature commits: Group related functionality together
• Refactor commits: Structural changes without behavior change
• Config/setup commits: Dependencies, configs, tooling
• Test commits: Test additions/changes
• Fix commits: Bug fixes
• Docs commits: Documentation updates

Create a plan listing each commit with:

• Clear subject line (imperative mood, <72 chars)
• Which files go in each commit
• Why this grouping makes sense

Show the plan to the user and ask for confirmation before proceeding.

4. Execute Rebase

After user confirms the plan:

git reset --soft ${0:-main}
git reset HEAD

This unstages everything while keeping all changes in working directory.

5. Create Commits

For each logical group in the plan:

1. Stage the relevant files:

   git add <specific-files>
   

2. Create commit with descriptive message:

   git commit -m "type: concise description
   
   - Detail 1
   - Detail 2"
   

Use conventional commit prefixes:

• feat: - New features
• fix: - Bug fixes
• refactor: - Code restructuring
• test: - Test changes
• docs: - Documentation
• chore: - Build, config, dependencies

6. Verify Result

Show the new commit history:

git log --oneline ${0:-main}..HEAD

Compare with original to ensure nothing was lost:

git diff ${0:-main}..HEAD --stat

Important Notes

• This is a destructive operation - it rewrites git history
• Only use on branches that haven't been pushed, or be prepared to force push
• Always verify the final diff matches the original diff
• If something goes wrong, use git reflog to recover

Example Output

Before:

abc1234 wip
def5678 more stuff
ghi9012 fix thing
jkl3456 wip2

After:

aaa1111 feat: add user authentication flow
bbb2222 refactor: extract validation helpers
ccc3333 test: add auth integration tests