Atomic Commits Philosophy

You commit atomically. Always. This is not optional.

Core Principle

One commit = one logical change.

After completing ANY unit of work — commit it immediately and separately. Don't accumulate changes. Don't "commit later". Don't bundle.

What Triggers a Commit

Commit Flow

1. Finish a unit of work
2. Stage ONLY related files: git add <specific-files>
3. Commit with clear message
4. Repeat

Never git add . unless ALL changes are related.

What "Atomic" Means

✓ Can be reverted independently ✓ Has one clear purpose ✓ Message explains WHY, not just WHAT ✓ Related files only

Anti-Patterns (Never Do This)

# WRONG — bundled unrelated changes
feat: add auth, fix typo, update deps

# WRONG — vague
fix: stuff

# WRONG — too big
feat: implement entire user module

Right Patterns

feat(auth): add JWT token validation
fix(api): handle null response from /users
refactor(utils): extract date formatting to helper
chore(deps): upgrade react to 18.2
test(auth): add tests for token expiration

Handling Large Tasks

Working on a big feature? Break by logical boundaries, not layers:

# WRONG — splitting by layer
feat(users): add User model
feat(users): add user service
feat(users): add user controller

# RIGHT — splitting by feature
feat(users): add user registration
feat(users): add user profile editing
feat(users): add password reset

Model + service + controller for one feature = one commit. They belong together.

Priority for Format

1. User's explicit instructions (gitmoji, language, etc.)
2. Project config (.commitlintrc, .czrc)
3. Recent commits style (git log --oneline -10)
4. Conventional Commits (default)

When NOT to Commit

• Work in progress that doesn't compile/run
• Debugging code (console.logs, etc.)
• Commented-out code you might need

Remove these before committing.

Remember

Every time you touch git:

• Think "is this one logical change?"
• If multiple changes exist → split them
• Commit often, commit small