Sentry Commit Messages
Follow these conventions when creating commits for Sentry projects.
Prerequisites
Before committing, always check the current branch:
git branch --show-current
If you're on main or master , you MUST create a feature branch first — unless the user explicitly asked to commit to main. Do not ask the user whether to create a branch; just proceed with branch creation. The create-branch skill will still propose a branch name for the user to confirm.
Use the create-branch skill to create the branch. After create-branch completes, verify the current branch has changed before proceeding:
git branch --show-current
If still on main or master (e.g., the user aborted branch creation), stop — do not commit.
Format
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body>
<footer>
The header is required. Scope is optional. All lines must stay under 100 characters.
Commit Types
Type Purpose
feat
New feature
fix
Bug fix
ref
Refactoring (no behavior change)
perf
Performance improvement
docs
Documentation only
test
Test additions or corrections
build
Build system or dependencies
ci
CI configuration
chore
Maintenance tasks
style
Code formatting (no logic change)
meta
Repository metadata
license
License changes
Subject Line Rules
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Use imperative, present tense: "Add feature" not "Added feature"
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Capitalize the first letter
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No period at the end
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Maximum 70 characters
Body Guidelines
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Explain what and why, not how
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Use imperative mood and present tense
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Include motivation for the change
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Contrast with previous behavior when relevant
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Use real newlines in commit bodies; never include literal \n sequences
Commit Command Hygiene
When creating commits from the CLI, do not embed escaped newlines like \n inside -m strings. That produces literal backslash characters in the final commit message.
Prefer one of these patterns:
git commit -m "type(scope): Subject"
-m "First paragraph with real line wrapping.
Second paragraph.
Fixes GH-1234 Co-Authored-By: (the agent's name and attribution byline)"
git commit
Use the editor flow when the message needs careful formatting.
Footer: Issue References
Reference issues in the footer using these patterns:
Fixes GH-1234 Fixes #1234 Fixes SENTRY-1234 Refs LINEAR-ABC-123
-
Fixes closes the issue when merged
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Refs links without closing
AI-Generated Changes
When changes were primarily generated by a coding agent, include the Co-Authored-By attribution in the commit footer. Agents should use their own identity:
Co-Authored-By: (the agent's name and attribution byline)
Example: Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4 <noreply@example.com>
This is the only indicator of AI involvement that should appear in commits. Do not add phrases like "Generated by AI", "Written with Claude", or similar markers in the subject, body, or anywhere else in the commit message.
Examples
Simple fix
fix(api): Handle null response in user endpoint
The user API could return null for deleted accounts, causing a crash in the dashboard. Add null check before accessing user properties.
Fixes SENTRY-5678 Co-Authored-By: (the agent's name and attribution byline)
Feature with scope
feat(alerts): Add Slack thread replies for alert updates
When an alert is updated or resolved, post a reply to the original Slack thread instead of creating a new message. This keeps related notifications grouped together.
Refs GH-1234
Refactor
ref: Extract common validation logic to shared module
Move duplicate validation code from three endpoints into a shared validator class. No behavior change.
Breaking change
feat(api)!: Remove deprecated v1 endpoints
Remove all v1 API endpoints that were deprecated in version 23.1. Clients should migrate to v2 endpoints.
BREAKING CHANGE: v1 endpoints no longer available Fixes SENTRY-9999
Revert Format
revert: feat(api): Add new endpoint
This reverts commit abc123def456.
Reason: Caused performance regression in production.
Principles
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Each commit should be a single, stable change
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Commits should be independently reviewable
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The repository should be in a working state after each commit
References
- Sentry Commit Messages