Commit Message Format

<type>(<scope>): <short description>

Summary

Brief description of what was done. Fixes #<issue-number>.

New Components

ComponentName (path/to/file.ts)

• Bullet points describing the component

Enhanced Components

ExistingComponent.ts

• What was changed and why

Files Changed

• path/to/file1.ts
• path/to/file2.ts

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Type Prefixes

Type When to Use

feat

New feature or capability

fix

Bug fix

refactor

Code restructuring (no behavior change)

chore

Dependencies, config, tooling

docs

Documentation only

Scope is optional — use when the change targets a specific area (e.g., feat(citations): , fix(auth): ).

Commit Workflow

• Run git diff --staged to review all staged changes

• Read files for context if needed; look for related issue numbers

• Write the commit message to COMMIT_MESSAGE.md

• Run git commit -F COMMIT_MESSAGE.md

• Delete COMMIT_MESSAGE.md

Rules

• Subject line: max 72 chars, imperative mood ("Add" not "Added")

• Include Fixes #N or Closes #N in Summary when applicable

• Always list all changed files in the Files Changed section

• Omit "Testing" and "Breaking Changes" sections — not used in this repo

• New components: document with bullet points describing key features

• Enhanced components: explain what changed and why

• Always include the Co-authored-by trailer as the last line of the commit body: Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Constraints

• ❌ Don't stage files (git add ) — that's the caller's job

• ❌ Don't push (git push ) — user decides when to push

• ❌ Don't modify code — only create commits during the commit workflow