Conventional Commit Messages
Follow these conventions when creating commits.
Branching
Never create bare branches. If you need branch isolation, use the worktree skill. For simple changes, commit directly on the current branch (including main). Do not run git checkout -b .
Format
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body>
<footer>
The header is required. Scope is optional. All lines must stay under 100 characters.
Commit Types
Type Purpose
build
Build system or CI changes
chore
Routine maintenance tasks
ci
Continuous integration configuration
deps
Dependency updates
docs
Documentation changes
feat
New feature
fix
Bug fix
merge
Merge a worktree or feature branch
perf
Performance improvement
refactor
Code refactoring (no behavior change)
revert
Revert a previous commit
style
Code style and formatting
test
Tests added, updated or improved
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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Do not write title-only commits; include a meaningful body.
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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
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.
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.
Refactor
refactor: 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
Revert Format
revert: feat(api): Add new endpoint
This reverts commit abc123def456.
Reason: Caused performance regression in production.
Principles
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One commit per logical change — never combine unrelated fixes or features into a single commit. If you made three independent changes, create three commits.
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Commits should be independently reviewable
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The repository should be in a working state after each commit
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Sequence commits to maximise option value — foundational infrastructure first, then features that build on it
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Only commit files you actually changed — never pull in unrelated files from concurrent sessions
References
- Conventional Commits Specification