conventional-commits

Conventional Commits Skill

Help the user produce correct, clear conventional commit messages for this project. You should write the message, explain your choices, and flag anything that needs the user's input (e.g. the right scope word, whether a change is breaking).

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Message format

<type>[optional scope][!]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

• The header (first line) is required. Body and footers are optional, each separated from the previous section by one blank line.

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Allowed types

Type	Use it when…	SemVer
feat	a new user-facing feature or capability is added	MINOR
fix	a bug is fixed (a reproducing test would now pass)	PATCH
refactor	internal code change with zero behavior change	—
docs	documentation only (README, comments, guides, ADRs)	—
test	tests added or updated, no src changes	—
chore	catch-all: dep bumps, build config, CI, formatting, tooling	—

Pick the type that describes the primary intent. When in doubt, prefer the more specific type — e.g. refactor over chore for internal rewrites.

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Header rules

• Type must be one of the six above.
• Scope (optional) is a short lowercase noun in parentheses: fix(auth): …, feat(api): …. Use a stable area-of-the-codebase noun. Don't use issue IDs as scopes.
• Description: imperative present tense ("add", not "added" / "adds"), lowercase first letter, no trailing period, ≤ 72 characters total header. Read it as "This commit will…"

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Breaking changes

Mark breaking changes (consumers must change code/config/env) in either or both of these ways:

1. Append ! after the type/scope: feat(api)!: …

2. Add a BREAKING CHANGE: footer (the one token allowed to contain a space):

   BREAKING CHANGE: <what changed and what callers must do>
   

Breaking changes map to a MAJOR SemVer bump.

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Body (optional)

Use the body to explain what and why — not how (the diff shows how).

• Separate from the header with exactly one blank line.
• Wrap at 72 characters per line.
• Imperative present tense.
• Issue references belong in the footer, not here.

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Footer (optional)

Each footer is Token: value (use - instead of spaces in tokens).

Common footers:

• Refs: #123 — related issue
• Closes: #123 — closes the issue on merge
• Co-authored-by: Name <email>
• BREAKING CHANGE: <description>

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Merge and revert commits — the one exception

These are the only commits that do NOT use the type: prefix:

• Merges: keep Git's raw default subject exactly as generated (e.g. Merge branch 'feature/x' into main). Add a body only when the merge needs explanation (conflict decisions, etc.).
• Reverts: keep git revert's default subject (Revert "<original>"), keep the auto-generated This reverts commit <sha>. body line, then add a body explaining why the revert was needed.

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How to apply this skill

1. Understand the change. Read what the user describes (or shows you in a diff / list of changes). Identify the primary intent, the affected area, and whether anything breaks for consumers.

2. Pick the type. Use the table above. If the change spans multiple types, split it or pick the dominant intent.

3. Choose a scope (optional). Only add one if it adds real clarity. If the user hasn't given you a natural scope, ask — or omit it and note that they can add one.

4. Write the header. Imperative, lowercase, ≤ 72 chars, no trailing period.

5. Decide on body/footer. Add a body when the why isn't obvious from the header. Add footers for issue refs and breaking changes.

6. Show your work briefly. After presenting the commit message, explain in one or two sentences why you chose the type (and scope, if used). This helps the user learn the convention and spot if you misunderstood the change.

7. Flag uncertainty. If you're unsure about the type or scope, say so and offer alternatives.

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Examples

Minimal:

fix: prevent crash on empty config file

With scope:

feat(billing): add monthly invoice export

With body and footer:

refactor(auth): extract token validation into its own module

The validation logic was duplicated across the login and refresh
handlers. Centralizing it keeps the two paths in sync and makes
future changes (e.g. adding JWKS rotation) a single edit.

Refs: #482

Breaking change:

feat(api)!: require API key on all public endpoints

BREAKING CHANGE: requests without an `X-API-Key` header now
receive 401. See docs/migration-2026-05.md for migration steps.

Closes: #517

Revert:

Revert "feat(billing): add monthly invoice export"

This reverts commit 3f9a1c2e.

The export job locks the invoices table for ~30s under load,
causing checkout timeouts (incident #INC-204). Reverting while
we move the export to a read replica.

Refs: #INC-204

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Quick checklist (verify before presenting)

• Type is one of: feat, fix, refactor, docs, test, chore (or raw Git default for merges/reverts)
• Header ≤ 72 chars, imperative, lowercase first letter, no trailing period
• Scope (if used) is a short lowercase noun in parentheses
• Breaking changes marked with ! and/or BREAKING CHANGE: footer
• Body (if present) separated by a blank line, wrapped at 72 cols
• Issue refs in the footer, not the description or body