write-commit

Commit

Generate a commit message for the current changes, then optionally execute the commit with user approval.

Workflow

Step 1 — Gather fresh state

Run all three in parallel — never reuse results from earlier in the conversation:

git status
git diff HEAD
git diff --cached

Determine: are there staged files? Unstaged changes? Untracked files?

If there are no changes at all (nothing staged, unstaged, or untracked), tell the user there's nothing to commit and stop.

Step 2 — Staging decision

If there are already staged files AND unstaged/untracked changes, ask the user:

• Staged files only — write commit for what's already staged
• Stage all changes — run git add -A, then write commit for everything

If everything is already staged, skip this question. If nothing is staged, ask:

• Stage all changes — run git add -A
• Select files — let the user tell you which files to stage

After staging is resolved, re-run git diff --cached to see exactly what will be committed.

Step 3 — Check for commit template

Check for a repo-level commit template:

git config --get commit.template

Also check for .gitmessagetemplate or .git-commit-template in the repo root.

• If a template exists, read it and follow its format for the commit message.
• If no template exists, use the default format below.

Step 4 — Write the commit message

Default format

1. A single summary line (imperative mood, under 70 characters)
2. A blank line
3. A bulleted list of what the code does NOW

Message rules

• Describe the result, not the process. No "Fix bug that was introduced when..." or "Refactor after code review found..."

• Each bullet: a discrete capability, integration, or architectural change as it exists in the final code

• Imperative mood ("Add X", "Extract Y", "Update Z")

• If CONTEXT.md exists in the repo, use its domain terms. If absent, proceed silently.

• Group related changes into single bullets rather than listing every file

• Omit intermediate steps, failed approaches, iterative fixes — only the current state

• Never describe corrections to things that were never committed. If a value was wrong in the working tree but never in git history, describe the current (correct) state.

• 8–15 bullets for large changes, fewer for small ones

• Never append Co-Authored-By, Signed-off-by, or any trailer lines to the commit message

Display the full commit message to the user in a code block.

Step 5 — User approval

After displaying the message, ask the user:

• Commit now — execute git commit with the displayed message
• Make changes — user provides feedback, you revise the message, then ask again
• End now — exit without committing

NEVER commit without the user choosing "Commit now."

When committing, use a HEREDOC to pass the message:

git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
<message here>
EOF
)"

After a successful commit, show the user the commit hash and summary.