Commit to Current Branch

Commit to Current Branch

Adds a new commit to the current Graphite branch by analyzing staged changes, crafting a descriptive message, and using gt modify --commit.

⚠️ MANUAL ONLY — This skill runs ONLY when you explicitly ask to commit. It will never auto-trigger.

Difference from commit-to-graphite-stack: That skill uses gt create to start a new branch in the stack. This skill uses gt modify --commit to stack a new commit on the branch you're already on (no new branch, no amend). Use this when you want to add another commit to the current branch's work.

Arguments

Arg	Required	Description
context	No	Extra context about the change — e.g. the reason, motivation, or any details to weave into the commit message body.

Workflow

Confirm Current Branch

• Run git branch --show-current to show which branch the commit will land on
• If on main (or another trunk), STOP and warn the user — they almost certainly want gt create (the commit-to-graphite-stack skill) to start a new branch instead
• Display the branch name so the user knows where this commit is going

Analyze Staged Changes

• Run git diff --cached --stat to see what's staged
• If nothing is staged, inform the user and suggest they stage files with git add before retrying
• Review the actual changes to understand the scope
• Identify the primary feature or fix being committed

Check Commit Size

• Count the lines changed (insertions + deletions) excluding test files (*.spec.*, *.test.*) and lock files (pnpm-lock.yaml, package-lock.json, yarn.lock)
• Use: git diff --cached --stat -- . ':!*.spec.*' ':!*.test.*' ':!pnpm-lock.yaml' ':!package-lock.json' ':!yarn.lock' and read the summary line
• If the total exceeds 400 lines, warn the user:
  • Display the line count (with and without excluded files)
  • Suggest splitting into smaller, focused commits for easier review
  • Ask whether to proceed anyway or abort so they can split the work
• If the user chooses to proceed, continue normally

Reuse the Branch's Ticket Prefix

• Inspect the existing commits on the branch to find the Linear ticket prefix already in use: git log main..HEAD --pretty=format:"%s" and look for a [FTF-123] / [DEV-123] style prefix in the most recent subjects
• If a prefix is found, default to reusing it for this commit (commits on the same branch usually share a ticket)
• Present the user with these options:
  1. Reuse [TICKET] — use the detected prefix (recommended default)
  2. Enter a different ticket number — provide another Linear ticket ID
  3. Create a new ticket — create a Linear ticket from the staged changes (use the linear-ticket-create skill), then use the new ID
  4. Skip ticket — proceed without a ticket prefix (not recommended for feature work)
• The ticket prefix goes at the start of the title line: [FTF-123] feat: add user authentication

Craft Commit Message

• Follow conventional commits format: [TICKET] <type>: <description>
• Types: feat, fix, refactor, docs, test, chore, perf, ci
• Start with a concise one-line summary
• Add bullet points describing the key changes made (what was added/removed/changed, not implementation details)
• If a context argument was provided, incorporate it naturally into the summary and/or bullet points
• Keep it focused on the single responsibility principle — this commit should be independently reviewable

Present Summary for Review

• Display the commit message in a clear, readable format
• Show the target branch, the file count, and insertion/deletion stats
• List the key files being modified/added
• Ask the user for explicit approval before proceeding

Commit with Graphite

• Only proceed after user approval
• Use gt modify --commit -m "message" (the --commit / -c flag forces a NEW commit instead of amending the branch tip)
• Pass the message via heredoc for multiline commits
• Graphite will automatically restack any descendant branches — confirm the output shows the new commit and a successful restack

Conventional Commits Examples

Feature

[FTF-123] feat: add login rate limiting

Summary
Adds rate limiting to the login endpoint to mitigate credential stuffing.

Add a sliding-window limiter keyed on IP + email.
Return 429 with a retry-after header when the limit is exceeded.

Test plan

- [ ] Exceed the login attempt threshold and confirm a 429 is returned
- [ ] Confirm the counter resets after the window elapses

Bug Fix

[FTF-456] fix: prevent duplicate submit on slow networks

Summary
Disables the submit button while a request is in flight to stop double submissions.

Track an in-flight flag and disable the button while pending.
Re-enable on both success and error paths.

Test plan

- [ ] Throttle the network and click submit twice rapidly
- [ ] Confirm only one request is sent

Approval Step

Before creating the commit, present a summary:

📋 COMMIT SUMMARY
─────────────────────────────────────────
Branch: dev-640/money-input-currency-prefix  (gt modify --commit)
Ticket: DEV-640
Type: fix
Title: [DEV-640] fix: clamp MoneyInput cursor after prefix

Files Changed: 2 files
+ 38 insertions, - 6 deletions

Key Files:
  📝 src/lib/components/ui/money-input/money-input.svelte
  📝 src/lib/components/ui/money-input/money-input.test.ts

Commit Body:
  Summary
  Keeps the caret from landing inside the "R " prefix.

  Clamp the selection start to after the prefix on focus and input.
  Add tests covering caret position on empty and populated fields.

  Test plan

  - [ ] Focus an empty MoneyInput and confirm the caret sits after "R "
  - [ ] Type and delete to empty and confirm the caret never enters the prefix

Ready to commit? (yes/no)

Only proceed with gt modify --commit if the user confirms. If the user declines, ask what they'd like to change (message wording, scope, split into multiple commits, etc.) and revise accordingly.

Key Principles

• One responsibility per commit — each commit should be independently reviewable
• New commit, not amend — --commit is what makes Graphite stack a fresh commit instead of folding into the tip
• Reuse the branch ticket — commits on the same branch usually share a Linear ticket; default to the detected prefix
• Descriptive over brief — "clamp caret after prefix" > "fix input"
• User approval required — always show the summary and wait for confirmation before committing

When to Use

ONLY when you explicitly ask to add a commit to the current branch.

This skill is manual and does not auto-trigger. Examples of explicit requests:

• "gt modify commit these changes"
• "add another commit to this branch"
• "stack a new commit on the current branch"
• "commit this to the current branch with a good message"

For starting a new branch in the stack, use commit-to-graphite-stack (gt create) instead.

Integration with Graphite

This skill is the "add to the current branch" counterpart in the stacking workflow:

1. Start a branch with gt create (via commit-to-graphite-stack)
2. Add follow-up commits to that same branch with gt modify --commit (this skill)
3. Run gt submit --no-interactive to push the stack to PRs

gt modify --commit adds the commit and auto-restacks descendants, keeping the stack consistent.