conventional-commit-generator - SKILL.md Agent Skill

name: Conventional Commit Generator description: This skill should be used when the user asks to "create a conventional commit", "generate conventional commits", "commit with conventional format", "group my changes for commits", "make a conventional commit message", or mentions "semantic commits", "commitizen", "commit conventions". Analyzes staged and unstaged changes, groups related modifications, and generates properly formatted conventional commit messages with interactive commit grouping options. version: 0.1.0

Conventional Commit Generator

Generate properly formatted conventional commits by analyzing changes, grouping related modifications, and creating semantic commit messages following the Conventional Commits specification.

Purpose

Automate the process of reviewing code changes, identifying logical groupings, and generating conventional commit messages. Ensure commits follow the Conventional Commits specification while providing control over commit granularity (separate small commits, combined medium commits, or a single large commit).

When to Use

Use this skill when:

Creating commits that follow Conventional Commits specification
Need to group related changes logically before committing
Want to understand what changes are being committed
Need guidance on proper commit message formatting
Working on projects requiring semantic versioning or automated changelogs

Conventional Commit Format

Follow the standard format:

<type>(<scope>): <subject>

<body>

<footer>

Type (required):

feat: New feature
fix: Bug fix
docs: Documentation changes
style: Code style changes (formatting, missing semicolons, etc.)
refactor: Code refactoring without changing functionality
perf: Performance improvements
test: Adding or updating tests
build: Build system or dependency changes
ci: CI/CD configuration changes
chore: Maintenance tasks, tooling changes
revert: Reverting previous commits

Scope (optional): Component or module affected (e.g., auth, api, ui, parser)

Subject (required): Brief imperative description (≤50 chars)

Body (optional): Detailed explanation of what and why

Footer (optional): Breaking changes, issue references

Workflow

Step 1: Analyze Changes

Run git commands in parallel to gather change information:

# View status (never use -uall flag)
git status

# View unstaged changes
git diff

# View staged changes
git diff --cached

# Recent commit messages for style reference
git log --oneline -10

Review the output to understand:

What files have changed
What modifications were made
Current staging status
Existing commit message patterns in the repository

Step 2: Group Related Changes

Analyze the changes and identify logical groupings based on:

Grouping criteria:

Purpose: Changes serving the same goal (e.g., all authentication-related)
Type: Same conventional commit type (e.g., all bug fixes)
Scope: Same component or module (e.g., all API changes)
Dependencies: Changes that depend on each other
File proximity: Related files in the same directory or feature

Example groupings:

Changes to group together:

src/auth/login.ts + src/auth/session.ts → Authentication feature
tests/auth.test.ts + tests/session.test.ts → Authentication tests
README.md + docs/api.md → Documentation updates

Changes to separate:

New feature in src/feature.ts ≠ Bug fix in src/auth.ts
Test file updates ≠ Source code changes (unless tightly coupled)
Documentation ≠ Code changes (unless documenting new code)

Present the analysis showing:

Total changes detected
Proposed logical groups with files in each group
Conventional commit type for each group
Brief description of what each group accomplishes

Step 3: Ask for Commit Strategy

Use AskUserQuestion to let the user choose commit granularity:

Question: "How would you like to structure these commits?"

Options:
1. "Separate small commits" - One commit per logical group (detailed history)
2. "Combined medium commits" - Group related changes (balanced approach) (Recommended)
3. "Single large commit" - All changes in one commit (simple history)

Guidance for recommendations:

Separate small commits: Best for ≥4 distinct logical groups, complex features
Combined medium commits: Best for 2-3 logical groups, typical development work
Single large commit: Best for 1 logical group, simple changes, prototypes

Step 4: Generate Commit Messages

Based on the user's choice, generate conventional commit messages:

For each commit group:

Determine type: Select the most appropriate conventional commit type
Identify scope: Determine the component/module (optional but recommended)
Write subject: Clear, imperative description (≤50 chars)
Add body (if needed): Explain what changed and why (not how)
Add footer (if needed): Breaking changes, issue references

Subject line rules:

Use imperative mood ("add" not "added" or "adds")
Don't capitalize first letter after colon
No period at the end
Keep under 50 characters
Be specific but concise

Body guidelines:

Wrap at 72 characters
Explain what and why, not how
Use bullet points for multiple changes
Reference issue numbers when relevant

Footer format:

Breaking changes: BREAKING CHANGE: description
Issue references: Closes #123, Fixes #456
Co-authors: Co-authored-by: Name <email>

Example commit messages:

feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism

Implement automatic token refresh to improve user experience
by preventing unexpected logouts during active sessions.

- Add refresh token endpoint
- Implement token rotation strategy
- Add retry logic for failed refresh attempts

Closes #234

fix(api): handle null responses in user service

Previously, null user responses caused uncaught exceptions.
Add null checks and return appropriate error messages.

Fixes #456

docs(readme): update installation instructions

Add troubleshooting section for common installation issues
and clarify dependency requirements for Node.js 18+.

Step 5: Stage and Commit Changes

After presenting commit messages:

Show commit plan: Display all proposed commits with files and messages
Stage files: Use git add for specific files in each group
Create commits: Use heredoc format for multi-line messages
Verify: Run git log to confirm commits were created correctly

Staging strategy:

For separate/combined commits: Stage only files for each specific commit
For single commit: Stage all changed files at once
Always stage specific files by path, never use git add . or git add -A

Commit execution:

# Use heredoc for proper formatting
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism

Implement automatic token refresh to improve user experience
by preventing unexpected logouts during active sessions.

- Add refresh token endpoint
- Implement token rotation strategy
- Add retry logic for failed refresh attempts

Closes #234

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
EOF
)"

Important notes:

Never use --no-verify flag
Always include Co-Authored-By footer
If pre-commit hook fails, fix issues and create NEW commit (never amend)
Run git status after each commit to verify

Step 6: Present Summary

After creating commits, provide a clear summary:

✓ Created 3 conventional commits:

1. feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism
   Files: src/auth/token.ts, src/auth/refresh.ts

2. test(auth): add token refresh test coverage
   Files: tests/auth/token.test.ts

3. docs(auth): document token refresh flow
   Files: docs/authentication.md, README.md

All changes committed successfully.

Edge Cases

No changes to commit:

Inform that there are no changes
Do not create empty commits

Merge conflicts:

Identify conflicted files from git status
Advise resolving conflicts before committing
Do not attempt to commit with unresolved conflicts

Pre-commit hook failures:

Show the hook error message
Fix the reported issues (linting, formatting, etc.)
Re-stage fixed files
Create a NEW commit (never amend unless explicitly requested)

Mixed staged/unstaged changes:

Clearly identify what is staged vs unstaged
Ask if unstaged changes should be included
Only commit confirmed changes

Very large changesets (>20 files):

Suggest more granular grouping
Consider recommending combined commits over single large commit
Ensure commit messages adequately describe scope

Best Practices

DO:

Review all changes before grouping
Group related changes logically
Use consistent commit types throughout the project
Write clear, imperative subject lines
Include body when context is needed
Reference issue numbers
Always add Co-Authored-By footer
Verify commits were created correctly

DON'T:

Create commits without reviewing changes
Mix unrelated changes in one commit
Use vague subjects like "fix bug" or "update files"
Exceed 50 characters in subject lines
Use past tense ("added", "fixed")
Capitalize subject line after type/scope
End subject lines with periods
Skip verification step

Additional Resources

Reference Files

For detailed conventional commit specifications and examples:

references/conventional-commits-spec.md - Full specification with examples
references/commit-patterns.md - Common patterns and anti-patterns

Example Files

Working examples of commit workflows:

examples/multi-commit-workflow.sh - Example of creating multiple commits
examples/commit-messages.txt - Example commit message formats

Scripts

Utility scripts for validation:

scripts/validate-commit-msg.sh - Validate commit message format
scripts/group-changes.py - Analyze and suggest change groupings

Quick Reference

Common Types:

feat     - New feature
fix      - Bug fix
docs     - Documentation
style    - Formatting
refactor - Code restructuring
test     - Tests
chore    - Maintenance

Template:

<type>(<scope>): <subject ≤50 chars>

<body wrapped at 72 chars>

<footer: BREAKING CHANGE, Closes #123>

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

Grouping Strategy:

Small commits  → Detailed history, many commits
Medium commits → Balanced (recommended)
Large commit   → Simple history, one commit