Commit Message Generator

Skill: Commit Message Generator

Analyze code changes and produce well-structured Conventional Commit messages following project conventions.

Trigger

When the user asks to generate, write, or improve a commit message — or before committing staged changes.

Prerequisites

• [ ] Git repository initialized
• [ ] Changes staged (git add) or described by the user

Steps

Step 1: Gather Change Context

• [ ] Run git diff --cached --stat to see staged file summary
• [ ] Run git diff --cached for detailed diff (limit to first 200 lines if large)
• [ ] Check branch name for scope hints: git branch --show-current
• [ ] If no staged changes, ask the user to describe what changed

Step 2: Classify the Change Type

Map changes to Conventional Commit types:

| Type | When | |------|------| | feat | New feature or capability | | fix | Bug fix | | docs | Documentation only | | style | Formatting, whitespace, semicolons (no logic change) | | refactor | Code restructuring without behavior change | | test | Adding or updating tests | | chore | Build, tooling, dependency updates | | perf | Performance improvement | | ci | CI/CD pipeline changes |

Step 3: Determine Scope

• [ ] Identify the primary module/package affected
• [ ] Use project-standard scopes: rules, agents, skills, commands, hooks, docs, config
• [ ] For cross-cutting changes, use the most significant scope or omit

Step 4: Write Subject Line

• [ ] Format: type(scope): imperative description
• [ ] Keep under 72 characters
• [ ] Use imperative mood ("add", "fix", "update" — not "added", "fixes")
• [ ] Lowercase, no trailing period
• [ ] Focus on what changed, not how

Step 5: Write Body (if needed)

Include a body when:

• The why isn't obvious from the subject
• Multiple files or concerns are involved
• There are breaking changes

Body rules:

• [ ] Blank line between subject and body
• [ ] Wrap at 72 characters
• [ ] Use bullet points for multiple items
• [ ] Explain motivation and contrast with previous behavior

Step 6: Add Footer (if needed)

• [ ] Breaking changes: BREAKING CHANGE: description
• [ ] Issue references: Closes #123, Refs #456
• [ ] Co-authors: Co-authored-by: Name

Step 7: Validate & Output

• [ ] Verify subject ≤ 72 chars
• [ ] Verify type is valid Conventional Commit type
• [ ] Verify no secrets, PII, or internal hostnames in message
• [ ] If changes span multiple concerns, suggest splitting into separate commits
• [ ] Present the final message in a copyable code block

Rules

• ALWAYS use Conventional Commits format
• NEVER include secrets, API keys, or internal URLs in commit messages
• NEVER reference specific infrastructure names — use placeholders
• Prefer atomic commits: one logical change per commit
• If the diff is too large (>500 lines), suggest splitting

Examples

Simple feature

feat(skills): add commit-message-generator skill

Step-by-step workflow for generating Conventional Commit messages
from staged changes or user descriptions.

Bug fix with issue reference

fix(auth): handle expired refresh tokens gracefully

Previously, expired refresh tokens caused a 500 error.
Now returns 401 with a clear message prompting re-authentication.

Closes #247

Breaking change

feat(api)!: change pagination from offset to cursor-based

BREAKING CHANGE: All list endpoints now use cursor-based pagination.
Replace `page` and `limit` params with `cursor` and `pageSize`.

Migration guide: docs/migration/v2-pagination.md

Completion

One or more commit messages ready to copy-paste. If changes span multiple concerns, provide separate messages for each suggested split.

If a Step Fails

• No staged changes: Ask the user to describe the change, or run git add first
• Ambiguous type: Default to chore and ask the user for clarification
• Large diff: Summarize themes and suggest feat vs fix based on behavior change
• Multi-concern diff: Suggest git add -p to stage partial changes for atomic commits

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: girijashankarj
• Source: girijashankarj/cursor-handbook
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.