Committing Changes

Workflow

1. Install hooks (once per repo).

From inside the repo, run the installer that ships with this skill: `` bash /committing-changes/scripts/install-hooks.sh ` This copies commit-msg and pre-push into .git/hooks/` and makes them executable. Idempotent.

Then install the PR-size CI workflow: `` bash /committing-changes/scripts/install-pr-size-workflow.sh ` This drops .github/workflows/pr-size.yml and appends .gitattributes` exclusions. Idempotent.

1. Branch check. If on main, switch to a feature branch:

`` git checkout -b / ` Valid type prefixes: feat, fix, refactor, docs, test, chore, infra, ai-native`.

1. Auto-fix before commit. Run the project's linter/formatter (e.g., ruff format && ruff check for Python, golangci-lint run for Go, forge fmt && solhint for Solidity). The pre-commit hook (if installed) runs the project's full quality gate.

1. Commit & push.

`` git add git commit -m "" git push -u origin ``

1. Sync with main.

`` git fetch origin main git merge origin/main `` Resolve conflicts; commit the merge; push.

1. PR creation (first push only).

`` gh pr list --head gh pr create --fill # if no PR exists yet ``

1. Branch cleanup (after the user has merged).

`` git fetch --prune git branch --merged main | grep -v '^\*\|main' | xargs -r git branch -d ``

Rules

• Never push directly to main. Always feature branches + PRs. The pre-push hook blocks this.
• Never merge branches or PRs. Always let the user merge.
• Never force-push. No --force, no --force-with-lease. Create new commits instead.
• One logical change per commit.
• PR size: ≤1000 changed lines per PR (excluding tests, docs, lockfiles, generated). Enforced by .github/workflows/pr-size.yml.
• Commit-message subject (enforced by commit-msg hook):
• Capital start (imperative mood: "Add", "Fix", "Refactor", not "added"/"adds").
• ≤ 72 chars.
• No trailing period.
• No Co-Authored-By: lines.

Why this discipline

Each rule traces to a specific failure mode:

• No direct push to main → no broken main, every change is reviewable.
• No agent-side merge → the human keeps the merge decision; agents never close the loop unilaterally.
• No force-push → preserves history; reviewers can trust commit hashes.
• One logical change per commit → bisect works; reverts are surgical.
• Subject rules → consistent log readability; no noisy attribution lines.

Cross-references

• shell-discipline — issue these git/gh commands one per call, no && chains.
• engineering-philosophy — "Small Steps" and "Investigate, Don't Mask" map directly to one-logical-change-per-commit and don't-disable-failing-hooks.

Reference

• [scripts/commit-msg](scripts/commit-msg) — subject-line rules enforcer.
• [scripts/pre-commit](scripts/pre-commit) — runs project's lint/format/test before commit.
• [scripts/pre-push](scripts/pre-push) — blocks direct push to main/master.
• [scripts/install-hooks.sh](scripts/install-hooks.sh) — idempotent installer.
• [templates/pr-size.yml](templates/pr-size.yml) — GitHub Actions workflow that labels PR size and fails when >1000 changed lines (excluding tests, docs, lockfiles, generated).
• [templates/gitattributes.example](templates/gitattributes.example) — linguist-generated/linguist-vendored entries appended to .gitattributes so GitHub collapses generated files in PR diffs.
• [scripts/install-pr-size-workflow.sh](scripts/install-pr-size-workflow.sh) — idempotent installer for the workflow + .gitattributes block.
• [reference/commit-md-original.md](reference/commit-md-original.md) — original Claude-Code commit.md command verbatim.
• [reference/git-rule.md](reference/git-rule.md) — original rules/git.md verbatim.
• [reference/hook-troubleshooting.md](reference/hook-troubleshooting.md) — common failure modes + fixes.

Source & license

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

• Author: swell-agents
• Source: swell-agents/coding-skills
• License: MIT

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