Anthony Bordonaro

Commit Message Prompt

Prompt
promptsgitworkflow

Most commit messages describe what changed ("update header component") instead of why it changed ("add AI Toolkit nav link to header"). The diff already shows what changed — the commit message's job is to explain the intent.

The prompt

Look at the staged changes (run `git diff --cached`) and write a commit message following these rules:

## Format

For simple changes (single concern):
<type>: <what changed and why> (under 72 chars)

For complex changes (multiple concerns):
<type>: <summary of the change> (under 72 chars)

- <specific change 1 and why>
- <specific change 2 and why>
- <specific change 3 and why>

## Types
- feat: new functionality
- fix: bug fix
- refactor: restructuring without behavior change
- docs: documentation only
- test: adding or updating tests
- chore: build, config, dependencies

## Rules
1. First line under 72 characters
2. Focus on WHY, not WHAT — the diff shows what changed
3. Use imperative mood ("add" not "added", "fix" not "fixes")
4. Don't describe every file touched — describe the user-facing or developer-facing change
5. If the change is a fix, mention what was broken
6. If the change has multiple concerns, it might be better as multiple commits — say so

Examples

Bad (describes what the diff already shows):

Update toolkit-filter.js and toolkit-card.js

Good (explains why):

feat: add entry counts to category filter buttons

Users can now see how many entries exist per category before clicking,
reducing empty-result dead ends.

Bad (vague):

Fix bug

Good (specific):

fix: prevent double renders on search input keystroke

Debounce timer was stored in useState, causing a re-render when the
timer ID updated. Moved to useRef since it's only accessed in callbacks.

When to use it

  • Before any commit — make it a habit
  • After large feature branches where you want a clean commit message that summarizes the full change
  • When squash-merging a PR and need a summary message

Tips

  • If Claude suggests the commit has too many concerns, listen. Multiple small commits with clear messages are better than one large commit with a paragraph-long message.
  • For Claude Code specifically, you can just say "commit these changes" and it will follow this pattern if you've added it to your CLAUDE.md or slash commands.
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