temper-pass / rules
Cursor rule0 starsChanged 47 days agoMITView on GitHub
Commit message standards — applied when creating git commits
Where files are headingNew Cursor rule files have more rules about planning and tracking tasks, and fewer about code style.
Of the Cursor rule files we read, the 4,157 first seen in the last six months, against the older ones: the kind of rule that gained most share, and the kind that lost most. About files like this in general, not this one, and an estimate, since a kind is a pattern in the words.
In this repository8 other files it gives its agents.
- AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- .forgetrail/AGENTS.mdAGENTS.md
- CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- .forgetrail/CLAUDE.mdCLAUDE.md
- .cursor/rules/forgetrail-lessons-gate.mdcCursor rule
- .cursor/rules/forgetrail-lessons-mcp.mdcCursor rule
- .cursor/rules/forgetrail-phase-status.mdcCursor rule
- .cursor/rules/git-user-commits.mdcCursor rule
The file
We split this commit-messages.mdc into the rules it gives an agent
7 rules. About 0 are common, 4 are distinctive, and 3 are very specific to this project.
≈0
Common · estimate
Many files like this have a rule of this kind.
≈4
Distinctive · estimate
This author's own choices. Worth a look.
3
Very specific
Tied to their project's names, files or tools. Probably skip.
- Common
- Distinctive
- Very specific
- Very specific: line 8
Use these whenever you create a commit (including the default “after substantive work” flow in git-user-commits.mdc).
- Distinctive: line 17
If a change is in TODO.md or IDEAS.md and only *plans* work, do not say the work was done.
- Very specific: line 18
If a TODO entry flips to [x], reflect that completion only if the corresponding staged changes match the completed item.
- Distinctive: line 22
Prefer a multi-line message.
- Distinctive: line 25
Blank line: after the subject.
- Very specific: line 36
Use plain -m or git commit -F path/to/msg.txt (subject, blank line, body).
- Distinctive: line 41
No joke suffixes or misleading tags—the message should read like a serious engineering log.
≈ “Common” is an estimate: at least 1 in 5 of the 6,668 Cursor rule files we read have a rule of the same kind, not the same words. “Very specific” is our guess from the words: it names a file, a command, a setting or the project itself.
Files
--- description: Commit message standards — applied when creating git commits alwaysApply: true --- # Commit Messages Use these whenever you **create a commit** (including the default “after substantive work” flow in `git-user-commits.mdc`). **Creating that commit is allowed** when those criteria are met—this file only defines *how* to write the message, not whether you may commit. ## Ground truth - Base the commit message on **what is actually staged** (`git diff --staged`). Do not add, assume, or hallucinate features, files, or reasons not visible in that diff. - **Session summary:** You may use your end-of-task summary as the *starting point* for the subject and body, but **reconcile** it line-by-line with the staged diff—drop anything the diff does not support; add file-level accuracy the summary missed. ## Wording - If a change is in **TODO.md** or **IDEAS.md** and only *plans* work, do not say the work was done. - If a **TODO** entry flips to `[x]`, reflect that completion only if the corresponding staged changes match the completed item. ## Format (default for substantive commits) Prefer a **multi-line** message. One-line subjects are too thin for history and changelogs. 1. **Subject line (first line):** A short imperative summary (≈50–72 characters is ideal; slightly longer is OK if needed). State *what* changed at a glance. 2. **Blank line** after the subject. 3. **Body:** Detailed, structured prose so a reader can understand the change without opening the diff first, while staying honest to what’s staged. The body should usually include: - **Scope:** Which areas or features are touched (paths or subsystems when helpful). - **What changed:** Per file or per logical group—what was **added**, **changed**, **removed**, or **moved**. Use bullets if the commit has several parts. - **Why (light):** Short rationale when it isn’t obvious from the diff alone. Skip boilerplate and skip invented motivations not supported by the diff. **Trivial commits** (typo in one comment, single-string copy fix) may use a subject-only message; everything else should use subject + body. Use plain `-m` or `git commit -F path/to/msg.txt` (subject, blank line, body). Prefer `-F` for multi-line bodies on Windows/Cursor shells. ## Tone - Clear, professional US English (complete sentences in the body). - No joke suffixes or misleading tags—the message should read like a serious engineering log.
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