Prepare Git Commit

Overview

Stages files for one logical change and writes a commit message to .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG. The user runs git commit locally so hooks (e.g. commit-msg) execute.

When to Use

Use when

• The user asks to prepare a commit
• The user asks to stage files or write a commit message
• The user asks to commit changes without pushing

Do not use when

• The user explicitly asks to run git commit or git push
• The user wants amend, squash, or rebase unless explicitly requested
• Only documentation or review is needed (no staging or message)

Inputs

• Current branch state (git status, git diff)
• Files already staged or changed on the branch
• Recent commit message style (git log)
• User scope when they name specific paths or changes
• Task/ticket ID when work is tied to a card (Trello, Jira, Linear, GitHub Issues, etc.)

Outputs

• .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG with the formatted commit message
• List of staged files
• Reminder to run commit locally:

git commit
# or
git commit -F .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG

Constraints

• Never run git commit or git push
• Never amend, squash, or rebase unless explicitly requested
• Never stage secrets (.env, credentials, tokens)
• Never add Co-authored-by:, Made-with: Cursor, or any AI/editor attribution
• Commit message language: en-US

Steps

1. Inspect

Run in parallel when possible:

• git status
• git diff (staged + unstaged)
• git log -n 5 (message style)

2. Stage

• If files are already staged appropriately, leave as-is
• Otherwise, pick branch changes related to the same logical work (prefer recent edits)
• Stage only files for the same logical change
• Do not stage unrelated or generated files unless explicitly required
• Run git add for selected paths only

3. Write commit message

• Write to .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG
• Format: short title line + bullet list (intent/why, not noisy implementation detail)
• Prefix — prefer prefix from branch name (e.g. feat/, fix/, chore/); otherwise use feat:, fix:, bugfix:, chore:, refactor:
• Task / ticket ID — when the work is tied to a card or ticket (Trello, Jira, Linear, GitHub Issues, Asana, etc.), always include the task ID in the commit title prefix:
  • Format: {type}/{ID}: {title}
  • Examples:
    • fix/PROJ-123: Handle null response from checkout API
    • feat/TRELLO-456: Add export CSV action to reports
    • chore/ABC-789: Bump eslint and align config
  • Resolve the ID from (in order): user mention → branch name (feat/PROJ-123-..., fix/456-...) → PR/issue link → card URL
  • If no task ID is available, keep the normal prefix without inventing one

4. Hand off

Report staged files, the full commit message (copy-ready), and instruct the user to run git commit locally.

Rationalization Traps

Red Flags

• git commit or git push was executed
• .env, credentials, or generated artifacts were staged
• .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG was not written
• git diff --cached was not reviewed before staging

Verification

• git diff --cached reviewed for scope and secrets
• Only related files are staged (git diff --cached --name-only)
• .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG exists with title, prefix, and bullet list
• Task/ticket ID included in the title prefix when work is linked to a tracked card
• No prohibited attribution in the message
• User received staged file list, full message, and local commit command