Type	Description
`feat`	New feature
`fix`	Bug fix
`docs`	Documentation only
`style`	Formatting, no code change
`refactor`	Code change, no new feature or fix
`perf`	Performance improvement
`test`	Adding/updating tests
`chore`	Maintenance tasks
`ci`	CI/CD changes
`build`	Build system changes

Scope

Optional, indicates the section of codebase:

auth, api, ui, db, config, etc.

Subject

Imperative mood ("add" not "added")
No period at end
Max 50 characters
Lowercase

Body

Explain WHAT and WHY, not HOW
Wrap at 72 characters
Separate from subject with blank line

Footer

Breaking changes: BREAKING CHANGE: description
Issue references: Closes #123, Fixes #456

Workflow

1. Analyze Changes

# View staged changes
git diff --staged

# View changed files
git diff --staged --name-only

# View stats
git diff --staged --stat

2. Determine Type

Based on changes:

New files with features → feat
Modified files fixing issues → fix
Only .md files → docs
Only test files → test
package.json, configs → chore or build

3. Identify Scope

Look at file paths:

src/auth/* → scope: auth
src/api/* → scope: api
tests/* → scope: test
Multiple areas → omit scope or use broader term

4. Write Subject

Summarize the change:

feat(auth): add OAuth2 login support
fix(api): handle null response in user endpoint
docs: update README with installation steps
refactor(db): extract query builder to separate module

5. Write Body (if needed)

For complex changes:

feat(auth): add OAuth2 login support

Implement OAuth2 authentication flow with support for
Google and GitHub providers. This allows users to sign
in without creating a separate account.

- Add OAuth2 client configuration
- Implement callback handlers
- Store OAuth tokens securely
- Add provider selection UI

Examples

Simple Feature

feat(ui): add dark mode toggle

Bug Fix with Issue Reference

fix(api): prevent duplicate user creation

Check for existing email before inserting new user record.
Race condition could cause duplicate entries when requests
arrived simultaneously.

Fixes #234

Breaking Change

feat(api)!: change response format to JSON:API

BREAKING CHANGE: All API responses now follow JSON:API
specification. Clients must update their parsers.

Migration guide: docs/migration-v2.md

Multiple Files, Single Purpose

refactor: extract validation logic to shared module

Move duplicate validation code from controllers to
a shared validation module. Reduces code duplication
and ensures consistent validation across endpoints.

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

❌ "fix stuff"
❌ "update code"
❌ "WIP"
❌ "changes"
❌ "fixed bug"
❌ "misc updates"
❌ Commits with 50+ files and vague message

Best Practices

Atomic commits - One logical change per commit
Meaningful messages - Future you will thank present you
Reference issues - Link to tickets/issues when relevant
Review before commit - git diff --staged always
Don't commit secrets - Check for API keys, passwords

Quick Reference

# Stage specific files
git add <file>

# Stage all changes
git add -A

# Interactive staging
git add -p

# Commit with message
git commit -m "type(scope): subject"

# Commit with body
git commit -m "type(scope): subject" -m "body paragraph"

# Amend last commit
git commit --amend

git-commit-smart

Smart Git Commit

Purpose

Commit Message Format

Types