git-commit-format

Git Commit Message Formatting Rules

Apply conventional commit format for all git commits in the HyperShift project.

Commit Message Format

<type>(<scope>): <description>

[optional body]

[footers]

Commit Types

• feat: New features
• fix: Bug fixes
• docs: Documentation changes
• style: Code style changes (formatting, etc.)
• refactor: Code refactoring (no functional changes)
• test: Adding/updating tests
• chore: Maintenance tasks
• build: Build system or dependency changes
• ci: CI/CD changes
• perf: Performance improvements
• revert: Revert previous commit

Breaking Changes

With ! to draw attention

feat!: send email when product shipped

With BREAKING CHANGE footer

feat: allow config to extend other configs

BREAKING CHANGE: `extends` key now used for extending config files

Both ! and BREAKING CHANGE

chore!: drop support for Node 6

BREAKING CHANGE: use JavaScript features not available in Node 6.

Required Footers

Signed-off-by Footer

ALWAYS include Signed-off-by footer with name and email.

Get credentials in this priority order:

1. Environment variables: $GIT_AUTHOR_NAME and $GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL
2. Git config: git config user.name and git config user.email
3. If neither configured, ask user to provide details

Commit-Message-Assisted-by Footer

ALWAYS include Commit-Message-Assisted-by: Claude (via Claude Code) when Claude assists with creating or generating the commit message.

Commit-Message-Assisted-by: Claude (via Claude Code)

Gitlint Validation Rules

• Run make run-gitlint to validate commit messages
• Title line: 120 characters maximum
• Body line: 140 characters maximum per line
• Use conventional commit format
• Include required footers (Signed-off-by)
• No trailing whitespace

Examples

Simple commit

docs: correct spelling of CHANGELOG

Signed-off-by: Bryan Cox <brcox@redhat.com>
Commit-Message-Assisted-by: Claude (via Claude Code)

With scope

feat(azure): add workload identity support

Multi-paragraph with footers

Quick Checklist

When creating commits:

• Use conventional commit format: <type>(<scope>): <description>
• Title under 120 characters
• Body lines under 140 characters
• Include Signed-off-by footer
• Include Commit-Message-Assisted-by: Claude (via Claude Code) footer
• Validate with make run-gitlint
• Use "!" or BREAKING CHANGE for breaking changes

Reference

Conventional Commits Specification: https://www.conventionalcommits.org/en/v1.0.0/#specification