This is transformative. While writing your commit message, you can scroll down and see exactly what code you are about to lock into history. You no longer need to switch back to a separate terminal tab to run git diff --cached .
, and uses the remaining text as your official commit message. 📝 Commit Message Best Practices To make the most of the editor that COMMIT-EDITMSG opens, follow the 50/72 Rule DEV Community Subject Line (50 characters max) : A brief summary of the change. Use the imperative mood (e.g., "Fix bug" instead of "Fixed bug"). Blank Line COMMIT-EDITMSG
COMMIT_EDITMSG is a temporary system file created by to store your commit message while you are editing it. It acts as a staging ground for the text you write before it becomes a permanent part of the repository's history. 🛠️ How It Works This is transformative
The COMMIT_EDITMSG file is the only place where you can seamlessly write a multi-line, detailed commit message without using shell escape sequences or awkward string quoting. , and uses the remaining text as your
A standard "complete story" for a commit message follows the 50/72 rule Subject Line (The Title):
Once you open the COMMIT-EDITMSG file in your editor, you can modify the commit message.
Every time COMMIT_EDITMSG is generated, it will copy the contents of ~/.gitmessage.txt into the file before opening the editor. This is great for enforcing commit conventions (e.g., reminding developers