writing-commit-messages

Git commit messages should use imperative mood with a subject under 50 characters, capitalized first letter, no trailing period, and a body wrapped at 72 characters that explains what and why rather than how. This ensures consistency and improves code review and project history readability.

Use a subject line (under 50 characters, imperative mood, no period) followed by a blank line and body text (wrapped at 72 characters). Include one logical change per commit and optionally reference related issues for traceability.

Draft a subject line in imperative mood under 50 characters with a capitalized first letter and no period, then add a body explaining what changed and why. Reference issue numbers when applicable to link commits to tracked work.

Commit messages that explain what changed and why provide context for future code review and debugging. The code itself shows how; messages that document intent and rationale make the project history more useful for understanding design decisions.

Yes, include issue references in commit message bodies to link changes to tracked work. This improves traceability and helps teams connect code changes to requirements, bugs, or feature requests.

Non-standard commit messages create inconsistency in project history, making debugging and code review harder. Adhering to format requirements—subject length, imperative mood, capitalization, and character wrapping—keeps the repository clean and queryable.