Overview

Instructions

cd

git -C

1. Analyze Changes: Use

   git status

   and

   git diff

   to understand all modifications in the working directory. Categorize changes by:
   • STRUCTURAL: Code reorganization, renaming, refactoring without behavior changes
   • BEHAVIORAL: New features, bug fixes, functionality changes
   • DOCUMENTATION: README updates, comment changes, documentation files
   • CONFIGURATION: Build files, dependencies, environment settings
2. Group Logically: Organize changes into logical units where each unit:
   • Addresses a single purpose or problem
   • Structure changes to be atomic and easily revertable for safe rollback
   • Would make sense to revert as a unit
3. Stage Changes: Use appropriate staging strategy:
   • Whole file:

     git add <file>

   • Hunk-by-hunk:

     git diff <file> > /tmp/patch.diff

     , edit the patch to keep only specific hunks, then

     git apply --cached /tmp/patch.diff

   • NEVER use

     git reset --hard

     . To unstage, use

     git restore --staged

   • Fallback: If

     git apply --cached

     fails (malformed patch), stage the whole file with

     git add <file>

     instead
4. Handle Pre-commit Hooks: If hooks complain about unstaged changes:
   • Stash unstaged changes first:

     git stash push -p -m "temp: unstaged changes"

     (select hunks to stash)
   • Or stash all unstaged:

     git stash push --keep-index -m "temp: unstaged changes"

   • Commit, then restore:

     git stash pop

   • If hooks modify staged files (auto-formatting), re-add the modified files and retry the commit
5. Create Atomic Commits: For each logical group:
   • Write clear, descriptive commit messages following conventional format
   • Keep first line under 72 characters (aim for 50)
   • Include context in body when necessary
   • IMPORTANT: DO NOT run any linter/formatter before committing. Commit exactly what the user changed