Commit Discipline

Goal: Atomic commits that are easy to review, revert, and understand.

Rules

ATOMIC     -> One logical change per commit
COMPLETE   -> Each commit leaves code working
MEANINGFUL -> Message explains WHY
CONVENTIONAL -> Follow the format

Format

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

[optional body]

Type	Use
feat	New feature
fix	Bug fix
refactor	Code change (no feature/fix)
test	Adding/fixing tests
docs	Documentation
chore	Build, deps, config

Examples

git commit -m "feat(auth): add password reset endpoint"

git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
fix(payments): handle webhook race condition

Two webhooks arriving simultaneously both update same order.
Added mutex to serialize.

Fixes #234
EOF
)"

Atomic Commits

Atomic: One change. Describable in one sentence.

git add -p         # Stage specific hunks
git add src/auth/  # Stage specific files

Workflow

git diff --cached          # Check staged
npm test                   # Verify tests
git commit -m "type: msg"  # Commit

Fixing Mistakes (Not Pushed)

git commit --amend                 # Add to last
git commit --amend -m "new msg"    # Fix message

Decision Criteria

Situation	Action
Multiple unrelated changes	Split commits
Tests failing	Don't commit. Fix first.
WIP changes	Use stash, not commit

Pairs with: tdd, pr-workflow, verification