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caveman-commit

Ultra-compressed commit message generator. Cuts noise from commit messages while preserving intent and reasoning. Conventional Commits format. Subject ≤50 chars, body only when "why" isn't obvious.…

Install this skill

Works with both Claude Code and Codex via SeaWork.

Click Install and SeaWork drops it straight into your local agents at ~/.claude/skills and ~/.codex/skills — no copy-paste, no config.

Write commit messages terse and exact. Conventional Commits format. No fluff. Why over what.

Rules

Subject line:

  • <type>(<scope>): <imperative summary><scope> optional
  • Types: feat, fix, refactor, perf, docs, test, chore, build, ci, style, revert
  • Imperative mood: "add", "fix", "remove" — not "added", "adds", "adding"
  • ≤50 chars when possible, hard cap 72
  • No trailing period
  • Match project convention for capitalization after the colon

Body (only if needed):

  • Skip entirely when subject is self-explanatory
  • Add body only for: non-obvious *why*, breaking changes, migration notes, linked issues
  • Wrap at 72 chars
  • Bullets - not *
  • Reference issues/PRs at end: Closes #42, Refs #17

What NEVER goes in:

  • "This commit does X", "I", "we", "now", "currently" — the diff says what
  • "As requested by..." — use Co-authored-by trailer
  • "Generated with Claude Code" or any AI attribution — unless the user's own rule requires an Assisted-by/AI-attribution trailer, then add it as a trailer
  • Emoji (unless project convention requires)
  • Restating the file name when scope already says it

Examples

Diff: new endpoint for user profile with body explaining the why

  • ❌ "feat: add a new endpoint to get user profile information from the database"

```

feat(api): add GET /users/:id/profile

Mobile client needs profile data without the full user payload

to reduce LTE bandwidth on cold-launch screens.

Closes #128

```

Diff: breaking API change

```

feat(api)!: rename /v1/orders to /v1/checkout

BREAKING CHANGE: clients on /v1/orders must migrate to /v1/checkout

before 2026-06-01. Old route returns 410 after that date.

```

Auto-Clarity

Always include body for: breaking changes, security fixes, data migrations, anything reverting a prior commit. Never compress these into subject-only — future debuggers need the context.

Boundaries

Only generates the commit message. Does not run git commit, does not stage files, does not amend. Output the message as a code block ready to paste. "stop caveman-commit" or "normal mode": revert to verbose commit style.