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acquire-codebase-knowl…
Use this skill when the user explicitly asks to map, document, or onboard into an existing codebase. Trigger for prompts like "map this codebase", "document…
@githubView SkillAI & Agents
Skill
/commit-message-storyteller
Analyzes git diffs or staged changes and generates narrative commit messages that explain WHY a change was made, not just what changed — following Conventional Commits format. Use when asked to "write a commit message", "generate a commit", "describe my changes", "what should I
Install
$ npx -y skills add github/awesome-copilot --skill commit-message-storyteller --agent claude-codeHow it fires
How this skill gets triggered: by you, by Claude, or both.
- Fires itselfAuto-invocation. Claude auto-loads it when your prompt matches the work.Auto-invocation is when the right skill fires by itself at the right moment, driven by a FLOW.md router and a hook, instead of you invoking it by name. It is the difference between a skill being installed and a skill actually getting used.Read the full definition →
- You can call itInvoke it directly when you want it.
- Slash command
/commit-message-storyteller
Context preview
The summary Claude sees to decide when to auto-load this skill.
Analyzes git diffs or staged changes and generates narrative commit messages that explain WHY a change was made, not just what changed — following Conventional Commits format. Use when asked to "write a commit message", "generate a commit", "describe my changes", "what should I
SKILL.md
commit-message-storyteller.SKILL.mdname: commit-message-storyteller
description: 'Analyzes git diffs or staged changes and generates narrative commit messages that explain WHY a change was made, not just what changed — following Conventional Commits format. Use when asked to "write a commit message", "generate a commit", "describe my changes", "what should I commit this as", "commit this", "summarize my diff", or "help me commit". Works with git diff output, staged files, or plain descriptions of changes.'
Commit Message Storyteller
Transforms raw git diffs and change descriptions into clear, story-driven commit messages that follow the [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/) specification. Instead of "update file.js", you get messages that communicate intent, context, and impact.
When to Use This Skill
- User says "write a commit message", "help me commit", or "generate a commit"
- User pastes a git diff or describes code changes
- User says "what should I commit this as?" or "summarize my diff"
- User wants better commit history for their team or open-source project
- User is preparing a pull request and wants meaningful commit messages
Prerequisites
Have at least one of the following ready:
- Output from `git diff` or `git diff --staged`
- A description of what you changed and why
- A list of modified files
How It Works
Step 1: Gather the Change Context
Ask the user (or infer from the diff) for:
1. **What changed** — files, functions, logic affected 2. **Why it changed** — bug fix, new feature, refactor, performance, etc. 3. **Who/what triggered it** — issue number, user request, tech debt, etc.
If the user provides a raw `git diff`, extract this context automatically from the diff.
Step 2: Identify the Commit Type
Map the change to a Conventional Commits type using this guide:
| Type | Use When | |------|----------| | `feat` | A new feature or capability is added | | `fix` | A bug or incorrect behavior is corrected | | `refactor` | Code restructured without changing behavior | | `perf` | A change that improves performance | | `docs` | Documentation only changes | | `style` | Formatting, whitespace, missing semicolons (no logic change) | | `test` | Adding or updating tests | | `chore` | Build process, dependency updates, config changes | | `ci` | CI/CD pipeline changes | | `revert` | Reverting a previous commit |
See `references/conventional-commits-guide.md` for detailed examples.
Step 3: Write the Commit Message
Follow this structure:
<type>(<optional scope>): <short imperative summary>
<body — the story: why this change was made, what problem it solves>
<footer — issue refs, breaking change notices>
Rules for Each Part
**Subject line (first line):**
- Use imperative mood: "add", "fix", "remove" — not "added" or "fixes"
- Max 72 characters
- No period at the end
- Lowercase after the colon
**Body (the story):**
- Explain the *why*, not the *what* (the diff already shows the what)
- Describe the problem that existed before this change
- Mention any alternatives considered if relevant
- Keep lines under 100 characters
- Separate from subject with a blank line
**Footer:**
- Reference issues: `Closes #123`, `Fixes #456`, `Refs #789`
- Mark breaking changes: `BREAKING CHANGE: <description>`
Step 4: Generate Output
Produce the commit message in a copyable code block, followed by a one-line plain-English explanation of the story you told.
**Example output:**
fix(auth): prevent token refresh loop on expired sessions
When a user's session expired mid-request, the auth middleware was
triggering a token refresh, which itself failed validation and triggered
another refresh — causing an infinite retry loop that crashed the app.
This adds a recursion guard flag that aborts the refresh cycle if a
refresh is already in progress, returning a clean 401 instead.
Closes #312
> **Story told:** A silent infinite loop on session expiry was crashing the app; this stops the cycle early and returns a clean error.
---
Multiple Commits from One Diff
If the diff contains **logically separate changes**, split them into multiple commit messages and tell the user. Use this heuristic:
- Different files with unrelated purposes → likely separate commits
- Same file but distinct concerns (e.g., bug fix + refactor) → suggest splitting
- Everything tightly coupled → one commit is fine
---
Edge Cases
| Situation | How to Handle | |-----------|---------------| | User provides no context beyond a diff | Infer type and scope from file names and changed symbols | | Changes span many files with no clear theme | Ask: "Is this one logical change, or multiple?" | | Breaking change detected | Add `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer automatically | | User says "keep it short" | Omit body, just write a strong subject line | | No issue number available | Omit the footer entirely |
---
Quick Reference
# Get your staged diff to paste into Copilot
git diff --staged
# Or get the last uncommitted working tree changes
git diff
See `references/conventional-commits-guide.md` for type examples and scope guidelines.
Read more
name: commit-message-storyteller description: 'Analyzes git diffs or staged changes and generates narrative commit messages that explain WHY a change was made, not just what changed — following Conventional Commits format. Use when asked to "write a commit message", "generate a commit", "describe my changes", "what should I commit this as", "commit this", "summarize my diff", or "help me commit". Works with git diff output, staged files, or plain descriptions of changes.'
Commit Message Storyteller
Transforms raw git diffs and change descriptions into clear, story-driven commit messages that follow the [Conventional Commits](https://www.conventionalcommits.org/) specification. Instead of "update file.js", you get messages that communicate intent, context, and impact.
When to Use This Skill
- User says "write a commit message", "help me commit", or "generate a commit"
- User pastes a git diff or describes code changes
- User says "what should I commit this as?" or "summarize my diff"
- User wants better commit history for their team or open-source project
- User is preparing a pull request and wants meaningful commit messages
Prerequisites
Have at least one of the following ready:
- Output from `git diff` or `git diff --staged`
- A description of what you changed and why
- A list of modified files
How It Works
Step 1: Gather the Change Context
Ask the user (or infer from the diff) for:
1. **What changed** — files, functions, logic affected 2. **Why it changed** — bug fix, new feature, refactor, performance, etc. 3. **Who/what triggered it** — issue number, user request, tech debt, etc.
If the user provides a raw `git diff`, extract this context automatically from the diff.
Step 2: Identify the Commit Type
Map the change to a Conventional Commits type using this guide:
| Type | Use When | |------|----------| | `feat` | A new feature or capability is added | | `fix` | A bug or incorrect behavior is corrected | | `refactor` | Code restructured without changing behavior | | `perf` | A change that improves performance | | `docs` | Documentation only changes | | `style` | Formatting, whitespace, missing semicolons (no logic change) | | `test` | Adding or updating tests | | `chore` | Build process, dependency updates, config changes | | `ci` | CI/CD pipeline changes | | `revert` | Reverting a previous commit |
See `references/conventional-commits-guide.md` for detailed examples.
Step 3: Write the Commit Message
Follow this structure:
<type>(<optional scope>): <short imperative summary> <body — the story: why this change was made, what problem it solves> <footer — issue refs, breaking change notices>
Rules for Each Part
**Subject line (first line):**
- Use imperative mood: "add", "fix", "remove" — not "added" or "fixes"
- Max 72 characters
- No period at the end
- Lowercase after the colon
**Body (the story):**
- Explain the *why*, not the *what* (the diff already shows the what)
- Describe the problem that existed before this change
- Mention any alternatives considered if relevant
- Keep lines under 100 characters
- Separate from subject with a blank line
**Footer:**
- Reference issues: `Closes #123`, `Fixes #456`, `Refs #789`
- Mark breaking changes: `BREAKING CHANGE: <description>`
Step 4: Generate Output
Produce the commit message in a copyable code block, followed by a one-line plain-English explanation of the story you told.
**Example output:**
fix(auth): prevent token refresh loop on expired sessions When a user's session expired mid-request, the auth middleware was triggering a token refresh, which itself failed validation and triggered another refresh — causing an infinite retry loop that crashed the app. This adds a recursion guard flag that aborts the refresh cycle if a refresh is already in progress, returning a clean 401 instead. Closes #312
> **Story told:** A silent infinite loop on session expiry was crashing the app; this stops the cycle early and returns a clean error.
---
Multiple Commits from One Diff
If the diff contains **logically separate changes**, split them into multiple commit messages and tell the user. Use this heuristic:
- Different files with unrelated purposes → likely separate commits
- Same file but distinct concerns (e.g., bug fix + refactor) → suggest splitting
- Everything tightly coupled → one commit is fine
---
Edge Cases
| Situation | How to Handle | |-----------|---------------| | User provides no context beyond a diff | Infer type and scope from file names and changed symbols | | Changes span many files with no clear theme | Ask: "Is this one logical change, or multiple?" | | Breaking change detected | Add `BREAKING CHANGE:` footer automatically | | User says "keep it short" | Omit body, just write a strong subject line | | No issue number available | Omit the footer entirely |
---
Quick Reference
# Get your staged diff to paste into Copilot git diff --staged # Or get the last uncommitted working tree changes git diff
See `references/conventional-commits-guide.md` for type examples and scope guidelines.
Ships withawesome-copilot
A community-created collection of custom agents, instructions, skills, hooks, workflows, and plugins to supercharge your GitHub Copilot experience.
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Forks
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Maintenance
JavaScript
Language
MIT
License
4d ago
Last commit
1y ago
Created
14d ago
Added
Repo: github/awesome-copilot
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