git-commit-helper

Git Commit Helper

Safe, chunked commits with best practices and sensitive file protection.

Workflow

Step 1: Analyze Current State

# Full status
git status --porcelain

# Staged changes
git diff --staged --stat

# Unstaged changes
git diff --stat

Step 2: Detect Sensitive Files (CRITICAL)

Before ANY commit, check for files that should NEVER be committed:

Sensitive patterns:

• .env, .env.* (except .env.example)
• *.pem, *.key, *.p12, *.pfx, *.secret
• credentials.json, secrets.json, secrets.yaml, token.json
• service-account*.json, .npmrc, .pypirc

Temporary/Generated:

• .tmp/, tmp/, *.log, *.cache, __pycache__/
• node_modules/, dist/, build/, .next/
• *.local (local config overrides)

Detection command:

git status --porcelain | grep -iE '\.(env|pem|key|secret|log|sqlite|db|local)$|credentials|secrets|token|\.tmp|node_modules|__pycache__|\.cache'

If sensitive files found:

1. Unstage them: git reset HEAD <file>
2. Check .gitignore: cat .gitignore 2>/dev/null
3. Suggest additions:

   .env
   .env.*
   !.env.example
   *.pem
   *.key
   *.secret
   .tmp/
   *.log
   *.local
   

4. DO NOT proceed until resolved

Step 3: Group Changes into Chunks

Group related changes for atomic commits:

By type:

• Features: new files, new functions
• Fixes: modifications to existing logic
• Refactors: restructuring without behavior change
• Docs: README, comments, docs/
• Config: package.json, tsconfig, etc.
• Tests: test files with their implementations

Commands:

git diff --name-status
git diff --name-only | grep -E 'test|spec'
git diff --name-only | grep -E 'config|\.json$|\.yaml$'

Step 4: Commit with Proper Messages

Format (conventional commits):

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

[body - explain WHY not just WHAT]

[footer - breaking changes, issue refs]

Types:

• feat: New feature
• fix: Bug fix
• docs: Documentation
• style: Formatting only
• refactor: Code restructure
• test: Tests
• chore: Maintenance, deps