The seven rules of a great git commit message
- Separate subject from body with a blank line
- Limit the subject line to 50 characters
- Capitalize the subject line
- Do not end the subject line with a period
- Use the imperative mood in the subject line
- Wrap the body at 72 characters
- Use the body to explain what and why vs. how
A properly formed git commit subject line should always be able to complete the following sentence:
If applied, this commit will
<<your subject line here>>
For example:
- If applied, this commit will Refactor subsystem X for readability
- If applied, this commit will Update getting started documentation
- If applied, this commit will Remove deprecated methods
- If applied, this commit will Release version 1.0.0
- If applied, this commit will Merge pull request #123 from user/branch
Notice how this doesn't work for the other non-imperative forms:
- If applied, this commit will
fixed bug with Y - If applied, this commit will
changing behavior of X - If applied, this commit will
more fixes for broken stuff - If applied, this commit will
sweet new API methods
Remember: Use of the imperative is important only in the subject line. You can relax this restriction when you're writing the body.
Reference: http://chris.beams.io/posts/git-commit