#!/bin/sh # .git/hooks/commit-msg message_file=$1 # This is the path to COMMIT-EDITMSG pattern="^(feat|fix|docs|style|refactor|test|chore)((.+))?: .+"
When you run:
git commit --no-verify -m "Hotfix for production" Warning: Use sparingly. This is a nuclear bypass for emergency situations. It's easy to confuse COMMIT-EDITMSG with other .git files: COMMIT-EDITMSG
git config --global commit.template ~/.gitmessage.txt Create ~/.gitmessage.txt :
# <type>(<scope>): <subject> (max 50 chars) # |<---- using Conventional Commits ---->| # # <body> Explain *what* and *why*, not *how*. (72 chars max) # # <footer> Any closing notes or breaking changes. # # --- Commits will be signed off with your user.email --- Now, every time you run git commit , your editor opens with this custom template inside COMMIT-EDITMSG . It acts as a checklist, dramatically improving consistency across teams. "Aborting commit due to empty commit message." You saved an empty file, or a file with only comments ( # ). Git reads COMMIT-EDITMSG , strips comments, and sees nothing. Fix: Run git commit again and write a message. Editor opens but COMMIT-EDITMSG is missing. Your $EDITOR environment variable is misconfigured, or your editor crashed. Check with echo $EDITOR . Fix: git config --global core.editor "nano" (or your preferred editor). A hook is rejecting my commit, but I need to bypass it. You can bypass commit-msg hooks with --no-verify : (72 chars max) # # <footer> Any closing
Understanding this file transforms you from a casual Git user into a Git power user. It is the gateway to crafting perfect commit history, automating quality checks, and integrating seamlessly with modern AI tooling. The COMMIT-EDITMSG file is a transient, temporary file created by Git in the .git/ directory (specifically, .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG ) whenever you initiate a commit that requires an editor. Its sole purpose is to hold the commit message for the commit currently in progress.
Your commit-msg hook can read .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG and reject the commit if it doesn't match the regex: "Aborting commit due to empty commit message
if ! grep -q -E "$pattern" "$message_file"; then echo "ERROR: Commit message does not follow Conventional Commits format." echo "Expected: <type>(<scope>): <subject>" echo "Example: feat(auth): add OAuth2 provider" exit 1 fi