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Caveman Commit

Free

Generate concise, clear commit messages effortlessly.

by juliusbrussee97.3k stars on juliusbrussee/caveman
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Updated Aug 10, 2026
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Free · Opens the source repo

What Caveman Commit does

Caveman Commit is a specialized tool designed for developers looking to streamline their commit message creation process. By adhering to the Conventional Commits format, it ensures that messages are not only concise but also informative, preserving the intent and reasoning behind code changes. The tool automatically triggers when changes are staged, allowing developers to focus on their coding tasks without getting bogged down by the details of message formatting.

The skill emphasizes clarity and brevity, enforcing rules that keep subject lines to a maximum of 50 characters and limiting the body content to only what is necessary. This approach helps maintain a clean commit history, making it easier for team members to understand the context of changes at a glance. For instance, if a commit involves a new API endpoint, the generated message will succinctly convey the change and its rationale without unnecessary fluff.

Caveman Commit is particularly useful for teams that prioritize clear communication in their version control practices. By generating commit messages that focus on the 'why' rather than the 'what', it aids in future debugging and project management. Developers can rely on this tool to adhere to best practices in commit messaging, ensuring consistency across their project’s history.

However, it’s important to note that Caveman Commit does not perform any Git operations such as committing changes or staging files; it solely generates the commit message for users to copy and paste. This makes it an ideal companion for developers who want to maintain control over their versioning process while still benefiting from the clarity that structured commit messages provide.

When to use it

Use this skill when you want to generate structured commit messages quickly while maintaining best practices.

When not to use it

This tool may not be suitable if you need to perform Git operations directly or if your project requires a more verbose commit style.

What you can build with it

Quick Commit Message Generation

When staging changes, Caveman Commit automatically generates a concise commit message, saving time and ensuring clarity.

Maintaining Commit Message Standards

For teams adhering to Conventional Commits, this tool ensures all messages are formatted consistently and clearly.

Improving Code Review Process

By generating clear commit messages, Caveman Commit aids in understanding the context of changes during code reviews.

How to install Caveman Commit

View source

1. Install with the skills CLI

npx skills add juliusbrussee/caveman/caveman-commit --agent claude-code

2. Or install it manually

Download the skill folder and drop it into ~/.claude/skills/ for all projects, or .claude/skills/ to scope it to one repo. Restart Claude Code so it picks up the new skill.

Anthropic's agentic coding CLI, and the reference implementation of Agent Skills. Drop a skill folder into ~/.claude/skills and Claude Code loads it automatically whenever a task matches the skill's description. Claude Code docs

Inside SKILL.md

Written by juliusbrussee

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.

Frequently asked questions about Caveman Commit

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