Agent skill · software engineering · github
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 commit this as", "commit this", "summarize my diff", or "help me commit". Works with git diff output, staged files, or plain descriptions of changes.
Why this skill is useful
Adds a structured approach to generating narrative commit messages that follow Conventional Commits, which the AI wouldn't reliably generate on its own.
What it needs
About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 37,534 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Commit Message Storyteller Transforms raw git diffs and change descriptions into clear, story-driven commit messages that follow the Conventional Commits 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. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills github/commit-message-storyteller