The Practical Guide to Git Commit Message Formatters (with ChatGPT Prompts & Tools)

Jan 31, 2025

gitcommit-messageschatgptautomationproductivity

TL;DR

Well-formatted commit messages save time, prevent confusion, and power up team collaboration.
Formatter tools and plugins automate consistency—no more manual nitpicking.
ChatGPT prompts can help founders and devs instantly generate clear, best-practice commit messages.
Copy-paste templates and a quick tool comparison below.
Bonus: Links to top plugins and tips for automating your commit workflow.

Why Commit Message Formatting Matters (Especially for Founders)

If you’re leading a tech startup or building your product with a lean team, you probably can’t afford wasted hours deciphering confusing Git commit logs. Sloppy commit messages make onboarding harder, slow down code reviews, and create headaches when you’re debugging or prepping for an investor demo.

But enforcing good commit message practices is tough—especially when you’re juggling product, hiring, and fundraising.

That’s where git commit message formatters come in—and why pairing them with ChatGPT can be a founder’s secret weapon for clean, meaningful commit history.

The Fast-Start Guide: Formatting Git Commit Messages Like a Pro

1. What Does a Great Git Commit Message Look Like?

A clear commit message:

Summarizes the what and why of the change.
Follows a consistent structure (often: type, short summary, optional body).
Helps future you (or your team) understand decisions—fast.

Example (Conventional Commits style):

feat(auth): add JWT-based authentication to API

- Implements JWT token generation on login
- Updates user model for token storage

2. Founders’ Copy-Paste ChatGPT Prompts for Commit Messages

Use these prompts with ChatGPT to generate commit messages that are clear, concise, and standards-compliant.

Prompt 1: For Quick Summaries

“Summarize this code change in a single, imperative sentence suitable for a Git commit message:

[PASTE CODE DIFF OR DESCRIPTION HERE]“

Prompt 2: For Conventional Commits

“Write a Git commit message using the Conventional Commits format for this change:

[PASTE CODE DIFF OR FEATURE DESCRIPTION]“

Prompt 3: For Detailed Commits (with bullet points)

“Generate a Git commit message with a summary line and a detailed bullet-point body describing these changes:

[PASTE CODE DIFF OR DESCRIPTION]“

Prompt 4: For Multi-Author Teams

“Given this list of changes, create a commit message that mentions co-authors if there are multiple contributors:

[PASTE CHANGES & NAMES]“

3. Formatter Tools Every Founder Should Know

Here’s a quick comparison of popular git commit message formatters and plugins:

Tool/Plugin	Best For	Key Features	Link
Commitizen	Teams adopting Conventional Commits	Interactive prompts, customizable adapters	GitHub
git-commit-formatter (VS Code)	Solo developers using VS Code	Quick formatting, templates, preview	Marketplace
Husky + lint-staged	Enforcing standards in CI/CD pipelines	Pre-commit hooks, message linting	Husky
Commitlint	Teams wanting strict enforcement	Lints commit messages against rules	Commitlint

Pro tip:
Most of these tools work well together—e.g., use Commitizen for writing, Commitlint for enforcing, and Husky for automation.

4. Templates You Can Steal

Copy, tweak, and use these templates for consistent commit history:

Feature Addition

feat([component]): brief summary of the new feature

- Short bullet list of what changed
- Why this matters (if needed)

Bug Fix

fix([module]): concise fix description

- What was broken and how it's fixed

Refactor

refactor([scope]): what was improved

- No functional changes, just code improvements

Documentation

docs([section]): updated docs for [topic]

5. Automate with Plugins (Get Set Up in Minutes)

VS Code: Install git-commit-formatter for instant message templates and previews.
JetBrains IDEs: Try Git Commit Template.
Command Line:
- npm install -g commitizen cz-conventional-changelog
- npx commitizen init cz-conventional-changelog --save-dev --save-exact
CI/CD Enforcement:
- Add Commitlint and Husky to block bad commit messages before they hit your repo.

Bonus: Advanced Prompt for Commit History Cleanup

Need to rewrite multiple old commit messages for clarity? Try:

“Given this list of old Git commit messages, rewrite them to be clear, concise, and follow the Conventional Commits format:

[PASTE COMMIT LOG HERE]“

Takeaway: Don’t Let Sloppy Commits Hurt Your Startup

A small investment in commit message formatting pays off with every code review, every onboarding, and every time you’re debugging on a deadline.

Try the prompts and tools above, and watch your team’s productivity (and future self) thank you.

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