dashore-incubator/Documentation/commit-messages.md

Commit Message Guidelines

this guide covers the commit message format for dashore incubator contributions.

format

<type>(<scope>): <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

subject line

• 50 characters maximum (72 hard limit)
• use imperative mood: "add feature" not "added feature"
• no period at the end
• include scope in parentheses when relevant

types

Type	Description	Example
feat	new feature	feat(dashboard): add usage metrics chart
fix	bug fix	fix(auth): resolve redirect loop on logout
docs	documentation only	docs(readme): update installation steps
style	formatting, whitespace	style(ui): fix button alignment
refactor	code change (no feature/fix)	refactor(api): simplify auth middleware
perf	performance improvement	perf(dashboard): lazy load charts
test	adding or updating tests	test(auth): add login flow tests
build	build system or dependencies	build(deps): update next.js to 15.1
ci	CI configuration	ci(github): add lint workflow
chore	maintenance tasks	chore: clean up unused imports
revert	reverting a previous commit	revert: feat(dashboard): add metrics

scopes

common scopes for this project:

Scope	Area
auth	authentication system
dashboard	dashboard pages
ui	UI components
api	API routes
middleware	middleware
deps	dependencies

scope is optional but helpful for larger changes.

examples

simple commit

feat(dashboard): add settings page

commit with body

fix(auth): resolve session timeout on idle

the session was expiring after 15 minutes of inactivity even when
the tab was open. increased timeout to 24 hours and added a
heartbeat to keep the session alive while the page is visible.

Fixes #42

breaking change

refactor(api)!: change auth callback response format

BREAKING CHANGE: the /api/auth/callback endpoint now returns
a redirect instead of JSON. update any code that parses the
response body.

body guidelines

when you need more detail:

• wrap at 72 characters for readability
• explain why the change was made, not what (the diff shows what)
• reference related issues: Fixes #123, Relates to #456

why imperative mood?

git itself uses imperative mood:

• "Merge branch..."
• "Revert..."

your commits complete the sentence:

"If applied, this commit will... [your subject line]"

examples:

• "If applied, this commit will add user settings page"
• "If applied, this commit will fix login redirect bug"

atomic commits

each commit should:

1. represent ONE logical change
2. leave the project in a working state
3. be independently revertible

bad

commit: "fix bug, add feature, update docs"

good

commit 1: "fix(auth): prevent redirect loop on logout"
commit 2: "feat(dashboard): add settings page"
commit 3: "docs(readme): update auth setup instructions"

next steps

• pull-requests.md - PR creation workflow
• ../CONTRIBUTING.md - full contribution guide