For git commits, write a single, emoji-prefixed, imperative commit subject. Keep the subject under ~60 characters, no trailing period. Prefer small, focused commits and human-friendly language. Use lowercase after the emoji.
Format:
- Subject line only for simple changes:
EMOJI short imperative summary - Optional body only when it adds necessary context (what/why, not how). Wrap body at ~72 chars. Avoid boilerplate.
- Do not add scope tags like
feat:orfix:; use the emoji as the category indicator. - Don’t end the subject with punctuation.
- Prefer multiple atomic commits over one omnibus commit.
Emoji categories to choose from:
| Emoji | Description |
|---|---|
| 🩹 | Simple fix for a non-critical issue. |
| ⚗️ | Perform experiments. |
| 👽️ | Update code due to external API changes. |
| 🚑️ | Critical hotfix. |
| ⬇️ | Downgrade dependencies. |
| ⬆️ | Upgrade dependencies. |
| 🎨 | Improve structure / format of the code. |
| 🍻 | Write code drunkenly. |
| 🍱 | Add or update assets. |
| 🔖 | Release / Version tags. |
| 💥 | Introduce breaking changes. |
| 🧱 | Infrastructure related changes. |
| 🐛 | Fix a bug. |
| 🏗️ | Make architectural changes. |
| 💡 | Add or update comments in source code. |
| 👥 | Add or update contributor(s). |
| 📸 | Add or update snapshots. |
| 🗃️ | Perform database related changes. |
| 📈 | Add or update analytics or track code. |
| 🚸 | Improve user experience / usability. |
| 🔐 | Add or update secrets. |
| 🤡 | Mock things. |
| ⚰️ | Remove dead code. |
| 🚧 | Work in progress. |
| 👷 | Add or update CI build system. |
| 💫 | Add or update animations and transitions. |
| 🥚 | Add or update an easter egg. |
| 🔥 | Remove code or files. |
| 🌐 | Internationalization and localization. |
| 🥅 | Catch errors. |
| 💚 | Fix CI Build. |
| 🔨 | Add or update development scripts. |
| ➖ | Remove a dependency. |
| ➕ | Add a dependency. |
| 📱 | Work on responsive design. |
| 🏷️ | Add or update types. |
| 💄 | Add or update the UI and style files. |
| 🔒️ | Fix security or privacy issues. |
| 🔊 | Add or update logs. |
| 🔍️ | Improve SEO. |
| 📝 | Add or update documentation. |
| 💸 | Add sponsorships or money related infrastructure. |
| 🧐 | Data exploration/inspection. |
| 🔇 | Remove logs. |
| 👔 | Add or update business logic. |
| 📦️ | Add or update compiled files or packages. |
| 📄 | Add or update license. |
| 🛂 | Work on code related to authorization, roles and permissions. |
| ✏️ | Fix typos. |
| 💩 | Write bad code that needs to be improved. |
| 📌 | Pin dependencies to specific versions. |
| ♻️ | Refactor code. |
| ⏪️ | Revert changes. |
| 🚀 | Deploy stuff. |
| 🚨 | Fix compiler / linter warnings. |
| 🦺 | Add or update code related to validation. |
| 🙈 | Add or update a .gitignore file. |
| 🌱 | Add or update seed files. |
| ✨ | Introduce new features. |
| 💬 | Add or update text and literals. |
| 🩺 | Add or update healthcheck. |
| 🎉 | Begin a project. |
| 🧑💻 | Improve developer experience. |
| 🧪 | Add a failing test. |
| 🧵 | Add or update code related to multithreading or concurrency. |
| 🚩 | Add, update, or remove feature flags. |
| 🚚 | Move or rename resources (e.g.: files, paths, routes). |
| 🔀 | Merge branches. |
| 🗑️ | Deprecate code that needs to be cleaned up. |
| ♿️ | Improve accessibility. |
| ✅ | Add, update, or pass tests. |
| 🔧 | Add or update configuration files. |
| ⚡️ | Improve performance. |
Subjects should look like these real examples from the repo:
🔖 release 4.9.4🚀 deploy 4.9.2🐛 fix sorting on colormatch results page🐛 fix history issue and regaining lost tray🐛 fix collection mode exiting when searching💄 fix grab / grabbing cursor🚧 testing and moving computers⬆️ Bump django-htmx from 1.23.2 to 1.24.1
Guidelines for dependency bumps:
- Use
⬆️ Bump <package> from <old> to <new>in the subject. - If you include a body, briefly note changelog/links and whether it’s major/minor.
Guidelines for releases/deploys:
🔖 release X.Y.Zfor tagging a new version.🚀 deploy X.Y.Zfor pushing that version to production.
Tone and style:
- Imperative mood: “add”, “fix”, “update”, “bump”, “remove”.
- Keep it concise and specific; mention the user-visible area if relevant.
- Lowercase after the emoji unless a proper noun or version string requires caps.
Templates:
EMOJI short imperative summary
[Optional body: what changed and why; wrap at ~72 chars.]
🚀 release X.Y.Z
⬆️ Bump package-name from A.B.C to D.E.F
- optional: one-line reason or link to changelog
🐛 fix <specific bug or behavior>
- optional: brief why the bug happened or test added
Decision hints:
- Is it a user-facing bug fix? → 🐛
- Is it a release or deploy with a version? → 🚀
- Is it only a dependency version change? → ⬆️
- Is it purely visual/CSS/UI? → 💄
- Is it partial or exploratory work? → 🚧
- Otherwise choose the best-fit from the additional emojis.
More example subjects to emulate:
✨ add quick filter to inventory table♻️ refactor swatch query for readability🧪 add tests for library search pagination📝 document test settings and make targets🔧 update pytest config for coverage html🔥 remove unused static vendor files
Do not:
- Do not use trailing periods or exclamation marks.
- Do not include scopes like
(app):orfeat:prefixes. - Do not write long, multi-paragraph bodies unless truly necessary.
- Do not bundle unrelated changes under one commit.