Adding a New Commit Format to CommitSage

March 30, 2026 · View on GitHub

Currently supported: conventional, angular, karma, semantic, emoji, emojiKarma, google, atom.

Adding a new format requires changes in 5 files. The examples below use gitmoji.

1. `src/templates/formats/<format>.ts` — format template

Create a new template file with translations for all supported languages:

import type { CommitTemplate } from '../index';

export const gitmojiTemplate: CommitTemplate = {
    english: `Generate a commit message following the Gitmoji format:
...your prompt instructions...

Example:
:sparkles: add new feature`,

    russian: `Создайте сообщение коммита в формате Gitmoji:
...`,

    chinese: `...`,
    japanese: `...`,
    korean: `...`,
    german: `...`,
    french: `...`,
    spanish: `...`,
    portuguese: `...`,
};

Each template contains detailed instructions for the AI model in the target language. When writing translations, preserve the structure from existing templates (e.g., conventional.ts).

The CommitTemplate type requires entries for all 9 languages: english, russian, chinese, japanese, korean, german, french, spanish, portuguese. The TypeScript compiler will flag any missing translations — npm run compile will fail until every language key is present.

A complete template is not just one line — it includes format rules, commit type guidance, examples, and constraints written in the target language. Look at src/templates/formats/conventional.ts for a realistic example of the level of detail expected.

2. `src/templates/index.ts` — register the template

Import the template and add it to the templates record and CommitFormat type:

import { gitmojiTemplate } from './formats/gitmoji';

export type CommitFormat = 'conventional' | 'angular' | ... | 'gitmoji';

const templates: Record<CommitFormat, CommitTemplate> = {
    // ...existing formats...
    gitmoji: gitmojiTemplate,
};

3. `src/models/types.ts` — update `ProjectConfig`

Add the format to the commitFormat union in the ProjectConfig interface:

export interface ProjectConfig {
    commit?: {
        commitFormat?: 'conventional' | 'angular' | ... | 'gitmoji';
        // ...
    };
}

4. `package.json` — VS Code Settings UI enum

Add the value to contributes.configuration → commitSage.commit.commitFormat → enum:

"commitSage.commit.commitFormat": {
    "type": "string",
    "enum": [
        "conventional",
        "angular",
        "karma",
        "semantic",
        "emoji",
        "emojiKarma",
        "google",
        "atom",
        "gitmoji"
    ],
    "default": "conventional"
}

5. `README.md` — update documentation

Add the new format to the features list and commit format options in README.md so users can discover it.

Verification

After making all changes:

npm run compile — the TypeScript compiler will verify that the template satisfies CommitTemplate (all languages present) and CommitFormat is consistent across files.
Open VS Code Settings → CommitSage → confirm the new format appears in the dropdown.
Select the new format and generate a commit — verify the message follows the expected structure.

1. src/templates/formats/<format>.ts — format template

2. src/templates/index.ts — register the template

3. src/models/types.ts — update ProjectConfig