Commit Message Formats
March 30, 2026 · View on GitHub
CommitSage supports 8 commit message formats. Choose the one that matches your team's conventions.
Conventional
The most widely adopted format. Supports optional scope and multi-line body.
type(scope): description
- bullet point 1
- bullet point 2
Example:
feat(auth): add OAuth2 login flow
- Add Google and GitHub providers
- Store tokens in secure storage
Angular
Based on the Angular project's commit conventions. Very similar to Conventional but follows Angular-specific rules.
type(scope): short summary
Example:
fix(router): resolve navigation guard race condition
- Add mutex lock for concurrent navigations
- Clear pending state on route cancel
Karma
Single-line format used by the Karma test runner project. No body or footer.
type(scope): message
Example:
chore(ci): update deployment script to Node 16
Semantic
Minimal format without scope. Just type and message.
type: message
Example:
feat: add user avatar upload functionality
Emoji
Uses Gitmoji-style emoji prefixes instead of text types.
:emoji: message
Common emojis:
| Emoji | Code | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ✨ | :sparkles: | New feature |
| 🐛 | :bug: | Bug fix |
| 📝 | :memo: | Documentation |
| 🎨 | :art: | Code style/formatting |
| ♻️ | :recycle: | Refactoring |
| ⚡️ | :zap: | Performance |
| 🧪 | :test_tube: | Tests |
| 🛠️ | :hammer_and_wrench: | Build/dependencies |
| 🔒 | :lock: | Security fix |
Example:
✨ add real-time collaboration feature
EmojiKarma
Combines Emoji and Karma formats — emoji prefix followed by type, scope, and message.
:emoji: type(scope): message
Example:
✨ feat(editor): add real-time collaboration
Follows Google's commit message style with optional body and footer sections.
Type: Description
Body
Footer
Example:
feat: Add user authentication system
Implemented OAuth2 integration with Google and GitHub providers.
Atom
Based on the Atom editor's conventions. Includes scope, body, and footer.
type(scope): subject
body
footer
Example:
feat(auth): add OAuth2 integration with Google provider
Implemented complete OAuth2 flow including:
- Authorization code exchange
- Token refresh mechanism
- User profile retrieval
Commit Types Reference
All formats (except Emoji) use the same set of types:
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
feat | New feature |
fix | Bug fix |
docs | Documentation changes |
style | Formatting, no code change |
refactor | Code change without fixing bugs or adding features |
perf | Performance improvement |
test | Adding or updating tests |
build | Build system or dependencies |
ci | CI/CD changes |
chore | Other maintenance tasks |
revert | Revert a previous commit (Google, Atom only) |
Choosing a Format
- Conventional — best default choice, widely supported by tooling (changelogs, versioning)
- Angular — if your project follows Angular conventions
- Karma — when you want simple, single-line messages
- Semantic — when scope is unnecessary and you want minimal format
- Emoji — for visual commit logs, popular in open-source projects
- EmojiKarma — when you want both emoji visual cues and structured types
- Google/Atom — when your project follows these specific conventions