Summarise changes in 50 characters or less (Imperative mood) More detailed explanatory text, if necessary. Wrap it to about 72 characters. The blank line separating the summary from the body is critical (unless you omit the body entirely). - Use bullet points for multiple granular updates - Explain the "why" behind the code changes, not the "how" - Reference issue tracker IDs (e.g., Fixes #104) at the bottom Use code with caution. Key Formatting Rules
Improving Your Commit Message with the 50/72 Rule - DEV Community COMMIT-EDITMSG
The file lives at the root of your local Git administration folder. Summarise changes in 50 characters or less (Imperative
Understanding how COMMIT_EDITMSG works can help you troubleshoot locked editors, recover lost commit notes, and build automated workflows to enforce clean git histories. What is .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG ? - Use bullet points for multiple granular updates
If your editor crashes, the terminal closes unexpectedly, or you are in the middle of a complex merge, your message might not be lost. Because Git saves the message to this file before completing the commit, you can often recover your work by looking at the content of .git/COMMIT_EDITMSG before running another commit command. Tips for Using COMMIT_EDITMSG Efficiently