Guide · Agent skill

How to use the Commit Message Storyteller agent skill

Updated 2026-10-29 · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data

The Commit Message Storyteller is an agent skill that reads your git diff or a plain description of your changes and drafts a commit message in the Conventional Commits format. Its messages explain why a change was made, not just what lines moved. This guide covers what the skill does, how to install it, how to trigger it, and where to be careful.

Commit Message Storytellergithub/awesome-copilot · MIT Download the skill

Quick start

1Install the skill. Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
2Stage your changes. Run git diff --staged to see exactly what will go into the commit.
3Ask in plain language. Request a commit message, for example "write a commit message for my staged changes", and paste the diff.
4Add context. Add a sentence on why the change was made, such as the issue it fixes or the problem it solves.
5Review the type and reason. Check that the Conventional Commits type and the body's explanation match what really happened.
6Commit the message. Copy the message into git yourself. The skill does not run git commit.

What an agent skill is and what this one does

An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file and optional reference files. When you make a request that matches the skill's description, the agent loads those instructions and follows them for that task.

This skill turns raw changes into a commit message with three parts: a short typed subject line, a body that explains the problem the change solves, and optional footers such as issue references or breaking-change notes. It does not run git commit itself; it only writes the text for you to use.

Subject: imperative mood, max 72 characters, no trailing period, lowercase after the colon
Body: the reason for the change, with lines under 100 characters
Footer: references like Closes #123, or BREAKING CHANGE: notes

Install the commit-message-storyteller skill

Download the ZIP for the skill from the agent-skills directory page. Then choose one of these options.

For a personal install that works in all your projects, unzip the folder into ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, unzip it into that project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the skill in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

Personal: ~/.claude/skills/commit-message-storyteller/
Project: .claude/skills/commit-message-storyteller/ inside your repository
Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the skill

Trigger the skill with natural requests

You don't need a special command. Ask in ordinary language. The skill is designed to match requests such as "write a commit message", "describe my changes", "what should I commit this as", or "summarize my diff".

Give it material to work from. The skill accepts git diff output, staged files, or a plain description of what you changed and why. Including the why gives the best message, because the skill otherwise has to infer intent from the code.

"Write a commit message for my staged changes." (paste the output of git diff --staged)
"Summarize my diff and suggest a commit type."
"What should I commit this as? I switched the retry logic to exponential backoff because the API was rate-limiting us."

git diff --staged

Get the diff to paste in

The skill needs text to work from. The quick reference in the skill uses git to produce it. Run git diff --staged to see what you have staged for commit, or git diff to see uncommitted working tree changes, then paste the output into your request.

Git is required only to produce this diff. The skill itself does not call git.

# Get your staged diff to paste into Copilot
git diff --staged

# Or get the last uncommitted working tree changes
git diff

Read the output and check the reason

The skill maps each change to a type such as feat, fix, refactor, perf, docs, style, test, build, chore, ci, or revert. If your diff contains logically separate changes, it suggests splitting them into multiple commit messages.

Always check the "why". The skill infers intent from the diff, so it can write a plausible reason that is wrong. Correct the body before you commit if the reason isn't what you intended. If you want the skill to stage and commit for you, use the separate git-commit skill instead.

Confirm the type matches what the change actually does
Confirm the body's reason is the real reason
Split the message if the skill suggests separate commits

Make the commit yourself

Copy the message from the code block and commit it with git. The skill's output is text only, so the commit happens only when you run it. Keep the message exactly as written, or adjust it first.

What people use it for

Turning a staged bug fix into a fix(scope) message that names the problem it solved and links the issue
Drafting clear commit messages for a pull request with several commits
Splitting a large mixed diff into separate commits with their own messages
Writing a breaking-change footer when an API signature changes
Summarising a messy working tree so you can describe it in one line

Frequently asked questions

Is the commit-message-storyteller skill free?

The skill is published under the MIT licence, as stated on its directory page. Check the licence file in the repository for the full terms before you reuse it.

How do I install commit-message-storyteller?

Download the ZIP from the directory page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one repository. In the Claude apps you can instead upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.

What does the skill need to run?

It needs git only to produce the diff you paste in, such as git diff --staged. The skill runs no scripts and uses no network access, according to its listing.

Does the skill commit my changes automatically?

No. It only writes the commit message text. To stage files and make the commit, use the separate git-commit skill.

Can it write messages for projects that don't use Conventional Commits?

Not well. The output follows the Conventional Commits format, so the messages won't match a project with different conventions.

Can the skill get the reason for a change wrong?

Yes. It infers intent from the diff, so it can produce a plausible but incorrect explanation. Check the body before committing, especially when you don't know the reason yourself.

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Our verdict

Use this skill if you want consistent, reason-focused Conventional Commits messages and you can supply or verify the why behind each change. Pick something else if your project doesn't use Conventional Commits, or if you want an agent that stages and commits automatically, for which the separate git-commit skill is the relevant option.

Download the skill