Git Commit Helper by PranitModi

A VS Code extension that automatically extracts ticket codes from Git branch names, prefixes commit messages, and formats AI-generated messages. Stage files and start typing - the ticket prefix appears automatically!

✨ Features

• Auto-Prefix on Staging: Ticket prefix appears automatically when you stage files - just start typing!
• GitHub Copilot Integration: Automatically formats Copilot-generated messages with ticket prefix
• Smart Message Condensing: Condenses verbose AI messages to concise one-liners
• Universal Detection: Detects ANY ticket pattern from branch names (PROJ-123, TASK-456, JIRA-789, etc.)
• Smart Pattern Recognition: Works with any word followed by numbers, with or without dashes
• Fully Configurable: Customize patterns and AI formatting strategies
• Zero Configuration: Works out of the box - detects common patterns automatically

🚀 How It Works

Basic Workflow

1. Checkout a branch with ticket pattern: feature/PROJ-123-new-feature
2. Stage your files → PROJ-123: appears automatically in commit message box
3. Either:
   • Type your message manually: PROJ-123: Add user authentication
   • Click Copilot sparkle button (✨) → Extension formats it: PROJ-123: Add user authentication feature

🤖 With GitHub Copilot

When you use Copilot's sparkle button to generate commit messages:

1. Click the sparkle icon (✨) in Source Control
2. Copilot generates a message (often multi-line or verbose)
3. Extension automatically:
   • Detects the AI-generated message
   • Condenses it to one concise line
   • Adds your ticket prefix: PROJ-123: condensed message

🎯 Supported Branch Patterns (All Automatic!)

• feature/PROJ-123-new-feature → PROJ-123:
• bugfix/TASK456-fix-issue → TASK-456:
• hotfix/jira-789-urgent-fix → JIRA-789:
• develop/ABC999-enhancement → ABC-999:
• release/VER-101-preparation → VER-101:
• fix/bug123-critical → BUG-123:

The extension is smart enough to detect virtually any pattern!

🔧 Installation

Install directly from the VS Code Marketplace:

1. Open VS Code (version 1.74.0 or newer)
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Git Commit Helper by PranitModi"
4. Click Install

Or install via command line:

code --install-extension PranitModi.git-commit-helper-pm

📋 Requirements

• VS Code version 1.74.0 or newer (November 2022+)
• Git extension (built-in with VS Code)
• An active Git repository

⚙️ Configuration

The extension works automatically without any configuration, but you can customize it:

{
  "gitCommitHelper.autoPrefix": true,
  "gitCommitHelper.ticketPattern": "([A-Za-z]+)-?(\\d+)",
  "gitCommitHelper.autoGenerateOnStage": true,
  "gitCommitHelper.autoCondenseAI": true,
  "gitCommitHelper.condensingStrategy": "smart"
}

Settings

🤖 AI Condensing Strategies

• smart (recommended): Intelligently extracts key action, handles conventional commits, preserves intent
• first-sentence: Uses only the first sentence from Copilot's message
• first-line: Uses only the first line from Copilot's message

🔧 Pattern Examples

Default Pattern (works for most cases):

• ([A-Za-z]+)-?(\\d+) - Matches: PROJ-123, task456, ABC-789, feature123

Custom Patterns for specific needs:

• ([A-Z]+)-(\\d+) - Only uppercase with dash: PROJ-123, ABC-456
• (JIRA|TASK|BUG)-(\\d+) - Specific prefixes only: JIRA-123, TASK-456, BUG-789
• ([A-Za-z]{2,4})(\\d+) - Letters + numbers without dash: PROJ123, TASK456

💡 How to Customize

1. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+,)
2. Search for "Git Commit Helper"
3. Modify the ticketPattern if needed
4. Or add to your settings.json:

{
  "gitCommitHelper.ticketPattern": "(CUSTOM|PATTERN)-(\\d+)"
}

📋 Commands

While the extension works automatically, these commands are available:

• Git Commit Helper: Extract and Prefix - Manually extract and prefix current message
• Git Commit Helper: Toggle Auto-Prefix - Enable/disable automatic prefixing
• Git Commit Helper: Generate Smart Commit Message - Manually trigger AI message generation (requires GitHub Copilot)

Troubleshooting

Extension Not Working?

1. Check that your branch name contains a ticket code pattern
2. Verify gitCommitHelper.autoPrefix is enabled in settings
3. Open Developer Tools (Help → Toggle Developer Tools) and check console for debug messages

Custom Ticket Patterns

To support different ticket formats, update the ticketPattern setting:

{
  "gitCommitHelper.ticketPattern": "(CUSTOM|PATTERN)-(\\d+)"
}

📊 Example Usage

# Stage files and see ticket prefix automatically!

# Example 1: Manual typing
git checkout -b feature/PROJ-123-add-authentication
# Stage files → "PROJ-123: " appears
# Type: "Add user login feature" 
# Result: "PROJ-123: Add user login feature"

# Example 2: With Copilot
git checkout -b bugfix/TASK-456-fix-bug
# Stage files → "TASK-456: " appears
# Click sparkle icon (✨) → Copilot generates verbose message
# Extension condenses and formats: "TASK-456: Fix authentication bug in login flow"

# Example 3: Multiple staged files
git checkout -b feature/ABC-999-update-ui
# Stage multiple files
# Click sparkle icon → Copilot analyzes all changes
# Extension creates: "ABC-999: Update UI components and styles"

🎯 Works with ANY branch pattern and minimizes AI calls!

🤝 Contributing

Found a bug or have a feature request?

1. Check existing issues on the GitHub repository
2. Create a new issue with detailed information
3. Pull requests are welcome!

📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Support

If you find this extension helpful, please:

• ⭐ Rate it on the VS Code Marketplace
• 🐛 Report issues or suggest improvements
• 💡 Share it with your team

Enjoy seamless commit message prefixing! 🎉