KarmaMessageAI
Generate perfect Git commit messages using OpenAI or local models through Ollama, following the Karma / Conventional Commits specification.
!Version
!VSCode
!License
Features
- ✨ One-click generation — button in the Source Control panel header
- Editable preview — review and modify the message before applying (
Ctrl+Enter to confirm)
- Karma convention — enforces
feat, fix, docs, refactor, and all standard types
- Message history — side panel with the last 50 generated messages (click to re-apply)
- Secure API key storage — stored in VS Code's encrypted
SecretStorage (OS Keychain)
- Configurable model — choose between
gpt-4o-mini, gpt-4o, gpt-4-turbo, and gpt-3.5-turbo
Karma Convention
Messages follow this format:
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body>
<footer>
| Type |
Description |
feat |
A new feature |
fix |
A bug fix |
docs |
Documentation only changes |
style |
Formatting, no code change |
refactor |
Neither a fix nor a feature |
perf |
Performance improvements |
test |
Adding or fixing tests |
chore |
Build process or tooling changes |
revert |
Reverts a previous commit |
build |
Changes to the build system |
ci |
CI/CD configuration changes |
Examples:
feat(auth): add JWT refresh token rotation
Refresh tokens now rotate on each use to prevent token theft.
Closes [#482](https://github.com/danielboggianosa/vscode-karma-message-ai/issues/482)
fix(api): handle null response from payment gateway
chore(deps): update dependencies to latest versions
Requirements
- VS Code
^1.85.0
- Git installed and available in your PATH
- Either an OpenAI API Key or Ollama with a downloaded local model.
Installation
Option A — Install from VSIX (recommended)
- Build the package:
npm install
node esbuild.js --production
npx vsce package --no-dependencies
- In VS Code:
Ctrl+Shift+P → Extensions: Install from VSIX...
- Select the generated
karma-message-ai-1.0.3.vsix file
- Reload VS Code
Option B — Development mode (for testing)
- Open the
Commit Message VsCode folder in VS Code
- Open
src/extension.ts
- Press F5 — a new Extension Development Host window will open
- In that window, open any Git repository and start using the extension
Setup
1. Choose a provider
OpenAI remains the default. For a local option without an API key or per-request API fees:
Install and start Ollama.
Download the default model: ollama pull qwen2.5-coder:3b (about 1.9 GB).
Add to VS Code settings:
"commitAI.provider": "ollama",
"commitAI.ollama.model": "qwen2.5-coder:3b"
Keep Ollama running; use ollama serve if the service is not already active.
After downloading the model, local generation works offline. Speed and quality depend
on your hardware and selected model. Change commitAI.ollama.model to another model
you have downloaded. Local models use your computer's RAM and processing resources.
The default server is http://localhost:11434. Configure commitAI.ollama.baseUrl
if needed and commitAI.ollama.timeout (default 120 seconds) for slow model loading.
With Remote SSH, WSL or containers, localhost refers to the machine running the
extension host. The server must be reachable from there.
See Ollama authentication: local API
requests need no key; cloud models are a separate service and may require sign-in.
OpenAI setup
Set commitAI.provider to openai and configure your API key:
Open the Command Palette (Ctrl+Shift+P) and run:
Commit AI: Set OpenAI API Key
Paste your key (sk-...). It is stored securely using VS Code's built-in SecretStorage — it never touches disk in plain text.
2. Stage your changes
git add .
# or stage specific files in the Source Control panel
3. Generate the commit message
Click the ✨ button in the Source Control panel header.
The message appears in an editable panel — review it, make any tweaks, then click Apply to Commit or press Ctrl+Enter.
Usage
| Action |
How |
| Generate message |
Click ✨ in Source Control header |
| Apply message |
Click Apply to Commit or Ctrl+Enter |
| Regenerate |
Click ↺ Regenerate in the preview panel |
| Cancel |
Click ✕ Cancel or press Esc |
| View history |
Click the Commit AI icon in the Activity Bar |
| Re-apply old message |
Click any item in the history panel |
| Copy from history |
Hover the item → click the copy icon |
| Clear history |
Click the 🗑 icon in the history panel header |
| Change API Key |
Ctrl+Shift+P → Commit AI: Set OpenAI API Key |
Extension Settings
Configure via File → Preferences → Settings and search for Commit AI:
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
commitAI.provider |
openai |
openai or ollama |
commitAI.ollama.model |
qwen2.5-coder:3b |
Downloaded local model |
commitAI.ollama.baseUrl |
http://localhost:11434 |
Ollama server URL |
commitAI.ollama.timeout |
120 |
Timeout in seconds |
commitAI.model |
gpt-4o-mini |
OpenAI model to use |
commitAI.maxDiffLength |
4000 |
Max characters of diff sent to OpenAI |
commitAI.includeBody |
true |
Include body for complex changes |
commitAI.temperature |
0.3 |
Creativity level (0 = deterministic, 1 = creative) |
Project Structure
src/
├── extension.ts # Entry point — registers commands and views
├── gitService.ts # Reads staged diff, writes to SCM input box
├── openaiService.ts # Calls OpenAI API, manages API key
├── commitPreviewPanel.ts # Webview panel for editing the generated message
└── historyProvider.ts # TreeView provider for the history sidebar
Development
# Install dependencies
npm install
# Build (development)
node esbuild.js
# Build (production / minified)
node esbuild.js --production
# Watch mode
node esbuild.js --watch
# Type-check only
npx tsc --noEmit
# Package as .vsix
npx vsce package --no-dependencies
Privacy
- With OpenAI selected, your git diff is sent to OpenAI's API.
- With Ollama selected, your diff is sent only to the configured Ollama server. A local server with a local model keeps generation on that machine; remote servers or cloud models have different privacy implications.
- The API key is stored locally in VS Code's
SecretStorage (OS Keychain).
- No data is stored or sent anywhere else.
- Review OpenAI's privacy policy for details on how your data is handled.
License
MIT © Daniel Boggiano
