Commit Contract
Commit Contract configures GitHub Copilot commit message generation to follow Conventional Commits with project-level consistency.
It installs a strict base instruction file in your workspace and can append your own custom styling guidance, so generated commit messages match both the spec and your team conventions.
Features
- One-command setup for Conventional Commits instruction rules.
- Status bar indicator showing setup state at a glance.
- Optional auto-setup once per workspace.
- Workspace-level custom commit style text appended on top of base rules.
- Safe overwrite flow when instruction file already exists.
- Output channel logs for troubleshooting (
Commit Contract).
Quick Start
- Open a Git workspace in VS Code.
- Open Command Palette.
- Run
Commit Contract: Setup Commit Instructions.
- Optionally set
Commit Contract > Custom Instruction Text to add project-specific formatting guidance.
The extension writes:
.copilot-commit-message-instructions.md in workspace root.github.copilot.chat.commitMessageGeneration.instructions in workspace settings.
Extension Settings
This extension contributes the following settings:
commitStyle.autoSetupOnOpen: Run setup automatically once per workspace when VS Code opens.commitStyle.showStatusBar: Show or hide the Commit Contract status bar item.commitStyle.customInstructionText: Additional plain text guidance appended to Copilot commit message instructions.
Custom Commit Styling
Use commitStyle.customInstructionText to add team-specific style guidance, for example:
Prefix subject with Jira ID like ABC-123 when available.
Use imperative mood and keep subject under 72 characters.
This custom content is applied after the strict Conventional Commits instruction, so formatting remains compliant while allowing team preferences.
Requirements
- VS Code
1.110.0 or newer.
- GitHub Copilot Chat commit message generation support in your environment.
Troubleshooting
- If setup fails, open the
Commit Contract output channel.
- If status does not update, rerun
Commit Contract: Setup Commit Instructions.
- If instruction file is missing after setup, verify workspace write permissions.
Privacy
Commit Contract does not include telemetry. It only logs locally to the VS Code output channel.
Known Issues
- In multi-root workspaces, setup currently targets the first workspace folder.
Release Notes
See CHANGELOG.md for version history.
