Diff Commit

Diff Commit is a VSCode extension that helps you generate commit messages following the conventional commits specification using Anthropic's AI models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet. Commit messages are generated using the diff of staged changes and entered directly into the SCM message input or previewed in a new editor window.

The generated commit messages are compatible with googleapis/release-please and other tools that use conventional commits.

Table of Contents

• Diff Commit
  • Table of Contents
  • Features
  • Requirements
  • Installation
  • Typical Workflow
  • Commands
    • DiffCommit: Generate Commit Message
    • DiffCommit: Preview Commit Message
    • DiffCommit: Update API Key
    • DiffCommit: Delete API Key
  • Configuration
    • diffCommit.allowedTypes
    • diffCommit.customInstructions
    • diffCommit.model
    • diffCommit.maxTokens
    • diffCommit.temperature
  • Error Handling
  • Contributing
    • Local Development
    • Local Testing
  • License

Features

• Generate commit messages based on the diff of staged changes using Anthropic's AI models like Claude 3.5 Sonnet
• Preview and edit generated commit messages before applying the commit
• Uses markdown formatting for commit messages
• Implements conventional commit format with type, scope, subject, and body
• Real-time progress notifications during commit message generation
• Seamless integration with VSCode's Source Control Management (SCM)

Requirements

• VSCode 1.9.4 or higher
• Git installed and configured in your workspace
• An Anthropic API key

Installation

Install the extension directly from the Visual Studio Code Marketplace or:

1. Open VSCode
2. Press Cmd/Ctrl + P
3. Type ext install tpsTech.diff-commit

Typical Workflow

1. Stage the changes that you wish to commit as normal
2. Run the command: "DiffCommit: Generate Commit Message" (Cmd/Ctrl + K → Cmd/Ctrl + G)
3. Monitor progress in the notification area as the extension:
   • Retrieves the git diff
   • Validates your API key
   • Generates the commit message
4. Review the generated message in the Source Control message input
5. Click 'Commit' to commit the changes with the generated message

Commands

DiffCommit commands can be accessed from the Command Palette (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P) or using the default keyboard shortcuts.

[!TIP] You can reduce token use by staging only part of a group of changes, generating the commit message, then adding the remaining files before committing.

DiffCommit: Generate Commit Message

This will generate a commit message for staged changes and enter it in the Source Control message input box. You can preview and edit the generated message before committing. Progress is shown through notifications as the extension works.

DiffCommit: Preview Commit Message

This will generate a commit message for staged changes and open it in a new editor window. You can preview and edit the generated message before committing.

DiffCommit: Update API Key

This will update the Anthropic API key used for API access.

1. Enter your API key when prompted
2. Press Enter to confirm or Esc to cancel

DiffCommit: Delete API Key

This will delete the stored API key from your system and prevent DiffCommit from accessing the API in the future.

Configuration

DiffCommit provides the following settings to customise its behavior.

diffCommit.allowedTypes

A list of allowed commit types. If provided, this replaces the default options. You need to ensure all required commit types are included in the list.

[!WARNING] Changing the default, replaces the option value. If you set this option, be sure to include a complete list of all required commit types.

diffCommit.customInstructions

Add additional custom instructions to the commit generation prompt. Useful for providing context or specific requirements like 'Use Australian English spelling'.

diffCommit.model

The Anthropic AI model to use for generating commit messages.

diffCommit.maxTokens

Maximum number of tokens to generate in the response. Higher values allow for longer commit messages but use more API tokens.

diffCommit.temperature

Controls randomness in the response. Lower values (like 0.3) produce more focused and consistent commit messages, while higher values introduce more variety.

[!TIP] For concise, focused & repeatable commit messages, use a value in the range of 0.1 to 0.4.

If you want a little more creativity or more room for the AI model to interpret the reason for changes, try a higher value like 0.7.

Error Handling

Diff Commit provides clear feedback for various scenarios to help troubleshoot issues. Here are the common messages you might encounter:

Each error includes specific guidance on how to resolve the issue. For persistent problems, please check your configuration and if appropriate, raise an issue on GitHub.

Contributing

Feature requests, suggestions and contributions to Diff Commit are welcome! Please feel free to submit an idea or Pull Request.

Local Development

1. Clone the repository
2. Install dependencies: pnpm install
3. Build the extension: pnpm compile
4. Run the tests: pnpm test

Local Testing

1. Press F5 (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + P and select Debug: Start Debugging) to start the debugger
2. This will open a new VSCode window with the extension loaded
3. Make changes to files and use the source control panel to test the extension

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.