/git-workflow

Imperative Mood in Commit Messages

Write commit messages in the imperative mood, as if giving a command or instruction.

Bad Example

# Past tense
git commit -m "fixed the login bug"
git commit -m "added user authentication"
git commit -m "updated the README"

# Present participle (-ing form)
git commit -m "fixing memory leak in cache"
git commit -m "adding support for dark mode"

# Third person present
git commit -m "fixes issue with form validation"
git commit -m "adds new API endpoint"

# Descriptive statement
git commit -m "this commit adds a new feature"
git commit -m "changes to the database schema"

Good Example

# Imperative mood - like giving a command
git commit -m "fix the login bug"
git commit -m "add user authentication"
git commit -m "update the README"

# Think: "This commit will..."
git commit -m "fix memory leak in cache"
git commit -m "add support for dark mode"

# Matches git's own conventions
git commit -m "merge branch 'feature' into main"
git commit -m "revert 'add broken feature'"

# Complete examples
git commit -m "refactor database connection handling"
git commit -m "remove deprecated API endpoints"
git commit -m "implement retry logic for failed requests"

Why

Using imperative mood provides consistency and clarity:

1. Git's Convention: Git itself uses imperative mood ("Merge branch...", "Revert...", "Initial commit")
2. Completes the Sentence: The message completes "If applied, this commit will..."
   • "If applied, this commit will fix the login bug" (correct)
   • "If applied, this commit will fixed the login bug" (incorrect)
3. Conciseness: Imperative mood is typically shorter and more direct
4. Action-Oriented: Focuses on what the commit does, not what was done
5. Industry Standard: Most open source projects and style guides recommend this convention

Quick test: Read your commit message after "This commit will..." - if it sounds grammatically correct, you've used imperative mood.