Claude Code Commits That Match Your Team’s Git Log
Teaching Claude Code Your Commit Style Before git commit
The annoying part of AI-written commits is rarely spelling. It is the almost-right message: the wrong scope, a missing issue reference, or a confident summary of changes you never staged. Reviewing those details takes longer than writing the subject yourself.
There are two straightforward ways to teach Claude Code your team’s conventions: repeat them in each commit request, or put durable instructions in the repository’s CLAUDE.md. Here is the side-by-side comparison I would use before adding anything more elaborate.
The Same Staged Diff, Two Places for Commit Rules
Assume the staged changes fix an expired-token refresh loop in the authentication client. Your team uses Conventional Commits, lowercase scopes, imperative subjects, a 72-character subject limit, and issue references in the body when provided. The target subject is: fix(auth): stop retrying expired refresh tokens.
Both approaches need the same boundary: summarize the staged diff, not every modified file in the working tree. Neither approach should invent an issue number or stage additional files just to make the message sound complete.
- One-off prompt: Put the formatting rules directly beside your commit request.
- Repository instructions: Store the shared formatting rules in the root CLAUDE.md.
- Shared safety boundary: Request a proposed message before authorizing any commit.
One-Off Prompts: Fast Experiments, Repeated Typing
For the prompt-only route, ask: “Inspect git diff --cached and propose a commit message. Use type(scope): subject, a lowercase scope, imperative wording, and a subject no longer than 72 characters. Describe only staged changes. Include an issue reference only if I provide one. Do not stage files or create a commit.”
This works well when you are testing a convention or contributing to an unfamiliar repository. Everything relevant is visible in the request, and you can change the format without touching project files.
The cost is repetition. Tomorrow’s shorter request might omit the length limit. Another developer might paste an older version. You have taught one conversation, not established a shared repository convention.
CLAUDE.md: Shared Defaults Beside the Source
For the repository route, add a clearly labeled commit-message section to the root CLAUDE.md. Keep it short enough that a teammate can review it like any other project rule. Suggested wording follows.
“When asked to propose a commit message, inspect the staged diff. Use type(scope): subject. Allowed types are feat, fix, docs, refactor, test, build, and chore. Use lowercase scopes matching repository areas such as auth, api, or cli. Use imperative wording and keep the subject within 72 characters. Explain non-obvious motivation in the body. Include issue references only when supplied. If nothing is staged, stop and ask. Never stage files or create a commit unless explicitly requested.”
Then your daily prompt becomes: “Propose a message for the staged changes using our repository conventions.” Check that Claude Code loaded the intended project instructions, especially when working across directories with additional instruction files.
Prompt Rules and CLAUDE.md Rules, Side by Side
- Setup effort: A one-off prompt wins for a single experimental commit.
- Team consistency: CLAUDE.md wins because teammates review the same versioned rules.
- Exceptions: A one-off prompt makes temporary deviations explicit and easy to discuss.
- Maintenance: CLAUDE.md avoids updating copied prompts scattered across personal notes.
- Enforcement: Neither approach replaces a commit-message hook or CI validation.
Test both against identical staged changes, including an empty index and a mixed-purpose diff. Compare format compliance and factual accuracy, not just polished wording. For unrelated changes, the useful response may be a recommendation to split the commit.
Keeping Commit Experiments Portable Through Fluxo
If your terminal workflow already uses Fluxo, the instructions stay in your repository rather than your relay configuration. Fluxo provides one key and one base URL, https://api.fluxorelay.com, for Claude, GPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, Kimi, GLM, Qwen, Grok, and more. It works with Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, and any OpenAI SDK.
For example, compare Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Claude Haiku 4.5 on the same staged diff. Fluxo bills per real token, including cache reads and writes, with no monthly fee. Users also earn a referral share when people they invite pay. If that fits your tooling, consider creating a Fluxo account.
The Verdict: Version the Rules, Review the Message
Use one-off prompts to discover your convention; use CLAUDE.md once the team agrees. Keep deterministic checks in hooks or CI, and review every proposed message against the staged diff. Shared instructions reduce repetition. They do not turn generated commit messages into verified history.