OpenCommit — AI-Powered Git Commit Messages

What it is

OpenCommit is a CLI tool that analyzes your staged git changes and generates meaningful commit messages using AI. It reads the diff, sends it to an LLM (Claude, GPT, or local models via Ollama), and proposes a conventional commit message. It supports git hook integration so commit messages are generated automatically on every commit.

Developers who want consistent, descriptive commit messages without spending time writing them benefit from OpenCommit. Teams enforcing conventional commit standards find it especially useful.

How it saves time or tokens

Writing good commit messages takes 30-60 seconds per commit. OpenCommit generates one in about 1 second. Over a day with dozens of commits, this saves meaningful time. The AI reads the full diff context, producing messages that are often more descriptive than hastily written manual ones. The token_estimate per commit is approximately 389 tokens.

How to use

1. Install OpenCommit globally via npm
2. Configure your AI provider and API key
3. Stage your changes and run oco instead of git commit

Example

# Install
npm install -g opencommit

# Configure provider
oco config set OCO_API_KEY=sk-ant-your-key
oco config set OCO_MODEL=claude-sonnet-4-20250514

# Use: stage changes and run
git add .
oco
# Output: feat(auth): add JWT token refresh logic with expiry check

# Or install as git hook (auto-generate on every commit)
oco hook set
git add . && git commit  # Message generated automatically

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Common pitfalls

• Large diffs (many files changed) produce longer context and higher token costs; commit frequently in small batches
• The git hook runs on every commit including rebases and merges; disable it for non-standard commits
• Generated messages may not match your team's exact commit convention; customize the prompt template in config