Issue-Linked Commit Template
Connects a commit to the issue that motivated it using a Refs: trailer. Issue trackers and code hosts can use that reference to link the two, so anyone reading the history can find the discussion behind a change.
- Your team tracks work in Jira, GitHub, GitLab, Linear, or a similar tool.
- You need traceability for audits or release notes.
- The reasoning behind the change lives in an issue.
Template
Replace each <placeholder> by hand when you write a commit.
Lines starting with # are guidance that Git removes in its default cleanup mode.
Completed example
A feature tracked in Jira.
Add CSV export to the monthly usage report Account owners asked to analyze usage in spreadsheets. The report page now has an "Export CSV" button that downloads the same rows and columns shown in the table. Refs: BILL-214
Guidance
Rules
- Put issue references in the last paragraph as trailers, such as
Refs: PROJ-123. - Keep the subject about the change, not the ticket number.
- Use closing keywords (such as
Closes #123) only when the commit fully resolves the issue. - Separate multiple references with commas or use one trailer per line.
Optional fields
- Body
- Keep at least a sentence of context in the commit itself; issue trackers change, history doesn't.
Common mistakes
- Subjects that consist only of a ticket number.
- Relying on the issue for all context, so the history is unreadable without the tracker.
- Closing an issue with a keyword when the work is only partially done.
How it relates to other templates
Works with any other template: add the Refs: trailer as the final paragraph. With Conventional Commits, Refs: is a valid footer.
Use this template
Use in Tower
Tower for Mac
- Open Tower's Settings and select the Templates tab.
- Create a new template and enter the subject and body below. You can also download the template file and import it from the same tab. After importing, remove the lines that start with
#. They're guidance for Git's editor. - To use it by default, set it as the global Git value in the Templates tab, or pick it as the default commit template in a repository's settings.
- When you write a commit, click the Commit template button below the description field, or type t: or / in the subject field to choose a template.
More details: Commit Templates in the Tower for Mac documentation.
Tower for Windows
- Open Tower's Preferences and select the Templates tab.
- Click + to create a new template and enter the subject and body below.
- To use it by default, set it as the global default template, or pick it as the default in a repository's settings.
- When you write a commit, click the Commit template button in the commit composer, or type t: or / in the subject field to choose a template.
More details: Commit Templates in Tower for Windows.
Template fields for Tower
The library version with Git's # comment lines removed. If you edited the template above, copy your version from the editor instead.
Subject
<Summarize the change in imperative mood>Body
<Explain what changed and why>
Refs: <issue reference, e.g. #123 or PROJ-123>Use with the Git command line
Download gitmessage-issue-linked.txt
The commands below assume the file is in your Downloads folder.
macOS and Linux (Terminal)
Try it once
Run this in a repository with staged changes. Git opens your editor with the template filled in:
git commit --template ~/Downloads/gitmessage-issue-linked.txtMake it the default for one repository
From the repository's root folder, save the file as .gitmessage and point Git to it:
mv ~/Downloads/gitmessage-issue-linked.txt .gitmessage
git config commit.template .gitmessageMake it your global default
Save the file in your home folder and use it for every repository without its own setting:
mv ~/Downloads/gitmessage-issue-linked.txt ~/.gitmessage
git config --global commit.template "~/.gitmessage"Windows (PowerShell)
Try it once
Run this in a repository with staged changes. Git opens your editor with the template filled in:
git commit --template "$HOME\Downloads\gitmessage-issue-linked.txt"Make it the default for one repository
From the repository's root folder, save the file as .gitmessage and point Git to it:
Move-Item "$HOME\Downloads\gitmessage-issue-linked.txt" .gitmessage
git config commit.template .gitmessageMake it your global default
Save the file in your home folder and use it for every repository without its own setting:
Move-Item "$HOME\Downloads\gitmessage-issue-linked.txt" "$HOME\.gitmessage"
git config --global commit.template "~/.gitmessage"Share it with your team
Commit .gitmessage to the repository so everyone has the same file. Sharing the file does not configure anyone's Git: Git never applies settings from a repository automatically, so each teammate runs this once in their clone:
git config commit.template .gitmessageInspect, change, or remove the default
# Show the configured template and where it's set
git config --show-origin --get commit.template
# Point to a different file
git config commit.template path/to/other-template.txt
# Remove the repository or global setting
git config --unset commit.template
git config --global --unset commit.template- Templates guide, hooks enforce. A template only pre-fills the editor. To reject messages that don't follow a convention, add a commit-msg hook.
- Only the editor uses templates.
git commit -mandgit commit -Fbypass the template. - Unchanged templates abort the commit. If you save without editing the template, Git stops with "you did not edit the message".
- Comment removal depends on cleanup. Git strips
#lines under its defaultstripcleanup mode. With--cleanup=verbatim,--cleanup=whitespace, or a matchingcommit.cleanupsetting, they stay in the message. If you changedcore.commentChar,#lines aren't treated as comments. - Other commands write their own messages.
git revertandgit mergedon't loadcommit.template.
Setting up Git from scratch? The Git Config Generator builds a complete .gitconfig for you. See the git commit documentation for all options.
Use with coding agents
This skill teaches your coding agent to draft commit messages in the Issue-Linked Commit format. It uses the library version of the template. Edits you make in the editor above aren't included.
- Follows your repository's instructions and your explicit requests first.
- Reads the staged changes and keeps unstaged work out of the message.
- Never invents motivation, issue numbers, benchmarks, or test results. It leaves placeholders and asks instead.
- Flags breaking changes and unrelated changes that should be split.
- Drafts only. It won't stage, commit, or push unless you ask it to.
Download skill commit-message-issue-linked-v1.0.0.zip · Agent Skills format · MIT-0 license
Contains commit-message-issue-linked/SKILL.md with the instructions, references/REFERENCE.md with the rules and a completed example, and assets/template.txt.
Install in Claude Code
- Unzip the download. It contains a single folder named after the skill.
- Move that folder to
.claude/skills/in your repository to share it with your team, or to~/.claude/skills/to use it in all your projects. - Start a new Claude Code session and ask it to draft a commit message. You can also invoke the skill directly with
/commit-message-issue-linked.
See the Claude Code skills documentation for details.
Other agents
The package uses the open Agent Skills format, but we've only tested the agents listed above. For any other agent, check its documentation for skill support, or add the instructions below to its configuration file, such as AGENTS.md.
Copy the instructions
Add these instructions to your agent's configuration or your repository's AGENTS.md:
## Commit messages
Use the Issue-Linked Commit structure below.
```text
<Summarize the change in imperative mood>
<Explain what changed and why>
Refs: <issue reference, e.g. #123 or PROJ-123>
```
Rules:
- Put issue references in the last paragraph as trailers, such as `Refs: PROJ-123`.
- Keep the subject about the change, not the ticket number.
- Use closing keywords (such as `Closes #123`) only when the commit fully resolves the issue.
- Separate multiple references with commas or use one trailer per line.
- Only use issue identifiers that the user provided, that appear in the branch name, or that appear in the repository context. Never invent an identifier; leave the placeholder and ask instead.
- Use a closing keyword only if the user confirms the commit fully resolves the issue.
When writing a commit message:
- Base it on the staged changes (`git diff --staged`). Don't describe unstaged work as part of the commit.
- If the staged changes are unrelated to each other, suggest splitting the commit.
- Never invent motivation, issue identifiers, benchmark numbers, or test results. Keep a `<placeholder>` and ask instead.
- Call out breaking changes and include migration information supported by the changes.
- Draft the message for review. Don't stage, commit, or push unless explicitly asked.