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wtf is commitlint?

jrolfs/commitlint — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-07-18 · repo last pushed 2022-02-12

Audience · developerComplexity · 2/5DormantSetup · easy

TL;DR

A tool that checks Git commit messages against the conventional-commits format and rejects ones that don't match, keeping a team's commit history consistent and readable.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((commitlint))
    What it does
      Validates commit messages
      Enforces conventional commits
      Blocks bad commits via Husky
    Tech Stack
      Node.js
      Husky
      Git hooks
    Use Cases
      Standardize commit history
      Auto-generate release notes
      Enforce team conventions
    Audience
      Development teams
      Open-source maintainers

Code map

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filefunction / class

Why would anyone build with this?

REASON 1

Reject commits that don't follow the 'type(scope): description' conventional-commits format.

REASON 2

Automatically generate release notes from a consistent commit history.

REASON 3

Make it easy to search project history for all fixes or features using standardized commit types.

REASON 4

Enforce commit message rules across a large team or open-source project with many contributors.

What's in the stack?

Node.jsHuskyGit

How it stacks up

jrolfs/commitlint0verflowme/alarm-clock0verflowme/seclists
Language—CSS—
Last pushed2022-02-122022-10-032020-05-03
MaintenanceDormantDormantDormant
Setup difficultyeasyeasyeasy
Complexity2/52/51/5
Audiencedevelopervibe coderops devops

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you spin it up?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 30min

Requires wiring into Git via Husky so it runs automatically on each commit.

License is not stated in the available content.

Yoink these prompts

Prompt 1
Show me how to install commitlint and hook it into Git with Husky so bad commit messages get rejected.
Prompt 2
Write a commitlint config that allows only feat, fix, chore, docs, and test as commit types.
Prompt 3
Explain what a valid conventional-commit message looks like and give me three examples for a bug fix.
Prompt 4
Help me set up commitlint in my existing project so every commit is validated automatically.
Prompt 5
Walk me through customizing commitlint's rules to require a scope in every commit message.

Frequently asked questions

wtf is commitlint?

A tool that checks Git commit messages against the conventional-commits format and rejects ones that don't match, keeping a team's commit history consistent and readable.

Is commitlint actively maintained?

Dormant — no commits in 2+ years (last push 2022-02-12).

What license does commitlint use?

License is not stated in the available content.

How hard is commitlint to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is commitlint for?

Mainly developer.

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