AutoCommitMessage.nvim

Automatically generate commit messages using GitHub Copilot when opening git commits in Neovim.

When you press C (uppercase) in LazyGit to create a commit, this plugin automatically generates a commit message based on your staged changes using CopilotChat.

Features

• Automatic commit message generation when opening gitcommit buffers
• Uses CopilotChat to analyze staged changes and generate meaningful commit messages
• Follows commitizen convention by default
• Configurable prompts for different commit message styles
• Manual trigger command for regenerating messages
• Health check integration (:checkhealth auto-commit-message)

Requirements

• Neovim 0.10+
• CopilotChat.nvim - Chat interface for GitHub Copilot
• copilot.lua - GitHub Copilot integration
• neovim-remote (nvr) - For LazyGit integration
• Treesitter parsers - markdown and markdown_inline

Installing Dependencies

neovim-remote:

pip install neovim-remote

Treesitter parsers (in Neovim):

:TSInstall markdown markdown_inline

Installation

lazy.nvim

{
  "ryancraigdavis/AutoCommitMessage.nvim",
  dependencies = {
    "CopilotC-Nvim/CopilotChat.nvim",
  },
  -- Load on VeryLazy so the gitcommit autocmd is registered ahead of time and
  -- `:checkhealth auto-commit-message` works without opening a commit first.
  event = "VeryLazy",
  opts = {},
}

Why VeryLazy and not ft = "gitcommit"? The plugin only registers a gitcommit autocmd, which must exist before that filetype triggers. Loading on the filetype itself is too late and also hides the health check (a not-yet-loaded plugin isn't on the runtimepath). If you prefer ft-based loading, run :Lazy load AutoCommitMessage.nvim before :checkhealth.

packer.nvim

use {
  "ryancraigdavis/AutoCommitMessage.nvim",
  requires = {
    "CopilotC-Nvim/CopilotChat.nvim",
  },
  config = function()
    require("auto-commit-message").setup()
  end,
}

Configuration

require("auto-commit-message").setup({
  -- Enable/disable auto-generation on gitcommit filetype
  enabled = true,

  -- Prompt sent to CopilotChat for generating commit messages
  prompt = 'Write commit message for the change with commitizen convention. '
    .. 'The subject line (first line) must be 50 characters or fewer. '
    .. 'If a body is needed, add a blank line after the subject and wrap the body at 72 characters. '
    .. 'Write clear, informative commit messages that explain the "what" and "why" '
    .. 'behind changes, not just the "how". '
    .. 'Return ONLY the commit message, no explanation or markdown formatting.',

  -- Only use staged changes (true) or all changes (false)
  staged_only = true,

  -- Delay in ms before triggering generation (allows buffer to fully load)
  defer_delay = 100,

  -- Show notification when commit message is inserted
  notify = true,

  -- Auto-close CopilotChat window after generation
  auto_close_chat = true,

  -- Keymap for manual trigger (nil = disabled)
  -- Example: "<leader>gcm"
  keymap = nil,
})

Custom Prompts

You can customize the prompt for different commit message styles:

Conventional Commits:

prompt = "Write a commit message following Conventional Commits specification. "
  .. "Format: <type>(<scope>): <description>. "
  .. "Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore. "
  .. "Return ONLY the commit message.",

Gitmoji:

prompt = "Write a commit message using gitmoji convention. "
  .. "Start with an appropriate emoji. "
  .. "Return ONLY the commit message.",

LazyGit Configuration

For this plugin to work with LazyGit, you need to configure LazyGit to open files in the parent Neovim instance using nvr.

~/.config/lazygit/config.yml:

os:
  edit: 'nvr --servername $NVIM --remote-wait-silent {{filename}}'
  editAtLine: 'nvr --servername $NVIM --remote-wait-silent +{{line}} {{filename}}'
  editAtLineAndWait: 'nvr --servername $NVIM --remote-wait-silent +{{line}} {{filename}}'
  editInTerminal: false

Replace nvr with the full path if it's not in your PATH (e.g., /home/user/.local/bin/nvr).

lazygit.nvim Configuration

If you're using lazygit.nvim:

{
  "kdheepak/lazygit.nvim",
  lazy = true,
  cmd = { "LazyGit" },
  keys = {
    { "<leader>gs", "<cmd>LazyGit<cr>", desc = "LazyGit" },
  },
  config = function()
    vim.g.lazygit_floating_window_scaling_factor = 0.9
    vim.g.lazygit_use_neovim_remote = 1
  end,
}

Usage

1. Open Neovim in a git repository
2. Open LazyGit (e.g., <leader>gs)
3. Stage your changes (select files, press space)
4. Press C (uppercase, Shift+C) to commit with editor
5. Wait for CopilotChat to generate the commit message
6. Edit the message if needed
7. Save and quit (:wq) to complete the commit

Note: Lowercase c in LazyGit opens a simple inline input and won't trigger the editor or this plugin.

Commands

Command	Description
:AutoCommitMessage	Manually generate a commit message
:AutoCommitMessageEnable	Enable auto-generation
:AutoCommitMessageDisable	Disable auto-generation

Health Check

Run :checkhealth auto-commit-message to verify your setup. Checks are grouped into sections:

• system — Neovim 0.10+, and git, nvr and lazygit availability (with versions)
• copilot chat — CopilotChat.nvim and copilot.lua are installed, the gitdiff context provider this plugin depends on is available, and the markdown / markdown_inline Treesitter parsers are present
• authorization & model — Copilot is authorized, and the model configured in CopilotChat actually exists (both make a live API request, so this section may take a moment)
• lazygit integration — locates your LazyGit config (via lazygit --print-config-dir) and confirms it is wired to open commits in Neovim through nvr
• plugin — reports the active configuration (or notes that the plugin is lazy-loaded and hasn't initialized yet)

Note: If you lazy-load the plugin with ft = "gitcommit" instead of event = "VeryLazy", :checkhealth auto-commit-message reports "No healthcheck found" until the plugin loads. Run :Lazy load AutoCommitMessage.nvim first, or use VeryLazy as shown in Installation.

How It Works

User presses <leader>gs
        │
        ▼
LazyGit opens in floating terminal
        │
        ▼
User stages files and presses 'C' (uppercase)
        │
        ▼
LazyGit invokes: nvr --servername $NVIM --remote-wait-silent COMMIT_EDITMSG
        │
        ▼
COMMIT_EDITMSG opens in parent Neovim (new buffer)
        │
        ▼
Neovim detects filetype = "gitcommit"
        │
        ▼
Plugin autocmd fires, checks if first line is empty
        │
        ▼
CopilotChat.ask() called with staged diff
        │
        ▼
Copilot generates commit message
        │
        ▼
Callback inserts message into COMMIT_EDITMSG buffer
        │
        ▼
User edits if needed, then :wq
        │
        ▼
nvr returns control to LazyGit
        │
        ▼
LazyGit completes the commit

Troubleshooting

Commit buffer doesn't open in Neovim

• Verify nvr is installed: which nvr
• Check LazyGit config uses correct nvr path
• Ensure $NVIM is set (run echo $NVIM in Neovim's :terminal)

CopilotChat errors about markdown parser

Install treesitter parsers:

:TSInstall markdown markdown_inline

Message not generated

• If you see "no staged changes to summarize", stage your changes first (or set staged_only = false to use unstaged changes)
• Run :checkhealth auto-commit-message — this verifies Copilot is authorized and that your configured model exists, which are common causes
• Check :messages for errors
• Verify CopilotChat is working: :CopilotChatCommitStaged

LazyGit uses wrong editor

• Run lazygit --print-config-dir to verify config location
• Check config syntax in config.yml
• Make sure you're pressing uppercase C, not lowercase c

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.