Smart git commits with Claude Code

I've been deep in to using Claude Code recently, and I love being able to ask Claude to commit changes as it makes a beautiful commit log with detail about all the changes we've made.

It got me thinking - could I combine this with one of my more frequently used bash aliases I use gwip — a lightning-fast way to save a snapshot of my work without thinking.

The issue I find with the gwip commits is it creates generic "WIP" messages that provide zero context. Later, when I need to understand what I was actually working on, I end up trawling through diffs trying to piece together my thought process.

Claude Code supports custom commands, so I've created a /gwip command that gives me:

• The same quick snapshot workflow I'm used to
• AI-generated commit messages that actually describe what changed
• Automatic CI skipping with [skip ci]
• No commit verification for maximum speed

Setting It Up

Create the following command in .claude/commands/gwip.md:

---
description: "Creates a commit for work-in-progress. This might not be fully testable and functional but we want to snap this point in time"
allowed-tools:
  [
    "Bash(git add:*)",
    "Bash(git status:*)",
    "Bash(git commit:*)",
    "Bash(git diff:*)",
    "Bash(git log:*)",
  ]
---

# Claude Command: gwip

Analyze git diff and create a detailed WIP commit message. 
First line: '🚧 wip: [concise description] [skip ci]'. 

Then add a blank line and bullet points with more context about the changes, features worked on, files modified, etc. 

Commit with --no-verify and --no-gpg-sign using multi-line message. 

Do NOT push your changes

To keep your commits clean, add this to .claude/settings.local.json to prevent Claude being added as a co-author:

{
  "includeCoAuthoredBy": false
}

How It Works

When you run /gwip, Claude Code will:

1. Analyze your git diff to understand what changed
2. Generate a commit message starting with 🚧 wip:
3. Add detailed bullet points about the changes
4. Create the commit with --no-verify and --no-gpg-sign
5. Skip CI with [skip ci] in the message

Example Output

🚧 wip: implement user authentication flow [skip ci]

• Added login component with form validation
• Created authentication context provider
• Modified API routes to handle JWT tokens
• Updated user model with session management
• Work remaining: password reset functionality

Now I get my quick commits — saving snapshots in time without triggering CI — but with meaningful context provided by AI. No more archaeology sessions trying to figure out what past-me was thinking!