git-do is a Git CLI extension that automates commit messages and explains code changes using LLMs. It adds a do subcommand to git and works with any OpenAI-compatible API, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and local models via Ollama.
Note
git do is still experimental and subject to change. While I don't expect there to be any huge breaking changes, be aware that there may be breaking changes introduced until a formal v1 is released.
git-do connects to an LLM to handle the parts of your git workflow that benefit from understanding code: writing commit messages, explaining diffs, and summarizing what's changed.
| Command | What it does |
|---|---|
git do commit |
Generate a commit message for staged changes and commit. |
git do explain |
Explain the changes in a commit or range of commits. |
git do status |
git status with an LLM-generated summary of what changed and why it matters. |
git do init |
Set up git-do for a project (creates the config file and credentials entry). |
git do help |
Show detailed usage for all commands. |
go install github.com/julianwyz/git-do/cmd/git-do@latestThe binary name is git-do. Because Git treats any git-<subcommand> binary on your $PATH as a subcommand, it becomes available as git do automatically.
Run git do init inside any Git repository. It walks you through picking an LLM provider and model, writes a .do.toml config file to your project, and sets up your API key in ~/.gitdo/credentials.
cd my-project
git do initgit-do works on whatever is staged, just like git commit.
git add -p # or git add <files>git do commitgit-do sends your staged diff and optional project context to the LLM, receives a structured commit message, prints it for review, and commits. The message follows whichever format you configured (github or conventional).
# Explain the last commit
git do explain HEAD
# Explain a range of commits
git do explain main..my-branch
# Explain a specific commit by hash
git do explain abc1234git do statusRuns git status and appends an LLM-generated plain-English summary of what's changed. Useful for picking up a half-finished branch or reviewing before a PR.
After git do init, a .do.toml appears in your project directory. Commit this file alongside your code; it defines how git-do behaves for everyone working in the repo.
# Config file version. "1" is the only accepted value.
version = "1"
# BCP 47 language tag. All LLM output will be in this language.
language = "en-US"
[llm]
# Base URL for the LLM API.
api_base = "https://api.openai.com/v1"
# Model to use.
model = "gpt-4o-mini"
[llm.context]
# Optional: a file whose contents are sent to the LLM as project context.
# Use this to tune responses: describe your team's conventions, the codebase
# domain, commit message preferences, etc.
file = "CONTEXT.md"
[llm.reasoning]
# Reasoning effort for models that support it.
# Values: none | minimal | low | medium | high | xhigh
level = "low"
[commit]
# Commit message format.
# "github" - subject line + bullet-point body
# "conventional" - Conventional Commits (feat:, fix:, chore:, etc.)
format = "github"The [llm.context] file is one of the most useful features. Point it at any Markdown file and its contents are included in every prompt. Use it to tell the LLM things like:
- What your project does and its domain terminology
- Your team's commit message conventions or preferences
- Common patterns to follow or avoid
The project itself uses an AGENTS.md file for this; see AGENTS.md for a real example.
git-do works with any API that conforms to the OpenAI spec, plus Anthropic natively:
| Provider | api_base |
|---|---|
| OpenAI | https://api.openai.com/v1 |
| Anthropic | https://api.anthropic.com |
| Ollama (local) | http://localhost:11434/v1 |
| Any OpenAI-compatible API | your endpoint |
API keys live in ~/.gitdo/credentials as an INI file, separate from your project config so keys are never committed to source control.
[default]
api_key = sk-...You can store keys for multiple providers. The section key is the hostname of the api_base:
[default]
api_key = sk-...
[api.openai.com]
api_key = sk-openai-...
[api.anthropic.com]
api_key = sk-ant-...When git-do makes a request, it looks for a credentials section matching the api_base hostname. If none matches, it falls back to [default]. This lets you use different providers across different projects without any extra setup.
Commit messages to me are almost as important as the code change itself.
- Linus Torvalds
We all know that git commit messages are important. A good commit message documents intent, educates newcomers, and makes git log useful months later.
We also all know how they tend to go in practice. XKCD summed it up best:
git-do is designed to fit naturally into an existing workflow: no new tooling layer, no UI, just an extra subcommand. Stage your changes, run git do commit, and get a message that actually says something.
Thanks for considering contributing! Feel free to open GitHub Issues and Pull Requests. More info is in CONTRIBUTING.md.