Introduction

In the world of software development, writing clear, consistent commit messages is both an art and a necessity. Good commit messages tell a story, help teammates understand changes, and make code history navigable. Yet, many developers struggle with crafting meaningful commit messages that follow established conventions like Conventional Commits. Enter the MCP Git Commit Generator – a revolutionary tool that leverages the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to automatically generate conventional commit messages from your staged git changes.

What is the MCP Git Commit Generator?

The MCP Git Commit Generator is an intelligent MCP server that analyzes your staged git changes and automatically generates conventional commit messages. Built with Python and leveraging the power of AI through the Model Context Protocol, this tool bridges the gap between your code changes and descriptive, standardized commit messages.

Key Features at a Glance

• 🤖 AI-Driven Analysis: Automatically analyzes staged git diffs to understand the nature of your changes
• 📝 Conventional Commits Support: Generates messages following the widely-adopted Conventional Commits specification
• 🔧 Flexible Integration: Works with VS Code, Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, and other MCP-compatible clients
• 🐳 Docker-Ready: Ships as a lightweight Docker container for easy deployment
• 🔍 Inspector UI: Includes a debugging interface for testing and development
• ⚡ Multiple Transport Options: Supports both stdio (default) and Server-Sent Events (SSE) transports

The Problem It Solves

Before: The Commit Message Struggle

Every developer has been there – you’ve made significant changes to your codebase, staged your files, and now you’re staring at the commit message prompt. Questions flood your mind:

• Should this be a feat, fix, or refactor?
• What scope should I use?
• How do I summarize these complex changes concisely?
• Am I following the team’s commit message conventions?

The result? Either rushed, uninformative messages like “fix stuff” or spending precious development time crafting the perfect commit message.

After: Intelligent Automation

With the MCP Git Commit Generator, this friction disappears. The tool:

1. Analyzes your staged changes using git diff
2. Understands the context of modified files and their relationships
3. Determines the appropriate commit type (feat, fix, docs, etc.)
4. Suggests relevant scopes based on changed files
5. Generates a complete conventional commit message ready for use

Technical Architecture

Core Components

The MCP Git Commit Generator is built with a clean, modular architecture:

src/mcp_git_commit_generator/
├── __init__.py     # CLI entrypoint using Click
├── __main__.py     # Module launcher
└── server.py       # MCP tools implementation

MCP Tools Exposed

The server exposes two primary MCP tools:

1. generate_commit_message

This is the star of the show. The tool:

@mcp.tool()
def generate_commit_message(
    repo_path: Optional[str] = None,
    commit_type: Optional[str] = None,
    scope: Optional[str] = None,
) -> str:

Parameters:

• repo_path: Optional path to git repository (defaults to current directory)
• commit_type: Optional commit type override (auto-detected if not provided)
• scope: Optional scope override (auto-detected if not provided)

Process:

1. Validates the git repository
2. Retrieves staged changes using git diff --cached
3. Analyzes file status and change patterns
4. Generates contextual analysis for AI processing
5. Returns a conventional commit message suggestion

2. check_git_status

A utility tool that provides comprehensive repository status:

@mcp.tool()
def check_git_status(repo_path: Optional[str] = None) -> str:

This tool reports:

• Staged files ready for commit
• Unstaged modifications
• Untracked files
• Current branch information

Transport Flexibility

The tool supports two transport mechanisms:

• stdio (default): Perfect for CLI integration and MCP clients
• SSE (Server-Sent Events): Ideal for web-based interfaces and the Inspector UI

Integration Ecosystem

MCP Client Support

The tool seamlessly integrates with popular development environments:

VS Code Integration

{
  "servers": {
    "mcp-git-commit-generator": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "--mount",
        "type=bind,src=${userHome},dst=${userHome}",
        "ghcr.io/theoklitosbam7/mcp-git-commit-generator:latest",
      ],
    },
  },
}

Claude Desktop, Cursor, and Windsurf

Similar JSON configurations enable the tool across different AI-powered development environments, making it accessible regardless of your preferred IDE.

Docker-First Approach

The tool ships as a Docker container, providing:

• Consistent Environment: Same behavior across different systems
• Easy Installation: No Python environment setup required
• Security: Runs as non-root user with minimal permissions
• Portability: Works on any system with Docker

Real-World Usage Scenarios

Scenario 1: Feature Development

You’ve just implemented a new user authentication system:

# Stage your changes
git add src/auth/ tests/auth/ docs/authentication.md

# Use the MCP tool (through your IDE)
# Generates: "feat(auth): implement OAuth2 authentication with JWT tokens"

Scenario 2: Bug Fixes

You’ve fixed a critical performance issue:

git add src/database/query.py tests/test_query.py

# Generates: "fix(database): optimize N+1 query in user profile loading"

Scenario 3: Documentation Updates

You’ve updated project documentation:

git add README.md docs/api.md

# Generates: "docs: update API documentation and installation guide"

Development and Debugging

Inspector UI

The included Inspector UI provides a powerful debugging interface:

• Interactive Tool Testing: Test tools with different parameters
• Real-time Debugging: Set breakpoints in tool implementation
• Parameter Validation: Verify tool arguments before execution

Development Workflow

The project includes VS Code tasks for streamlined development:

• Start MCP Server: Launches server with debugging support
• Start MCP Inspector: Opens the Inspector UI for testing
• Flexible Environment: Supports both uv and traditional pip workflows

Technical Innovation

AI-Powered Analysis

The tool doesn’t just parse file names – it performs intelligent analysis:

# Analyzes diff content, file patterns, and change types
analysis = f"""
## Git Change Analysis for Conventional Commit Message

### Changed Files:
{files_result.stdout}

### Diff Preview:
{diff_result.stdout[:1500]}

### User Preferences:
- Commit Type: {commit_type or 'auto-detect'}
- Scope: {scope or 'auto-detect'}
"""

This rich context enables AI models to make informed decisions about commit message generation.

Conventional Commits Compliance

The tool strictly follows the Conventional Commits specification:

<type>[optional scope]: <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Supporting all standard types:

• feat: New features
• fix: Bug fixes
• docs: Documentation changes
• style: Code style changes
• refactor: Code refactoring
• perf: Performance improvements
• test: Test additions/modifications
• build: Build system changes
• ci: CI/CD changes
• chore: Maintenance tasks
• revert: Commit reverts

Performance and Reliability

Lightweight Design

The tool is designed for speed and efficiency:

• Fast Git Operations: Direct git command execution
• Minimal Dependencies: Only essential packages included
• Docker Optimization: Multi-stage builds for smaller images

Error Handling

Robust error handling ensures reliability:

def get_valid_repo_path(repo_path: Optional[str]) -> Optional[str]:
    """Validate git repository path with proper error handling"""
    if not os.path.isdir(repo_path) or not os.path.exists(
        os.path.join(repo_path, ".git")
    ):
        return None
    return repo_path

Future Implications

The MCP Git Commit Generator represents more than just a commit message tool – it’s a glimpse into the future of AI-assisted development workflows. By leveraging the Model Context Protocol, it demonstrates how AI can seamlessly integrate into existing development tools and processes.

Potential Enhancements

Future versions could include:

• Custom Convention Support: Beyond Conventional Commits
• Team-Specific Rules: Organization-specific commit patterns
• Multilingual Support: Commit messages in different languages
• Integration Metrics: Track commit message quality over time
• Advanced Scope Detection: ML-powered scope suggestion

Getting Started

Quick Setup

1. Install Docker (if not already installed)
2. Configure your MCP client with the provided JSON configuration
3. Start committing smarter:

git add your-changes
# Use the MCP tool through your IDE
git commit -m "generated message"

For Developers

The project welcomes contributions and provides comprehensive development guidelines:

git clone https://github.com/theoklitosBam7/mcp-git-commit-generator.git
cd mcp-git-commit-generator
uv venv && uv pip install -e .

Conclusion

The MCP Git Commit Generator transforms one of the most mundane yet important aspects of software development – writing commit messages. By combining the power of AI with the flexibility of the Model Context Protocol, it eliminates friction while maintaining consistency and quality.

Whether you’re a solo developer looking to improve your git history or part of a team striving for better collaboration through clear commit messages, this tool offers a compelling solution. Its Docker-based approach ensures easy adoption, while its MCP foundation provides a glimpse into the future of AI-integrated development tools.

The era of “fix stuff” commit messages is over. Welcome to the age of intelligent, automated, and meaningful git history.

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Try it today: The MCP Git Commit Generator is available as a Docker image at ghcr.io/theoklitosbam7/mcp-git-commit-generator:latest

Learn more: Visit the GitHub repository for detailed documentation and configuration examples.

Happy committing! 🚀