Automatically Generate Git Commit Messages with Gen Commit

Learn about Gen Commit, a tool that automates the generation of git commit messages using LLMs. Discover how to install, use, and configure Gen Commit, including setting up API keys and custom parameters. Explore its features, stats, and language usage while understanding its benefits for developers.

## Automatically Generate Git Commit Messages

**Gen Commit** is a tool that uses LLMs to automatically generate git commit messages, eliminating the need for manually writing commit messages. Inspired by scommit, Gen Commit offers a convenient way to handle commit messages effortlessly.

### Usage

Gen commit operates similarly to `git commit` but with the added feature of generating the commit message and description for the user. For example, `gencommit -a` functions the same as `git commit -a -m “…” -m “…”`. It is recommended to create an alias for `gencommit`, such as `gc`, by adding the following line to your shell configuration file (.zshrc, .bashrc, etc.): `alias gc=”gencommit”`.

### Installation

There are two recommended methods for installation:

1. **Homebrew (MacOS and Linux)**
– To install using Homebrew, run the following commands:
“`
brew tap raghavpillai/gen-commit
brew install gen-commit
“`
2. **Python Prerequisites**
– Make sure you have Python 3.11+ installed
– Install the `gen-commit` package using pip:
“`
pip install gen-commit
“`
– If you encounter an error such as `externally-managed-environment`, you can resolve it by using `pipx` or `venv`, or simply by running:
“`
pip3 install gen-commit –break-system-packages
“`

### Initialization and Configuration

After installation, you need to initialize Gen Commit by running `gencommit –init`. Navigate to `~/.gen-commit` and add your API key for OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google.

Configurable options include setting the model type, API keys, and specifying parameters like max line length and maximum allowed tokens.

### Resources and Documentation

To learn more about Gen Commit, refer to the project’s GitHub repository at [raghav.sh](https://raghav.sh/). Available resources include the README file and the MIT license for the project.

### Stats

Gen Commit has garnered 6 stars and 1 watcher on GitHub, without any forks. It has also had 12 releases, with the latest being version 1.0.0 released on July 23, 2025.

### Languages

The repository predominantly uses Python (99.7%) and a small percentage of Shell (0.3%) for development.

### Conclusion

Gen Commit provides an innovative solution for automating the process of generating git commit messages, allowing users to streamline their workflow and save time. With its customizable options and ease of use, Gen Commit is a valuable tool for developers seeking to optimize their commit process.