Commit Messages¶

Cyborg follows the OpenStack Gerrit workflow. Commit messages should explain why the change is needed, be readable in email, and preserve the footers required by OpenStack tooling.

For general OpenStack guidance, see the OpenStack contributor guide commit message documentation and the OpenStack Git commit message wiki.

Message style¶

Use an imperative subject line, normally around 50 characters, with no trailing period. Wrap body text at 72 columns and explain why the change is needed, not just what changed.

Use ASCII-safe printable characters in commit messages. Prefer <=, >=, ..., and -- rather than Unicode equivalents such as ≤, ≥, …, and —. This keeps messages readable across terminals, mail clients, and review tools used in the OpenStack workflow.

Gerrit Change-Id¶

Cyborg uses Gerrit. Do not remove existing Change-Id: footers when amending or rewording a commit. The Change-Id links new patch sets to the existing review.

Developer Certificate of Origin¶

Cyborg follows the Linux Foundation Developer Certificate of Origin (DCO). Every commit must include a Signed-off-by: line certifying that the contributor has the right to submit the contribution:

Signed-off-by: Jane Smith <jane@example.com>

When creating commits locally, git commit -s can add this footer.

AI attribution trailers¶

When AI coding tools materially contribute to a Cyborg change, use one of the following trailers. The tool name is required. The model name or version is optional but should be included when known. Guidance matches the OpenInfra Foundation policy for AI generated content.

Notation: <x> = required, [x] = optional. Do not include the brackets or angle brackets in the final trailer.

Generated-By: <tool-name> [model-version]: Use when the commit is mostly machine-authored with minimal human revision.
Assisted-By: <tool-name> [model-version]: Use when a human materially revised, amended, or curated the AI-generated work.

When multiple AI tools materially contributed, each tool may have its own Assisted-By or Generated-By trailer.

Do not use Co-Authored-By: for AI tools. That trailer identifies human co-authors and carries a DCO implication; applying it to a language model misrepresents authorship. Use Generated-By or Assisted-By instead.

Do not use Made-with: in this repository; Cyborg standardizes on Generated-By and Assisted-By as described in that OpenInfra policy.

Common trailers¶

Closes-Bug: #NNNNNN: The change completely fixes the referenced Launchpad bug.
Partial-Bug: #NNNNNN: The change partially addresses the bug; additional work is required.
Related-Bug: #NNNNNN: The change is related to the bug but does not directly fix it.
Implements: blueprint NAME: The change implements or partially implements the named blueprint.
DocImpact: The change requires documentation updates.
APIImpact: The change modifies the REST API.
UpgradeImpact: The change affects upgrades and should be noted in release notes.

Amending commits¶

When revising a patch in response to review feedback, amend the existing commit rather than creating a new one. Use git commit --amend to preserve the Change-Id footer. Gerrit tracks amendments as patch sets on the same review.

Do not squash independent changes into a single commit to avoid multiple reviews. Cyborg follows the OpenStack convention of one logical change per commit.

Review series¶

Related commits may be submitted as a series. Each commit in the series must be independently correct: it must pass tests, follow style guidelines, and include a complete commit message with appropriate footers. Gerrit displays series as a dependency chain.

Do not create a series where an intermediate commit breaks tests or otherwise leaves the repository in an inconsistent state. Every commit must be a valid stopping point.

Commit Messages