Generate Git commit messages via ChatGPT (staged diff)

gitcommitgpt.sh

#!/usr/bin/env bash
set -euo pipefail

diff="$(git diff --cached)"

if [[ -z "$diff" ]]; then
  echo "No staged changes."
  exit 1
fi

prompt=$(printf "Write a clear, professional Git commit message summarizing these changes.
\n%s" "$diff")

# Copy to clipboard
if command -v wl-copy >/dev/null; then
  printf "%s" "$prompt" | wl-copy
elif command -v xclip >/dev/null; then
  printf "%s" "$prompt" | xclip -selection clipboard
elif command -v pbcopy >/dev/null; then
  printf "%s" "$prompt" | pbcopy
fi

# URL encode CORRECTLY
encoded=$(printf "%s" "$prompt" | python3 -c 'import sys,urllib.parse; print(urllib.parse.quote(sys.stdin.read()))')

# Open with prompt
xdg-open "https://chatgpt.com/?prompt=$encoded"

Installation (Global Command)

Option 1 — Install to /usr/local/bin (recommended)

This makes gitcommitgpt available system-wide.

# Download or save the script as: gitcommitgpt
sudo mv gitcommitgpt /usr/local/bin/gitcommitgpt
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/gitcommitgpt

Verify:

which gitcommitgpt
gitcommitgpt

---

Option 2 — Install to ~/.local/bin (no sudo)

For user-only installation:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
mv gitcommitgpt ~/.local/bin/gitcommitgpt
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/gitcommitgpt

Ensure it’s in your PATH:

echo $PATH | grep "$HOME/.local/bin" || echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc

Reload shell:

source ~/.bashrc

---

Requirements

• git

• One of:

  • xclip (X11)
  • wl-copy (Wayland)
  • pbcopy (macOS)

• python3

---

Usage

gitcommitgpt

Stages must already be added with:

git add .