work-unit-commits

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name: work-unit-commits description: "Plan commits as reviewable work units. Trigger: implementation, commit splitting, chained PRs, or keeping tests and docs with code." license: Apache-2.0 metadata: author: gentleman-programming version: "1.0"

When to Use

Load this skill when deciding what belongs in each commit or PR.

Use it for:

• Splitting a feature into reviewable work.
• Preparing commits before opening a PR.
• Turning a large change into chained or stacked PRs.
• Keeping reviewer cognitive load healthy.
• Applying SDD tasks without accidentally producing a PR above 400 changed lines.

Critical Rules

| Rule | Requirement | |------|-------------| | Commit by work unit | A commit represents a deliverable behavior, fix, migration, or docs unit. | | Do not commit by file type | Avoid models, then services, then tests if none works alone. | | Keep tests with code | Tests belong in the same commit as the behavior they verify. | | Keep docs with the user-visible change | Docs belong with the feature or workflow they explain. | | Tell a story | A reviewer should understand why each commit exists from its diff and message. | | Future PR-ready | Each commit should be a candidate chained PR when the change grows. | | SDD workload guard | If SDD tasks forecast a >400-line change, group commits into chained PR slices before implementation. |

Work Unit Checklist

Before committing, confirm:

• [ ] The commit has one clear purpose.
• [ ] The repo still makes sense after applying only this commit.
• [ ] Tests or docs for this unit are included when relevant.
• [ ] Rollback is reasonable without reverting unrelated work.
• [ ] Focused test command and exact result are recorded.
• [ ] Runtime harness command/scenario and exact result are recorded, or explicit N/A explains why no runtime boundary exists.
• [ ] Rollback boundary names the exact files/behavior removable without unrelated work.
• [ ] The commit message explains the outcome, not the file list.

Split Examples

| Weak split | Better work-unit split | |------------|------------------------| | add models | feat(auth): add token validation domain model and tests | | add services | feat(auth): wire token validation into login flow | | add tests | Tests included with each behavior commit | | update docs | Docs included with the user-facing change they explain |

PR Relationship

Use work-unit commits as the foundation for chained PRs:

1. Build the smallest independent work unit.
2. Include verification for that unit.
3. Commit it with a Conventional Commit message.
4. If the PR approaches 400 changed lines, promote commits or groups of commits into chained PRs.

ODD Relationship

Organic Driven Development (ODD) closes every substantial task with a work-unit commit on the feature branch:

• Every ODD task closes with at least one work-unit commit, branch first when on the default branch, with tests and docs alongside the behavior and a Conventional Commit message.
• The native review candidate is that commit, or the PR slice it belongs to when review is deferred, against the previous reviewed boundary. It is never a TODO checkbox and never the accumulated feature branch.
• The running authored line count from work-unit commits feeds the delivery-strategy vocabulary: ask-on-risk, auto-chain, single-pr, exception-ok.
• Count authored additions plus deletions for the >400 threshold. Exclude generated goldens from that authored count, but include every generated file in complete snapshot identity and receipt validation.
• The ODD feature document records the commit identity as evidence and, once a delivery strategy applies, the chosen chain strategy and slice boundaries (which commits each PR holds).

Each ODD work unit should map cleanly to a commit or PR with:

• clear start state,
• clear finished state,
• verification in the same unit,
• rollback that does not remove unrelated work.

Its implementation evidence MUST include:

• Focused test command and exact result.
• Runtime harness command/scenario and exact result, or explicit N/A with reason.
• Rollback boundary stated independently of commit creation; uncommitted work units still require it.
• When fixing a bounded review ledger, group atomic work units inside the single correction transaction; work-unit count never creates another fix budget.

Commands

# Review the story before committing
git diff --stat
git diff --cached --stat

# Check recent commit style
git log --oneline -5