Staging & Committing

Learn how to stage changes and create commits in GitGUI.

The Staging Panel

The staging panel on the right side of GitGUI shows:

• Unstaged Files — Changes not yet added to the next commit
• Staged Files — Changes ready to be committed
• Commit Area — Write your message and commit

Staging Files

Stage Individual Files

Click the + button next to any unstaged file to stage it.

Stage All Files

Click Stage All or press Ctrl+S to stage all unstaged files at once.

View File Diff Before Staging

Click on any file (staged or unstaged) to open the diff viewer and see exactly what changed.

Unstaging Files

Unstage Individual Files

Click the - button next to any staged file to unstage it.

Unstage All Files

Click Unstage All to move all staged files back to unstaged.

Writing Commit Messages

The Commit Input

The commit message textarea supports:

• Multi-line messages (first line is the subject)
• Placeholder text with hints
• Focus with Alt+C

Commit Prefixes

GitGUI includes built-in commit prefix buttons for conventional commits:

Button	Prefix	Use For
feat	feat:	New features
fix	fix:	Bug fixes
enh	enh:	Enhancements
docs	docs:	Documentation

Keyboard shortcuts:

• Alt+1 — Toggle feat: prefix
• Alt+2 — Toggle fix: prefix
• Alt+3 — Toggle enh: prefix
• Alt+4 — Toggle docs: prefix

Click a prefix button to add it to your message. Click again to remove it.

Voice Input

Click the microphone button or press Alt+M to dictate your commit message:

1. Click the mic button (or Alt+M)
2. First time: Wait for the AI model to load (~30 seconds)
3. Speak your commit message
4. Click again to stop recording
5. Your speech is transcribed and added to the message

Voice Input is Private

The Whisper AI model runs entirely on your machine. No audio is ever sent to any server.

Making a Commit

Requirements

To commit, you need:

• At least one staged file
• A non-empty commit message

Commit Actions

Click the Commit button or press Ctrl+Enter (when focused on the message input) to commit.

The button shows how many files will be committed: "Commit 3 files"

After Committing

• The commit message clears
• Staged files move to the commit history
• The commit graph updates with your new commit

Workflow Example

1. Make changes to your files in your editor
2. GitGUI automatically detects the changes (unstaged files appear)
3. Review changes by clicking files to see diffs
4. Stage the files you want to commit (Ctrl+S for all)
5. Select a prefix (Alt+1 for feat)
6. Type or dictate your message
7. Commit (Ctrl+Enter)
8. Push to remote (Ctrl+P)

Tips for Good Commits

Atomic Commits

Commit related changes together. If you fixed a bug AND added a feature, make two separate commits.

Clear Messages

• First line: Brief summary (50 chars or less)
• Use prefixes for consistency
• Be specific: "fix: resolve login timeout" not "fix bug"

Review Before Committing

Always click through your staged files to verify you're committing what you intend.

Keyboard Shortcuts Summary

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+S	Stage all unstaged files
Alt+C	Focus commit message
Alt+M	Toggle voice input
Alt+1	Toggle feat: prefix
Alt+2	Toggle fix: prefix
Alt+3	Toggle enh: prefix
Alt+4	Toggle docs: prefix
Ctrl+Enter	Commit (when in message input)
Ctrl+P	Push to remote

Next Steps

• Branches & Merging — Work with multiple branches
• Voice Commands — Master voice input