2 added, 0 removed. Audit A to A.
---
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. |
+ | Budget is not code-golf | Never shrink a diff by deleting comments, blank lines, docs, or tests, or by compressing code, to fit the review budget (400 by default, or the session `review_budget_lines`). Slice by work unit or report the overage. |
## 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.
## SDD Relationship
When `sdd-tasks` produces a Review Workload Forecast:
- Low risk: keep work-unit commits inside one PR.
- Medium risk: commit by work unit and monitor changed lines before PR creation.
- High risk: follow SDD `delivery_strategy` — ask on `ask-on-risk`, auto-slice on `auto-chain`, require `size:exception` on over-budget `single-pr`, or record accepted `size:exception` on `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.
+ - Splitting is bounded: after one honest slicing pass, if no cohesive work-unit split fits the budget, stop and report the smallest honest count with a `size:exception` recommendation. Do not iterate shrinking the code to reach the number.
Each SDD 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
```bash
# Review the story before committing
git diff --stat
git diff --cached --stat
# Check recent commit style
git log --oneline -5
```