gitcommit - Git Commit Date Setter

A command-line tool that enables developers to create Git commits with specific historical dates while maintaining chronological integrity.

Features

• ✨ Create commits with custom dates in format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
• 🔒 Validates dates maintain chronological order (no backdating before last commit)
• 🌍 Automatic local timezone detection
• 🚀 Fast and lightweight (Go stdlib only, no external dependencies)
• 📝 Clear, actionable error messages
• ✅ POSIX-compliant CLI interface (--help, --version)

Installation

From Source

git clone https://github.com/sgaunet/gitcommit.git
cd gitcommit
make install

Verify Installation

gitcommit --version

Quick Start

# Stage your changes
git add .

# Create commit with custom date
gitcommit "2025-02-05 20:19:19" "Historical commit message"

Usage

gitcommit <date> <message>

Arguments:

• <date>: Date and time in format YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
• <message>: Commit message text

Flags:

• --help, -h: Show usage information
• --version, -v: Show version number

Examples

# Basic usage
gitcommit "2025-02-05 20:19:19" "Add feature X"

# Backdating offline work
gitcommit "2025-01-15 10:00:00" "Work done offline"

# First commit in new repository
git init
git add README.md
gitcommit "2025-01-01 00:00:00" "Initial commit"

Requirements

• Go: 1.21 or later (for building)
• Git: 2.20 or later
• Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows

Date Format Rules

• ✅ Format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS (24-hour time)
• ✅ Date must be after the last commit in the repository
• ✅ Future dates are allowed
• ✅ Empty repositories accept any date
• ❌ Dates equal to or before the last commit are rejected

Development

# Build
make build

# Run tests
make test

# Run linter
make lint

# Format code
make fmt

# View all commands
make help

Testing

# Run all tests with coverage
make coverage

# Run specific test
go test -v ./internal/datetime/...

Architecture

cmd/gitcommit/          # CLI entry point
internal/
  ├── cli/              # CLI logic and orchestration
  ├── datetime/         # Date parsing, validation, formatting
  └── git/              # Git repository operations
tests/
  ├── integration/      # Integration tests
  └── testdata/         # Test fixtures

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes
4. Push to the branch
5. Open a Pull Request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Use Cases

• 📅 Organizing repository history chronologically
• 💼 Backdating work done offline
• 🔄 Migrating commits from other version control systems
• 📊 Maintaining accurate project timelines

Troubleshooting

Error: "Invalid date format"

• Use exact format: YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS
• Example: 2025-02-05 20:19:19

Error: "Chronology violation"

• Ensure date is after your last commit
• Check: git log -1 --format="%aI"

Error: "Not a Git repository"

• Run from inside a Git repository
• Or initialize: git init

Performance

• Date parsing & validation: <10ms
• Git operations: <100ms
• Total operation: <200ms (p95)

Credits

Built with ❤️ using Go standard library only.

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Version: 1.0.0 Status: Production Ready