work-unit-commits

When to Use

Splitting feature into reviewable work units · preparing commits before PR · large change into chained/stacked PRs · healthy reviewer cognitive load · SDD tasks without exceeding 400 lines.

Rules

Rule	Req
Commit by work unit	A commit = deliverable behavior/fix/migration/docs
NOT by file type	Avoid models→services→tests if none works alone
Tests with code	Same commit as behavior they verify
Docs with change	Same commit as feature/workflow they explain
Tell a story	Reviewer understands why each commit exists from diff+message
Future PR-ready	Each commit = candidate chained PR slice
SDD guard	>400-line forecast → chain before implementing

Checklist (pre-commit)

• [ ] One clear purpose
• [ ] Repo works after this commit alone
• [ ] Tests/docs included when relevant
• [ ] Rollback without reverting unrelated work
• [ ] Message explains outcome, not file list

Chained PRs from Work Units

1. Build smallest independent unit → include verification → commit conventional. 2. If PR→400 lines → promote commits into chained PRs.

Commands

git diff --stat
git diff --cached --stat
git log --oneline -5

Anti-Rationalization

Rationalization	Red Flag	Verification
"code sin su test en el mismo unit"	Commit de code sin tests que lo verifican	Verificar Rules: Tests with code en mismo commit + checklist repo works after commit + rollback sin revert unrelated
"docs post-hoc"	Docs en commit separado post-hoc	Verificar Rules: Docs with change en mismo commit que feature/workflow + Tell a story + Chained PR slice
"commit por file type o >400 sin chain"	Commit por tipo archivo models→services→tests o >400 sin chain	Verificar NOT by file type + SDD guard >400-line forecast → chain + future PR-ready por commit

Red Flags

• Doing work without checking output format → STOP, re-read skill
• Second occurrence of same rationalization → force RED zone

Verification

• Output matches skill ## Output contract + file:line citaton
• cross-ref-check.ps1 → SKILL.md OK

Refs

commit-crafter · chained-pr · branch-pr · sdd · quality-gate

Anti-Patterns

Commit by file type · Separate tests from code · >400 lines without chaining · Messages that list files · No SDD forecast check

docs/skills/work-unit-commits/reference.md