Harald

Git commit messages: do you use plain text or rather consciously markdown?

1. Reasons for plain text: Commit messages are not always viewed with tools which render markdown, and those which render markdown ... render which markdown exactly?

2. Reasons for markdown: most markdown constructs are meanwhile known to developers, so it improves readability even without rendering.

#git #gitlab #githib #codeberg #forgejo #markdown #commitmessage

plain text
70%
markdown
30%
other funky format (describe in a comment)
0%
Poll ended at .
Sep 13, 2025 at 1:25pmWeb
Show threadMatthew MartinSep 13, 2025

@HaraldKi # My Experience

I increasingly use markdown everywhere. *Why?*

- llm friendly
- structure conveys meaning with fewer characters
- it is not yaml
- My mastodon client understands it

Show threadMatthias RißeSep 13, 2025
@HaraldKi I use a subset of markdown, keeping in mind that it is just as likely to be viewed as plain text. Things like numbered and unnumbered lists, inline code with backticks, bold and italic text, etc. are OK, but I avoid things that get too complex for plain text. I also deliberately use the 4-space-indentation syntax for code blocks, rather than triple-backticks, because it looks better as plain text.