OpenCommit is live · free · last verified 8 Nov 2026 · viability monitor
OpenCommit
OpenCommit generates conventional commit messages from your staged git diff with any LLM, including local Ollama models.
A narrow tool that does its narrow job well: `oco`, skim the draft, commit. The provider matrix is the reason to choose it over a subscription assistant, and the Ollama/llama.cpp routes make it viable where diffs can't leave the network. If you already hold an API key or run a local model, there's little reason to pay for commit generation.
Verdict generatedVerified 5d ago · liveness 67/100 · cite: rightaichoice.com/tools/opencommit
- Developers who want conventional commit messages written for them without leaving the terminal
- Privacy-conscious teams running Ollama or llama.cpp so diffs never leave the network
- Teams standardizing commit format across a repo via the bundled GitHub Action
- Solo devs whose history is a wall of lazy one-line commits
- Anyone wanting a graphical or web interface rather than a terminal command
- Editor-native users who expect commit generation inside VS Code or JetBrains while typing
- Repos whose commit conventions are in a non-English language
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Skip OpenCommit if you want AI commit messages generated from a GUI or inside your editor without setting up an API key and a .env file.
OpenCommit itself is free under MIT, but every commit spends tokens on your chosen provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek and the rest bill you per call, and that bill grows with how often you commit.
OpenCommit is $0 forever under MIT with no seat count, so cost is entirely your LLM bill. A solo dev on a local Ollama mistral model spends nothing extra; a team on OpenAI or Anthropic pays per commit on top of whatever API plan they already hold. Compare against paid commit-assistant subscriptions, which bundle a fixed model into a monthly per-seat fee — cheaper if you commit rarely and have no API key, more expensive once you already pay for one.
In short
OpenCommit — OpenCommit generates conventional commit messages from your staged git diff with any LLM, including local Ollama models. Best for Developers who want conventional commit messages written for them without leaving the terminal, Privacy-conscious teams running Ollama or llama.cpp so diffs never leave the network, Teams standardizing commit format across a repo via the bundled GitHub Action. Free to use.
What is OpenCommit?
OpenCommit — OpenCommit generates conventional commit messages from your staged git diff with any LLM, including local Ollama models. Best for Developers who want conventional commit messages written for them without leaving the terminal, Privacy-conscious teams running Ollama or llama.cpp so diffs never leave the network, Teams standardizing commit format across a repo via the bundled GitHub Action. Free to use.
OpenCommit is a CLI commit-message generator for git. Run `oco` and your staged diff becomes a conventional commit message in about a second, then it commits. You can skip the `git add` step, since oco stages unstaged files for you, and you get an interactive chance to read or edit the draft before it lands. Install globally with `npm install -g opencommit`, store the key with `oco config set OCO_API_KEY`, and the config sits locally in `~/.opencommit` or per-repo in a `.env`. Provider flexibility is the real draw. `OCO_AI_PROVIDER` accepts openai (default), anthropic, azure, ollama, llamacpp, gemini, flowise, deepseek, aimlapi, openrouter and orcarouter. Teams that can't ship diffs to a cloud API point it at Ollama (default model mistral, swapped via OCO_MODEL, e.g. llama3:8b) or a llama.cpp GGUF server, with OCO_API_URL handling a GPU on another box. The OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0 export fixes the common connect ECONNREFUSED ::1:11434 IPv6 error. Tuning goes past the message body. OCO_EMOJI inserts a trimmed ten-emoji GitMoji set to keep request tokens low, `--fgm` opens the full GitMoji spec, OCO_DESCRIPTION appends a change summary, and OCO_TOKENS_MAX_INPUT / OCO_TOKENS_MAX_OUTPUT cap requests at defaults of 4096 and 500. OCO_REASONING handles reasoning-model auto-detection, OCO_API_CUSTOM_HEADERS covers proxy setups, and a bundled action.yml drops it into GitHub Actions. `oco --yes` commits without the confirmation step. It's MIT-licensed, sits at roughly 7.5k stars and 448 forks, and won the GitHub 2023 hackathon; the repo's own 771 commits were authored by OpenCommit. Against a paid commit assistant that bundles a fixed model and a dashboard, OpenCommit is free and leaves provider, model and endpoint to you. Pick it if you already carry an LLM budget or host a local model; skip it if you want a GUI.
Key features
- Generate a conventional commit message from a staged git diff with `oco`
- Auto-stage unstaged files so `git add` is optional
- Interactive review and edit of the draft before committing
- `--yes` flag to skip confirmation for scripts and CI
- Eleven providers: openai, anthropic, azure, ollama, llamacpp, gemini, flowise, deepseek, aimlapi, openrouter, orcarouter
- Local LLM execution through Ollama, default model mistral, swapped via OCO_MODEL
- Local GGUF model serving through llama.cpp via OCO_API_URL
- Remote Ollama or llama.cpp endpoint on another machine via OCO_API_URL
- Ollama IPv6 connection fix via the OLLAMA_HOST environment variable
- GitMoji insertion with a 10-emoji short set (OCO_EMOJI) or the full spec via --fgm
- Append a short change description with OCO_DESCRIPTION
- Max input (default 4096) and output (default 500) token caps
- Reasoning model support via OCO_REASONING
- Custom HTTP headers via OCO_API_CUSTOM_HEADERS for proxy setups
- GitHub Actions integration through the included action.yml
Behind the verdict
The pitch here isn't the message quality, it's the plumbing. Most commit helpers lock you to one vendor's model and charge monthly for it. OpenCommit just asks which endpoint to hit and gets out of the way. We'd reach for it when a team already has an LLM key budgeted or a GPU in the office and doesn't want a second card on file. Setup is a single npm install and one config line for the key. The per-repo `.env` versus global `~/.opencommit` split is genuinely useful: put a repo-specific model or token cap in `.env` without disturbing your global setup, which matters once a monorepo starts sending large diffs. Local execution is the part worth testing first. Ollama defaults to mistral, and you'll want OCO_MODEL pointed at something stronger like llama3:8b if summaries come back vague. If the server lives on another machine, set OCO_API_URL. The IPv6 refusal error is common enough that the README documents the OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0 fix directly; budget five minutes for it. Where it bites: the output is only as good as the diff. Staged changes spanning unrelated work produce muddled messages, and non-English commit conventions aren't handled. There's no GUI or editor plugin, so if you live in VS Code's source-control panel, this is a terminal detour every time. `--yes` is convenient for scripts and CI via action.yml, but it also removes the human read. We'd keep it off by default on shared branches, since a wrong message is harder to fix once pushed. Closest alternative: a paid assistant bundled into your editor, which costs money but needs no config. OpenCommit wins on cost and provider control, loses on convenience. For a solo dev with an API key, it's close to free to try.
Models under the hood
as of 2026-11-09
Limitations
- OpenCommit is a CLI wrapper around an external LLM provider (or a local Ollama/llama.cpp model) that you configure yourself, so you either pay per-call API costs or run a local model on your own hardware.
- Message length is bounded by the max input (default 4096) and max output (default 500) token caps, so very large diffs may be truncated unless you raise those limits.
- The repository carries a sizeable open issue backlog (135 open issues, 21 open pull requests at last check), so fixes for edge-case providers or setups can lag.
- Configuration is per-repo via .env or the global ~/.opencommit file rather than a hosted dashboard.
as of 2026-10-25
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Is OpenCommit still active?
OpenCommit is live · free · last verified 8 Nov 2026 · viability monitor.
Viability score
How well maintained and how widely used is OpenCommit? Built from what the vendor actually publishes (docs, changelog, tutorials, integrations, pricing), whether the site is live, and how much real users discuss it. How we calculate this
Last calculated: November 2026
How we score →What do users say about OpenCommit?
What people actually say about OpenCommit — is it worth it?
We ran a structured research pass across product reviews, community discussions, and post-purchase forum threads to surface the patterns vendors won't publish themselves. Below: the recurring strengths, the hidden costs people mention most, and the cohort that consistently regrets adopting this tool.
ResearchedDiscussed by users across 3 sources (Hacker News, YouTube, Product Hunt) · researched Oct 24, 2026.
Weighted by the 27 posts each of 3 sources contributed.
- +Generates conventional commit messages in roughly one second from the staged diff.
- +Supports eleven providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, and llama.cpp.
- +Local execution through Ollama or llama.cpp keeps sensitive diffs off the cloud.
- +MIT-licensed and free, with no subscription tied to a fixed model.
- +GitHub Actions integration via bundled action.yml enables automated commits.
- −Configuration can crash with a TypeError around OCO_OPENAI_BASE_PATH during setup.
- −Error logging is too vague for debugging failures, per Product Hunt feedback.
- −Community evidence is thin and old, with little recent discussion on major platforms.
- −Some Hacker News results refer to a same-named Forgejo instance, muddying signal.
- −AI messages can miss or misdescribe changes, and reviewers may trust them blindly.
- • You pay your LLM provider for API usage (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.)
- • Local execution requires GPU or Ollama-compatible hardware
- • Time cost for debugging config errors and API key setup
How we verified this
Every listed fact about OpenCommit — pricing, features, links, status — is re-read from the vendor's own pages by our verification pipeline and each change is logged with a date; the last pass ran on 8 Nov 2026. Analysis is drafted with AI models and checked against our editorial standards before publishing; see how we verify.
Verification history
We have re-verified OpenCommit 11 times since . Each pass re-reads the vendor's own pages and re-checks every listed field against that evidence; passes where nothing had changed are marked as such.
- — changed pricing page
- — changed pricing tiers, features, description, summary, our verdict
- — changed summary, our verdict, description, pricing tiers, who should skip it, who it suits, features
- — changed pricing page, limitations, models
- — changed limitations, who should skip it, pricing tiers, summary, our verdict, setup time, features, pricing fit, hidden costs, switching in, switching out, description
- — changed limitations, pricing page
Showing the 6 most recent of 11 verification passes.
Free to cite with attribution — this page re-verifies continuously.
How much does OpenCommit cost in 2026?
OpenCommit: Free to use. Pricing last verified 8 Nov 2026.
Plans compared
Every published OpenCommit tier, its price as the vendor publishes it, who it fits, and what it adds over the tier below. The 12-month cost projection follows.
| Plan | Price | Billing | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free (open source, MIT) | Free | — | Solo developers, small teams and privacy-sensitive shops that already hold an LLM API key or run a local Ollama/llama.cpp model.Adds: Starting and only tier: the whole CLI, all eleven providers, GitMoji and GitHub Actions support at $0, with LLM usage billed by your chosen provider rather than by OpenCommit. |
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where OpenCommit's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
OpenCommit is $0 forever under MIT with no seat count, so cost is entirely your LLM bill. A solo dev on a local Ollama mistral model spends nothing extra; a team on OpenAI or Anthropic pays per commit on top of whatever API plan they already hold. Compare against paid commit-assistant subscriptions, which bundle a fixed model into a monthly per-seat fee — cheaper if you commit rarely and have no API key, more expensive once you already pay for one.
Has OpenCommit's pricing changed?
No plan price for OpenCommit has moved since we began logging in Aug 2026; the pricing page is re-read on every verification pass.
Who should pick OpenCommit?
Pick OpenCommit if you are Developers who want conventional commit messages written for them without leaving the terminal, Privacy-conscious teams running Ollama or llama.cpp so diffs never leave the network, Teams standardizing commit format across a repo via the bundled GitHub Action, Solo devs whose history is a wall of lazy one-line commits.
Look elsewhere if you are Anyone wanting a graphical or web interface rather than a terminal command, Editor-native users who expect commit generation inside VS Code or JetBrains while typing, Repos whose commit conventions are in a non-English language, Environments that block sending diffs to cloud providers and have no local GPU or LLM host.
Skip it if Skip OpenCommit if you want AI commit messages generated from a GUI or inside your editor without setting up an API key and a .env file.
GeneratedReal-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas OpenCommit actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
You finish a refactor, run `npm install -g opencommit`, set OCO_API_KEY once, then type `oco` instead of staring at `git commit -m`.
Outcome: A conventional commit message like `refactor(auth): extract token validation into helper` lands in about two seconds, and your history stops being a wall of "fix".
Diffs can't leave the corporate network, so you run `ollama run mistral` on an internal box and `oco config set OCO_AI_PROVIDER='ollama' OCO_MODEL='llama3:8b'`.
Outcome: Every commit message is AI-written while source code stays inside the network — no cloud API call, no per-commit provider bill.
You drop the bundled action.yml into a GitHub Actions workflow and add a .opencommitignore to keep generated files out of the diff.
Outcome: Commit messages follow the same conventional format across every contributor, enforced by CI rather than by review comments.
Use cases
- Auto-generate a descriptive commit message from staged changes before every commit.
- Run a local Ollama model so diffs stay on your machine while you still get AI-written messages.
- Wire OpenCommit into a CI/CD pipeline to enforce consistent commit message formatting across a team.
- Switch between OpenAI and Anthropic providers via config to compare message quality or manage cost.
- Use interactive mode to review, edit, or reject an AI-suggested message before it commits.
- Serve a GGUF model with llama.cpp on a GPU box and point OpenCommit at it over the network.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of OpenCommit — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
Solo dev with an existing OpenAI key: about five minutes — `npm install -g opencommit`, `oco config set OCO_API_KEY=...`, done. Local-model setup: 15–30 minutes, mostly waiting for `ollama run mistral` to pull the model, plus the OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0 export if you hit the IPv6 connection error. CI rollout: under an hour to add action.yml to a workflow and agree on emoji/description settings.
Switching to or from OpenCommit
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
- →From hand-written commit messages: install globally with npm, set OCO_API_KEY, and run `oco` in place of `git commit -m`; the interactive prompt lets you compare drafts before trusting it.
- →From GitHub Copilot commit suggestions: keep Copilot for editor autocomplete and add `oco` at the terminal for repo-wide conventional formatting, or run it in Actions for contributors who don't use Copilot.
- →From a paid commit-message SaaS: export nothing — OpenCommit needs only your existing provider API key, so cancel the subscription once `oco` output matches your convention.
- ↗To GitHub Copilot or editor-native commit generation: stop calling `oco` and use the IDE's source-control panel, accepting that formatting follows the editor's prompt rather than your OCO_EMOJI and OCO_DESCRIPTION
- ↗To a paid commit assistant with a dashboard: keep your .opencommit commit history as-is, since OpenCommit writes ordinary conventional commits that any successor tool reads without conversion.
- ↗To a custom in-house script: read the provider, model and token-cap values out of ~/.opencommit and mirror them as environment variables in your own implementation.
Integrations
Resources & guides
Tutorials & Learning
YouTube returned 6 videos for “OpenCommit”, and we withheld 6: 6 could not be judged, because “OpenCommit” is a single word that other videos use for other things. We are showing none, because we could not prove any of them are about OpenCommit.
Official links
What are the best OpenCommit alternatives?
The closest alternatives to OpenCommit we list are GitHub Copilot, Codey and ReadMe. Ranked by direct product-type match, not category overlap.
| Alternative | Pricing | Starts at | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | Freemium | Pricing not published | — |
| Codey | Freemium | Pricing not published | — |
| ReadMe | Freemium | Pricing not published | — |
Alternatives to OpenCommit
View allGitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is an AI coding agent that starts work from the issue or pull request already in your repo.
Tools that pair well with OpenCommit
Common stack mates teams adopt alongside OpenCommit, with the specific reason each pairing earns its keep.
GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot is an AI coding agent that starts work from the issue or pull request already in your repo.
Codey
Codey brings local-first agentic coding to your machine: 25 agent CLIs and 200+ models on your own API keys for $10 flat.
ReadMe
ReadMe turns an OpenAPI spec into interactive API docs with AI linting, Git-synced review branches, and an MCP server agents can query.
OpenCommit vs its closest rival
OpenCommit's closest head-to-head is with Bito.
Our OpenCommit vs Bito verdict written Jul 3, 2026 is more than 90 days old, so it is being re-reviewed against current data and is not shown.
Head-to-head comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Categories
Best-of guides
For makers of OpenCommit
- Get a Verified Listing for OpenCommit ($39): a written decision within 1 working day.
- Free listing for another tool: Free reviews are decided in order, within 3 weeks of the review starting.
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