core-validate-commit

Validate the current commit

$ core-validate-commit

$ core-validate-commit [commit_hash]

$ git rev-list [commit_hash]..HEAD | xargs core-validate-commit

$ core-validate-commit [[-l|--list]]

$ core-validate-commit [[-ls|--list-subsystem]]

$ core-validate-commit [[-t|--tap]]

$ core-validate-commit [[-h|--help]]

Typically invoked by Git hooks or CI systems
core-validate-commit [options] [commit-range]

[commit-range]
    Specifies a commit hash or a range of commits to validate (e.g., HEAD, HEAD~3..HEAD). If omitted, it often validates the current commit being staged or pushed.

-v, --verbose
    Enable verbose output, showing more details about the checks being performed and their results.

-n, --dry-run
    Perform checks without taking any action or enforcing failure, useful for testing the script's behavior.

--help
    Display a brief help message and exit.

--strict
    Enforce stricter validation rules, potentially failing on warnings that would otherwise be ignored.

The core-validate-commit is not a standard, globally available Linux command, but rather a generic name for a script often used in large-scale software development projects to enforce specific Git commit message and formatting guidelines.

Typically, this script is part of a project's repository and is invoked as a Git hook (e.g., pre-commit or commit-msg) or within a Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipeline. Its primary purpose is to ensure that all commits adhere to predefined project standards, which can include checks on commit message length, subject line format, presence of sign-off lines (e.g., Signed-off-by:), proper author and committer email formats, inclusion of bug IDs, or adherence to specific commit message templates.

By automating these checks, core-validate-commit helps maintain a clean, consistent, and easily traceable project history, improving readability, simplifying future code reviews, and streamlining automated processing of commit messages (e.g., for changelog generation or issue tracking integration). Its exact implementation and the rules it enforces are highly customizable and specific to each project's needs.

core-validate-commit is not a standard Linux command; its availability and functionality are entirely dependent on specific project implementations. There is no universal manual page, and its behavior, parameters, and rules can vary significantly between different repositories or development teams. Users should consult the specific project's documentation or the script itself for precise details.

While implementation-dependent, a typical core-validate-commit script might perform checks such as:
* Subject Line Format: Length limits (e.g., 50 characters), capitalization, no trailing punctuation.
* Body Format: Wrapping at 72-75 characters, separation from subject line, absence of tabs.
* Sign-off By: Presence and correct format of Signed-off-by: lines, often verifying email addresses.
* Author/Committer: Verification of valid email addresses and names.
* Change-ID/Bug-ID: Requirement for specific IDs (e.g., for Gerrit, JIRA) in the commit message.
* DCO (Developer Certificate of Origin): Ensuring DCO compliance.
* Code Style: Sometimes, it might integrate with basic code style checks on the committed changes.

core-validate-commit is primarily integrated in two ways:
* Git Hooks: Often installed as a commit-msg hook to validate the commit message before the commit is finalized, or as a pre-push hook to validate commits before they are pushed to a remote repository.
* CI/CD Pipelines: Executed as part of a Continuous Integration job (e.g., Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD) to validate incoming merge requests or pushed commits against project standards, providing immediate feedback to developers.

The concept behind core-validate-commit emerged from the need for stringent commit hygiene in large, collaborative open-source projects, particularly those with complex contribution guidelines like the Linux kernel. While no single 'history' exists for this specific command name (as it's often a custom script), the practice of using automated commit validation scripts became widespread in the early 2010s. This was driven by the desire to reduce manual review effort, ensure consistent historical records, and facilitate automated tools that parse commit messages. Projects began developing their own internal scripts, and `core-validate-commit` or similar names (e.g., `checkpatch.pl` in Linux kernel, but `core-validate-commit` is distinct) became common patterns for validating commit messages, authorship, and sign-offs, especially in vendor-specific kernel trees or large enterprise codebases.

git(1), git-commit(1), git-hook(5), git-log(1)