🚧 Update commit message format

README.md

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ See `functional specification.md` for the full specification.
 - Security validation with forbidden patterns (abort by default)
 - Pluggable author resolvers with priority chain and confidence levels
 - Per-file attribution recorded in the commit message
+- One-line-per-file commit entries in `git diff --name-status` style (letter, path, author, last-modified time), with a configurable separator (`commit.file_separator`, default `;`)
 - Structured commit trailers (`Tracker-Run`, `Tracker-Host`, ...)
 - Repository-level lock with stale-lock detection (stored outside the repo)
 - Rotating file logs plus console logging
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ scope is defined by Section 44, *Definition of Done – Initial Release*.
 - [x] Configurable author resolver chain with confidence levels and `UNKNOWN` fallback; sidecar metadata resolver implemented (FR-006, FR-007, Sections 9 – 11)
 - [x] Per-file attribution in the commit message (FR-008, FR-012)
 - [x] Automatic commit generation (FR-009)
-- [x] Structured commit message: summary counts, per-file details, `Tracker-*` trailers (FR-010, FR-011, Sections 15/16/36)
+- [x] Structured commit message: summary counts, one-line-per-file entries with change letter / path / author / local-time mtime, `Tracker-*` trailers (FR-010, FR-011, Sections 15/16/36)
 - [x] No empty commits (FR-014)
 - [x] Rotating application logs, console + file (FR-015, Sections 22 – 23)
 - [x] Cross-platform code base: `pathlib`, argument arrays, UTF-8/NUL-safe Git parsing (FR-016, FR-029)

config/example.yaml

@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ author_resolution:
   minimum_confidence: probable
   fallback: unknown
 
+commit:
+  # Separator between the parts of a one-line file entry in commit
+  # messages (Section 15). Must not occur inside paths, author
+  # identifiers or timestamps.
+  file_separator: ";"
+
 logging:
   level: INFO
   console: true

functional specification.md

@@ -526,10 +526,21 @@ If the staged change set does not match the expected change set, the commit shal
 
 Commit messages shall be human-readable while retaining a predictable structure that can later be parsed automatically.
 
+Each changed file shall occupy exactly one line, in the style of `git diff --name-status`. A single-letter change type is followed by the file path, the last modifying user and the filesystem last-modified time, with the parts joined by a configurable separator (see Section 26, `commit.file_separator`; default `;`).
+
+Line grammar:
+
+```text
+A <sep> <path> <sep> <author> <sep> <modified-at>   added
+M <sep> <path> <sep> <author> <sep> <modified-at>   modified
+R <sep> <old-path> -> <new-path>                     renamed (bare)
+D <sep> <path>                                      deleted (bare)
+```
+
 Recommended format:
 
 ```text
-SCADA automatic change capture - 2026-09-11 18:00:03
+SCADA automatic change capture - 2026-09-11 18:00:03+02:00
 
 Summary:
   Added:    2
@@ -537,31 +548,19 @@ Summary:
   Deleted:  1
   Renamed:  0
 
-Added:
+Changes:
-  Stations/PS101/pump2.xml
+  A ; Stations/PS101/pump2.xml ; DOMAIN\jsmith ; 2026-09-11 15:41:22+02:00
-    Last modified by: DOMAIN\jsmith
+  A ; Stations/PS104/settings.xml ; DOMAIN\adoe ; 2026-09-11 16:02:14+02:00
-    Modified at: 2026-09-11 15:41:22
+  M ; Stations/PS101/project.xml ; DOMAIN\jsmith ; 2026-09-11 15:42:09+02:00
-
+  M ; Stations/PS103/alarm.xml ; DOMAIN\adoe ; 2026-09-11 16:13:54+02:00
-  Stations/PS104/settings.xml
+  M ; System/global.xml ; UNKNOWN ; 2026-09-11 16:20:01+02:00
-    Last modified by: DOMAIN\adoe
+  D ; Stations/PS027/old-config.xml
-    Modified at: 2026-09-11 16:02:14
-
-Modified:
-  Stations/PS101/project.xml
-    Last modified by: DOMAIN\jsmith
-    Modified at: 2026-09-11 15:42:09
-
-  Stations/PS103/alarm.xml
-    Last modified by: DOMAIN\adoe
-    Modified at: 2026-09-11 16:13:54
-
-  System/global.xml
-    Last modified by: UNKNOWN
-
-Deleted:
-  Stations/PS027/old-config.xml
 ```
 
+Deleted files are listed without author or time information (FR-013). Renames use git's `old -> new` arrow notation and stay bare: a pure rename preserves the original modification time, so a timestamp would be misleading. The time column is the filesystem last-modified time (Section 12: `file_timestamp`) rendered in local time with an explicit UTC offset, matching the log timestamp style (Section 22).
+
+The one-line format keeps the message proportional to the number of changed files, which matters for large collections.
+
 ---
 
 # 16. Commit Subject
@@ -609,12 +608,9 @@ One execution may contain changes made by multiple individuals.
 Example:
 
 ```text
-Modified:
+Changes:
-  plant1.xml
+  M ; plant1.xml ; DOMAIN\jsmith ; 2026-09-11 15:42:09+02:00
-    Last modified by: DOMAIN\jsmith
+  M ; plant2.xml ; DOMAIN\adoe ; 2026-09-11 16:02:14+02:00
-
-  plant2.xml
-    Last modified by: DOMAIN\adoe
 ```
 
 The application shall therefore store attribution per file rather than per commit.
@@ -838,6 +834,11 @@ author_resolution:
   minimum_confidence: probable
   fallback: unknown
 
+commit:
+  # Separator between the parts of a one-line file entry (Section 15).
+  # Must not occur inside paths, author identifiers or timestamps.
+  file_separator: ";"
+
 logging:
   level: INFO
   console: true

src/git_auto_tracker/application.py

@@ -171,7 +171,12 @@ class ApplicationController:
                 "Author resolved: %s -> %s", record.path, result.identifier
             )
 
-        message = build_commit_message(kept, run, app_version=_APP_VERSION)
+        message = build_commit_message(
+            kept,
+            run,
+            app_version=_APP_VERSION,
+            file_separator=self.config.commit.file_separator,
+        )
 
         if dry_run:
             log.info("Dry-run: repository left unmodified")

src/git_auto_tracker/commits/message_builder.py

@@ -2,13 +2,17 @@
 
 Human-readable sections first, Git trailer block last so that
 `git interpret-trailers` can extract the structured metadata.
+
+Each changed file occupies exactly ONE line in `git diff --name-status`
+style: a change letter followed by path, author and last-modified time,
+joined by a configurable separator (commit.file_separator, default ';').
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import datetime as dt
 
-from git_auto_tracker.changes.models import ChangeSet, TrackerRun
+from git_auto_tracker.changes.models import ChangeRecord, ChangeSet, ChangeType, TrackerRun
 
 _SUMMARY_LABELS = (
     ("Added:", "added"),
@@ -17,6 +21,13 @@ _SUMMARY_LABELS = (
     ("Renamed:", "renamed"),
 )
 
+_GIT_LETTER = {
+    ChangeType.ADDED: "A",
+    ChangeType.MODIFIED: "M",
+    ChangeType.DELETED: "D",
+    ChangeType.RENAMED: "R",
+}
+
 
 def _format_ts(moment: dt.datetime | None) -> str:
     """Render an aware datetime in local time with an explicit offset.
@@ -30,20 +41,28 @@ def _format_ts(moment: dt.datetime | None) -> str:
     return moment.astimezone().isoformat(sep=" ", timespec="seconds")
 
 
-def _author_lines(record) -> list[str]:  # noqa: ANN001 - ChangeRecord, avoid cycle
+def _file_line(record: ChangeRecord, separator: str) -> str:
-    lines: list[str] = []
+    """One line per file, git --name-status style (Section 15).
-    author = record.author
+
-    identifier = author.identifier if author is not None else "UNKNOWN"
+    Grammar:
-    lines.append(f"    Last modified by: {identifier}")
+        A <sep> <path> <sep> <author> <sep> <mtime>   added
-    # Filesystem last-modified time (Section 12: file_timestamp); rendered
+        M <sep> <path> <sep> <author> <sep> <mtime>   modified
-    # in local time like the log timestamps. Resolver-provided timestamps
+        R <sep> <old-path> -> <new-path>              renamed (bare)
-    # (author.timestamp) stay authoritative and are shown as well.
+        D <sep> <path>                                 deleted (bare)
-    file_ts = _format_ts(record.file_timestamp)
+
-    if file_ts:
+    The filesystem last-modified time (Section 12: file_timestamp) is used
-        lines.append(f"    Modified at: {file_ts}")
+    for the time column, rendered in local time like the log timestamps.
-    if author is not None and author.timestamp is not None:
+    Deleted and renamed entries stay bare: the file is gone (FR-013), and a
-        lines.append(f"    Changed at: {_format_ts(author.timestamp)}")
+    pure rename preserves the original mtime so a timestamp would mislead.
-    return lines
+    """
+    letter = _GIT_LETTER[record.change_type]
+    if record.change_type is ChangeType.RENAMED:
+        return f"{letter} {separator} {record.previous_path or record.path} -> {record.path}"
+    if record.change_type is ChangeType.DELETED:
+        return f"{letter} {separator} {record.path}"
+    author = record.author.identifier if record.author is not None else "UNKNOWN"
+    parts = [letter, record.path, author, _format_ts(record.file_timestamp)]
+    return f" {separator} ".join(parts)
 
 
 def build_commit_message(
@@ -51,6 +70,7 @@ def build_commit_message(
     run: TrackerRun,
     collected_at: dt.datetime | None = None,
     app_version: str = "1.0.0",
+    file_separator: str = ";",
 ) -> str:
     """Build the complete commit message per Sections 15/16/36."""
     counts = change_set.summary_counts()
@@ -64,23 +84,10 @@ def build_commit_message(
         lines.append(f"  {label} {counts[key]}")
     lines.append("")
 
-    for heading, records in (
+    lines.append("Changes:")
-        ("Added:", change_set.added),
+    for record in change_set.all_records():
-        ("Modified:", change_set.modified),
+        lines.append(f"  {_file_line(record, file_separator)}")
-        ("Renamed:", change_set.renamed),
+    lines.append("")
-        ("Deleted:", change_set.deleted),
-    ):
-        if not records:
-            continue
-        lines.append(heading)
-        for record in records:
-            if record.change_type.value == "RENAMED" and record.previous_path:
-                lines.append(f"  {record.previous_path} -> {record.path}")
-            else:
-                lines.append(f"  {record.path}")
-            if record.needs_author:
-                lines.extend(_author_lines(record))
-        lines.append("")
 
     # Structured trailers (Section 36)
     lines.append(f"Tracker-Version: {app_version}")

src/git_auto_tracker/config.py

@@ -90,6 +90,24 @@ class LoggingConfig:
     backup_count: int = 10
 
 
+@dataclass
+class CommitConfig:
+    """Commit-message rendering options (Sections 15 and 16)."""
+
+    #: Separator between the parts of a one-line file entry. Must not be
+    #: empty; must not occur inside paths, author identifiers or timestamps.
+    file_separator: str = ";"
+
+    @classmethod
+    def from_dict(cls, data: dict[str, Any]) -> CommitConfig:
+        separator = data.get("file_separator", ";")
+        if not isinstance(separator, str) or not separator.strip():
+            raise ConfigurationError("commit.file_separator must be a non-empty string")
+        if separator in ("\n", "\r"):
+            raise ConfigurationError("commit.file_separator must not be a line break")
+        return cls(file_separator=separator)
+
+
 @dataclass
 class AppConfig:
     repository_path: Path
@@ -101,6 +119,7 @@ class AppConfig:
     author_resolution: AuthorResolutionConfig
     logging: LoggingConfig
     timezone: str | None = None
+    commit: CommitConfig = field(default_factory=CommitConfig)
 
     @classmethod
     def from_dict(cls, data: dict[str, Any], config_dir: Path) -> AppConfig:
@@ -152,6 +171,7 @@ class AppConfig:
                     max_size_mb=int(logging_cfg.get("max_size_mb", 20)),
                     backup_count=int(logging_cfg.get("backup_count", 10)),
                 ),
+                commit=CommitConfig.from_dict(data.get("commit", {})),
                 timezone=app_cfg.get("timezone"),
             )
         except ConfigurationError:

tests/integration/test_run_cycle.py

@@ -100,23 +100,36 @@ class TestRunCycle:
         )
         _run(tracker_config, tmp_path)
         body = _git_out("log", "-1", "--format=%b", cwd=git_repo)
-        assert "Last modified by: DOMAIN\\jsmith" in body
+        # One-line entry: letter ; path ; author ; local-time mtime
+        assert "  A ; config.xml ; DOMAIN\\jsmith ; " in body
 
     def test_file_mtime_appears_in_commit_local_time(
         self, git_repo: Path, tracker_config: dict, tmp_path: Path
     ) -> None:
-        """Section 12 file_timestamp rendered as 'Modified at' (local time)."""
+        """Section 12 file_timestamp on the one-line entry (local time)."""
         import re as re_mod
 
         (git_repo / "config.xml").write_text("<c/>", encoding="utf-8")
         _run(tracker_config, tmp_path)
         body = _git_out("log", "-1", "--format=%b", cwd=git_repo)
-        # Local-time format with explicit +/-HH:MM offset (Section 15)
+        # A ; path ; author ; local-time mtime with +/-HH:MM offset
         assert re_mod.search(
-            r"Modified at: \d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} \d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}[+-]\d{2}:\d{2}\b", body
+            r"^  A ; config\.xml ; UNKNOWN ; "
+            r"\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} \d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}[+-]\d{2}:\d{2}$",
+            body,
+            flags=re_mod.MULTILINE,
         )
-        # The timestamp block sits directly under the changed file entry
+
-        assert "  config.xml\n    Last modified by: UNKNOWN\n    Modified at:" in body
+    def test_custom_separator_in_real_commit(
+        self, git_repo: Path, tracker_config: dict, tmp_path: Path
+    ) -> None:
+        """commit.file_separator flows from configuration into the commit."""
+        tracker_config["commit"] = {"file_separator": "|"}
+        (git_repo / "config.xml").write_text("<c/>", encoding="utf-8")
+        _run(tracker_config, tmp_path)
+        body = _git_out("log", "-1", "--format=%b", cwd=git_repo)
+        assert "  A | config.xml | UNKNOWN | " in body
+        assert "; config.xml" not in body
 
     def test_excluded_files_not_committed(
         self, git_repo: Path, tracker_config: dict, tmp_path: Path

tests/unit/test_lock_config_message.py

@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ class TestConfig:
         assert config.repository_path == Path(tracker_config["repository"]["path"])
         assert config.branch == "main"
         assert config.author_resolution.minimum_confidence == "probable"
+        assert config.commit.file_separator == ";"  # default
 
     def test_missing_file(self, tmp_path: Path) -> None:
         with pytest.raises(ConfigurationError):
@@ -175,16 +176,19 @@ class TestCommitMessage:
         assert lines[0].startswith("SCADA automatic change capture - ")
         assert "Summary:" in lines
         assert "Added: 1" in message
-        assert "Last modified by: DOMAIN\\jsmith" in message
+        assert "Deleted: 1" in message
-        assert "Last modified by: UNKNOWN" in message
+        # One-line-per-file entries with the default ';' separator (Section 15)
-        # Filesystem mtime rendered as 'Modified at' in local time with offset
+        assert "  A ; Stations/PS101/pump2.xml ; UNKNOWN ; " in message
-        assert "    Modified at: " in message
+        assert "  M ; Stations/PS101/project.xml ; DOMAIN\\jsmith ; " in message
+        assert "  M ; System/global.xml ; UNKNOWN ; " in message
+        assert "  D ; Stations/PS027/old.xml" in message
+        # Local-time timestamps with explicit +/-HH:MM offset
         assert re.search(
-            r"Modified at: \d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} \d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}[+-]\d{2}:\d{2}\b", message
+            r"; \d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2} \d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}[+-]\d{2}:\d{2}\b", message
         )
-        # Resolver-provided timestamp kept as a separate 'Changed at' line
+        # One 'Changes:' section; no multi-line author blocks remain
-        assert "    Changed at: " in message
+        assert "Last modified by:" not in message
-        assert "Stations/PS027/old.xml" in message
+        assert "Changes:" in message
         # Trailers last (Section 36)
         assert "Tracker-Version: 1.0.0" in message
         assert "Tracker-Run: 01J7K8HYV84ZKFH1J4T9R8DZQN" in message
@@ -199,9 +203,12 @@ class TestCommitMessage:
             deleted=[ChangeRecord(path="gone.xml", change_type=ChangeType.DELETED)]
         )
         message = build_commit_message(change_set, self._run())
-        idx = message.index("gone.xml")
+        # Deleted entries are bare: letter, separator, path - no author/time
-        following = message[idx:].splitlines()
+        assert "  D ; gone.xml" in message
-        assert not any("Last modified by" in line for line in following[1:3])
+        assert "UNKNOWN" not in message
+        for line in message.splitlines():
+            if "gone.xml" in line:
+                assert line.count(";") == 1
 
     def test_rename_rendered_with_arrow(self) -> None:
         change_set = ChangeSet(
@@ -212,4 +219,15 @@ class TestCommitMessage:
             ]
         )
         message = build_commit_message(change_set, self._run())
-        assert "old.xml -> new.xml" in message
+        assert "  R ; old.xml -> new.xml" in message
+
+    def test_custom_separator(self) -> None:
+        change_set = ChangeSet(
+            added=[ChangeRecord(path="pump.xml", change_type=ChangeType.ADDED)],
+            deleted=[ChangeRecord(path="gone.xml", change_type=ChangeType.DELETED)],
+        )
+        run = self._run()
+        message = build_commit_message(change_set, run, file_separator="|")
+        assert "  A | pump.xml ; UNKNOWN ; " not in message
+        assert "  A | pump.xml | UNKNOWN | " in message
+        assert "  D | gone.xml" in message