acc capture

Capture recent git commits and optionally create work log entries from them.

Usage

acc capture [OPTIONS]

Options

Flag	Description
-n, --limit <NUMBER>	Maximum number of commits to display (default: 25)
--edit	Open editor to write entry with pre-filled commit messages
--link	Link captured commits to existing worklog entries instead of creating new ones

Description

The capture command helps bridge the gap between your git commits and work logging by:

1. Reading recent git commits from the current repository
2. Displaying commit information in a readable format
3. Creating work log entries using commit messages as a starting point, or
4. Linking commits to existing work log entries when using the --link flag

Examples

View Recent Commits

# Show last 25 commits (default)
acc capture

# Show last 10 commits
acc capture -n 10

# Show last 50 commits
acc capture -n 50

Create Work Log from Commits

# Open editor with commit messages pre-filled
acc capture --edit

# Show fewer recent commits for selection and open editor
acc capture -n 5 --edit

Link Commits to Existing Entries

# Link captured commits to existing worklog entries
acc capture --link

# Show more commit history for selection when linking
acc capture -n 50 --link

Sample Output

$ acc capture -n 5

Recent Git Commits:
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

f4a2b1c  2025-01-16 14:30  Fix authentication bug in login flow
         Files: src/auth/jwt.js, src/middleware/auth.js

e8d5c9a  2025-01-16 13:15  Add user profile endpoint to API
         Files: src/routes/users.js, src/controllers/userController.js

b7c3f2e  2025-01-16 11:45  Update dashboard styling for mobile
         Files: src/components/Dashboard.jsx, src/styles/dashboard.css

d9e1a4f  2025-01-16 10:20  Implement password reset functionality  
         Files: src/auth/password.js, src/templates/reset-email.html

c5b8e7d  2025-01-16 09:30  Add validation for user registration
         Files: src/validation/user.js, src/routes/auth.js

Use 'acc capture --edit' to create a work log entry from these commits.

Editor Integration

When using --edit, the CLI opens your default editor with:

# Work Log Entry from Git Commits
# Edit this content to create your work log entry
# Lines starting with # are comments and will be ignored

Recent development work:

- Fix authentication bug in login flow
- Add user profile endpoint to API  
- Update dashboard styling for mobile
- Implement password reset functionality
- Add validation for user registration

# Commits processed:
# f4a2b1c Fix authentication bug in login flow
# e8d5c9a Add user profile endpoint to API
# b7c3f2e Update dashboard styling for mobile
# d9e1a4f Implement password reset functionality  
# c5b8e7d Add validation for user registration

# Tags: (comma-separated, e.g., backend,frontend,bugfix)
# Project: (3-letter identifier, optional)

Link Mode vs Create Mode

Create Mode (Default)

When you run acc capture without the --link flag, the command will:

1. Let you select commits to capture
2. Create commits in the backend
3. Prompt to create a new worklog entry and associate the commits with it

Link Mode (--link flag)

When you run acc capture --link, the command will:

1. Let you select commits to capture
2. Create commits in the backend
3. Let you select from existing worklog entries to link the commits to
4. Associate the selected commits with the chosen existing entries

Important: The --link flag cannot be used with --edit since it's for linking to existing entries, not creating new ones.

Workflow Integration

Daily Development Cycle

# Morning: start development
git pull
acc init  # ensure project is configured

# Throughout the day: normal git workflow
git add .
git commit -m "Implement user authentication"
git commit -m "Add password validation"
git commit -m "Fix login redirect issue"

# End of day: capture work for logging
acc capture --edit
# Review and refine the generated entry, then save

Weekly Review

# Review week's commits
acc capture -n 50

# Create summary entry for the week
acc capture -n 20 --edit

Retrospective Linking

# Link older commits to existing entries you created manually
acc capture -n 100 --link

# Link recent bug fixes to existing bug report entries
acc capture -n 15 --link

Git Repository Requirements

• Must be run from within a git repository
• Repository must have at least one commit
• Reads from the current branch's history

Commit Information Displayed

For each commit, the output shows:

• Hash: Short commit SHA
• Timestamp: When the commit was made
• Message: Commit message (first line)
• Files: Modified files (if available)

Best Practices

Meaningful Commit Messages

Good commit messages make better work log entries:

# Good - descriptive and actionable
git commit -m "Fix authentication timeout bug in Safari"
git commit -m "Add user search functionality to admin panel"

# Less useful - too generic
git commit -m "fix bug"
git commit -m "update code"

Regular Capture

# Capture daily work
acc capture --edit

# Focus on recent commits for current session
acc capture -n 5 --edit

Tag Commits by Type

Use consistent patterns in commit messages:

git commit -m "feat: add user dashboard"
git commit -m "fix: resolve payment processing error"  
git commit -m "docs: update API documentation"

Editor Configuration

Set your preferred editor:

export EDITOR="code"    # VS Code
export EDITOR="vim"     # Vim  
export EDITOR="nano"    # Nano

Integration with Other Commands

# Capture commits and immediately view logs
acc capture --edit && acc logs -n 5

# Link commits to existing entries and view updated logs
acc capture --link && acc logs -n 5

# Review today's work
acc capture -n 10
acc logs --from $(date +%Y-%m-%d)

Requirements

• Must be run from within a git repository
• Must be authenticated (acc login) if using --edit or --link
• Git must be installed and accessible
• For --link mode: existing worklog entries must exist in the project

Notes

• Only reads local git history (doesn't fetch from remote)
• Respects git repository boundaries
• Commit information is read-only; no git operations are performed
• Editor template can be customized based on commit patterns