Do you attribute AI-assisted commits with co-authors?

When AI assistants make code changes on your behalf, proper attribution is essential. Modern AI coding agents like Claude Code and OpenCode automatically add themselves as co-authors when they create commits.

However, you should still add yourself as a co-author to indicate that you reviewed and approved the AI's work.

Automatic Attribution in Modern AI Agents

✅ Figure: Good example - Co-authoring lets you see if AI helped

Commits That Tell a Story

When working with AI agents on larger tasks, ask them to create commits in a logical order that "tells a story" of the implementation. This makes code reviews easier and helps future developers understand the evolution of a feature.

Example story-driven commit sequence:

1. feat: Add User database model and migrations - Foundation first
2. feat: Implement user authentication service - Core logic
3. feat: Add login and registration API endpoints - Interface layer
4. feat: Create login form component - UI implementation
5. test: Add authentication unit and integration tests - Verification

Co-Author Format

The standard Git co-author format:

git commit -m "feat: Add recipe search functionality

Co-authored-by: Your Name <[email protected]>"

To find your details, run: git config user.name and git config user.email

When to Add Yourself as Co-Author

✅ DO add yourself when:

• AI implements features, fixes bugs, refactors code, or writes tests
• You actively collaborate with AI on a solution

❌ DON'T add yourself for:

• Automated dependency updates or bot-generated changes

Setup for GitHub Copilot

For tools that don't auto-attribute, add the following to your AI assistant configuration (e.g., .github/copilot-instructions.md, .cursorrules, or AGENTS.md):

## Git Commit Guidelines

### Commit Frequently
Commit changes incrementally as you complete logical units of work:
- After adding a new feature or component
- After fixing a bug
- After refactoring code
- Before making major changes (safety checkpoint)

### Co-Author Attribution
**ALWAYS add the user as a co-author on commits** to ensure proper attribution.

**How to identify the user:**
1. Check `git config user.name` and `git config user.email`
2. If in GitHub Codespaces, use the logged-in GitHub user

**Format:**
```bash
git commit -m "feat: Brief description

Co-authored-by: User Name <[email protected]>"

### Alternative: Git Hook

Create a `prepare-commit-msg` hook to automatically add yourself as co-author:

```bash
#!/bin/bash
# .git/hooks/prepare-commit-msg

COMMIT_MSG_FILE=$1
COMMIT_SOURCE=$2

if [ -z "$COMMIT_SOURCE" ]; then
  COAUTHOR_NAME=$(git config user.name)
  COAUTHOR_EMAIL=$(git config user.email)

  if ! grep -q "Co-authored-by: $COAUTHOR_NAME" "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE"; then
    echo "" >> "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE"
    echo "Co-authored-by: $COAUTHOR_NAME <$COAUTHOR_EMAIL>" >> "$COMMIT_MSG_FILE"
  fi
fi