Extract Commit Action

A powerful GitHub Action that extracts and processes information from commit messages using customizable patterns and commands.

Features

Flexible Pattern Matching: Extract information using regex patterns or custom commands
Multiple Output Formats: Support for text, JSON, and CSV outputs
Customizable Depth: Control the number of commits to analyze
Fast & Lightweight: Built with Python 3.14-slim for optimal performance
Fail-Safe Options: Optional validation with fail_on_empty
Pretty Formatting: Clean, formatted commit message output
Debug Mode: Verbose output for troubleshooting
Timeout Control: Prevent long-running operations
Easy Integration: Simple YAML configuration in your workflows

Quick Start

- name: Extract Environment from Commits
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'env:(\\w+)'"
    pretty: true
    key_variable: 'DEPLOY_ENV'

Inputs

Input	Description	Required	Default
`commit_limit`	Number of commits to retrieve	Yes	N/A
`extract_command`	Command to extract info (e.g., grep pattern)	No	N/A
`extract_pattern`	Regex pattern to extract info (safer alternative to `extract_command`)	No	N/A
`commit_range`	Git commit range (e.g., `HEAD~5..HEAD`, `v1.0.0..v1.1.0`)	No	N/A
`pretty`	Use pretty format for Git logs	No	`false`
`key_variable`	Name of the output variable	No	`ENVIRONMENT`
`fail_on_empty`	Fail if no information is extracted	No	`false`
`output_format`	Output format: `text`, `json`, or `csv`	No	`text`
`debug`	Enable debug mode for verbose output	No	`false`
`timeout`	Timeout in seconds for git/extract commands	No	`30`

Note: extract_command and extract_pattern are mutually exclusive. Use extract_pattern for safer regex matching without shell execution.

Outputs

Output	Description
`key_variable`	The name of the variable used
`value_variable`	The extracted value(s) from commits
`match_count`	Number of extracted matches

Common Use Cases

Extract Environment Information

- name: Extract Environment
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'env:(\\w+)'"
    pretty: true
    key_variable: 'DEPLOY_ENV'

Find Feature Tags

- name: Extract Feature Tags
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'feature:(\\w+)'"
    key_variable: 'FEATURE_TAG'

Extract Version Numbers

- name: Extract Version
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'v[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+'"
    key_variable: 'VERSION'

Fail on Empty Results

- name: Extract Critical Changes
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'critical:(\\w+)'"
    key_variable: 'CRITICAL_CHANGES'
    fail_on_empty: true  # Fails if no matches found

Extract JIRA Tickets with JSON Output

- name: Extract JIRA Tickets
  id: jira
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 20
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'JIRA-[0-9]+'"
    key_variable: 'JIRA_TICKETS'
    output_format: 'json'

- name: Process Tickets
  run: |
    echo '${{ steps.jira.outputs.value_variable }}' | jq -r '.[]'

Extract Using Regex Pattern (Safe)

- name: Extract JIRA Tickets (Pattern)
  id: jira_pattern
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_pattern: 'JIRA-[0-9]+'
    key_variable: 'JIRA_TICKETS'

- name: Check Match Count
  run: |
    echo "Found ${{ steps.jira_pattern.outputs.match_count }} tickets"
    echo "Tickets: ${{ steps.jira_pattern.outputs.value_variable }}"

Extract from Commit Range

- name: Extract Changes Between Tags
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    commit_range: 'v1.0.0..v1.1.0'
    extract_pattern: '(feat|fix|chore):'
    key_variable: 'CHANGE_TYPES'

- name: Extract Recent Changes
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    commit_range: 'HEAD~5..HEAD'
    extract_pattern: 'env:(\w+)'
    key_variable: 'DEPLOY_ENV'

Debug Mode for Troubleshooting

- name: Extract with Debug
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'env:(\\w+)'"
    key_variable: 'ENVIRONMENT'
    debug: true          # Enable verbose output
    timeout: 60          # Set custom timeout

Output Formats

The action supports three output formats:

Format	Description	Example Output
`text`	Plain text (default)	`value1` `value2` `value3`
`json`	JSON array	`["value1", "value2", "value3"]`
`csv`	Comma-separated	`value1,value2,value3`

Format Examples

Given extracted values: JIRA-123, JIRA-456, JIRA-789

Text format:

JIRA-123
JIRA-456
JIRA-789

JSON format:

["JIRA-123", "JIRA-456", "JIRA-789"]

CSV format:

JIRA-123,JIRA-456,JIRA-789

Extract Command Examples

Purpose	Command	Example Match
Environment	`grep -oE 'env:(\\w+)'`	`env:production`
Fix IDs	`grep -oE 'fix-[0-9]+'`	`fix-123`
Versions	`grep -oE 'v[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+\\.[0-9]+'`	`v1.2.3`
Features	`grep -oE 'feature:(\\w+)'`	`feature:login`
JIRA IDs	`grep -oE 'JIRA-[0-9]+'`	`JIRA-456`
Conventional Commits	`grep -oE '^(feat	fix

Note: Use grep -oE (Extended regex) instead of grep -oP (Perl regex) for better compatibility.

Extract Pattern Examples

extract_pattern uses Python's re module for safe regex matching without shell execution.

Purpose	Pattern	Example Match
Environment	`env:(\w+)`	`production` (captured group)
JIRA IDs	`JIRA-[0-9]+`	`JIRA-456`
Versions	`v\d+\.\d+\.\d+`	`v1.2.3`
Conventional Commits	`(feat\|fix\|chore\|docs):`	`feat:`, `fix:`
PR Numbers	`#(\d+)`	`123` (captured group)

Note: When using capture groups (), only the captured portion is returned. Without groups, the full match is returned.

Best Practices

Commit Message Format

Use consistent commit message formats (e.g., Conventional Commits)
Include relevant tags or identifiers
Example: feat(auth): add login functionality env:production

Extraction Patterns

Test regex patterns locally before implementation:

echo "feat: add login env:production" | grep -oE 'env:(\\w+)'

Use specific patterns to avoid false matches
Consider edge cases and special characters

Performance

Set appropriate commit_limit based on your needs
Lower values = faster execution
Typical range: 10-50 commits

Repository Setup

Ensure sufficient fetch-depth in checkout action:

- uses: actions/checkout@v6
  with:
    fetch-depth: 20  # Match or exceed commit_limit

Troubleshooting

No Matches Found

Problem: Action completes but returns empty results

Solutions:

Verify commit messages contain expected patterns:
```
git log -10 --pretty=%B
```

Test your regex pattern locally:

git log -10 --pretty=%B | grep -oE 'your-pattern'

Ensure fetch-depth in checkout is sufficient
Check if fail_on_empty is set appropriately

Incorrect Matches

Problem: Extracting wrong or unexpected values

Solutions:

Review and refine your regex pattern
Use more specific patterns with word boundaries
Test with sample commit messages first
Use online regex testers like regex101.com

Action Fails with Error

Problem: Action exits with non-zero code

Possible Causes:

fail_on_empty: true is set and no matches found (intended behavior)
Invalid regex pattern in extract_command
Git repository not available
Insufficient permissions

Debug Steps:

- name: Debug Commit Messages
  run: git log -${{ inputs.commit_limit }} --pretty=%B

- name: Test Extract Command
  run: |
    git log -10 --pretty=%B | grep -oE 'your-pattern' || echo "No matches"

# Or use built-in debug mode
- name: Extract with Debug Mode
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'your-pattern'"
    debug: true  # Shows detailed execution information

Timeout Errors

Problem: Action times out during execution

Solutions:

Increase timeout value (default is 30 seconds):

- uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_command: "complex-command"
    timeout: 120  # Increase to 2 minutes

Reduce commit_limit to process fewer commits
Simplify your extract_command pattern

Advanced Usage

Processing Multiple Matches

When multiple values are extracted, you can process them in subsequent steps:

Text format:

- name: Extract JIRA Tickets
  id: extract
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'JIRA-[0-9]+'"
    key_variable: 'JIRA_TICKETS'

- name: Process Each Ticket
  run: |
    while IFS= read -r ticket; do
      echo "Processing: $ticket"
      # Your processing logic here
    done <<< "${{ steps.extract.outputs.value_variable }}"

JSON format:

- name: Extract as JSON
  id: extract_json
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 10
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'JIRA-[0-9]+'"
    output_format: 'json'

- name: Process JSON Array
  run: |
    echo '${{ steps.extract_json.outputs.value_variable }}' | \
      jq -r '.[]' | while read -r ticket; do
        echo "Processing: $ticket"
      done

Combining with Other Actions

Send to Slack:

- name: Extract Deployment Info
  id: deploy
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 5
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'env:(\\w+)'"
    key_variable: 'ENVIRONMENT'

- name: Notify Slack
  uses: slackapi/slack-github-action@v1
  with:
    payload: |
      {
        "text": "Deploying to: ${{ steps.deploy.outputs.value_variable }}"
      }

Conditional Deployment:

- name: Check for Production Tag
  id: check_env
  uses: somaz94/commit-info-extractor@v1
  with:
    commit_limit: 1
    extract_command: "grep -oE 'env:production'"
    fail_on_empty: false

- name: Deploy to Production
  if: steps.check_env.outputs.value_variable == 'env:production'
  run: |
    echo "Deploying to production..."

Security Considerations

When using this action, keep the following in mind:

Command Injection Prevention

The extract_command executes shell commands — never use untrusted user input
Prefer extract_pattern over extract_command for safer regex matching (no shell execution)
Always validate and sanitize inputs

Sensitive Information

Be careful not to extract secrets or credentials from commit messages
Use GitHub's secret scanning alongside this action
Consider filtering sensitive patterns

Permission Scopes

This action only requires read access to repository content
Follow the principle of least privilege in your workflows

Project Structure

entrypoint.py              # Thin wrapper (calls app.main.run)
app/
  main.py                  # Orchestration entrypoint
  config.py                # AppConfig dataclass (from_env, validate)
  git_client.py            # Git operations (configure, fetch commits)
  extractor.py             # Extraction logic (command & regex pattern)
  formatter.py             # Output formatting (text/json/csv)
  output_writer.py         # GITHUB_ENV/GITHUB_OUTPUT writing
  logger.py                # Logging utilities
tests/
  conftest.py              # pytest fixtures
  test_config.py           # Config unit tests
  test_extractor.py        # Extraction logic tests
  test_formatter.py        # Formatter tests
  test_git_client.py       # Git client tests
  test_output_writer.py    # Output writer tests
  test_main.py             # Integration tests (mocked)
  test_local.py            # Local integration test

Local Testing

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/somaz94/commit-info-extractor.git
cd commit-info-extractor

# Using Makefile (recommended)
make venv          # Create virtualenv and install dev dependencies
make test          # Run unit tests with coverage
make test-local    # Run local integration test
make coverage      # Generate HTML coverage report
make clean         # Remove venv, cache, and build artifacts
make help          # Show all available commands

# Or manually
python -m venv venv && source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements-dev.txt
python -m pytest tests/ -v --cov=app --cov-report=term-missing

See tests/TESTING.md for more details.

Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for version history and updates.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to:

Report bugs
Suggest new features
Submit pull requests
Improve documentation

Support

If you find this action helpful, please consider:

Starring the repository
Sharing with others
Contributing improvements

Related Projects

actions/checkout - Checkout your repository
github-script - Write workflows using JavaScript
setup-python - Set up Python environment

Made by somaz94

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 210 Commits
.devcontainer		.devcontainer
.github		.github
app		app
backup		backup
tests		tests
.coveragerc		.coveragerc
.dockerignore		.dockerignore
.env.test		.env.test
.gitattributes		.gitattributes
.gitconfig		.gitconfig
.gitignore		.gitignore
.prettierrc.json		.prettierrc.json
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
CODEOWNERS		CODEOWNERS
CONTRIBUTORS.md		CONTRIBUTORS.md
Dockerfile		Dockerfile
LICENSE		LICENSE
Makefile		Makefile
README.md		README.md
RELEASE.md		RELEASE.md
action.yml		action.yml
cliff.toml		cliff.toml
entrypoint.py		entrypoint.py
requirements-dev.txt		requirements-dev.txt

Folders and files

Latest commit

History

Repository files navigation

Extract Commit Action

Features

Quick Start

Inputs

Outputs

Common Use Cases

Extract Environment Information

Find Feature Tags

Extract Version Numbers

Fail on Empty Results

Extract JIRA Tickets with JSON Output

Extract Using Regex Pattern (Safe)

Extract from Commit Range

Debug Mode for Troubleshooting

Output Formats

Format Examples

Text format:

JSON format:

CSV format:

Extract Command Examples

Extract Pattern Examples

Best Practices

Commit Message Format

Extraction Patterns

Performance

Repository Setup

Troubleshooting

No Matches Found

Problem: Action completes but returns empty results

Solutions:

Incorrect Matches

Problem: Extracting wrong or unexpected values

Solutions:

Action Fails with Error

Problem: Action exits with non-zero code

Possible Causes:

Debug Steps:

Timeout Errors

Problem: Action times out during execution

Solutions:

Advanced Usage

Processing Multiple Matches

Text format:

JSON format:

Combining with Other Actions

Send to Slack:

Conditional Deployment:

Security Considerations

Command Injection Prevention

Sensitive Information

Permission Scopes

Project Structure

Local Testing

Changelog

License

Contributing

Support

Related Projects

About

Topics

Resources

License

Code of conduct

Contributing

Security policy

Uh oh!

Stars

Watchers

Forks

Releases 15

Packages 0

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Contributors

Uh oh!

Languages

Packages