Staging and Committing

git add <file>                  # Stage a specific file
git add <dir>/                  # Stage all changes in a directory
git add .                       # Stage all changes in the current directory (recursive)
git add -A                      # Stage all changes across the entire working tree
git add *.js                    # Stage files matching a glob
git add -u                      # Stage modifications and deletions only (not new files)
git add -p                      # Interactively stage hunks (patch mode)
git add -i                      # Interactive staging menu
git add -N <file>               # Intend to add (marks untracked file for git diff)

git restore --staged <file>     # Unstage a file (keep changes in working tree)
git restore --staged .          # Unstage everything
git reset HEAD <file>           # Same as restore --staged (older syntax)
git reset HEAD                  # Unstage all staged changes

git restore <file>              # Discard unstaged changes in a file (irreversible)
git restore .                   # Discard all unstaged changes
git restore --source=HEAD~2 <file>  # Restore file to state at HEAD~2
git checkout -- <file>          # Older equivalent of git restore <file>

git commit -m "message"         # Commit staged changes with inline message
git commit                      # Open editor for commit message
git commit -a -m "message"      # Stage all tracked-file changes and commit
git commit --amend              # Amend the last commit (message or staged content)
git commit --amend --no-edit    # Amend last commit without changing the message
git commit --amend -m "new msg" # Amend last commit and change message
git commit --allow-empty -m "trigger CI"  # Commit with no changes
git commit -v                   # Show diff in editor while writing commit message
git commit --dry-run            # Show what would be committed without committing
git commit --no-verify          # Skip pre-commit and commit-msg hooks

git commit -m "subject line

More detailed explanation after a blank line.
Can span multiple paragraphs."

git commit -S -m "signed commit"        # GPG-sign this commit
git commit --gpg-sign=<key> -m "msg"   # Sign with a specific key

git diff --staged               # Show diff of what is staged vs. last commit
git diff --cached               # Identical to --staged (older alias)
git diff --staged --stat        # Summary of staged changes
git diff --staged <file>        # Staged diff for a specific file only

git diff                        # Diff of working tree vs. staging area
git diff <file>                 # Diff for a specific file
git diff HEAD                   # Diff of working tree (all changes) vs. HEAD
git diff --word-diff            # Show word-level diff instead of line-level
git diff --stat                 # Show summary of changed files

git rm <file>                   # Remove file from working tree and stage the removal
git rm --cached <file>          # Remove from index only (keep file on disk)
git rm -r <dir>/                # Recursively remove a directory
git mv <old> <new>              # Rename/move a file and stage the change

<type>(<scope>): <short summary>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

# Examples
git commit -m "feat(auth): add passwordless login"
git commit -m "fix(api): handle null user in billing check"
git commit -m "docs: update README with setup instructions"

git status                      # High-level view of staged/unstaged/untracked
git diff --staged --name-only   # Just the filenames that are staged
git diff --staged --name-status # Filenames with M/A/D status codes