---
id: gitlint-core
version: "0.19.1"
license: unclear
license_treatment: permissive
maintenance: dormant
---

# gitlint-core — Git commit message linter written in python, checks your commit messages for style.

License: permissive · Maintenance: dormant · Downloads: 1.3M/mo

## What it is and what it does

Gitlint-core is a Python-based linter for Git commit messages that enforces style and formatting conventions. It integrates with Git workflows to validate commit messages against configurable rules before they are committed, helping teams maintain consistent commit message standards.

The package runs as a command-line tool and can be integrated into pre-commit hooks or CI/CD pipelines. It depends on arrow for date handling, click for CLI scaffolding, sh for Git interaction, and importlib-metadata for runtime metadata. It supports Python 3.7 through 3.11 and runs on both CPython and PyPy.

Use it for:

- Enforce consistent commit message formatting across a development team to improve code history readability
- Validate commit message length and structure in pre-commit hooks to catch violations before they reach the repository
- Integrate into CI/CD pipelines to reject commits that don't meet organizational style standards
- Configure custom linting rules for project-specific commit message conventions

## Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts above — verify before relying.

Lints Git commit messages against configurable style rules, checking for formatting, length, and content violations before commits are made.

Yes, with conditions. Gitlint-core is stable and widely used (top 5000 PyPI packages, 1268281 monthly downloads), with no known vulnerabilities and permissive licensing. However, maintenance is dormant—the last release was in March 2023. Install it if you need a straightforward commit message linter and can tolerate slow or absent updates; consider alternatives if you require active maintenance.

## Install

pip install gitlint-core
uv add gitlint-core
poetry add gitlint-core

## Installing gitlint-core

Before you install: Low install friction with a pure Python wheel and four lightweight runtime dependencies. Maintenance is dormant with the last release in March 2023, though the repository remains active and the maintainer is actively seeking co-maintainers.

License in practice: Licensed under MIT (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute this package freely in commercial or private projects with minimal restrictions.

Quickstart:

pip install gitlint-core

from gitlint.cli import cli
from click.testing import CliRunner

runner = CliRunner()
result = runner.invoke(cli, ['--help'])

Verify before relying:

- Whether dormant maintenance status affects bug fixes or security response time in practice
- Current state of the co-maintainer search and whether active development has resumed since July 2024

## Package facts

- License: not declared (permissive)
- Python support: supports_current
- Install friction: low
- Maintenance: dormant
- Downloads: 1.3M/month (top 5,000 on PyPI)
- Known vulnerabilities: none known

## Tags

git commit message linter, commit message style checker, git hook linting, enforce commit conventions, commit message validation, git commit rules, pre-commit message lint, git-workflow, commit-standards, pre-commit-hook

[View on SkillFed](https://skillfed.io/packages/gitlint-core) · [View on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/gitlint-core/)