Yes, you can. You can use Apple Intelligence’s local on-device models to generate commit messages without downloading anything new.
The "secret" backdoor to accessing these models from the terminal is the Shortcuts app, which has a command-line interface (shortcuts) and exposes Apple Intelligence actions.
You can build a simple "bridge" that takes your git diff, sends it to Apple Intelligence, and pipes the result back to your commit.
- Open the Shortcuts app on macOS.
- Click + to create a new shortcut.
- Name it
SummarizeCommit. - Search for the "Summarize" action (part of Apple Intelligence / Writing Tools) and drag it in.
- Note: If you see a generic "Summarize Text" action, use that.
- Configure the action:
- Set it to Summarize [Shortcut Input].
- (Optional) Click "Show More" on the action to see if you can tweak the style (e.g., "Concise").
- Crucial Step: In the shortcut settings (sidebar "i" icon), check "Use as Quick Action" or ensure "Services Menu" is enabled (this often helps with input handling), but the CLI tool usually works regardless.
(Advanced): If you have macOS Sequoia 15.2+, look for a "Describe" or "Use Model" action which might let you pass a custom prompt like "Write a git commit message for this diff." If not, the standard "Summarize" will give you a paragraph summary, which is a good starting point.
You can now pipe your git diff directly into this shortcut.
# Preview the message
git diff --cached | shortcuts run "SummarizeCommit"
# Automatically create the commit
git diff --cached | shortcuts run "SummarizeCommit" | git commit -F -- Zero Downloads: Uses the models already baked into macOS Sequoia.
- Zero Cost: No API keys.
- Privacy: Apple Intelligence runs locally on-device (for summarization).
- Hardware Optimized: It uses the Neural Engine (NPU), so it won't spike your CPU or drain battery like running a raw Llama model in Python would.
The standard "Summarize" tool is trained to write... summaries. It might output: "This update modifies the login function to handle null values."
It might not follow strict conventional commit formats (like fix: handle null values in login).
If you need strict formatting (e.g., "feat:", "fix:"), the Qwen2.5-Coder-0.5B model (from my previous answer) is superior because you can give it a custom instruction ("You are a git commit generator..."). Apple's "Summarize" tool doesn't always accept custom system instructions.
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Web Mentions of the Apple Intelligence Git Diff Summary Hack
Based on my research, there are several related mentions and similar implementations of using Apple Intelligence to generate git commit messages, though I did not find direct references to the specific gist you linked. Here's what exists in the broader ecosystem:
Similar Tools and Implementations
cmtly by tofa84[1][2][3]
A CLI tool that uses Apple Foundation Models to generate git commit messages from staged diffs. This is very similar to the approach in your gist, but uses Foundation Models framework directly rather than the Shortcuts app. It was recently posted on Hacker News.
swift-commit-gen[4][5]
A Swift-based command-line tool that inspects Git repositories, summarizes staged and unstaged changes, and generates commit messages using AI.
YouTube Tutorial[6]
There's a Japanese video demonstration titled "Generate git commit msg by Apple Intelligence in shortcuts.app with macOS Tahoe (26) Demo" from September 2025. This appears to demonstrate the exact technique described in your gist.
Apple Intelligence in Shortcuts - General Coverage
Official Apple Support Documentation[7][8][9]
Apple's official guides extensively cover the new Apple Intelligence actions in Shortcuts, including:
Tech Media Coverage[10][11][12]
Multiple tech publications have covered Apple Intelligence integration in Shortcuts:
Similar AI Commit Message Tools
While not using Apple Intelligence specifically, there are many similar approaches:
Key Observations
No Direct Mentions Found: I could not find specific discussions or references to the exact gist URL (adfc2c102bbcf68d4e420764bb6732ec) on mainstream tech sites, Reddit, Hacker News, or Twitter/X.
Growing Ecosystem: The technique of using Apple Intelligence for git workflows is emerging, with Foundation Models framework being the primary programmatic approach, while your gist demonstrates a creative workaround using Shortcuts app.[19][20]
Similar Mindshare: The concept of AI-generated commit messages is well-established, but the specific approach of piping
git diffthrough Apple Intelligence via Shortcuts appears to be relatively novel or not yet widely documented online.The hack appears to be an innovative application of Apple Intelligence's summarization capabilities that hasn't gained widespread attention yet, though the underlying concept (AI + git diffs) is actively being explored through various other implementations.
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