# I built a free AI-powered Git CLI that writes your commit messages for you

> Source: <https://dev.to/david_chinwenmeri_6a0a73f/i-built-a-free-ai-powered-git-cli-that-writes-your-commit-messages-for-you-cca>
> Published: 2026-05-22 23:13:23+00:00

We've all been there. You just spent 3 hours fixing a bug, you stage your changes, and then you stare at the commit message input like it owes you money. You end up typing `fix stuff`

and moving on.

I got tired of it. So I built gritch.

## What is gritch?

gritch is a free, open source CLI tool that uses Groq's free AI API (LLaMA 3.3) to help you write better commits, review your code before pushing, generate changelogs, and understand old commits all from your terminal.

## What it can do

**Generate a conventional commit message from your staged changes:**

```
git add .
gritch commit
```

**Review your code before pushing:**

```
gritch review
gritch review --language javascript
```

**Explain any commit in plain English:**

```
gritch explain abc1234
```

**Generate a changelog between two versions:**

```
gritch changelog v1.0.0 v1.1.0
```

## How to get started

Install it globally:

```
npm install -g gritch
```

Get a free API key from [https://console.groq.com](https://console.groq.com) and set it:

**Windows:**

```
$env:GROQ_API_KEY="your_key_here"
```

**macOS / Linux:**

```
export GROQ_API_KEY="your_key_here"
```

Then run `gritch`

in any Git project.

## Why I built it

I wanted to build something that developers actually use daily not another todo app or weather dashboard. gritch solves a real problem I had every single day, and I built it entirely with TypeScript and Node.js with zero paid services required.

## Links

If you find it useful, a star on the repo goes a long way. _