noto ✨

^{(/nōto/, notebook in Japanese)}

Features

• Instant Commit Messages: Generate clear, context-aware messages based on staged changes.

• Seamless Git Integration: Auto-commit by default, with a preview-only option.

• Interactive Editing: Edit the generated message in-line before committing (no flag needed).

• Enhanced Configuration: Manage your LLM model preferences with an improved configuration interface.

Installation

Install noto globally using npm:

npm install -g @snelusha/noto

After installation, you can run noto from any terminal.

Prerequisites

Before using noto, you must configure your Google Generative API key. You can now provide your API key in two ways:

1. Using an environment variable (recommended)

Set the NOTO_API_KEY environment variable globally so it's available across your system.

macOS/Linux (eg., in .bashrc, .zshrc or .profile)

export NOTO_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Then reload your terminal or run:

source ~/.zshrc # or ~/.bashrc or ~/.profile

Windows (Command Prompt or PowerShell):

setx NOTO_API_KEY "your_api_key_here"

Note: You may need to restart your terminal (or system) for changes to take effect.

2. Using the built-in configuration command

noto config key # or simply noto config key YOUR_API_KEY

noto will first look for the NOTO_API_KEY environment variable. If it's not found, it will fall back to the local configuration.

You can also configure a specific Gemini mode (optional):

noto config model

Alternatively, you can specify the model using the NOTO_MODEL environment variable:

export NOTO_MODEL=gemini-2.5-flash

The model priority order is: --model flag > NOTO_MODEL environment variable > config file > default model.

If you ever need to reset your configuration, you can now run:

noto config reset

Usage

Generate and commit with a new commit message (default behavior):

noto

Preview the generated message without committing:

noto --preview # or simply noto -p

Copy the generated commit message to your clipboard:

noto --copy # or simply noto -c

Specify a model to use (overrides config file and environment variable):

noto --model gemini-2.5-flash

Retrieve and commit with the previously generated commit message (default behavior):

noto prev

Preview the previously generated commit message without committing:

noto prev --preview # or simply noto prev -p

Amend the last commit with the previously generated commit message:

noto prev --amend

Note: --preview and --copy can also be used with the noto prev command. When using --preview, the message is shown without prompting for editing. Without --preview, the command will prompt you to edit the message before committing (or amending).

Switch between branches in your git repo with an interactive prompt:

noto checkout

Create and switch to a new branch:

noto checkout -b new-branch-name

Update noto to the latest version:

noto upgrade

noto will automatically detect your installation method and update itself accordingly.

Pro Tips

• 🚀 Get fast commits on the fly with noto - it commits by default!

Contributing

We welcome contributions and suggestions! If you have ideas or improvements, feel free to open a pull request or reach out with feedback. ✨

Thank you for using noto!

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. © 2024-2026 Sithija Nelusha Silva