How to fix remote: GitLab: Commit message does not follow the pattern in Git

First, look at the error message to see what pattern is required:

# The error typically looks like:
remote: GitLab: Commit message does not follow the pattern 'JIRA-\d+'
# Or
remote: GitLab: Commit message does not follow the pattern 'workitem \d+'
# Or
remote: GitLab: Commit message does not follow the pattern '^(feat|fix|docs|style|refactor|test|chore):'

The pattern in quotes is a regular expression (regex). Common patterns include:
- JIRA-\d+ - Requires JIRA ticket like "JIRA-123"
- workitem \d+ - Requires work item number
- #\d+ - Requires issue number like "#456"
- ^(feat|fix|docs): - Requires conventional commit prefix

Once you know the pattern, you can format your commit message accordingly.

Use git commit --amend to modify your most recent commit message:

# Amend the last commit with a new message
git commit --amend -m "JIRA-123: Add initial project setup"

# Or for conventional commit format
git commit --amend -m "feat: add initial project setup (#123)"

# Or open an editor to modify the message
git commit --amend

# Then force push if you already pushed the old commit
git push --force-with-lease

Tips for matching common patterns:
- Include the ticket number at the start: "JIRA-456: Your message"
- Use conventional commits: "fix: resolve login bug"
- Reference issues: "Add feature (closes #789)"

The message just needs to contain the required pattern somewhere—it doesn't always need to be at the beginning.

If multiple commits need message changes, use interactive rebase:

# Rebase the last N commits (e.g., last 3)
git rebase -i HEAD~3

# In the editor, change 'pick' to 'reword' for commits you want to edit:
# reword abc1234 Initial commit
# pick def5678 Add feature
# reword ghi9012 Fix bug

# Save and close. Git will pause at each 'reword' commit
# Edit each message to include the required pattern

# After completing the rebase, force push
git push --force-with-lease

Warning: Interactive rebase rewrites history. Only do this for commits that haven't been shared with others, or coordinate with your team before force pushing.

View the push rules configured for your project:

1. Project-level rules:
- Go to your project in GitLab
- Navigate to Settings → Repository
- Expand Push rules
- View "Require expression in commit messages"

2. Group-level rules:
- Go to your group
- Navigate to Settings → Repository
- Check the Push rules section

3. Instance-level rules (admin only):
- Admin Area → Push Rules
- These serve as templates for new projects

GitLab uses RE2 regex syntax. Test patterns at [regex101.com](https://regex101.com) with the "Golang" flavor selected.

Important: Commit messages in GitLab UI use \r\n for newlines. If you see patterns with \n, they might need (\r\n?|\n) for cross-platform compatibility.

If the push rules are too restrictive or causing legitimate issues:

Ask your team lead or GitLab admin to:

1. Review the regex pattern - The pattern might be incorrectly configured
2. Add exceptions for merge commits - Merge commit messages are auto-generated
3. Exclude certain branches - Some rules shouldn't apply to all branches
4. Update the pattern - Make it more flexible while maintaining standards

For merge commit issues:

# If pattern '^Merge.*$' fails on merge trains,
# the admin can adjust to handle GitLab's auto-generated format
^(Merge|feat|fix|docs|chore|refactor|test|style):?.*

For CI/CD tools like semantic-release:
Some tools push git notes or automated commits that may not match patterns. Admins can exclude these by updating rules or adjusting the tool configuration.

Prevent rejected pushes by validating commit messages locally before pushing:

# Create a commit-msg hook
cat > .git/hooks/commit-msg << 'EOF'
#!/bin/bash

# Pattern required by your GitLab (adjust to match your rules)
PATTERN="JIRA-[0-9]+"

MESSAGE=$(cat "$1")

if ! echo "$MESSAGE" | grep -qE "$PATTERN"; then
    echo "ERROR: Commit message must contain a JIRA ticket (e.g., JIRA-123)"
    echo "Your message: $MESSAGE"
    exit 1
fi
EOF

chmod +x .git/hooks/commit-msg

For team-wide hooks, use a shared hooks directory:

# In your project root
mkdir -p .githooks
# Add your commit-msg hook there

# Configure git to use it
git config core.hooksPath .githooks

# Commit the hooks to share with team
git add .githooks

This catches invalid commit messages before they're created, saving you from amending later.

If automated tools like semantic-release, Renovate, or GitLab CI fail:

For semantic-release:

// In your release.config.js, format commits to match push rules
module.exports = {
  plugins: [
    ['@semantic-release/commit-analyzer', {
      releaseRules: [
        { type: 'feat', release: 'minor' },
        { type: 'fix', release: 'patch' }
      ]
    }],
    ['@semantic-release/release-notes-generator'],
    ['@semantic-release/git', {
      // Customize commit message to match your pattern
      message: 'chore(release): ${nextRelease.version} [skip ci] JIRA-0'
    }]
  ]
};

For Renovate:

{
  "commitMessagePrefix": "JIRA-0: ",
  "commitMessageTopic": "{{depName}}"
}

For git notes issues:
Git notes are sometimes validated against commit message rules. You may need to ask your admin to exclude refs/notes/* from push rules or use a workaround:

# Push notes separately with a different configuration
GIT_NOTES_REF=refs/notes/commits git push origin refs/notes/*