@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ page that documents it.
 
 | Version | What changed | Documented in |
 |---|---|---|
+| [2.20.3](#v2203) | Failures print a one-line header and an indented block per check, in place of the ASCII banner; an agent skill for coding agents | [Getting started](getting-started.md#2-watch-it-reject-something) · [With AI coding agents](guides/ai-agents.md#tell-the-agent) |
 | [2.20.1](#v2201) | `--ai-attribution-only` checks a pull request description against your AI policy; JSON lists the AI tools found; more AI marks recognised | [Checking a pull request description](guides/policies.md#checking-a-pull-request-description) · [CC013](rules.md#cc013) |
 | [2.20.0](#v2200) | Commits authored by an AI tool rejected; subject length `0` turns the rule off; Python 3.11+ required | [CC017](rules.md#cc017) · [CC013](rules.md#cc013) · [CC004](rules.md#cc004) |
 | [2.19.5](#v2195) | GitHub merge queue branches accepted by default; aider's default co-author trailer recognised; exit 2 when git cannot read the repository | [CC201](rules.md#cc201) · [CC013](rules.md#cc013) · [Exit codes](troubleshoot.md#exit-codes) |
@@ -38,6 +39,29 @@ page that documents it.
 | [2.5.0](#v250) | Organization-wide config with `inherit_from` | [Across an organization](guides/organization.md) |
 | [2.0.0](#v200) | Configuration moved from YAML to TOML — breaking | [Migrating from v1](migration.md) |
 
+## v2.20.4 (2026-11-10) { #v2204 }
+
+### Fixed
+
+* `require_body` no longer takes trailers alone, such as the `Signed-off-by:` line from `git commit -s`, for a body. ([CC011](rules.md#cc011), [#689](https://github.com/commit-check/commit-check/pull/689))
+* `ignore_authors` written as one string is split on commas, instead of skipping any author whose name is part of it. ([Every option](configuration.md#every-option), [#689](https://github.com/commit-check/commit-check/pull/689))
+* `--author-name` and `--author-email` honour `git commit --author` and the `author.name` and `author.email` settings. ([Checking the committer](example.md#checking-the-committer), [#689](https://github.com/commit-check/commit-check/pull/689))
+
+## v2.20.3 (2026-11-10) { #v2203 }
+
+### Added
+
+* An agent skill teaches coding agents to check a message before they commit. ([With AI coding agents](guides/ai-agents.md#tell-the-agent), [#679](https://github.com/commit-check/commit-check/pull/679), [#686](https://github.com/commit-check/commit-check/pull/686))
+
+### Changed
+
+* A failure prints a one-line header and an indented block per check, in place of the ASCII banner. ([Getting started](getting-started.md#2-watch-it-reject-something), [#682](https://github.com/commit-check/commit-check/pull/682))
+
+### Fixed
+
+* CC017 on a message that is not committed yet suggests setting your own `user.name` and `user.email`, not amending. ([CC017](rules.md#cc017), [#685](https://github.com/commit-check/commit-check/pull/685))
+* `--ai-attribution-only` with no text piped in passes, instead of judging `HEAD`. ([Guide](guides/policies.md#checking-a-pull-request-description), [#684](https://github.com/commit-check/commit-check/pull/684))
+
 ## v2.20.2 (2026-11-08) { #v2202 }
 
 ### Changed
 
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ conventional_branch = true
 ```
 
 A warned rule prints the same block as a failure with `warning` in place of
-`failed`, no rejection banner, and one closing line saying the run is not
+`failed`, no rejection header, and one closing line saying the run is not
 failed by it; with `--compact` it is one `[WARN]` line. A one-line notice on
 stderr names the warned rules, so a hook that exits `0` after red-looking
 output is not mistaken for a broken hook. The exit code counts only enforced
 
@@ -56,10 +56,12 @@ revision.
 
 ```console
 $ echo "updated the parser" | commit-check -m
-CC001 message check failed ==> updated the parser
-The commit message should follow Conventional Commits. See https://www.conventionalcommits.org
-Suggest: Use <type>(<scope>): <description>, where <type> is one of: feat, fix, ...
-Docs: https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc001
+✖ Commit rejected by Commit Check · 1 check failed
+
+✖ CC001 message failed: updated the parser
+  The commit message should follow Conventional Commits. See https://www.conventionalcommits.org
+  Suggest: Use <type>(<scope>): <description>, where <type> is one of: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore, perf, build, ci
+  Docs:    https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc001
 ```
 
 Fix it and it goes quiet:
@@ -140,6 +142,9 @@ tighten them.
 
 Without `--rev`, these validate the *local git config* — whoever is about to
 commit — falling back to `HEAD`'s author only when no identity is configured.
+The identity is read in git's order: `GIT_AUTHOR_NAME` and
+`GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL` when set, then `author.name` and `author.email`, then
+`user.name` and `user.email`.
 That is the right subject for a hook and the wrong one for CI: an existing
 commit's identity is a fact about the commit, not about the operator running
 the check. Add `--rev` and both checks read that commit's recorded author, and
@@ -206,7 +211,7 @@ and how CLI, environment and file settings override each other.
 
 === "No banner"
 
-    Plain text without the ASCII art, which is noise in a CI log.
+    Plain text without the one-line header that counts the failed checks.
 
     ```console
     $ commit-check -m --no-banner
 
@@ -67,18 +67,21 @@ $ commit-check --message
 ```
 
 ```text
-CC001 message check failed ==> updated the parser
-The commit message should follow Conventional Commits. See https://www.conventionalcommits.org
-Suggest: Use <type>(<scope>): <description>, where <type> is one of: feat, fix, docs, ...
-Docs: https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc001
+✖ Commit rejected by Commit Check · 1 check failed
+
+✖ CC001 message failed: updated the parser
+  The commit message should follow Conventional Commits. See https://www.conventionalcommits.org
+  Suggest: Use <type>(<scope>): <description>, where <type> is one of: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore, perf, build, ci
+  Docs:    https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc001
 ```
 
-Four things are happening in that output, and each is deliberate:
+The first line counts the failed checks. Each failure under it carries four
+things, and each is deliberate:
 
 | Part | What it gives you |
 |---|---|
 | `CC001` | A stable rule ID. It will mean the same thing in five years. |
-| `==> updated the parser` | The exact value that failed, not just "invalid message". |
+| `updated the parser` | The exact value that failed, not just "invalid message". |
 | `Suggest:` | What to do about it. |
 | `Docs:` | Why the rule exists, and how to configure or disable it. |
 
@@ -99,10 +102,12 @@ $ commit-check --branch
 ```
 
 ```text
-CC201 branch check failed ==> my-changes
-The branch should follow Conventional Branch. See https://conventionalbranch.org
-Suggest: Use <type>/<description> with an allowed type, or add the branch to allow_branch_names in config
-Docs: https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc201
+✖ Branch rejected by Commit Check · 1 check failed
+
+✖ CC201 branch failed: my-changes
+  The branch should follow Conventional Branch. See https://conventionalbranch.org
+  Suggest: Use <type>/<description> with an allowed type, or add the branch to allow_branch_names in config
+  Docs:    https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc201
 ```
 
 Rename it to something structured and it passes:
 
@@ -133,10 +133,12 @@ ai_attribution = "forbid"
 Commits carrying a recognised AI signature now fail:
 
 ```text
-CC013 ai-attribution check failed ==> Claude Code
-AI attribution is forbidden in this project — detected: Claude Code
-Suggest: This project does not accept AI attribution in commit messages. Remove the AI trailer lines and re-commit.
-Docs: https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc013
+✖ Commit rejected by Commit Check · 1 check failed
+
+✖ CC013 ai-attribution failed: Claude Code
+  AI attribution is forbidden in this project — detected: Claude Code
+  Suggest: This project does not accept AI attribution in commit messages. Remove the AI trailer lines and re-commit.
+  Docs:    https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc013
 ```
 
 Recognised signatures are co-author and sign-off lines naming Claude Code,
@@ -255,15 +257,17 @@ A commit that a vendor stamped and nobody disclosed fails the first two, and
 the failure carries the disclosure already written:
 
 ```text
-CC014 ai-disclosure check failed ==> Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
-AI assistance is not disclosed with Assisted-by or Generated-by — detected: Claude Code
-Suggest: Disclose the tool with "Assisted-by: Claude Opus 5"
-Docs: https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc014
-
-CC015 ai-co-author check failed ==> Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
-An AI tool is credited as a co-author: Claude Code
-Suggest: Use "Assisted-by: Claude Opus 5" in place of the co-author line
-Docs: https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc015
+✖ Commit rejected by Commit Check · 2 checks failed
+
+✖ CC014 ai-disclosure failed: Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
+  AI assistance is not disclosed with Assisted-by or Generated-by — detected: Claude Code
+  Suggest: Disclose the tool with "Assisted-by: Claude Opus 5"
+  Docs:    https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc014
+
+✖ CC015 ai-co-author failed: Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
+  An AI tool is credited as a co-author: Claude Code
+  Suggest: Use "Assisted-by: Claude Opus 5" in place of the co-author line
+  Docs:    https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc015
 ```
 
 Both carry the same correction in `--format json`: the co-author line rewritten
@@ -306,9 +310,12 @@ ai_disclosure_pattern = '^\S+/\S+$'
 ```
 
 ```text
-CC014 ai-disclosure check failed ==> Assisted-by: Claude Code
-The Assisted-by value does not match the required pattern: ^\S+/\S+$
-Suggest: Write the Assisted-by value so that it matches ^\S+/\S+$ (set by ai_disclosure_pattern in the [commit] config)
+✖ Commit rejected by Commit Check · 1 check failed
+
+✖ CC014 ai-disclosure failed: Assisted-by: Claude Code
+  The Assisted-by value does not match the required pattern: ^\S+/\S+$
+  Suggest: Write the Assisted-by value so that it matches ^\S+/\S+$ (set by ai_disclosure_pattern in the [commit] config)
+  Docs:    https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc014
 ```
 
 That failure carries no correction, because the tool should not guess which
@@ -330,11 +337,11 @@ ai_attribution = "disclose"
 ```
 
 ```text
-CC014 ai-disclosure check warning ==> 🤖 Generated with [Claude
-AI assistance is not disclosed with Assisted-by or Generated-by — detected: Claude Code
-Suggest: Disclose the tool with "Assisted-by: Claude Code"
-Docs: https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc014
-This rule is set to warn in the config; it does not fail the run.
+▲ CC014 ai-disclosure warning: 🤖 Generated with [Claude
+  AI assistance is not disclosed with Assisted-by or Generated-by — detected: Claude Code
+  Suggest: Disclose the tool with "Assisted-by: Claude Code"
+  Docs:    https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc014
+  This rule is set to warn in the config; it does not fail the run.
 ```
 
 The run still passes. The warning still suggests a disclosure that pip and
 
@@ -39,9 +39,9 @@ description: Commit policy as code for teams and AI agents. Messages, branches,
 </div>
 </div>
 <!--
-  A transcript of a real run: commit-check 2.18.0 as a pre-commit
-  commit-msg hook. The hook also prints an ASCII-art banner between
-  "exit code: 1" and the CC001 line; it is left out, nothing else is.
+  A transcript of a real run: commit-check 2.20.4 as a pre-commit
+  commit-msg hook. Git's own "1 file changed" summary after the last
+  line is left out, nothing else is.
 -->
 <figure class="cc-term" aria-label="A commit-msg hook rejects a commit message, suggests the fix, then accepts the corrected message">
 <div class="cc-term__bar" aria-hidden="true"><span class="cc-dots"><i></i><i></i><i></i></span><span>~/app · feature/streaming · commit-msg hook</span></div>
@@ -50,14 +50,14 @@ description: Commit policy as code for teams and AI agents. Messages, branches,
 <div class="cc-line cc-row" data-on="2500"><span>check commit message</span><span class="cc-leader" aria-hidden="true"></span><span class="cc-t-fail">Failed</span></div>
 <div class="cc-line cc-t-dim" data-on="2650">- hook id: check-message</div>
 <div class="cc-line cc-t-dim" data-on="2750">- exit code: 1</div>
-<div class="cc-line cc-gap" data-on="2900">Commit rejected by Commit-Check.</div>
-<div class="cc-line" data-on="3100"><span class="cc-t-fail cc-b">CC001</span> message check failed ==&gt; Fix: add streaming support</div>
-<div class="cc-line cc-t-dim" data-on="3250">The commit message should follow Conventional Commits. See https://www.conventionalcommits.org</div>
-<div class="cc-line" data-on="3400"><span class="cc-t-blue">Suggest:</span> Use "<span class="cc-t-pass cc-b">fix: add streaming support</span>"</div>
-<div class="cc-line cc-t-dim" data-on="3500">Docs: https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc001</div>
+<div class="cc-line cc-gap" data-on="2900"><span class="cc-t-fail cc-b">✖ Commit rejected by Commit Check</span><span class="cc-t-dim"> · 1 check failed</span></div>
+<div class="cc-line cc-gap" data-on="3100"><span class="cc-t-fail cc-b">✖ CC001</span> message failed: Fix: add streaming support</div>
+<div class="cc-line cc-t-dim" data-on="3250">  The commit message should follow Conventional Commits. See https://www.conventionalcommits.org</div>
+<div class="cc-line" data-on="3400">  <span class="cc-t-blue">Suggest:</span> Use "<span class="cc-t-pass cc-b">fix: add streaming support</span>"</div>
+<div class="cc-line cc-t-dim" data-on="3500">  Docs:    https://commit-check.com/rules/#cc001</div>
 <div class="cc-line cc-gap" data-on="5200"><span class="cc-sigil">❯ </span><span data-type="5600" data-speed="42">git commit -m "fix: add streaming support"</span><i class="cc-caret" data-from="5200" data-until="7700"></i></div>
 <div class="cc-line cc-row" data-on="7700"><span>check commit message</span><span class="cc-leader" aria-hidden="true"></span><span class="cc-t-pass">Passed</span></div>
-<div class="cc-line cc-t-dim" data-on="7900">[feature/streaming 77663ff] fix: add streaming support</div>
+<div class="cc-line cc-t-dim" data-on="7900">[feature/streaming 276fd07] fix: add streaming support</div>
 </div>
 </figure>
 </div>
@@ -409,10 +409,10 @@ conventional_branch  = <span class="cc-t-pass">true</span></div>
 <li><span><b>A fix you can paste</b>, whenever the correction is unambiguous.</span></li>
 </ol>
 </div>
-<!-- Real output of commit-check 2.19.2; the ASCII-art banner it prints first is left out. -->
+<!-- Real output of commit-check 2.20.4, laid out in numbered rows; the one-line header it prints first is left out. -->
 <div class="cc-diag">
 <p class="cc-t-dim">$ echo "Fix: add streaming support" | commit-check -m</p>
-<p><span class="cc-mark">1</span><span><span class="cc-t-fail cc-b">CC001</span> message check failed ==&gt;</span></p>
+<p><span class="cc-mark">1</span><span><span class="cc-t-fail cc-b">✖ CC001</span> message failed:</span></p>
 <p><span class="cc-mark">2</span><span class="cc-t-white">Fix: add streaming support</span></p>
 <p><span class="cc-mark">3</span><span class="cc-t-dim">The commit message should follow Conventional Commits. See https://www.conventionalcommits.org</span></p>
 <p><span class="cc-mark">4</span><span><span class="cc-t-blue">Suggest:</span> Use "<span class="cc-t-pass cc-b">fix: add streaming support</span>"</span></p>