Git history can be rewritten with certain caveats. One reason to rewrite history for feature requests is to have project-specified message formatting. Another is to add long comments, denoted by adding at least one blank line beneath the minimal summary message.

To edit messages of prior commits, use git rebase -i and then select “r” or “reword” for the desired commits. This is quicker and easier than “e” or “edit” that is used for editing code or breaking up prior commits.