diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/create.js b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/create.js
index f84107df6bfd105e65807f9ae37f46625a2235cf..a4e58d0e961af149b502ea4f88ce75c9b255641d 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/create.js
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/create.js
@@ -4,6 +4,18 @@ async function createOnboardingBranch(config) {
   logger.debug('createOnboardingBranch()');
   const contents = await getOnboardingConfig(config);
   logger.info('Creating onboarding branch');
+  let commitMessage;
+  // istanbul ignore if
+  if (config.semanticCommits) {
+    commitMessage = config.semanticCommitType;
+    if (config.semanticCommitScope) {
+      commitMessage += `(${config.semanticCommitScope})`;
+    }
+    commitMessage += ': ';
+    commitMessage += 'add renovate.json';
+  } else {
+    commitMessage = 'Add renovate.json';
+  }
   await platform.commitFilesToBranch(
     `renovate/configure`,
     [
@@ -12,7 +24,7 @@ async function createOnboardingBranch(config) {
         contents,
       },
     ],
-    'Add renovate.json',
+    commitMessage,
     undefined,
     config.gitAuthor,
     config.gitPrivateKey
diff --git a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/rebase.js b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/rebase.js
index 746ec625581f2729fc4f8b1dac90fff252d69d5f..723af80da580765b4a5394a5b59abc519ccd2fc1 100644
--- a/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/rebase.js
+++ b/lib/workers/repository/onboarding/branch/rebase.js
@@ -18,6 +18,18 @@ async function rebaseOnboardingBranch(config) {
     return;
   }
   logger.info('Rebasing onboarding branch');
+  let commitMessage;
+  // istanbul ignore if
+  if (config.semanticCommits) {
+    commitMessage = config.semanticCommitType;
+    if (config.semanticCommitScope) {
+      commitMessage += `(${config.semanticCommitScope})`;
+    }
+    commitMessage += ': ';
+    commitMessage += 'add renovate.json';
+  } else {
+    commitMessage = 'Add renovate.json';
+  }
   await platform.commitFilesToBranch(
     onboardingBranch,
     [
@@ -26,7 +38,7 @@ async function rebaseOnboardingBranch(config) {
         contents,
       },
     ],
-    'Add renovate.json',
+    commitMessage,
     undefined,
     config.gitAuthor,
     config.gitPrivateKey