diff --git a/doc/hg.1.txt b/doc/hg.1.txt
--- a/doc/hg.1.txt
+++ b/doc/hg.1.txt
@@ -100,11 +100,11 @@ clone [-U] <source> [dest]::
     options:
     -U, --noupdate   do not update the new working directory
 
-commit [-A -t -l <file> -m <text> -u <user> -d <datecode>] [files...]::
+commit [options] [files...]::
     Commit changes to the given files into the repository.
     
     If a list of files is omitted, all changes reported by "hg status"
-    will be commited.
+    from the root of the repository will be commited.
     
     The HGEDITOR or EDITOR environment variables are used to start an
     editor to add a commit comment.
@@ -112,6 +112,8 @@ commit [-A -t -l <file> -m <text> -u <us
     Options:
 
     -A, --addremove       run addremove during commit
+    -I, --include <pat>   include names matching the given patterns
+    -X, --exclude <pat>   exclude names matching the given patterns
     -m, --message <text>  use <text> as commit message
     -l, --logfile <file>  show the commit message for the given file
     -d, --date <datecode> record datecode as commit date
diff --git a/mercurial/commands.py b/mercurial/commands.py
--- a/mercurial/commands.py
+++ b/mercurial/commands.py
@@ -468,7 +468,7 @@ def clone(ui, source, dest=None, **opts)
 
     d.close()
 
-def commit(ui, repo, *files, **opts):
+def commit(ui, repo, *pats, **opts):
     """commit the specified files or all outstanding changes"""
     if opts['text']:
         ui.warn("Warning: -t and --text is deprecated,"
@@ -482,8 +482,18 @@ def commit(ui, repo, *files, **opts):
             ui.warn("Can't read commit message %s: %s\n" % (logfile, why))
 
     if opts['addremove']:
-        addremove(ui, repo, *files)
-    repo.commit(relpath(repo, files), message, opts['user'], opts['date'])
+        addremove(ui, repo, *pats, **opts)
+    cwd = repo.getcwd()
+    if not pats and cwd:
+        opts['include'] = [os.path.join(cwd, i) for i in opts['include']]
+        opts['exclude'] = [os.path.join(cwd, x) for x in opts['exclude']]
+    fns, match = matchpats((pats and repo.getcwd()) or '', pats, opts)
+    if pats:
+        c, a, d, u = repo.changes(files = fns, match = match)
+        files = c + a + [fn for fn in d if repo.dirstate.state(fn) == 'r']
+    else:
+        files = []
+    repo.commit(files, message, opts['user'], opts['date'], match)
 
 def copy(ui, repo, source, dest):
     """mark a file as copied or renamed for the next commit"""
@@ -1140,6 +1150,8 @@ table = {
     "^commit|ci":
         (commit,
          [('A', 'addremove', None, 'run add/remove during commit'),
+          ('I', 'include', [], 'include path in search'),
+          ('X', 'exclude', [], 'exclude path from search'),
           ('m', 'message', "", 'commit message'),
           ('t', 'text', "", 'commit message (deprecated: use -m)'),
           ('l', 'logfile', "", 'commit message file'),
diff --git a/mercurial/hg.py b/mercurial/hg.py
--- a/mercurial/hg.py
+++ b/mercurial/hg.py
@@ -773,7 +773,8 @@ class localrepository:
         if update_dirstate:
             self.dirstate.setparents(n, nullid)
 
-    def commit(self, files = None, text = "", user = None, date = None):
+    def commit(self, files = None, text = "", user = None, date = None,
+               match = util.always):
         commit = []
         remove = []
         if files:
@@ -786,7 +787,7 @@ class localrepository:
                 else:
                     self.ui.warn("%s not tracked!\n" % f)
         else:
-            (c, a, d, u) = self.changes()
+            (c, a, d, u) = self.changes(match = match)
             commit = c + a
             remove = d