diff --git a/commit_template.jar b/commit_template.jar
index 6ce1c33..ec90d15 100644
Binary files a/commit_template.jar and b/commit_template.jar differ
diff --git a/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml b/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml
index c6c0082..7c8712a 100644
--- a/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml
+++ b/resources/META-INF/plugin.xml
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@
     ]]></description>
 
     <change-notes><![CDATA[
+    <p>1.0.3-mkempster-20171129</p>
+    <ul>
+        <li>Option to append template text to an existing commit message instead of completely overwriting.</li>
+        <li>Use case: Add crucible smart-commit macros to the default message.</li>
+    </ul>
     <p>1.0.3</p>
     <ul>
         <li>Added the ability to set commentChar when loading template from file.</li>
diff --git a/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateAction.java b/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateAction.java
index 6f7f93e..b32aeb4 100644
--- a/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateAction.java
+++ b/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateAction.java
@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@
 import com.intellij.openapi.actionSystem.AnAction;
 import com.intellij.openapi.actionSystem.AnActionEvent;
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.DumbAware;
+import com.intellij.openapi.vcs.CheckinProjectPanel;
 import com.intellij.openapi.vcs.CommitMessageI;
 import com.intellij.openapi.vcs.VcsDataKeys;
 import com.intellij.openapi.vcs.ui.Refreshable;
@@ -39,7 +40,7 @@
 public class CommitMessageTemplateAction extends AnAction implements DumbAware {
 
     public void actionPerformed(AnActionEvent e) {
-        final CommitMessageI checkinPanel = getCheckinPanel(e);
+        final CheckinProjectPanel checkinPanel = getCheckinPanel(e);
         if (checkinPanel == null) {
             return;
         }
@@ -50,25 +51,30 @@ public void actionPerformed(AnActionEvent e) {
         if (config != null) {
             String commitMessage = config.getCommitMessage();
             if (!commitMessage.isEmpty()) {
-                checkinPanel.setCommitMessage(commitMessage);
+                if (config.getAppendMode()) {
+                    checkinPanel.setCommitMessage(checkinPanel.getCommitMessage() + " " + commitMessage);
+                } else {
+                    checkinPanel.setCommitMessage(commitMessage);
+                }
             }
         }
     }
 
 
     @Nullable
-    private static CommitMessageI getCheckinPanel(@Nullable AnActionEvent e) {
+    private static CheckinProjectPanel getCheckinPanel(@Nullable AnActionEvent e) {
         if (e == null) {
             return null;
         }
         Refreshable data = Refreshable.PANEL_KEY.getData(e.getDataContext());
-        if (data instanceof CommitMessageI) {
-            return (CommitMessageI) data;
-        }
-        CommitMessageI commitMessageI = VcsDataKeys.COMMIT_MESSAGE_CONTROL.getData(e.getDataContext());
-        if (commitMessageI != null) {
-            return commitMessageI;
+        if (data instanceof CheckinProjectPanel) {
+            return (CheckinProjectPanel) data;
         }
+        // Unsure what to do with this. Can't get the current commitMessage from a commitMessageI.
+//        CommitMessageI commitMessageI = VcsDataKeys.COMMIT_MESSAGE_CONTROL.getData(e.getDataContext());
+//        if (commitMessageI != null) {
+//            return commitMessageI;
+//        }
         return null;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfig.java b/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfig.java
index d2340dd..af65904 100644
--- a/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfig.java
+++ b/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfig.java
@@ -48,6 +48,9 @@ String getCommentChar() {
         return cmState.commentChar;
     }
 
+    boolean getAppendMode() {
+        return cmState.append;
+    }
     void setCommitMessage(String commitMessage) {
         cmState.manualTemplate = commitMessage;
     }
@@ -64,6 +67,10 @@ void setCommentChar(String commentChar) {
         cmState.commentChar = commentChar;
     }
 
+    void setAppend(boolean append) {
+        cmState.append = append;
+    }
+
     @Nullable
     @Override
     public CommitState getState() {
@@ -85,6 +92,7 @@ public static class CommitState {
         public boolean radioState = true;
         public String templateFilePath = "";
         public String commentChar = "";
+        public boolean append = false;
     }
 
     private String OpenFile(String configFilePath) {
diff --git a/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfigurableGUI.form b/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfigurableGUI.form
index cde8a35..0086fdf 100644
--- a/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfigurableGUI.form
+++ b/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfigurableGUI.form
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
     <properties/>
     <border type="none"/>
     <children>
-      <grid id="4ee46" layout-manager="GridLayoutManager" row-count="6" column-count="1" same-size-horizontally="false" same-size-vertically="false" hgap="-1" vgap="-1">
+      <grid id="4ee46" layout-manager="GridLayoutManager" row-count="7" column-count="1" same-size-horizontally="false" same-size-vertically="false" hgap="-1" vgap="-1">
         <margin top="0" left="0" bottom="0" right="0"/>
         <constraints>
           <grid row="0" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="3" hsize-policy="3" anchor="0" fill="3" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@
           </component>
           <component id="dd5b2" class="javax.swing.JLabel" binding="commentCharLabel">
             <constraints>
-              <grid row="4" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="0" hsize-policy="0" anchor="8" fill="0" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
+              <grid row="5" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="0" hsize-policy="0" anchor="8" fill="0" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
             </constraints>
             <properties>
               <text value="Comment character (leave empty to disable)"/>
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@
           </component>
           <component id="7f2f8" class="javax.swing.JTextField" binding="commentChar" default-binding="true">
             <constraints>
-              <grid row="5" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="0" hsize-policy="6" anchor="8" fill="1" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false">
+              <grid row="6" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="0" hsize-policy="6" anchor="8" fill="1" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false">
                 <preferred-size width="150" height="-1"/>
               </grid>
             </constraints>
@@ -70,6 +70,14 @@
               <text value="#"/>
             </properties>
           </component>
+          <component id="f7a70" class="javax.swing.JCheckBox" binding="append">
+            <constraints>
+              <grid row="4" column="0" row-span="1" col-span="1" vsize-policy="0" hsize-policy="3" anchor="8" fill="0" indent="0" use-parent-layout="false"/>
+            </constraints>
+            <properties>
+              <text value="Append to existing message"/>
+            </properties>
+          </component>
         </children>
       </grid>
     </children>
diff --git a/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfigurableGUI.java b/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfigurableGUI.java
index 5674730..7bde684 100644
--- a/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfigurableGUI.java
+++ b/src/commitmessagetemplate/CommitMessageTemplateConfigurableGUI.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ public class CommitMessageTemplateConfigurableGUI {
     private TextFieldWithBrowseButton templateFilePath;
     private JTextField commentChar;
     private JLabel commentCharLabel;
+    private JCheckBox append;
     private CommitMessageTemplateConfig config;
     private FileChooserDescriptor descriptor = FileChooserDescriptorFactory.createSingleFileDescriptor("txt");
 
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
             templateFilePath.setEnabled(!config.getRadioStatus());
             commentChar.setEnabled(!config.getRadioStatus());
             commentChar.setText(config.getCommentChar());
+            append.setSelected(config.getAppendMode());
         }
     }
 
@@ -66,7 +68,8 @@ boolean isModified() {
         return !commitMessageTextBox.getText().equals(config.getManualTemplate()) ||
                 !setTemplateRadioButton.isSelected() == config.getRadioStatus() ||
                 !templateFilePath.getText().equals(config.getTemplateFilePath()) ||
-                !commentChar.getText().equals(config.getCommentChar());
+                !commentChar.getText().equals(config.getCommentChar()) ||
+                !append.isSelected() == config.getAppendMode();
     }
 
     void apply() {
@@ -74,6 +77,7 @@ void apply() {
         config.setRadioStatus(setTemplateRadioButton.isSelected());
         config.setTemplateFilePath(templateFilePath.getText());
         config.setCommentChar(commentChar.getText());
+        config.setAppend(append.isSelected());
     }
 
     void reset() {
@@ -84,6 +88,7 @@ void reset() {
         templateFilePath.setEnabled(!config.getRadioStatus());
         commentChar.setEnabled(!config.getRadioStatus());
         commentChar.setText(config.getCommentChar());
+        append.setSelected(config.getAppendMode());
     }