git-workflow
'Designs git workflows covering branching strategies, trunk-based development, stacked changes, conventional commits, CI/CD pipelines, and repository hygiene. Use when setting up branching models, writing commit messages, configuring GitHub Actions, managing stacked PRs, cleaning stale branches, creating issue templates, or recovering lost commits.'
Resources
1Install
npx skillscat add oakoss/agent-skills/git-workflow Install via the SkillsCat registry.
SKILL.md
Git Workflow
Covers branching strategies, conventional commits, CI/CD automation, repository hygiene, and git internals. GitHub CLI usage is handled by a separate github-cli skill; this skill focuses on git workflow patterns and CI/CD configuration.
Quick Reference
| Area | Key Practice |
|---|---|
| Branching | Trunk-based development with short-lived feature branches |
| Commits | Conventional commits with imperative mood |
| History | Linear history via rebase; squash noisy commits |
| PRs | Small, stacked changes; no mega PRs |
| Main branch | Always deployable; broken main is an emergency |
| CI/CD | Modular GitHub Actions with reusable workflows |
| Merging | Green CI + review required before merge |
| Versioning | Semantic Release or Changesets (never manual) |
| Branches | Max 48 hours lifespan; auto-prune stale/merged |
| Secrets | OIDC Connect in pipelines; never hardcode tokens |
| Signing | Sign commits with SSH or GPG keys for verified authorship |
Branch Naming
| Type | Use For | Example |
|---|---|---|
| feat | New features | feat/add-user-auth |
| fix | Bug fixes | fix/login-redirect |
| chore | Maintenance | chore/update-deps |
| docs | Documentation | docs/api-reference |
| refactor | Code restructuring | refactor/auth-module |
Conventional Commit Types
| Type | Purpose | Version Bump |
|---|---|---|
feat |
New features | Minor |
fix |
Bug fixes | Patch |
docs |
Documentation only | None |
style |
Formatting, no logic changes | None |
refactor |
Neither fix nor feature | None |
perf |
Performance improvements | Patch |
test |
Adding or correcting tests | None |
build |
Build system or external dependencies | None |
ci |
CI configuration changes | None |
chore |
Tooling, maintenance, non-src changes | None |
revert |
Revert a previous commit | Varies |
Append ! after type/scope for breaking changes (major version bump).
Pre-Merge Checks
All PRs require before merge:
- Lint
- Type check
- Tests
- Security scan
- Review approval (human or automated)
Auto-merge is acceptable for low-risk PRs when pipeline succeeds.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Merge conflicts on long-running branch | Rebase onto main frequently; break remaining work into new branch if over 48 hours |
| Broken main branch | Treat as emergency; revert offending commit, then fix forward on a branch |
| Lost commits or data recovery | Use git reflog and object inspection (git cat-file, git fsck) |
| CI pipeline failures | Check reusable workflow versions; verify OIDC permissions |
| Stacked PR conflicts after rebase | Restack entire chain from base; Graphite handles automatically with gt restack |
| Large file accidentally committed | Use git filter-repo to remove from history (not git filter-branch) |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Correct Pattern |
|---|---|
| Keeping feature branches alive longer than 48 hours | Merge or rebase daily; break large work into stacked PRs |
| Committing directly to main without branch protection | Enable branch protection rules requiring CI and review |
| Using merge commits that clutter history | Rebase and squash to maintain linear history |
| Hardcoding tokens in GitHub Actions workflows | Use OIDC Connect for authentication in CI/CD pipelines |
| Creating monolithic CI workflows in a single file | Split into reusable workflows and composite actions |
Fix bug as commit message |
fix(scope): correct bug description (conventional) |
feat: Added feature (past tense) |
feat: add feature (imperative mood, lowercase) |
Using git filter-branch for history rewriting |
Use git filter-repo (faster, safer, officially recommended) |
| Pushing to main directly | Create feature branch first |
| Unsigned commits in shared repositories | Configure commit signing with SSH or GPG keys |
Delegation
- Audit repository branch hygiene and stale branches: Use
Exploreagent to list and classify branch age and merge status - Set up CI/CD pipelines with reusable workflows: Use
Taskagent to create modular GitHub Actions configurations - Design branching strategy for a new project: Use
Planagent to evaluate trunk-based vs Git Flow based on team needs
References
- branching-strategies.md -- Git Flow, GitHub Flow, GitLab Flow, One-Flow comparison and selection criteria
- trunk-based-development.md -- Core principles, workflow steps, feature flags, and anti-patterns
- stacked-changes.md -- Stacked PRs concept, manual stacking, Graphite automation, best practices
- conventional-commits.md -- Commit format, types, scopes, breaking changes, and full workflow
- github-actions.md -- Reusable workflows, matrix testing, deployment environments, security
- git-internals.md -- Object model, SHA hashing, index, references, packfiles, garbage collection
- automation-scripts.md -- Branch pruning, semantic release, security scanning, stacked PR helpers
- issue-templates.md -- Bug report, feature request, task, and minimal issue templates
- advanced-operations.md -- Commit signing, interactive rebase, worktrees, bisect, reflog recovery, and --force-with-lease
Install
npx skillscat add oakoss/agent-skills/git-workflow Install via the SkillsCat registry.