# Git Push Workflow

> This skill should be used when the user says "push", "push to remote", "create PR", "create MR", "pull request", "merge request", "open PR", or when committing and pushing code to GitHub or GitLab. Covers git workflow rules, branch naming conventions, commit message format, and the push + PR/MR creation procedure.

- Skill: `aishajv/git-push-workflow` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add aishajv/git-push-workflow`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/aishajv/git-push-workflow/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Productivity
- Author: aishajv (https://skillmd.com/u/aishajv)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/aishajv/git-push-workflow

---


# /git-push-workflow

## Critical Constraints

- **NEVER work directly on `main`** — always create a feature branch first
- **NEVER force push to `main`**
- **NEVER merge to `main` yourself** — always use a pull request (GitHub) or merge request (GitLab)

## Branch Naming

- `feature/*` — new features
- `fix/*` — bug fixes
- `chore/*` — maintenance tasks (dependencies, config)
- `refactor/*` — code refactoring
- `docs/*` — documentation only

## Branch Workflow

1. `git checkout main && git pull origin main`
2. `git checkout -b <type>/branch-name`
3. Make changes, commit as needed
4. When ready, follow the push steps below

## Commit message format

```
<type>: <subject>
```

- **Types:** `feat`, `fix`, `chore`, `refactor`, `docs`, `test`
- Keep subjects under 50 characters, imperative mood ("add" not "added")

## Steps

1. **Detect remote platform** — run `git remote get-url origin`:
   - If `origin` is not configured, stop and ask the user to set up the `origin` remote before continuing.
   - If URL contains `github.com` → GitHub (use `gh pr` for PR creation)
   - If URL contains `gitlab.com` (or your self-hosted GitLab instance) → GitLab (use `glab mr` for MR creation)

2. **Stage and commit** (if there are uncommitted changes):
   - Stage relevant files — never stage `.env`, credentials, or secrets
   - If no uncommitted changes, skip to step 3

3. **Squash all branch commits into one:**
   - Count commits ahead of `origin/main`
   - If more than one commit: `git reset --soft origin/main` then `git commit` with the final message
   - If exactly one commit: skip squash

4. **Rebase on latest main:**
   - `git fetch origin main`
   - `git rebase origin/main`
   - Resolve any conflicts. Only ping the user if you're unsure how to resolve a specific conflict; otherwise resolve and continue.

5. **Push and create PR/MR:**
   - **GitHub:** `git push origin HEAD -f`, then `gh pr create --base main --title "<commit subject>" --body "<commit body or summary>"`
   - **GitLab:** `git push origin HEAD -o merge_request.create -o merge_request.target=main -f` (creates the MR via push options in one command)

6. **Set PR/MR title** to match the squashed commit message:
   - **GitHub:** title is set during `gh pr create` (step 5) — nothing more to do
   - **GitLab:** `glab mr update <MR_NUMBER> --title "<commit subject line>"`

7. **Report the PR/MR URL** from the push output (GitLab) or the `gh pr create` output (GitHub).