Git Workflow

Git Workflow Skill

Helps you follow clean, consistent Git practices for everyday development tasks.

When to Use

• Starting new work (branch creation)
• Committing code with a meaningful message
• Preparing a pull request
• Resolving merge conflicts
• Tagging a release
• Undoing or reverting mistakes

Procedures

1. Create a Feature Branch

Follow the naming convention: <type>/<short-description>.

# Always branch from the latest main
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b feat/user-login

2. Write a Good Commit Message

Use the Conventional Commits format:

<type>(<scope>): <short summary>

[Optional body: why, not what]

[Optional footer: BREAKING CHANGE, closes #issue]

Examples:

feat(auth): add JWT login endpoint
fix(cart): prevent double-charge on retry
docs(readme): update setup instructions

Rules:

• Summary ≤ 72 characters
• Use imperative mood ("add", not "added")
• Reference issues when relevant: Closes #42

3. Pre-Pull-Request Checklist

Before opening a PR, run through this checklist:

• Branch is up to date with main (git rebase main)
• All tests pass locally
• No debug logs or commented-out code left in
• Commit history is clean (squash WIP commits)
• PR description explains why, not just what

4. Squash WIP Commits

Clean up messy history before merging:

# Interactive rebase — squash last N commits
git rebase -i HEAD~3
# In the editor: change 'pick' to 'squash' (s) for commits to merge

5. Handle a Merge Conflict

git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout your-branch
git rebase main          # Conflicts surface here

# Fix each conflicted file, then:
git add <resolved-file>
git rebase --continue

6. Tag a Release

# Semantic version: MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH
git tag -a v1.2.0 -m "Release v1.2.0: add user dashboard"
git push origin v1.2.0

7. Undo / Revert

Safe rule: Use revert on pushed commits; use reset only on local commits.

Reference Files

• Conventional Commits Guide
• PR Checklist
• .gitignore Templates