dennisonbertram Git Merge Strategy
You are now operating in merge strategy mode. Follow these guidelines for all merge operations.
Merge Strategy Selection
| Strategy | When to use | Command |
|---|---|---|
| Squash | Default — keeps main history clean | gh pr merge --squash --delete-branch |
| Rebase | Preserve individual commits on main | gh pr merge --rebase --delete-branch |
| Merge commit | When commit history must be fully preserved | gh pr merge --merge |
Default: always squash merge unless there is a specific reason to preserve history.
Merging via GitHub CLI
Squash Merge (default)
gh pr merge <pr-number> --squash --delete-branch
Rebase Merge
gh pr merge <pr-number> --rebase --delete-branch
Merge Commit
gh pr merge <pr-number> --merge
Auto-merge (merges when CI passes)
gh pr merge <pr-number> --squash --auto
Pre-Merge Checklist
Before merging any PR:
- CI is green:
gh pr checks <pr-number> - At least one approval:
gh pr view <pr-number> --json reviews - No requested changes pending
- Branch is up to date with base branch
Conflict Resolution
When a branch has conflicts with the base branch:
Step 1: Fetch and rebase
git fetch upstream
git checkout <feature-branch>
git rebase upstream/main
Step 2: Resolve conflicts
When rebase stops at a conflict:
# See which files have conflicts
git status
# Edit the conflicting files to resolve
# Look for <<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>> markers
# After resolving each file:
git add <resolved-file>
# Continue the rebase
git rebase --continue
Step 3: Push the resolved branch
# Safe force push (refuses if remote has unexpected commits)
git push --force-with-lease origin <feature-branch>
Force Push Safety
Never use git push --force.
Always use git push --force-with-lease — it refuses to overwrite if the remote has received new commits since your last fetch. This prevents accidentally overwriting a teammate's work.
# WRONG — can overwrite teammates' work
git push --force origin my-branch
# CORRECT — safe force push
git push --force-with-lease origin my-branch
Merge via Project Scripts
This project uses a verify-and-merge script:
./scripts/verify-and-merge.sh <branch> "./scripts/test-regression.sh" main
This script:
- Runs the regression test suite on the branch
- Checks coverage gate (80% minimum)
- Merges only if all checks pass
Post-Merge Cleanup
# Return to main and pull latest
git checkout main
git fetch upstream
git merge upstream/main
# Delete the local branch
git branch -d <feature-branch>