How do I install the Gitflow skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add fradser/gitflow in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Gitflow safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Gitflow?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Gitflow free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Gitflow?

FradSer (@fradser) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Gitflow by fradser — Agent Skill

Name: Gitflow
Author: FradSer

Gitflow

Manages local Git-flow branch lifecycles: start or finish feature, hotfix, and release branches with automated changelog generation, version bumping, and cleanup. Use for repositories configured for local Git-flow finishing when the user explicitly mentions git-flow branch operations (e.g. 'gitflow start feature', 'gitflow finish release'). For standard GitHub PR-based reviews and merges, use create-pr.

FradSer ec00276 10 files · 26.2 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026 580 repo stars

File contents

Git-flow Branch Lifecycle

Manage feature, hotfix, and release branch lifecycles using Git-flow conventions.

Operations Overview

Operation	Action	Target Branch	Base Branch	Merge Target
Start Feature	Create branch	`feature/<name>`	`develop`	`develop`
Finish Feature	Merge & clean up	`feature/<name>`	—	`develop`
Start Hotfix	Create branch & bump patch	`hotfix/<version>`	`main`	`main` + `develop`
Finish Hotfix	Merge, tag & clean up	`hotfix/<version>`	—	`main` + `develop`
Start Release	Create branch & bump version	`release/<version>`	`develop`	`main` + `develop`
Finish Release	Merge, tag & clean up	`release/<version>`	—	`main` + `develop`

Workflow Routing

1. Starting a Branch (`start`)

Follow the start pipeline in references/gitflow-start-pipeline.md:

Pre-flight invariants: Verify working tree is clean (git status --porcelain is empty) per references/invariants.md.
Resolve Name/Version: Infer or parse target branch name or semver version from $ARGUMENTS.
Execute Start: Run scripts/start-branch.sh with --type <feature|hotfix|release> and --name <NAME_OR_TARGET>.

2. Finishing a Branch (`finish`)

Follow the finish pipeline in references/gitflow-finish-pipeline.md:

Pre-flight invariants: Verify working tree is clean and current branch matches <type>/* per references/invariants.md.
Run Tests: Verify project test suite passes before proceeding.
Update Changelog: Collect commits per references/changelog-generation.md, format following references/changelog-example.md, and commit with attribution per references/coauthor-attribution.md.
Execute Finish: Run scripts/finish-branch.sh with --type <feature|hotfix|release> and --name $NAME or --version $VERSION.
Post-finish Cleanup: Prune stale branches and worktrees per references/cleanup.md.

Supporting References & Scripts

Start Pipeline: references/gitflow-start-pipeline.md
Finish Pipeline: references/gitflow-finish-pipeline.md
Pre-flight Invariants: references/invariants.md
Changelog Generation: references/changelog-generation.md
Changelog Example: references/changelog-example.md
Co-author Attribution: references/coauthor-attribution.md
Branch & Worktree Cleanup: references/cleanup.md
Start Branch Script: scripts/start-branch.sh
Finish Branch Script: scripts/finish-branch.sh

---name: gitflowdescription: Manages local Git-flow branch lifecycles: start or finish feature, hotfix, and release branches with automated changelog generation, version bumping, and cleanup. Use for repositories configured for local Git-flow finishing when the user explicitly mentions git-flow branch operations (e.g. 'gitflow start feature', 'gitflow finish release'). For standard GitHub PR-based reviews and merges, use create-pr.---# Git-flow Branch LifecycleManage feature, hotfix, and release branch lifecycles using Git-flow conventions.## Operations Overview| Operation | Action | Target Branch | Base Branch | Merge Target ||-----------|--------|---------------|-------------|--------------|| **Start Feature** | Create branch | `feature/<name>` | `develop` | `develop` || **Finish Feature** | Merge & clean up | `feature/<name>` | — | `develop` || **Start Hotfix** | Create branch & bump patch | `hotfix/<version>` | `main` | `main` + `develop` || **Finish Hotfix** | Merge, tag & clean up | `hotfix/<version>` | — | `main` + `develop` || **Start Release** | Create branch & bump version | `release/<version>` | `develop` | `main` + `develop` || **Finish Release** | Merge, tag & clean up | `release/<version>` | — | `main` + `develop` |## Workflow Routing### 1. Starting a Branch (`start`)Follow the start pipeline in [`references/gitflow-start-pipeline.md`](references/gitflow-start-pipeline.md):1. **Pre-flight invariants**: Verify working tree is clean (`git status --porcelain` is empty) per [`references/invariants.md`](references/invariants.md).2. **Resolve Name/Version**: Infer or parse target branch name or semver version from `$ARGUMENTS`.3. **Execute Start**: Run `scripts/start-branch.sh` with `--type <feature|hotfix|release>` and `--name <NAME_OR_TARGET>`.### 2. Finishing a Branch (`finish`)Follow the finish pipeline in [`references/gitflow-finish-pipeline.md`](references/gitflow-finish-pipeline.md):1. **Pre-flight invariants**: Verify working tree is clean and current branch matches `<type>/*` per [`references/invariants.md`](references/invariants.md).2. **Run Tests**: Verify project test suite passes before proceeding.3. **Update Changelog**: Collect commits per [`references/changelog-generation.md`](references/changelog-generation.md), format following [`references/changelog-example.md`](references/changelog-example.md), and commit with attribution per [`references/coauthor-attribution.md`](references/coauthor-attribution.md).4. **Execute Finish**: Run `scripts/finish-branch.sh` with `--type <feature|hotfix|release>` and `--name $NAME` or `--version $VERSION`.5. **Post-finish Cleanup**: Prune stale branches and worktrees per [`references/cleanup.md`](references/cleanup.md).## Supporting References & Scripts- Start Pipeline: [`references/gitflow-start-pipeline.md`](references/gitflow-start-pipeline.md)- Finish Pipeline: [`references/gitflow-finish-pipeline.md`](references/gitflow-finish-pipeline.md)- Pre-flight Invariants: [`references/invariants.md`](references/invariants.md)- Changelog Generation: [`references/changelog-generation.md`](references/changelog-generation.md)- Changelog Example: [`references/changelog-example.md`](references/changelog-example.md)- Co-author Attribution: [`references/coauthor-attribution.md`](references/coauthor-attribution.md)- Branch & Worktree Cleanup: [`references/cleanup.md`](references/cleanup.md)- Start Branch Script: `scripts/start-branch.sh`- Finish Branch Script: `scripts/finish-branch.sh`

Frequently asked questions