Git Branch Workflow Validation

git-branch-workflow-validation

License: restricted — no clear open-source license detected for the underlying tool; verify licensing before commercial use or redistribution.

Summary

Validates that a multi-module software project (e.g., NMRFx) maintains synchronized version strings across all pom.xml files before creating a release branch, ensuring version consistency across the entire repository tree.

When to use

When preparing to create a release branch in a Maven-based multi-module project (e.g., NMRFx), use this skill to verify that all pom.xml files in the repository tree declare identical version strings. This is a prerequisite for safe release-branch naming (e.g., release/X.Y.Z) and prevents version conflicts during artifact build and deployment.

When NOT to use

• Repository uses a non-Maven build system (e.g., Gradle, SBT, Cargo) where version synchronization is managed differently.
• Target branch is already a release branch; use this skill only on development or master branches before release creation.
• pom.xml files are already known to have intentionally different versions (rare, but may occur in monorepo setups with decoupled module versioning).

Inputs

• NMRFx repository (cloned or remote URL)
• Master branch checkout state
• pom.xml file tree

Outputs

• Validation report (pass/fail status)
• List of all pom.xml files with extracted versions
• Mismatch log (if any versions differ)

How to apply

Clone or access the target repository (e.g., github.com/nanalysis/nmrfx) and ensure the master branch is checked out. Recursively scan the entire repository tree to locate all pom.xml files and extract the version string from each tag. Compare all extracted versions for exact equality and record any file paths with mismatched values. Generate a validation report that lists all pom files checked, their versions, and an overall pass/fail status. Only if verification passes can the release branch naming convention (release/X.Y.Z) be safely applied without version conflicts.

Related tools

• NMRFx (Target software project whose pom.xml files are scanned and validated for version consistency) — github.com/nanalysis/nmrfx

Evaluation signals

• All pom.xml files in the repository tree are located and enumerated in the report.
• Every extracted tag value is identical across all pom files (or mismatches are explicitly flagged with file paths and differing values).
• Validation report explicitly states pass/fail status; pass indicates safe to proceed with release/X.Y.Z branch naming.
• No version conflicts or overlapping version declarations remain after verification.
• Release branch can be created and checked out without triggering Maven build failures due to version mismatches.

Limitations

• Skill assumes master branch is the authoritative source; if working from a feature or staging branch, results may not reflect the intended release baseline.
• Does not detect or validate whether version strings follow semantic versioning conventions (X.Y.Z format); only verifies equality.
• If pom.xml files use property references (e.g., ${project.version}) instead of literal version tags, extraction logic must be adapted.
• Multi-repo projects or external dependencies with independent versioning are not covered by this validation.

Evidence

• [other] Scan all pom.xml files in the repository tree and extract version strings from each tag.: "Scan all pom.xml files in the repository tree and extract version strings from each tag."
• [other] Verify that all extracted versions match exactly; flag any mismatches with file paths and differing values.: "Verify that all extracted versions match exactly; flag any mismatches with file paths and differing values."
• [other] Generate a validation report listing all pom files checked, their versions, and an overall pass/fail status indicating whether all versions are synchronized.: "Generate a validation report listing all pom files checked, their versions, and an overall pass/fail status indicating whether all versions are synchronized."
• [other] If verification passes, document that the release branch naming convention (prefixed 'release/X.Y.Z') can be safely applied without version conflicts.: "If verification passes, document that the release branch naming convention (prefixed 'release/X.Y.Z') can be safely applied without version conflicts."