Ensure Feature Branch

Ensure Feature Branch Skill

Ensure the current branch is a feature or bug branch. If it is a mainline or release branch, create and checkout a new branch so commits are not made on mainline/release. Use this skill on its own or as part of any automation (e.g. pre-commit hook, command, or manual request).

When to Use

• Use when you need to ensure work is not committed or pushed directly to mainline or release
• Use when the user asks to commit/push and the current branch is main, master, dev, or release/*
• Use in any workflow that requires a feature/bug branch before subsequent steps (e.g. stage, commit, push)

Mainline and Release Branches

Treat these as not feature/bug branches; create a new branch if current branch is one of:

• Mainline: main, master, dev
• Release: Any branch matching release/* (e.g. release/1.0, release/2.x)

Repos may use different default branch names (e.g. trunk, development). If the repo clearly uses another name as the primary integration branch, treat it as mainline.

Steps

1. Get current branch: git branch --show-current
2. If it is a mainline or release branch (as above), create a new branch and checkout:
   • Branch name: Infer from the changes (files/diff) a short kebab-case description. Use feat/<description> for features or fix/<description> for fixes. If the change type is unclear, use feat/<description> or a neutral chore/<description>.
   • Run: git checkout -b <branch-name>
3. If already on a feature/bug branch (e.g. feat/..., fix/..., or any branch not mainline/release), do nothing and proceed.

Notes

• When used in a multi-step flow (e.g. before stage → commit → push), run this first so the first commit lands on the new branch.
• Do not create a branch if already on a non-mainline, non-release branch (e.g. existing feat/xyz or an updatecli branch).

Related Artifacts

• Shipit Command
• Stage Related Files Skill
• Terse Semantic Commits Skill