LandonSchropp Merge Into Main
Merges a finished branch into the default branch (e.g. main) by rebasing it on top, then fast-forwarding. For personal repos that integrate directly to main rather than through pull requests.
This skill does no reviewing and creates no commits. It does not manage worktrees.
Process
Check preconditions: The branch must be committed with no unstaged files. It must also be reviewed by the user (not the same as a pull request review). Stop if either is missing.
Rebase onto the default branch: Find the default branch with
git default-branch, then rebase the branch onto it. Always rebase, even for a trivial branch. Resolve any conflicts before continuing — do not--skipor force past them.Fast-forward and push: Advance the default branch to the rebased branch with a fast-forward only (no merge commit), then push. If the default branch is checked out in another worktree, run the update from that worktree's directory — Git refuses to move a branch that is checked out elsewhere.
Delete the merged branch: Once the default branch has the commits, delete the branch with
git branch -d <branch>(the-drefuses if it isn't fully merged, so it's a safety check). Run it from the default-branch worktree. If the branch is still checked out in its own worktree, detach that worktree first withgit -C <branch-worktree> checkout --detach— Git won't delete a branch that is checked out anywhere. If the branch was pushed, also delete the remote withgit push origin --delete <branch>.
default_branch=$(git default-branch)
git rebase "$default_branch"
git -C <default-branch-worktree> merge --ff-only <branch>
git -C <default-branch-worktree> push origin "$default_branch"
git -C <branch-worktree> checkout --detach # only if <branch> is checked out in a worktree
git -C <default-branch-worktree> branch -d <branch>
Rationalizations
| Thought | Reality |
|---|---|
| "The branch is simple, I'll skip the rebase" | Always rebase onto the default branch first, so the fast-forward is clean. |
"The rebase conflicted, I'll --skip or force" |
Resolve the conflict properly. Never discard commits to get past it. |
| "I'll just merge it, a merge commit is fine" | Fast-forward only. This skill keeps history linear. |
"main won't move, I'll update it from here" |
If it's checked out in another worktree, update it from that worktree. |
| "There are uncommitted changes, I'll merge anyway" | The branch must be committed and reviewed first. Stop. |
| "I'll leave the merged branch lying around" | Delete it after the push; -d keeps it safe by refusing unmerged branches. |