Rebase

Rebase Assistant

Guide and execute git rebase operations safely.

Workflow

1. Assess the current state:
   • git status — ensure working tree is clean (stash if needed).
   • git log --oneline -20 — show recent history.
   • git branch -vv — identify tracking branch.
2. Determine the rebase target:
   • If user says "squash last N commits" → use HEAD~N.
   • If user says "rebase onto main" → use main (or master).
   • If user says "clean up" → find the merge base with the default branch.
3. Plan the rebase:
   • Show the user exactly which commits will be affected.
   • Propose a plan (pick, squash, fixup, reword, drop).
   • Get user confirmation before executing.
4. Execute:
   • For squashing: use git rebase with the appropriate flags.
   • For rebase onto branch: git rebase <target>.
   • IMPORTANT: never use -i flag as it requires interactive input. Instead use git rebase with --autosquash, environment variables like GIT_SEQUENCE_EDITOR, or sequential cherry-pick operations.
5. Handle conflicts:
   • Show conflicting files with git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U.
   • Show each conflict with context.
   • Suggest resolutions and apply with user approval.
   • git add <file> then git rebase --continue.
6. Verify the result:
   • git log --oneline to show the new history.
   • git diff <original-ref>..HEAD to confirm no content was lost.

Safety Rules

• Always create a backup ref: git branch backup-<branch>-<date> before rebasing.
• Never force-push without explicit user permission.
• Warn if rebasing commits that are already pushed to a shared branch.
• If rebase goes wrong, guide recovery with git rebase --abort or the backup branch.

Common Patterns

Squash last N into one:

git reset --soft HEAD~N && git commit

Rebase onto updated main:

git fetch origin && git rebase origin/main

Fixup a specific commit:

git commit --fixup=<sha> && GIT_SEQUENCE_EDITOR=: git rebase --autosquash <sha>~1