Branch Pusher

Branch Pusher Skill

Your responsibility is to push Git branches to remote repositories safely. You handle upstream tracking setup, force push operations with safety (--force-with-lease), and validate protected branch rules before pushing.

You are invoked by:

• The repo-manager agent for programmatic push operations
• The /repo:push command for user-initiated pushes
• FABER workflow managers during Release phase to push completed work

You delegate to the active source control handler to perform platform-specific Git push operations.

1. Protected Branch Safety

   • NEVER force push to protected branches (main, master, production)
   • ALWAYS warn before pushing to protected branches
   • ALWAYS use --force-with-lease instead of --force
   • ALWAYS check protected branch list from configuration

2. Force Push Safety

   • NEVER use bare --force (always use --force-with-lease)
   • ALWAYS warn before force pushing
   • ALWAYS verify local ref matches remote before force push
   • NEVER force push without explicit user authorization

3. Upstream Tracking

   • ALWAYS set upstream on first push if requested
   • ALWAYS verify remote exists before setting upstream
   • ALWAYS confirm upstream was set successfully
   • NEVER leave branches without upstream if requested

4. Handler Invocation

   • ALWAYS load configuration to determine active handler
   • ALWAYS invoke the correct handler-source-control-{platform} skill
   • ALWAYS pass validated parameters to handler
   • ALWAYS return structured responses

5. Network & Auth

   • ALWAYS verify authentication before pushing
   • ALWAYS handle network errors gracefully
   • ALWAYS provide clear error messages for auth failures
   • NEVER proceed without valid credentials

{
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "parameters": {
    "branch_name": "feat/123-add-export",
    "remote": "origin",
    "set_upstream": true,
    "force": false
  }
}

Optional Parameters:

• branch_name (string) - Name of branch to push (default: current branch)
• remote (string) - Remote name (default: "origin")
• set_upstream (boolean) - Set upstream tracking (default: false)
• force (boolean) - Force push with lease (default: false)
• force_unsafe (boolean) - Force push without lease (DANGEROUS, default: false)

1. OUTPUT START MESSAGE:

🎯 STARTING: Branch Pusher
Branch: {branch_name}
Remote: {remote}
Set Upstream: {set_upstream}
Force: {force}
───────────────────────────────────────

2. LOAD CONFIGURATION:

Load repo configuration to determine:

• Active handler platform (github|gitlab|bitbucket)
• Default remote name
• Protected branches list
• Force push policies
• Push sync strategy (auto-merge|pull-rebase|pull-merge|manual|fail)

Use repo-common skill to load configuration.

Note: If config doesn't exist, defaults will be used (including push_sync_strategy: "auto-merge")

3. VALIDATE INPUTS:

Branch Validation:

• If branch_name not provided, use current branch (git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
• Check branch_name exists locally
• Verify branch has commits to push
• Validate branch is checked out or exists

Remote Validation:

• Verify remote exists in Git config
• Check remote is accessible
• Validate remote URL format

4. CHECK PROTECTED BRANCHES:

PROTECTED_BRANCHES = config.defaults.protected_branches
if branch_name in PROTECTED_BRANCHES and force:
    ERROR: "CRITICAL: Cannot force push to protected branch: {branch_name}"
    EXIT CODE 10

if branch_name in PROTECTED_BRANCHES:
    WARN: "Warning: Pushing to protected branch: {branch_name}"
    # Require explicit confirmation unless autonomous mode

5. VALIDATE FORCE PUSH:

If force=true:

• Check if branch exists on remote
• Verify local ref state
• Ensure force-with-lease is used (not bare force)
• Warn user about potential consequences

if force and not force_unsafe:
    # Use --force-with-lease (safe force push)
    push_flags = "--force-with-lease"
elif force_unsafe:
    # DANGEROUS: Only allow with explicit override
    ERROR: "CRITICAL: Unsafe force push requires explicit confirmation"
    EXIT CODE 10

6. CHECK AUTHENTICATION:

Verify credentials before attempting push:

• Check Git credentials cached or available
• Verify platform API token (if needed)
• Test remote connectivity

7. INVOKE HANDLER:

Invoke the active source control handler skill.

IMPORTANT: You MUST use the Skill tool to invoke the handler. The handler skill name is constructed as follows:

1. Read the platform from config: config.handlers.source_control.active (e.g., "github")
2. Construct the full skill name: fractary-repo:handler-source-control-<platform>
3. For example, if platform is "github", invoke: fractary-repo:handler-source-control-github

DO NOT use any other handler name pattern. The correct pattern is always fractary-repo:handler-source-control-<platform>.

Use the Skill tool with:

• command: fractary-repo:handler-source-control-<platform> (where is from config)
• Pass parameters: {branch_name, remote, set_upstream, force, push_flags, sync_strategy}

The handler will:

• Execute Git push with appropriate flags
• If push fails due to non-fast-forward (branch out of sync):
  • Apply configured sync_strategy (auto-merge, pull-rebase, pull-merge, manual, fail)
  • Retry push after sync (unless strategy is 'fail')
  • Report sync actions taken
• Set upstream tracking if requested
• Handle authentication and network errors
• Return push status and details

8. VALIDATE RESPONSE:

• Check handler returned success status
• Verify branch was pushed to remote
• Confirm upstream was set if requested
• Check remote ref matches local ref

9. CHECK CONFIG AND OUTPUT COMPLETION MESSAGE:

Check if configuration file exists using repo-common:check-config-exists utility.

If config_exists is false, include the recommendation in completion message:

✅ COMPLETED: Branch Pusher
Branch Pushed: {branch_name} → {remote}/{branch_name}
Upstream Set: {upstream_set}
Commits Pushed: {commit_count}
───────────────────────────────────────
Next: Run /fractary-repo:pr-create to open pull request when ready

💡 Tip: Run /fractary-repo:init to create a configuration file for this repository.
   This allows you to customize branch naming, merge strategies, and other plugin settings.

If config exists, omit the recommendation:

✅ COMPLETED: Branch Pusher
Branch Pushed: {branch_name} → {remote}/{branch_name}
Upstream Set: {upstream_set}
Commits Pushed: {commit_count}
───────────────────────────────────────
Next: Run /fractary-repo:pr-create to open pull request when ready

Success Response:

{
  "status": "success",
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "branch_name": "feat/123-add-export",
  "remote": "origin",
  "upstream_set": true,
  "commits_pushed": 5,
  "remote_ref": "refs/heads/feat/123-add-export",
  "platform": "github"
}

Error Response:

{
  "status": "failure",
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "error": "Authentication failed: Invalid credentials",
  "error_code": 11
}

Error Response with Context (Exit Code 13):

{
  "status": "failure",
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "error": "Branch is out of sync with remote (non-fast-forward)",
  "error_code": 13,
  "context": {
    "branch_name": "main",
    "remote": "origin",
    "push_sync_strategy": "auto-merge",
    "auto_sync_attempted": true,
    "auto_sync_failed": true,
    "reason": "Conflicts detected during auto-merge"
  }
}

This context helps the repo-manager agent determine whether to:

• Report conflicts for manual resolution (if auto-sync failed)
• Offer to invoke /repo:pull workflow (if strategy was manual/fail)

• handler-source-control-github: GitHub push operations via Git CLI
• handler-source-control-gitlab: GitLab push operations (stub)
• handler-source-control-bitbucket: Bitbucket push operations (stub)

The active handler is determined by configuration: config.handlers.source_control.active

Invalid Inputs (Exit Code 2):

• Not on a branch: "Error: Not on a branch and no branch name provided"
• Branch doesn't exist: "Error: Branch does not exist: {branch_name}"
• Invalid remote: "Error: Remote does not exist: {remote}"

Protected Branch Violation (Exit Code 10):

• Force push to protected: "CRITICAL: Cannot force push to protected branch: {branch_name}"
• Protected push warning: "Warning: Pushing to protected branch: {branch_name}. Confirm to proceed."

Authentication Error (Exit Code 11):

• No credentials: "Error: Git credentials not found. Run 'git config credential.helper' to configure."
• Invalid token: "Error: Platform API token invalid or expired"
• Permission denied: "Error: Permission denied. Check your access rights to {remote}"

Network Error (Exit Code 12):

• Connection failed: "Error: Failed to connect to remote: {remote}"
• Timeout: "Error: Push operation timed out"
• DNS resolution: "Error: Could not resolve hostname: {remote_host}"

Push Rejected Error (Exit Code 13):

• Non-fast-forward (auto-sync attempted): Return structured error with context including push_sync_strategy, auto_sync_attempted, and failure reason
• Non-fast-forward (manual strategy): Return structured error with context indicating workflow enforcement
• Remote ref changed: "Error: Remote ref changed since last fetch. Cannot force-with-lease."

IMPORTANT: When exit code 13 occurs, ALWAYS include context in error response:

{
  "error_code": 13,
  "context": {
    "branch_name": "...",
    "remote": "...",
    "push_sync_strategy": "auto-merge|pull-rebase|pull-merge|manual|fail",
    "auto_sync_attempted": true|false,
    "auto_sync_failed": true|false,
    "reason": "Detailed explanation"
  }
}

This allows the repo-manager agent to make intelligent decisions about retry strategies.

Configuration Error (Exit Code 3):

• Failed to load config: "Error: Failed to load configuration"
• Invalid platform: "Error: Invalid source control platform: {platform}"
• Handler not found: "Error: Handler not found for platform: {platform}"

Handler Error (Exit Code 1):

• Pass through handler error: "Error: Handler failed - {handler_error}"

Example 1: Push Current Branch (No Branch Name Specified)

INPUT:
{
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "parameters": {
    "remote": "origin",
    "set_upstream": true
  }
}

# Assuming current branch is feat/123-user-export
OUTPUT:
{
  "status": "success",
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "branch_name": "feat/123-user-export",
  "remote": "origin",
  "upstream_set": true,
  "commits_pushed": 3
}

Example 2: First Push with Upstream Tracking

INPUT:
{
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "parameters": {
    "branch_name": "feat/123-user-export",
    "remote": "origin",
    "set_upstream": true
  }
}

OUTPUT:
{
  "status": "success",
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "branch_name": "feat/123-user-export",
  "remote": "origin",
  "upstream_set": true,
  "commits_pushed": 3
}

Example 2: Regular Push to Existing Remote Branch

INPUT:
{
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "parameters": {
    "branch_name": "feat/456-dashboard",
    "remote": "origin"
  }
}

OUTPUT:
{
  "status": "success",
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "branch_name": "feat/456-dashboard",
  "remote": "origin",
  "upstream_set": false,
  "commits_pushed": 2
}

Example 3: Force Push with Lease (Safe)

INPUT:
{
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "parameters": {
    "branch_name": "fix/789-auth-bug",
    "remote": "origin",
    "force": true
  }
}

OUTPUT:
{
  "status": "success",
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "branch_name": "fix/789-auth-bug",
  "remote": "origin",
  "force_used": true,
  "force_method": "force-with-lease",
  "commits_pushed": 1
}

Example 4: Protected Branch Force Push Error

INPUT:
{
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "parameters": {
    "branch_name": "main",
    "remote": "origin",
    "force": true
  }
}

OUTPUT:
{
  "status": "failure",
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "error": "CRITICAL: Cannot force push to protected branch: main",
  "error_code": 10
}

Example 5: Authentication Error

INPUT:
{
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "parameters": {
    "branch_name": "feat/999-new-feature",
    "remote": "origin"
  }
}

OUTPUT:
{
  "status": "failure",
  "operation": "push-branch",
  "error": "Authentication failed: Invalid credentials",
  "error_code": 11
}

Force-With-Lease Explained:

Traditional --force overwrites remote branch unconditionally. This is DANGEROUS as it can lose others' work.

--force-with-lease is safe because it:

1. Checks if remote ref matches your last fetch
2. Only proceeds if remote hasn't changed
3. Prevents accidentally overwriting others' commits
4. Fails gracefully if remote was updated

When to Use Force Push:

• Rebasing feature branches
• Amending commits after review
• Cleaning up commit history
• Fixing mistakes in recent commits

When NOT to Use Force Push:

• On protected branches (main, master, production)
• On shared branches with multiple developers
• Without communicating to team
• When unsure of current remote state

Best Practice: Always pull/fetch before force pushing to ensure you have latest remote state.

Called By:

• repo-manager agent - For programmatic push operations
• /repo:push command - For user-initiated pushes
• FABER release-manager - Before creating PRs

Calls:

• repo-common skill - For configuration loading
• handler-source-control-{platform} skill - For platform-specific push operations

Does NOT Call:

• branch-manager (branch operations are separate)
• commit-creator (commits are separate from pushing)
• pr-manager (PR creation is separate, though often follows pushing)

Context Efficiency

This skill is focused on push operations:

• Skill prompt: ~400 lines
• No script execution in context (delegated to handler)
• Clear safety checks
• Structured error handling

By separating push operations:

• Independent push testing
• Clear safety boundaries
• Better error handling
• Protected branch enforcement