Git Workflow Helper

Git Workflow Helper Skill

Overview

Resolve common git interruptions and ensure correct SSH configuration.

Usage

/git-workflow-helper

Identity

Role: Git Workflow Specialist Objective: Automate the resolution of common git interruptions (merge conflicts, rebase stopping, hook failures) and ensure proper SSH configuration for GitHub.

CRITICAL: Always Use SSH for GitHub

All GitHub operations MUST use SSH, never HTTPS.

Why SSH?

• No password prompts on every push/pull
• More secure (key-based authentication)
• Required for automated workflows
• Works with 2FA without tokens

Verify Current Remote

# Check current remote URL
git remote -v

# If you see HTTPS (bad):
# origin  https://github.com/user/repo.git (fetch)

# Should be SSH (good):
# origin  git@github.com:user/repo.git (fetch)

Convert HTTPS to SSH

# Convert origin from HTTPS to SSH
git remote set-url origin git@github.com:USERNAME/REPOSITORY.git

# Verify the change
git remote -v

SSH URL Format

# GitHub SSH format
git@github.com:OWNER/REPO.git

# Examples
git@github.com:anthropics/claude-code.git
git@github.com:myorg/myproject.git

Clone with SSH (Always)

# CORRECT - Use SSH
git clone git@github.com:owner/repo.git

# WRONG - Never use HTTPS
# git clone https://github.com/owner/repo.git

SSH Setup (One-Time)

1. Generate SSH Key (if not exists):

# Check for existing keys
ls -la ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# Generate new key (Ed25519 recommended)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

# Or RSA if Ed25519 not supported
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

2. Add Key to SSH Agent:

# Start SSH agent
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

# Add key
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

3. Add Public Key to GitHub:

# Copy public key
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Then add at: GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key

4. Test Connection:

ssh -T git@github.com
# Should see: "Hi USERNAME! You've successfully authenticated..."

SSH Config for Multiple Accounts

# ~/.ssh/config
Host github.com
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Host github-work
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_work

# Usage: git clone git@github-work:company/repo.git

Troubleshooting SSH

SSH Over HTTPS Port (if port 22 blocked):

# ~/.ssh/config
Host github.com
    HostName ssh.github.com
    Port 443
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Auto-Convert HTTPS to SSH (Git Config)

# Global setting: automatically rewrite HTTPS to SSH
git config --global url."git@github.com:".insteadOf "https://github.com/"

# Verify
git config --global --get-regexp url

Scenarios & Playbooks

Scenario A: Pre-Commit Hook Failure

Trigger: git commit exits with code > 0. Action:

1. Analyze Log: Grep stdout/stderr for keywords: eslint, prettier, test failed.
2. Fix:
   • If lint error: Run npm run lint:fix (or equivalent).
   • If format error: Run npm run format.
   • If test failure: Check if failure is related to staged changes.
3. Recover:
   • git add <fixed-files>
   • Retry the commit.
4. Fallback: If fix is complex or manual, notify user. Only use git commit --no-verify if explicitly authorized.

Scenario B: Merge/Rebase Conflict

Trigger: git merge or git rebase stops with "CONFLICT". Action:

1. Identify: Run git status to see both modified files.
2. Resolve:
   • For lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml): Discard changes and regenerate (npm install). Do not attempt text merge on lockfiles.
   • For source code:
     • Read conflict markers.
     • Start with 'Incoming Change' or 'Current Change' logic depending on context (e.g., if rebasing strict-feature on main, honor main).
3. Continue:
   • git add <resolved-files>
   • git rebase --continue (or git commit for merge).
4. Abort: If loop detected (same conflict > 2 times), run git rebase --abort.

Scenario C: Undo/Rewrite

Trigger: User wants to undo last commit or change message. Action:

• Undo Last Commit (Soft): git reset --soft HEAD~1 (keeps changes staged).
• Amend Message: git commit --amend (opens editor) or git commit --amend -m "new message".
• Discard All Local Changes: git reset --hard HEAD (WARNING: Data Loss).

Scenario D: SSH Authentication Failure

Trigger: git push or git pull fails with "Permission denied (publickey)" or similar. Action:

1. Check Remote URL:

   git remote -v
   

   • If HTTPS: Convert to SSH (see "Convert HTTPS to SSH" above).
2. Verify SSH Agent:

   ssh-add -l
   # If "Could not open connection to agent", start it:
   eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
   ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519
   

3. Test GitHub Connection:

   ssh -T git@github.com
   

4. If Still Failing:
   • Verify key is added to GitHub: cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
   • Check SSH config: cat ~/.ssh/config
   • Try verbose mode: ssh -vT git@github.com

Scenario E: HTTPS Remote Detected

Trigger: During any git operation, detect HTTPS remote. Action:

1. Auto-Convert to SSH:

   # Get current URL
   CURRENT_URL=$(git remote get-url origin)
   
   # If HTTPS, convert
   if [[ "$CURRENT_URL" == https://github.com/* ]]; then
       # Extract owner/repo from HTTPS URL
       SSH_URL=$(echo "$CURRENT_URL" | sed 's|https://github.com/|git@github.com:|')
       git remote set-url origin "$SSH_URL"
       echo "Converted to SSH: $SSH_URL"
   fi
   

2. Verify: git remote -v
3. Proceed with original operation.

Safety Constraints

• Never Force Push (git push -f) on main or master branch.
• Never git reset --hard without explicit user confirmation of data loss.
• Always verify state (git status) before and after operations.

Outputs

• Cleaned git state or a clear recovery path.

Related Skills

• /pr-create - Create pull requests after fixes