# Speckit Git Validate

> Validate current branch follows feature branch naming conventions

- Skill: `markheydon/speckit-git-validate` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add markheydon/speckit-git-validate`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/markheydon/speckit-git-validate/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: markheydon (https://skillmd.com/u/markheydon)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/markheydon/speckit-git-validate

---


# Validate Feature Branch

Validate that the current Git branch follows the expected feature branch naming conventions.

## Prerequisites

- Check if Git is available by running `git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree 2>/dev/null`
- If Git is not available, output a warning and skip validation:
  ```
  [specify] Warning: Git repository not detected; skipped branch validation
  ```

## Validation Rules

Get the current branch name:

```bash
git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
```

The branch name's final path segment must start with one of these feature markers:

1. **Sequential**: `[0-9]{3,}-` (e.g., `001-feature-name`, `042-fix-bug`, `1000-big-feature`, `jdoe/web/008-guided-tour`)
2. **Timestamp**: `[0-9]{8}-[0-9]{6}-` (e.g., `20260319-143022-feature-name`, `jdoe/web/20260319-143022-feature-name`)

## Execution

If on a feature branch (matches either pattern):
- Output: `✓ On feature branch: <branch-name>`
- Check if the corresponding spec directory exists under `specs/`:
  - For sequential branches, look for `specs/<prefix>-*` where prefix matches the numeric portion, regardless of branch namespace prefixes
  - For timestamp branches, look for `specs/<prefix>-*` where prefix matches the `YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS` portion, regardless of branch namespace prefixes
- If spec directory exists: `✓ Spec directory found: <path>`
- If spec directory missing: `⚠ No spec directory found for prefix <prefix>`

If NOT on a feature branch:
- Output: `✗ Not on a feature branch. Current branch: <branch-name>`
- Output: `Feature branches should be named like: 001-feature-name, 20260319-143022-feature-name, or <namespace>/001-feature-name`

## Graceful Degradation

If Git is not installed or the directory is not a Git repository:
- Check the `SPECIFY_FEATURE` environment variable as a fallback
- If set, validate that value against the naming patterns
- If not set, skip validation with a warning