Create Branch

Create Branch

Create a new git branch from develop and link the work to its Jira ticket by transitioning the ticket to In Progress in one step. All deterministic logic — branch-name building, ticket extraction, slugification — is in tools/jira/jira_cli.py. This SKILL.md just orchestrates.

Usage

/create-branch AND-1234 fix login crash
  # → branch: jdoe/AND-1234-fix-login-crash
  # → AND-1234 transitioned to In Progress

/create-branch AND-1234-fix-login-crash            # combined arg works too — ticket is auto-extracted, not duplicated in slug
/create-branch jdoe/AND-1234-fix-login-crash       # explicit full branch name (passthrough)
/create-branch AND-1234                             # description optional
/create-branch --no-jira AND-1234 some change      # skip the Jira transition
/create-branch --base main AND-1234 hotfix         # base off main, not develop
/create-branch --no-pull AND-1234 quick fix        # skip git fetch/pull of base

Arguments

Steps

Step 1 — Build the branch name

First strip this skill's own flags (--base <branch>, --no-jira, --no-pull) from the args — including the value that follows --base. Only the Jira key + the free-form description words should reach the CLI:

# e.g. user typed: --no-pull AND-1234 quick fix --base main
# pass ONLY:        AND-1234 quick fix
tools/jira/jira branch-name <ticket + description words>

This matters because branch-name slugifies whatever it receives. The CLI defensively drops any leftover ---prefixed token, but it cannot know that the bare main after a stripped --base is a flag value — so leaving --base main in would yield ...-main in the slug. Strip flags here.

It returns the full branch name (<prefix>/<TICKET>-<slug>) or exits 1 if no ticket could be parsed. Prefix comes from git config user.email's local part (jdoe@mega.co.nz → jdoe).

Some epics use a different branch convention (e.g. an extra component segment like <user>/<JIRA>-<component>NN-<desc>). The CLI does NOT know about those; if the ticket falls under such an epic, pass the full branch name as the first arg so the CLI hits its passthrough path.

Step 2 — Extract the Jira key (for Step 5)

tools/jira/jira branch-ticket

But that reads the current branch, not the new one. For /create-branch we already have the new args — extract the key from them with the same regex (AND-\d+, case-insensitive, first match). The CLI's branch-ticket is only useful after the branch has been created. If no key is found:

• With --no-jira → continue (no Jira step will run).
• Without --no-jira → halt and ask the user.

Step 3 — Detect worktree context

git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree
git worktree list --porcelain

This skill does NOT create worktrees — that's EnterWorktree's job. It just branches in whatever checkout/worktree the user is in.

Step 4 — Refresh base + create branch

Unless --no-pull was passed:

git fetch origin
git checkout <base>          # default: develop
git pull --ff-only origin <base>

If git checkout fails because of uncommitted changes that would be overwritten, halt and surface the error. Do NOT discard the user's work.

Then:

git checkout --no-track -b <branch-name>

Always pass --no-track. When <base> is another feature branch (a stacked branch) or a remote-tracking ref, git's branch.autoSetupMerge would otherwise set the new branch's upstream to the parent, so git pull merges the parent and breaks once the parent branch is deleted after merge. The repo sets branch.autoSetupMerge=false as a belt-and-suspenders guardrail, but pass --no-track explicitly too.

If the branch already exists, ask the user whether to switch to it or pick a different name. Do not force-overwrite.

Step 4b — Verify tracking is not the parent

git config branch.<branch-name>.merge

This MUST print nothing (no upstream yet) or refs/heads/<branch-name>. If it prints any OTHER ref (e.g. the parent branch), repair immediately:

git branch --unset-upstream <branch-name>

The correct same-name upstream gets set later by /create-mr's git push -u / --set-upstream. Never leave a branch tracking its parent.

Step 5 — Transition Jira ticket (skip if --no-jira)

Invoke the /jira start flow from .claude/skills/jira/SKILL.md. Pass the key explicitly. If transition fails, report the failure but do NOT roll back the branch — the branch was created successfully and the user can re-run /jira start <KEY> later.

Step 6 — Report

Branch created:   <branch-name>
Base:             <base>
Jira:             <KEY> → In Progress   (or: skipped / failed: <reason>)

Notes

• This skill does not push the branch. Use /create-mr when ready.
• This skill does not create worktrees. Use EnterWorktree first if you want isolation.