# Branch Recap

> Use when recapping the current branch or picking up unfinished branch work: catch me up, what did I do, where was I.

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

---


# Branch Recap

Summarize what happened on the current branch so the user can pick up where they left off.

## Gather Context

These commands run automatically when the skill loads — output replaces each line below. Use whatever succeeded.

- Current branch: !`git branch --show-current`
- Working tree (short): !`git status --short`
- Unstaged stat: !`git diff --stat`
- Staged stat: !`git diff --cached --stat`
- Recent commits: !`git log --oneline -10`
- Base detection: !`git rev-parse --verify origin/main 2>/dev/null && echo "BASE=main" || (git rev-parse --verify origin/master 2>/dev/null && echo "BASE=master") || true`
- Branch commits: !`git log "origin/$(git rev-parse --verify origin/main >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo main || echo master)..HEAD" --oneline 2>/dev/null || true`
- Branch commit messages: !`git log "origin/$(git rev-parse --verify origin/main >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo main || echo master)..HEAD" --format="%h %s%n%b" 2>/dev/null || true`
- Branch diff stat: !`git diff "origin/$(git rev-parse --verify origin/main >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo main || echo master)..HEAD" --stat 2>/dev/null || true`
- Open PR: !`gh pr view --json number,title,url,state,body,reviews,statusCheckRollup 2>/dev/null || true`

If any output was empty, that information is unavailable for this repo — skip the corresponding section in the recap.

## Produce the Recap

Print a concise summary using this structure. Omit any section that has no content.

```text
## Branch Recap: <branch-name>

### Goal
<1-2 sentences describing WHY this work exists — the initial task or motivation.
 Infer from: branch name (e.g. feat/add-user-avatar → "Add user avatar support"),
 PR description body (if exists), first commit message, and the overall shape of changes.
 If the PR body contains context, prefer that — it's the most intentional description.>

### What was done
<1-5 bullet points summarizing the commits, grouped by intent — not one bullet per commit.
 Derive intent from commit messages, branch name, and the diff.>

### Current state
- Branch: <branch> (<N commits ahead of <base>>)
- PR: #<N> <title> (<state>) — <url>   OR   No PR yet
- CI: <passing/failing/pending>   (from statusCheckRollup, if available)
- Uncommitted changes: <none / N files modified, M staged>

### What might be next
<1-3 bullets. Infer from:
 - Uncommitted changes → unfinished work
 - No PR yet → create one
 - PR is draft → mark ready
 - CI failing → fix CI
 - PR has review comments → address feedback
 - Everything clean and merged → done>
```

## Edge Cases

- **On main with no divergent commits:** Report "On main — no branch work in progress." Show uncommitted changes if any, otherwise say the working tree is clean.
- **Detached HEAD:** Report the detached state and show recent commits from `git log -5 --oneline`. Skip PR and branch-relative sections.
- **No remote configured:** Skip PR and base-branch comparison. Use `git log -10 --oneline` and uncommitted changes only.
- **Brand new repo (no commits):** Report "New repository — no commits yet." Show staged/untracked files if any.
- **gh CLI unavailable:** Skip PR section entirely. Do not error.

## Rules

- This is **read-only** — never modify files, branches, or PRs.
- Keep the output compact. The user wants a glance, not a report.
- Do not print raw diffs or full file contents. Summarize.
- If everything is clean (on main, no changes, no open PR), say so in one line and stop.