Git Repository Setup Validation

Git Repository Setup Validation

Validate repository configuration for agentic development workflow with proper branch protection and development branch setup.

Quick Start

Validate current repository:

"Validate this repository has proper development workflow setup"

Validate specific repository:

"Validate repository myorg/myrepo has main branch protection and development branch configured"

Core Workflow

Step 1: Validate Repository Structure

Check repository has required branches:

mcp__git__list_branches()

Required branches:

• main (protected)
• development (integration branch)

Validation checks:

• ✅ Both branches exist
• ✅ development branch has recent activity (not stale)
• ❌ FAIL: Missing main or development branch

Step 2: Check Main Branch Protection

Query main branch protection settings:

mcp__git__get_branch_protection(
  branch: "main"
)

Required protections:

• ✅ Require pull request reviews before merging
• ✅ Dismiss stale pull request approvals when new commits are pushed
• ✅ Require review from Code Owners (if CODEOWNERS file exists)
• ✅ Require status checks to pass before merging
• ✅ Require branches to be up to date before merging
• ✅ Restrict who can push to matching branches (admin only)
• ✅ Require linear history (no merge commits)

Optional protections:

• Include administrators in restrictions
• Allow force pushes (disabled)
• Allow deletions (disabled)

Step 3: Validate Development Branch Setup

Check development branch is configured as integration branch:

mcp__git__get_branch_info(
  branch: "development"
)

Validation checks:

• ✅ development branch exists
• ✅ development is not protected (allows direct merges from feature branches)
• ✅ development has commits (not empty)
• ✅ development is ahead of main or synchronized

Branch relationships:

• development should be primary integration branch
• All feature/epic/wave branches created from development
• development merges to main via PR

Step 4: Check Git Workflow Configuration

Validate repository has proper workflow files:

mcp__git__list_files(
  path: ".github/workflows"
)

Expected files:

• pr-validation.yml — PR validation workflow
• branch-protection.yml — Enforce branch protection
• Optional: ci.yml, deploy.yml

Validation:

• ✅ At least one PR validation workflow exists
• ✅ Workflows reference proper branches (main, development)

Step 5: Verify CODEOWNERS (Optional)

Check if CODEOWNERS file exists:

mcp__git__list_files(
  path: ".github"
)

If CODEOWNERS exists:

• ✅ File is properly formatted
• ✅ Contains at least one code owner
• ✅ Main branch protection requires Code Owners review

Step 6: Generate Validation Report

Compile validation results:

## Repository Setup Validation Report

**Repository**: myorg/myrepo
**Date**: 2025-01-30
**Status**: ✅ PASS / ⚠️ WARNING / ❌ FAIL

### Branch Structure
- ✅ `main` branch exists
- ✅ `development` branch exists
- ✅ `development` has recent activity

### Main Branch Protection
- ✅ Require pull request reviews
- ✅ Dismiss stale reviews
- ✅ Require status checks
- ⚠️ Code Owners review not required (CODEOWNERS missing)
- ✅ Restrict direct pushes
- ✅ Require linear history

### Development Branch
- ✅ Not protected (allows feature merges)
- ✅ Has commits
- ✅ Synchronized with main

### Workflow Configuration
- ✅ PR validation workflow exists
- ✅ Workflows reference correct branches

### Recommendations
- Consider adding CODEOWNERS file for code review automation
- Update PR validation workflow to include lint checks

Key Concepts

Development Branch Workflow:

• main is protected production branch
• development is integration branch (unprotected)
• Feature/epic/wave branches created from development
• PRs merge to development, then development merges to main

Branch Protection Rationale:

• Prevents accidental direct commits to main
• Enforces code review process
• Ensures CI/CD checks pass before merge
• Maintains linear history for clean git log

Validation Levels:

• CRITICAL (❌): Missing required branches or protection
• WARNING (⚠️): Optional features missing (CODEOWNERS, workflows)
• PASS (✅): All required checks pass

Git MCP Server Benefits:

• Safe read-only validation operations
• Structured error handling
• Consistent validation logic
• Audit trail of validation checks

Available Resources

Scripts

• scripts/validate_repository.py — Complete repository validation

  python scripts/validate_repository.py \
    --repo "myorg/myrepo" \
    --check-branches \
    --check-protection \
    --check-workflows
  # Returns: Validation report with status and recommendations
  

• scripts/check_branch_protection.py — Check main branch protection settings

  python scripts/check_branch_protection.py \
    --repo "myorg/myrepo" \
    --branch "main"
  # Returns: Protection settings with pass/fail status
  

• scripts/validate_workflow_files.py — Validate GitHub Actions workflows

  python scripts/validate_workflow_files.py \
    --repo "myorg/myrepo" \
    --required-workflows "pr-validation"
  # Returns: Workflow validation results
  

References

• references/branch-protection-requirements.md — Required protection settings for main branch
• references/development-workflow-setup.md — Development branch workflow guidelines
• references/validation-checklist.md — Complete validation checklist with criteria

Validation Scenarios

Scenario 1: New Repository Setup

Situation: Just created repository, need to validate setup before starting work

Steps:

1. Validate branch structure exists
2. Check main branch protection configured
3. Verify development branch setup
4. Check for workflow files
5. Generate recommendations for missing items

Example:

python scripts/validate_repository.py \
  --repo "myorg/new-repo" \
  --check-branches \
  --check-protection \
  --check-workflows \
  --generate-report

Expected result: Report showing what's configured and what needs setup

Scenario 2: Pre-Work Validation

Situation: About to start implementing feature, want to ensure repository properly configured

Steps:

1. Quick validation of critical requirements
2. Check branches exist and are synchronized
3. Verify main branch protection active
4. Confirm can create branches from development

Example:

# Quick validation
python scripts/validate_repository.py \
  --repo "myorg/active-repo" \
  --quick

Expected result: Quick pass/fail status (PASS if all critical checks pass)

Scenario 3: Troubleshooting Git Issues

Situation: Experiencing git workflow issues, need to validate configuration

Steps:

1. Full validation of repository setup
2. Check branch relationships (development vs. main)
3. Verify protection settings match requirements
4. Identify configuration drift

Example:

python scripts/validate_repository.py \
  --repo "myorg/problem-repo" \
  --check-branches \
  --check-protection \
  --check-workflows \
  --check-relationships \
  --verbose

Expected result: Detailed report identifying configuration issues

Scenario 4: Periodic Audit

Situation: Regular audit to ensure repository configuration hasn't drifted

Steps:

1. Validate all protection settings
2. Check for new workflow files
3. Verify branch activity
4. Generate compliance report

Example:

python scripts/validate_repository.py \
  --repo "myorg/production-repo" \
  --check-all \
  --generate-compliance-report

Expected result: Compliance report for documentation

Output Format

Validation Report Structure:

{
  "repository": "myorg/myrepo",
  "validation_date": "2025-01-30T10:30:00Z",
  "overall_status": "PASS",
  "checks": {
    "branch_structure": {
      "status": "PASS",
      "main_exists": true,
      "development_exists": true,
      "development_active": true
    },
    "main_protection": {
      "status": "PASS",
      "require_pr_reviews": true,
      "dismiss_stale_reviews": true,
      "require_code_owners": false,
      "require_status_checks": true,
      "restrict_pushes": true,
      "require_linear_history": true
    },
    "development_branch": {
      "status": "PASS",
      "not_protected": true,
      "has_commits": true,
      "synchronized_with_main": true
    },
    "workflows": {
      "status": "WARNING",
      "pr_validation_exists": true,
      "workflows_found": [".github/workflows/pr-validation.yml"]
    }
  },
  "recommendations": [
    "Consider adding CODEOWNERS file for automated code review assignments",
    "Add additional CI workflows for linting and testing"
  ]
}

Integration with Workflow

Before starting work:

## Step 0: Validate Repository Setup

Before creating branches or implementing:
- Invoke `git-repository-setup-validation` skill
- Verify PASS status
- If FAIL, run `git-development-workflow-setup` skill
- If WARNING, note recommendations but proceed

During repository setup:

## Repository Setup Workflow

1. Create repository
2. Run `git-repository-setup-validation` skill
3. If validation fails, run `git-development-workflow-setup` skill
4. Re-run validation to confirm setup
5. Begin work

Success Criteria

• ✅ Repository has main and development branches
• ✅ Main branch protection configured with required settings
• ✅ Development branch exists and is not protected
• ✅ Branch relationships correct (development from main)
• ✅ At least one PR validation workflow exists
• ✅ Validation report generated with clear status
• ✅ Recommendations provided for warnings

Tips for Effective Validation

1. Run before starting work - Catch configuration issues early
2. Automate periodic validation - Schedule regular audits
3. Document configuration drift - Track when settings change
4. Use with setup skill - Pair validation with automated setup
5. Share reports - Use validation reports for team communication
6. Validate after changes - Re-run after modifying branch protection
7. Use quick mode for regular checks - Save time with quick validation

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue 1: Main Branch Not Protected

Problem: Main branch has no protection rules Solution: Run git-development-workflow-setup skill to configure protection

Issue 2: Development Branch Missing

Problem: Repository only has main branch Solution: Create development branch from main, configure as integration branch

Issue 3: Development Branch Protected

Problem: Development branch has same protections as main Solution: Remove protection from development branch to allow direct merges from features

Issue 4: No Workflow Files

Problem: Missing .github/workflows/ directory or validation workflows Solution: Add PR validation workflow from templates

Issue 5: CODEOWNERS Not Enforced

Problem: CODEOWNERS file exists but Code Owners review not required Solution: Update main branch protection to require Code Owners review

Validation Checklist

Before starting work:

• Repository exists and is accessible
• main branch exists
• development branch exists
• Main branch protection configured
• Development branch not protected
• At least one workflow file exists

Critical validations:

• Main branch requires PR reviews
• Main branch restricts direct pushes
• Development branch allows direct merges
• Branches are synchronized

Optional validations:

• CODEOWNERS file exists
• Code Owners review required
• Multiple workflow files present
• Branch activity recent

Example: Complete Validation

# Step 1: Validate repository structure
python scripts/validate_repository.py \
  --repo "myorg/myrepo" \
  --check-branches

# Output:
# ✅ main branch exists
# ✅ development branch exists
# ✅ development branch active (last commit 2 hours ago)

# Step 2: Validate main branch protection
python scripts/check_branch_protection.py \
  --repo "myorg/myrepo" \
  --branch "main"

# Output:
# ✅ Require PR reviews: enabled
# ✅ Dismiss stale reviews: enabled
# ⚠️ Require Code Owners: disabled (CODEOWNERS missing)
# ✅ Require status checks: enabled
# ✅ Restrict pushes: enabled (admins only)
# ✅ Require linear history: enabled

# Step 3: Validate workflow files
python scripts/validate_workflow_files.py \
  --repo "myorg/myrepo"

# Output:
# ✅ Found workflow: .github/workflows/pr-validation.yml
# ✅ Workflow references correct branches

# Step 4: Generate complete report
python scripts/validate_repository.py \
  --repo "myorg/myrepo" \
  --check-all \
  --generate-report

# Output: Full validation report with recommendations

Last Updated: 2025-01-30