Git Branch Manager

Git Branch Manager

Create, manage, and clean up git branches with smart naming and safety checks.

Workflow

Creating Branches

1. Determine the branch type from user intent:

   • New feature → feature/
   • Bug fix → bugfix/ or fix/
   • Hotfix → hotfix/
   • Release → release/
   • Experiment → experiment/

2. Generate the branch name:

   • Use kebab-case: feature/add-oauth-login
   • Include ticket number if mentioned: feature/PROJ-123-add-oauth
   • Keep concise but descriptive

3. Ensure clean state before creating:

   git status --porcelain
   

   If there are uncommitted changes, warn the user and suggest stashing.

4. Create from the right base:

   • Features → from main or develop
   • Hotfixes → from main
   • Fetch latest first: git fetch origin

Listing Branches

Show branches with useful context:

git branch -a --sort=-committerdate --format='%(refname:short) %(committerdate:relative) %(subject)'

Cleaning Up

1. Find merged branches: git branch --merged main
2. Find stale branches (no commits in 30+ days)
3. Show what would be deleted BEFORE deleting
4. Never delete main, master, develop, or the current branch
5. Use -d (safe delete) not -D (force delete)

Rules

• Always fetch before creating branches
• Never force-delete branches without user confirmation
• Warn if branching from a non-default base
• Check for uncommitted changes before switching
• Show branch age and merge status when listing