Git Workflow

Skill: Git Workflow

When to Use This Skill

This skill activates when you need to:

• Understand the project's Git workflow
• Create branches following project conventions
• Write commit messages properly
• Submit pull requests correctly
• Manage Git history

Prerequisites

• Git installed
• Repository cloned
• Understand basic Git commands

Step-by-Step Workflow

Step 1: Check Project Git Conventions

Look for documentation:

• CONTRIBUTING.md - Contribution guidelines
• .github/PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md - PR template
• .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ - Issue templates
• README.md - Git workflow section

Common patterns to detect:

• Branch naming: feature/, bugfix/, hotfix/
• Commit conventions: Conventional Commits, Angular style
• PR requirements: Tests, documentation, reviews

Step 2: Create a New Branch

Check current branch:

git branch
git status

Update main/master branch:

# Switch to main branch
git checkout main  # or master

# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main

Create new branch:

Common naming conventions:

# Feature branch
git checkout -b feature/add-user-authentication
git checkout -b feature/issue-123-add-login

# Bug fix
git checkout -b bugfix/fix-login-redirect
git checkout -b fix/issue-456-memory-leak

# Hotfix (urgent production fix)
git checkout -b hotfix/security-patch-v1.2.1

# Refactor
git checkout -b refactor/improve-database-queries

# Documentation
git checkout -b docs/update-api-documentation

# Release branch
git checkout -b release/v1.2.0

Branch naming best practices:

• Lowercase with hyphens
• Include issue/ticket number if available
• Descriptive but concise
• Follow project pattern

Step 3: Make Changes and Commit

Check changes:

git status
git diff

Stage changes:

# Stage specific files
git add file1.py file2.js

# Stage all changes
git add .

# Stage interactively
git add -p

Write commit messages:

Conventional Commits format:

<type>(<scope>): <description>

[optional body]

[optional footer(s)]

Types:

• feat: - New feature
• fix: - Bug fix
• docs: - Documentation changes
• style: - Code style changes (formatting, no logic change)
• refactor: - Code refactoring
• test: - Adding or updating tests
• chore: - Maintenance tasks
• perf: - Performance improvements
• ci: - CI/CD changes

Examples:

Simple commit:

git commit -m "feat: add user authentication"

With scope:

git commit -m "fix(auth): resolve login redirect issue"

With body:

git commit -m "feat(api): add rate limiting

Implements token bucket algorithm for API rate limiting.
- 100 requests per minute per API key
- Returns 429 status when limit exceeded
- Adds X-RateLimit headers to responses

Closes #123"

Breaking change:

git commit -m "feat(api)!: change authentication to OAuth2

BREAKING CHANGE: API now requires OAuth2 tokens instead of API keys.
Users must migrate to OAuth2 authentication."

Common patterns:

# Feature
git commit -m "feat: add search functionality"

# Bug fix
git commit -m "fix: resolve null pointer exception in user service"

# Documentation
git commit -m "docs: update installation instructions"

# Tests
git commit -m "test: add unit tests for authentication module"

# Refactor
git commit -m "refactor: extract validation logic into separate module"

# Performance
git commit -m "perf: optimize database queries for user lookup"

# Multiple changes (avoid this, prefer atomic commits)
git commit -m "chore: update dependencies and fix linting issues"

Step 4: Push Branch

First push:

git push -u origin feature/my-feature

Subsequent pushes:

git push

Force push (use carefully!):

# After rebase or amend
git push --force-with-lease origin feature/my-feature

Step 5: Create Pull Request

Via GitHub CLI:

# Install gh CLI if needed
# https://cli.github.com/

# Create PR
gh pr create --title "Add user authentication" --body "Implements user authentication with JWT tokens"

# With template
gh pr create --fill

# Draft PR
gh pr create --draft

Via Web UI:

1. Go to repository on GitHub
2. Click "Pull requests" tab
3. Click "New pull request"
4. Select your branch
5. Fill in title and description
6. Add reviewers
7. Add labels
8. Create pull request

PR Title best practices:

• Start with capital letter
• Be concise but descriptive
• Include issue number if applicable
• Follow commit message conventions

PR Description should include:

• What: What changes were made
• Why: Why these changes were needed
• How: How the changes were implemented
• Testing: How to test the changes
• Screenshots: If UI changes
• Closes #123: Link to related issues

Example PR description:

## Description
Implements user authentication using JWT tokens.

## Changes
- Added authentication middleware
- Created user login/logout endpoints
- Implemented JWT token generation and validation
- Added password hashing with bcrypt

## Testing
1. Run `npm test` to execute unit tests
2. Start server and test login at POST /api/auth/login
3. Verify token is returned and can access protected routes

## Related Issues
Closes #123

Step 6: Address Review Comments

Update your branch:

# Make changes based on feedback
git add .
git commit -m "refactor: improve error handling per review"
git push

Amend last commit (if needed):

# Make changes
git add .
git commit --amend --no-edit
git push --force-with-lease

Rebase to clean up history (optional):

# Interactive rebase last 3 commits
git rebase -i HEAD~3

# In editor, mark commits to squash/fixup/reword
# Save and close

# Force push
git push --force-with-lease

Step 7: Keep Branch Updated

Rebase on main:

# Fetch latest
git fetch origin

# Rebase onto main
git rebase origin/main

# If conflicts, resolve them
git add resolved-files
git rebase --continue

# Force push
git push --force-with-lease

Merge main into your branch (alternative):

git checkout feature/my-feature
git merge main
git push

Step 8: After PR is Merged

Delete local branch:

git checkout main
git branch -d feature/my-feature

Delete remote branch (usually automatic):

git push origin --delete feature/my-feature

Update local main:

git pull origin main

Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Simple Feature

# 1. Create branch
git checkout main
git pull
git checkout -b feature/new-feature

# 2. Make changes and commit
git add .
git commit -m "feat: add new feature"

# 3. Push and create PR
git push -u origin feature/new-feature
gh pr create --fill

# 4. After merge
git checkout main
git pull
git branch -d feature/new-feature

Workflow 2: Bug Fix

# 1. Create branch from main
git checkout -b fix/issue-123-login-bug

# 2. Fix and commit
git add .
git commit -m "fix: resolve login redirect issue

Fixes #123"

# 3. Push and PR
git push -u origin fix/issue-123-login-bug
gh pr create --fill

Workflow 3: Hotfix

# 1. Branch from production tag
git checkout -b hotfix/v1.2.1 v1.2.0

# 2. Fix critical issue
git add .
git commit -m "hotfix: patch security vulnerability"

# 3. Push and create urgent PR
git push -u origin hotfix/v1.2.1
gh pr create --title "URGENT: Security patch v1.2.1"

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: Merge conflicts

Solutions:

# 1. Update your branch
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main

# 2. Resolve conflicts in files
# Edit files to resolve conflicts
# Look for <<<<<<, =======, >>>>>> markers

# 3. Stage resolved files
git add resolved-file.py

# 4. Continue rebase
git rebase --continue

# 5. Force push
git push --force-with-lease

Issue: Accidentally committed to wrong branch

Solutions:

# 1. Save changes to new branch
git branch feature/correct-branch

# 2. Reset current branch
git reset --hard origin/main

# 3. Switch to correct branch
git checkout feature/correct-branch

Issue: Need to undo last commit

Solutions:

# Keep changes, undo commit
git reset --soft HEAD~1

# Discard changes and commit
git reset --hard HEAD~1

# Already pushed? Create revert commit
git revert HEAD
git push

Issue: Forgot to pull before making changes

Solutions:

# Stash your changes
git stash

# Pull latest
git pull

# Apply your changes
git stash pop

# Resolve any conflicts

Success Criteria

• ✅ Branch follows naming conventions
• ✅ Commits follow project conventions
• ✅ Commit messages are clear and descriptive
• ✅ PR has good title and description
• ✅ Branch is up to date with main
• ✅ All checks pass (tests, lint, etc.)

Quick Reference

Common Git Commands

# Status and info
git status
git log --oneline -10
git diff

# Branching
git checkout -b new-branch
git branch -d old-branch

# Committing
git add .
git commit -m "message"
git commit --amend

# Pushing
git push
git push --force-with-lease

# Updating
git pull
git fetch
git rebase origin/main

# Cleanup
git clean -fd
git reset --hard

Related Skills

• code-formatting - Format before committing
• run-tests - Run tests before pushing
• ci-pipeline - Understand CI checks

Documentation References

• Conventional Commits
• GitHub Flow
• Git Documentation
• GitHub CLI

Converted and distributed by TomeVault — claim your Tome and manage your conversions.