Pbans Agent Skillpack Git Workflow

Git Workflow

Purpose

Provide structured Git workflows for agents working on codebases. Ensure clean history, consistent commit messages, and safe collaboration.

When to Use

• Creating feature branches or bugfix branches
• Writing descriptive commit messages from diffs
• Reviewing staged or unstaged changes before committing
• Resolving merge or rebase conflicts
• Squashing or reorganizing commits
• Rebasing onto main or another branch
• Cherry-picking specific commits
• Setting up branch naming conventions

Workflow

Creating a Branch

git checkout main
git pull --ff-only
git checkout -b <type>/<short-description>

Branch types:

• feat/ — new feature
• fix/ — bug fix
• docs/ — documentation changes
• refactor/ — code refactoring
• test/ — adding or updating tests
• chore/ — maintenance tasks
• agent/ — agent-initiated changes

Writing Commit Messages

Use conventional commits:

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

[optional body with context]
[optional footer with breaking changes or refs]

Types: feat, fix, docs, style, refactor, test, chore, perf

Rules:

• Subject line ≤ 72 characters
• Use imperative mood: "add feature" not "added feature"
• Do not end subject with period
• Body explains WHY, not WHAT (diff shows WHAT)
• Reference issues/PRs in footer when applicable

Before Committing

1. git status — see what changed
2. git diff — review unstaged changes
3. git diff --staged — review staged changes
4. Stage purposefully: git add -p for selective staging
5. Write commit message that explains the intent

Merge Conflict Resolution

1. Inspect the conflict markers in each file
2. Understand what both sides were trying to do
3. Preserve the intent of both changes where possible
4. Never blindly choose "ours" or "theirs"
5. Test after resolving: run validation, tests, linting
6. Stage resolved files: git add <resolved-files>
7. Continue: git rebase --continue or git commit

Squashing Commits

git rebase -i HEAD~<n>
# Mark commits to squash, keep the first as "pick"
# Write a clean combined commit message

Use squashing when:

• Multiple small commits should be one logical change
• Fixing typos or lint issues immediately after the original commit
• A feature branch has excessive "WIP" commits

Rebasing

git checkout <branch>
git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main

Rebase instead of merge to keep clean history on feature branches.

File References

• Commit Message Templates — templates for common commit types

Source: pbans-agent/skillpack — distributed by TomeVault.