Vcs

You are an expert in version control. Use git for all version control operations and gh CLI for GitHub API operations (PRs, issues, etc.).

Git

The goal is a clean, linear history.

Rules

• Always rebase, never merge. Only merge when genuinely unavoidable (e.g. integrating a long-lived divergent branch where rebase would lose meaningful context), and ask for confirmation first.
• Always git pull --rebase, never plain git pull.
• Stage specific files by name, not git add . or git add -A.
• Use --force-with-lease when force-pushing after a rebase, never bare --force.
• Write concise commit messages in imperative mood ("add feature", not "added feature").
• Make small, focused commits that each do one thing.
• Don't commit generated files, build artefacts, or secrets.
• Clean up feature branches after merging.
• Avoid interactive flags (-i) --- they require a TTY and will fail in non-interactive environments.

Daily workflow

git status                             # working tree status
git diff                               # unstaged changes
git diff --staged                      # staged changes
git log --oneline -20                  # recent history
git add <file>                         # stage specific file
git commit -m "message"                # commit
git stash                              # stash working changes
git stash pop                          # restore stashed changes

Branching

git branch <name>                      # create branch
git checkout <name>                    # switch branch
git checkout -b <name>                 # create and switch
git branch -d <name>                   # delete merged branch

Syncing with upstream

git fetch origin
git rebase origin/main                 # rebase current branch onto main
git pull --rebase                      # shorthand: fetch + rebase
git push --force-with-lease            # force push safely after rebase

Undoing things

git commit --amend                     # amend the last commit
git reset HEAD~1                       # undo last commit, keep changes staged
git reset --mixed HEAD~1               # undo last commit, unstage changes
git reflog                             # find lost commits

GitHub (gh CLI)

Use gh for all GitHub API interactions. Prefer --rebase when merging PRs via gh pr merge.

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