Split Branch

Splitting Branches Into Stacked PRs/MRs

Overview

Split a large branch into a stack of smaller PRs/MRs where each (except the bottom) targets the previous one — true stacked PRs, not "expanding-snapshot" PRs that all target main.

Core principle: 200-400 line PRs correlate with the highest defect-detection rates and best architectural feedback; beyond ~400 lines feedback degrades to surface-level. Use as a heuristic, not a law — split aggressively, target ~300 lines, adjust per language.

Announce: "I'm using the split-branch skill to plan/execute the split."

Targets and Weighting

LOC = added + deleted for files classified as source. analyze.sh excludes lockfiles, generated code (__generated__, _pb.go, _pb2.py, .min.*), and vendored dirs (node_modules, vendor, dist, build); override via EXCLUDE_PATTERNS.

Test weighting: reviewers skim tests, so they count at ~0.5× weight. analyze.sh emits weighted_review_lines = source + (tests / 2). Don't split tests away from their source to hit a raw line count.

Sources (correlational): SmartBear/Cisco (2,500 reviews), LinearB 2025 (6.1M PRs, elite teams <219 LOC/PR). Graphite reports 50-line PRs merge ~40% faster than 250-line ones.

Skip the split if weighted_review_lines < 200 — confirm with the user before proceeding anyway.

Strategies (in order)

0. Self-containment (overrides target, yields to hard cap)

A definition should ship with at least one usage so reviewers can evaluate the API in context.

Usage hierarchy:

1. Real production caller — ideal.
2. Contract / integration test — acceptable when (a) the real caller is in a later layer, (b) including it would exceed 600 lines, or (c) the layer is a public API where tests are the contract.
3. Unit test only — last resort; can pass on broken APIs.

Concretely: new function → real caller; new type → construction site; new module → import wiring; new endpoint → client (or contract test if client is downstream); rename → all call sites in same PR. Monorepo rename exception: when N call sites is unmanageable, ship a compatibility shim and phase the migration over follow-up PRs.

Prefer 450-line self-contained over 280 + 170 split. Past the 600 cap → split, but flag the dangling definition in "Intentionally Missing" and link forward.

Layer-boundary exception: when splitting by architectural layer (Strategy 2), it's legitimate for a PR's only "callers" to be tests — the real caller lives in the next layer up. Acknowledge in the PR description.

1. Extract pure refactors first

Renames, file moves, interface extractions go in PR #1. Often 20-30% of the diff with near-zero defect risk → fast approval, clarifies the actual feature change.

2. Split by architectural layer (most common)

Bottom-up: schema → repository → service → API → frontend. Bundle tests with their layer (tests count at 0.5×, so a layer + its tests usually fits comfortably).

3. Split by vertical slice (when possible)

Independently-shippable sub-units that touch all layers. Hardest to achieve, highest review quality — avoids invoking the layer-boundary exception.

4. Feature flags for mid-stack merges

Gate incomplete features so each PR is independently mergeable while staying dark.

Why Stacked, Not "Progressive" PRs

Progressive PRs (each targeting main, growing to the full diff) seem flexible but break under merges:

If rebase-cascade pain is the concern, prefer trunk + feature flags — same autonomy, no snapshot bookkeeping.

Terminology

• Stack — chain of PRs where each (except bottom) targets the previous
• Bottom — PR targeting main/master. Reviewers read bottom-up
• Top — PR farthest from main; where the original feature branch points after splitting
• ORIG_BASE — branch the feature was originally based on (e.g. main)
• ORIG_BASE_SHA — git merge-base "$ORIG_BASE" HEAD pinned before any split — used as the rebase boundary
• SPLIT_BASE — new branch created by extract.sh to hold the extracted slice

The Process

Step 1: Pre-flight

git rev-parse --is-inside-work-tree
git status --porcelain   # must be clean

DEFAULT_BASE=$(git symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 2>/dev/null \
  | sed 's@^refs/remotes/origin/@@' || echo main)

# Existing PR/MR? Its base overrides DEFAULT_BASE.
gh pr view --json number,title,baseRefName,url 2>/dev/null \
  || gh pr list --head "$(git branch --show-current)" \
       --json number,title,baseRefName,url --jq '.[0]' 2>/dev/null
# GitLab equivalent: glab mr view --output json (with --repo for nested namespaces)

Set ORIG_BASE to the existing PR's base (or DEFAULT_BASE). Stop if: not in a repo, detached HEAD, on ORIG_BASE, or working tree dirty.

Surface up front if branch protection on ORIG_BASE blocks force-push, requires linear history, or your token can't retarget. The fallback in those cases is to create new branches and new PRs rather than rewriting the existing PR.

Step 2: Analyze

"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/split-branch/scripts/analyze.sh" "$ORIG_BASE"

Use the JSON's weighted_review_lines, directory_groups[], and excluded_files[] to design splits. Override budget with TARGET_LINES_PER_SPLIT, exclusions with EXCLUDE_PATTERNS.

Detect non-linear history:

git log --merges --oneline "$ORIG_BASE..HEAD"

If merge commits exist, git rebase --onto linearizes by default. Surface to user; default to cherry-pick extraction instead of --rebase-merges.

Step 3: Present the plan (REQUIRED — never skip)

Use AskUserQuestion. Format:

**Stack** — bottom (targets `main`) to top (current work)

1. `feature/json-utils-refactor` (~310 weighted) — bottom, extract first
2. `feature/payment-schema` (~340)
3. `feature/payment-service` (~380)
4. `feature/payment-api` (~300)
5. `feature/payment-ui` (~420) ← current branch retargets here (top)

Existing PR #456 → main; will retarget to PR #5.
Branch protections: none / [list]

Options: (A) execute, (B) modify groupings, (C) change names, (D) cancel. Get explicit approval before any git operation. Execute one split at a time.

Step 4: Execute one split

Pin variables before extracting — this is what prevents the --onto ambiguity footgun:

ORIG_BASE_SHA=$(git merge-base "$ORIG_BASE" HEAD)
CURRENT="$(git branch --show-current)"
SPLIT_BASE="<new_branch_name>"

"${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/split-branch/scripts/extract.sh" \
  "$SPLIT_BASE" "$ORIG_BASE" <file1> <file2> ...

git rebase --onto "$SPLIT_BASE" "$ORIG_BASE_SHA" "$CURRENT"
git log --oneline "$SPLIT_BASE..$CURRENT"   # verify only non-extracted commits remain

extract.sh creates backup/<branch>_<timestamp> automatically. On conflicts: report files, point to backup, don't auto-resolve.

For subsequent splits in the same stack, the previous SPLIT_BASE becomes the next ORIG_BASE.

Step 5: PR descriptions (mandatory stack header)

Without this, reviewers flag intentional placeholders as bugs:

## Stack Position
[1 (bottom): refactor] → [2: schema] → **[3: service] (this PR)** → [4: API] → [5 (top): UI]

## Feature Goal
Add user payment method management.

## Review Order
Bottom-up. Depends on #1, #2.

## Intentionally Missing
HTTP endpoints in #4, UI in #5 (layer-boundary self-containment exception).

Step 6: Push, create, retarget — in this order

Order matters: a new branch must exist on the remote before any PR can target it.

# a. Push every new split branch
for b in "${SPLIT_BRANCHES[@]}"; do git push -u origin "$b"; done

# b. Force-push the rebased current branch
git push --force-with-lease origin "$CURRENT"   # never plain --force

# c. Notify reviewers BEFORE retargeting (inline comments may be invalidated)
gh pr comment <existing_pr> --body "Splitting into a stack. Old diff: <commit-permalink>. New base: \`$NEW_TOP\`."

# d. Create draft PRs for the lower stack (#1..#N-1)
gh pr create --base "$ORIG_BASE" --head "$SPLIT_1" --draft ...
gh pr create --base "$SPLIT_1"   --head "$SPLIT_2" --draft ...

# e. Retarget the existing PR onto the new top
gh pr edit <existing_pr> --base "$NEW_TOP"
# GitLab: glab mr update <iid> --target-branch "$NEW_TOP" --repo "$NS/$PROJECT"
#   On failure: print the web URL and ask the user to retarget manually.

# f. Mark only the bottom PR ready
gh pr ready "$BOTTOM_PR_NUM"

Keep all non-bottom PRs in draft until the full stack is reviewed — prevents premature merges that silently change downstream diffs.

Step 7: Cleanup & caveats

extract.sh accumulates backup/* branches (local-only, not pushed). After the stack merges cleanly:

git branch -D $(git branch --list 'backup/*' --format='%(refname:short)')

Don't auto-delete — user may need to recover from a bad rebase.

Commit history: rebasing rewrites SHAs. Co-authored-by: trailers survive but references break. Re-sign signed commits (git rebase --signoff). Review Conventional Commits history before pushing if you use release-please/semantic-release.

Quick Reference

Common Mistakes

• Setting target >400 lines — past the cognitive-load cliff. Default 300, hard cap 600.
• Each PR targeting main (progressive PRs) — incremental diff lost after any merge. Use stacked or trunk + flags.
• No stack header in PRs — reviewers flag placeholders as bugs.
• Definitions without usage — bundle a real caller, or a contract test at a layer boundary, or link forward in "Intentionally Missing".
• Splitting tests off — tests are 0.5× weight; almost never needs splitting.
• Confusing ORIG_BASE and SPLIT_BASE in rebase — pin ORIG_BASE_SHA before extract; verify with git log --oneline "$SPLIT_BASE..$CURRENT".
• Retargeting without warning reviewers — comment first, link the old commit SHA.
• Pushing in the wrong order — branches must be on the remote before PRs can target them.
• --force instead of --force-with-lease — silently overwrites collaborators.
• Splitting after the fact — for new features, plan layers up front.

Red Flags — STOP

• Designing splits without running analyze.sh
• Git operations before user approves the plan
• Suggesting a single 2,000-line split as "good enough"
• Defining something without including any caller (when one exists in the diff)

Bundled Scripts

${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/split-branch/scripts/:

• analyze.sh <target> — JSON budget breakdown (source/test/excluded, weighted), directory groupings. Bash 3.2+.
• extract.sh <new> <target> <files>... — creates timestamped backup, then a new branch from target, populates from feature branch. Handles modifies, adds, AND deletes. For renames pass both old and new paths.

Integration

• updating-pr — refresh PR descriptions with stack metadata after each split
• using-git-worktrees — stage splits in isolated worktrees
• finishing-a-development-branch — once the bottom merges and the stack collapses