git-workflow

Git Workflow

Guided workflows for common git operations that benefit from structured steps.

PR Preparation

When preparing a pull request:

1. Gather context

   • git log main..HEAD --oneline — list all commits on the branch
   • git diff main...HEAD --stat — see all changed files
   • git status — check for uncommitted work

2. Draft PR content

   • Title: under 70 chars, describes the change (not the branch name)
   • Body: summarise the "why", list key changes, add test plan
   • Use the commit history to write the summary — don't rely on memory

3. Push and create

   git push -u origin HEAD
   gh pr create --title "..." --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
   ## Summary
   - ...
   
   ## Test plan
   - [ ] ...
   
   🤖 Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
   EOF
   )"
   

4. Verify — gh pr view --web to open in browser

Branch Cleanup

Clean up merged branches safely:

1. Switch to main and pull latest

   git checkout main && git pull
   

2. List merged branches (excludes main/master/develop)

   git branch --merged main | grep -vE '^\*|main|master|develop'
   

3. Delete local merged branches

   git branch --merged main | grep -vE '^\*|main|master|develop' | xargs -r git branch -d
   

4. Prune remote tracking refs

   git fetch --prune
   

5. List remote branches with no local tracking (optional)

   git branch -r --merged origin/main | grep -vE 'main|master|develop|HEAD'
   

Merge Conflict Resolution

When a PR has conflicts:

1. Assess the conflict scope

   git fetch origin
   git merge origin/main --no-commit --no-ff
   git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U  # List conflicted files
   

2. For each conflicted file, read the file and resolve:

   • Keep both changes if they're in different areas
   • If architecturally incompatible, prefer the main branch's approach and re-apply the PR's intent on top

3. If rebase is cleaner (few commits, no shared history):

   git rebase origin/main
   # Resolve conflicts per commit, then:
   git rebase --continue
   

4. If rebase is messy (many conflicts, architectural divergence):

   • Abort: git rebase --abort or git merge --abort
   • Extract useful code: git show origin/branch:path/to/file > /tmp/extracted.txt
   • Apply changes manually to main
   • Close original PR with explanation

5. Verify — run tests, check the diff looks right

Monorepo Release Tags

In monorepos, scope tags to the package:

# ❌ Ambiguous in monorepos
git tag v2.1.0

# ✅ Scoped to package
git tag contextbricks-v2.1.0
git push origin contextbricks-v2.1.0

Pattern: {package-name}-v{semver}

.gitignore-First Init

When creating a new repo, always create .gitignore BEFORE the first git add:

cat > .gitignore << 'EOF'
node_modules/
.wrangler/
dist/
.dev.vars
*.log
.DS_Store
.env
.env.local
EOF

git init && git add . && git commit -m "Initial commit"

If node_modules is already tracked:

git rm -r --cached node_modules/
git commit -m "Remove node_modules from tracking"

Private Repo License Audit

Before publishing or sharing a private repo:

gh repo view --json visibility -q '.visibility'

If PRIVATE, ensure:

• LICENSE contains proprietary notice (not MIT/Apache)
• package.json has "license": "UNLICENSED" and "private": true
• No CONTRIBUTING.md or "contributions welcome" in README