Comprehensive Git workflow assistant for commits, branches, merges, and best practices. Use when working with Git operations, creating commits, managing branches, or resolving conflicts.
Scanned 5/31/2026
Install via CLI
Skills Directoryopenskills install diegosouzapw/awesome-omni-skill---
name: git-workflow
description: Comprehensive Git workflow assistant for commits, branches, merges, and best practices. Use when working with Git operations, creating commits, managing branches, or resolving conflicts.
---
# Git Workflow Skill
## When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
- Creating commits with proper messages
- Managing branches and merges
- Resolving merge conflicts
- Reviewing Git history
- Performing Git operations safely
- Following Git best practices
## Commit Message Guidelines
### Format
```
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body>
<footer>
```
### Types
- **feat**: New feature for the user
- **fix**: Bug fix
- **docs**: Documentation changes
- **style**: Code formatting (no logic change)
- **refactor**: Code restructuring (no feature/fix)
- **perf**: Performance improvements
- **test**: Adding or updating tests
- **chore**: Maintenance tasks
- **ci**: CI/CD configuration changes
- **build**: Build system or dependencies
### Rules
1. Subject line: max 50 characters
2. Use imperative mood: "add" not "added" or "adds"
3. No period at end of subject line
4. Body: wrap at 72 characters
5. Explain WHAT and WHY, not HOW
6. Separate subject from body with blank line
### Examples
```
feat(auth): add JWT token refresh mechanism
Implement automatic token refresh to improve user experience.
Users will no longer be logged out during active sessions.
- Add refresh token endpoint
- Implement token rotation logic
- Add background refresh timer
Closes #234
```
```
fix(api): prevent null pointer exception in user profile
Add null check before accessing user.email property.
This was causing crashes when users had incomplete profiles.
Fixes #456
```
## Commit Size Guidelines
### Ideal Commit Sizes
- **Small**: 10-50 lines (bug fixes, small tweaks)
- **Medium**: 50-300 lines (features, refactors)
- **Large**: 300-500 lines (major features - consider splitting)
- **Too Large**: 500+ lines (definitely split into multiple commits)
### Atomic Commit Principle
Each commit should:
1. Build successfully
2. Pass all tests
3. Represent one logical change
4. Be independently revertable
### Staging Strategy
```bash
# Stage specific files only
git add src/component.js tests/component.test.js
# Interactive staging for partial file commits
git add -p filename.js
# Review before committing
git diff --staged
# Commit with message
git commit -m "feat: add user profile component"
```
## Branch Management
### Branch Naming Conventions
```
feature/short-description # New features
fix/bug-description # Bug fixes
hotfix/critical-fix # Production hotfixes
refactor/what-refactored # Code refactoring
docs/what-documented # Documentation
test/what-tested # Test additions
chore/maintenance-task # Maintenance
```
### Branch Workflow
```bash
# Create and switch to new branch
git checkout -b feature/user-notifications
# Work and commit regularly
git add src/notifications.js
git commit -m "feat: add notification service"
# Keep branch updated with main
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout feature/user-notifications
git merge main
# Push to remote
git push origin feature/user-notifications
# Delete after merge
git branch -d feature/user-notifications
git push origin --delete feature/user-notifications
```
## Merge Strategies
### Fast-Forward Merge (cleanest history)
```bash
git checkout main
git merge feature/simple-change
```
### Merge Commit (preserves branch history)
```bash
git checkout main
git merge --no-ff feature/important-feature
```
### Rebase (linear history)
```bash
git checkout feature/my-branch
git rebase main
# Resolve conflicts if any
git push --force-with-lease origin feature/my-branch
```
### When to Use Each
- **Fast-forward**: Simple, quick changes
- **Merge commit**: Team features, want to preserve context
- **Rebase**: Personal branches, want clean linear history
- **Never rebase**: Public/shared branches
## Conflict Resolution
### Process
```bash
# 1. Start merge or rebase
git merge feature/branch
# CONFLICT appears
# 2. See conflicted files
git status
# 3. Open conflicted file, look for:
incoming branch content
# 4. Resolve by:
# - Keeping one version
# - Combining both versions
# - Writing new solution
# 5. Stage resolved files
git add resolved-file.js
# 6. Complete merge
git commit # for merge
# or
git rebase --continue # for rebase
```
### Conflict Prevention
- Pull/merge main frequently
- Make smaller, focused commits
- Communicate with team about file changes
- Use feature flags for large changes
## History Management
### Viewing History
```bash
# Basic log
git log
# Compact view
git log --oneline --graph --all
# See changes in commits
git log -p
# Search commits
git log --grep="search term"
git log --author="name"
# See what changed in a file
git log --follow filename.js
```
### Amending Commits (before push)
```bash
# Fix last commit message
git commit --amend -m "Better message"
# Add forgotten files to last commit
git add forgotten-file.js
git commit --amend --no-edit
# Change multiple commits
git rebase -i HEAD~3
```
### Undoing Changes
```bash
# Discard working directory changes
git checkout -- filename.js
# Unstage files
git reset HEAD filename.js
# Undo last commit (keep changes)
git reset --soft HEAD~1
# Undo last commit (discard changes)
git reset --hard HEAD~1
# Revert a commit (create new commit)
git revert <commit-hash>
```
## Stashing
### When to Stash
- Switch branches but not ready to commit
- Pull latest changes
- Quick context switch
- Save experimental work
### Stash Commands
```bash
# Save current work
git stash save "WIP: working on feature X"
# List stashes
git stash list
# Apply most recent stash (keep stash)
git stash apply
# Apply and remove stash
git stash pop
# Apply specific stash
git stash apply stash@{2}
# Delete stash
git stash drop stash@{0}
# Clear all stashes
git stash clear
```
## Remote Operations
### Safe Push/Pull
```bash
# Always pull before push
git pull origin main
# Push with lease (safer than force)
git push --force-with-lease origin feature/branch
# Fetch without merging
git fetch origin
# See remote branches
git branch -r
# Track remote branch
git checkout --track origin/feature/branch
```
## Git Best Practices Checklist
### Before Committing
- [ ] Code builds successfully
- [ ] Tests pass locally
- [ ] Linting passes
- [ ] Only related changes staged
- [ ] Reviewed diff with `git diff --staged`
- [ ] Commit message is clear and descriptive
### Before Pushing
- [ ] Pulled latest changes
- [ ] Resolved any conflicts
- [ ] Tests still pass after merge
- [ ] Commit history is clean
### Before Merging PR
- [ ] All CI checks pass
- [ ] Code reviewed and approved
- [ ] Branch is up to date with target
- [ ] No merge conflicts
- [ ] Tests cover new code
## Common Workflows
### Daily Development Flow
```bash
# Morning: Get latest
git checkout main
git pull origin main
# Start work
git checkout -b feature/new-thing
# Work for 30-60 mins, then commit
git add src/
git commit -m "feat: add initial structure"
# Continue working, commit regularly
# ...commits...
# End of day: Push
git push origin feature/new-thing
```
### Hotfix Flow
```bash
# Create hotfix from main
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b hotfix/critical-bug
# Fix and test
git add fixed-file.js
git commit -m "fix: resolve critical production bug"
# Push and merge ASAP
git push origin hotfix/critical-bug
# Create PR, get quick review, merge
```
### Feature Branch Flow
```bash
# Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/user-dashboard
# Commit regularly (atomic commits)
# Every 30-90 minutes of work
# Stay updated with main
git fetch origin
git merge origin/main
# When complete, push and create PR
git push origin feature/user-dashboard
```
## Troubleshooting
### "Detached HEAD state"
```bash
# Create branch from current state
git checkout -b recovery-branch
# Or go back to branch
git checkout main
```
### "Your branch has diverged"
```bash
# If you want remote version
git reset --hard origin/main
# If you want local version
git push --force-with-lease origin main
# If you want to merge both
git pull --rebase origin main
```
### "Permission denied (publickey)"
```bash
# Check SSH key
ssh -T git@github.com
# Add SSH key if needed
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"
# Add to GitHub settings
```
### Accidentally committed secrets
```bash
# Remove from last commit
git reset HEAD~1
# Edit .gitignore, recommit
# Remove from history (if pushed)
# Use git-filter-repo or BFG Repo-Cleaner
# Then rotate the compromised secrets!
```
## Quick Reference Commands
```bash
# Status & Info
git status # Current state
git log --oneline # Commit history
git diff # Unstaged changes
git diff --staged # Staged changes
# Basic Operations
git add <file> # Stage changes
git commit -m "message" # Commit
git push origin <branch> # Push to remote
git pull origin <branch> # Pull from remote
# Branching
git branch # List branches
git branch <name> # Create branch
git checkout <branch> # Switch branch
git checkout -b <branch> # Create and switch
git branch -d <branch> # Delete branch
# Merging
git merge <branch> # Merge branch
git merge --abort # Cancel merge
git rebase <branch> # Rebase onto branch
git rebase --abort # Cancel rebase
# Undoing
git checkout -- <file> # Discard changes
git reset HEAD <file> # Unstage file
git reset --soft HEAD~1 # Undo commit, keep changes
git reset --hard HEAD~1 # Undo commit, discard changes
git revert <commit> # Create reverting commit
# Stashing
git stash # Save work
git stash pop # Restore work
git stash list # List stashes
# Remote
git remote -v # Show remotes
git fetch origin # Get remote changes
git pull origin main # Fetch and merge
git push origin main # Push to remote
```
## Integration with CI/CD
### Pre-commit Hooks
Create `.git/hooks/pre-commit`:
```bash
#!/bin/sh
# Run tests before commit
npm test
if [ $? -ne 0 ]; then
echo "Tests failed. Commit aborted."
exit 1
fi
```
### Commit Message Validation
Create `.git/hooks/commit-msg`:
```bash
#!/bin/sh
# Validate commit message format
commit_msg=$(cat "$1")
if ! echo "$commit_msg" | grep -qE "^(feat|fix|docs|style|refactor|test|chore)(\(.+\))?: .+"; then
echo "Invalid commit message format"
echo "Use: <type>(<scope>): <subject>"
exit 1
fi
```
## Tips for AI Collaboration
When working with AI agents like Copilot:
1. **Commit frequently**: AI can track changes better
2. **Clear messages**: Help AI understand intent
3. **Branch per feature**: Keep AI context focused
4. **Review AI commits**: Always check `git diff --staged`
5. **Use conventional commits**: AI can generate better messages
## Additional Resources
- Git documentation: https://git-scm.com/doc
- Conventional Commits: https://www.conventionalcommits.org/
- GitHub Flow: https://guides.github.com/introduction/flow/
- Git Flight Rules: https://github.com/k88hudson/git-flight-rules
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!
