Git Push

---
created: 2026-01-21
modified: 2026-05-09
reviewed: 2026-04-25
name: git-push
description: Push local commits to remote — handles branch tracking, upstream setup, safe push patterns. Use when user says "push", "send to remote", or "update remote". Pushes existing commits — see git-commit for commits and git-pr for PR creation.
user-invocable: false
allowed-tools: Bash(git status *), Bash(git diff *), Bash(git log *), Bash(git push *), Bash(git branch *), Bash(git remote *), Bash(git rev-list *), Bash(git fetch *), Read, Grep, Glob, TodoWrite
---

# Git Push

## When to Use This Skill

| Use this skill when... | Use the alternative when... |
|---|---|
| Pushing existing local commits to a remote with branch tracking and upstream setup | Use `git-commit` first when there are uncommitted changes to push |
| Sending changes to remote without opening a PR yet | Use `git-pr` afterwards to open a pull request from the pushed branch |
| Migrating commits from local main to a remote feature branch via explicit refspec | Use `git-branch-pr-workflow` to design the broader main-branch-dev pattern |
| Updating a remote branch with new commits after a rebase or amend | Use `git-commit-push-pr` for the consolidated commit + push + PR macro |

Push local commits to remote repositories with proper branch tracking.

## When to Use

**Trigger phrases:**
- "push" / "push changes" / "push commits"
- "send to remote" / "update remote"
- "sync with origin"
- "upload changes"

**Context signals:**
- Local commits exist that aren't on remote
- User has just committed changes
- `git status` shows "Your branch is ahead"
- No mention of "PR" or "pull request"

## Workflow

### 1. Assess Push State

```bash
# Check current branch and tracking
git branch --show-current
git status --porcelain=v2 --branch

# Count commits ahead of remote
git rev-list --count @{upstream}..HEAD 2>/dev/null || echo "no upstream"

# Check remote exists
git remote -v
```

### 2. Determine Push Strategy

**Has upstream tracking:**
```bash
# Simple push to tracked branch
git push
```

**No upstream (new branch, same remote branch name):**
```bash
# Set upstream and push — only use -u when local and remote names match
git push -u origin $(git branch --show-current)
```

**On main, pushing to a differently-named remote branch:**
```bash
# Use explicit refspec — no -u, preserves main's tracking
git push origin main:<remote-branch>
```

**Force push needed (rebased/amended):**
```bash
# CAUTION: Only after explicit user confirmation
git push --force-with-lease
```

### 3. Verify Push

```bash
# Confirm sync status
git status --porcelain=v2 --branch

# Should show: branch.ab +0 -0 (no commits ahead/behind)
```

## Push Patterns

### Standard Push (Default)

For regular commits on a tracked branch:
```bash
git push
```

### Push to Remote Feature Branch (Main-Branch Development)

When on main with commits to push for a PR, push directly to a remote feature branch without creating a local branch:
```bash
# Push main commits to a new remote branch
git push origin main:<remote-branch-name>

# Push specific commit range to a remote branch
git push origin <start>^..<end>:<remote-branch-name>
```

This avoids local branch juggling. After the PR merges, a `git pull` on main syncs cleanly.

### First Push (New Branch)

For branches without upstream, when remote branch name matches local:
```bash
git push -u origin $(git branch --show-current)
```

**Warning:** `-u` binds the current local branch's upstream to the named remote branch. If you're on `main` and want to push to a differently-named feature branch, use the refspec form instead — otherwise `main` will track the feature branch:
```bash
# WRONG while on main — sets main to track origin/feat/foo:
# git push -u origin feat/foo

# CORRECT — push main commits to remote feature branch without changing tracking:
git push origin main:feat/foo
```

### Push with Tags

When commits include version tags:
```bash
git push --follow-tags
```

### Force Push (With Lease)

For rebased or amended commits (requires confirmation):
```bash
# Safer than --force: fails if remote has new commits
git push --force-with-lease
```

## Safety Checks

**Before pushing, verify:**
1. **Branch name** - Avoid pushing directly to main/master
2. **Commit count** - Reasonable number of commits
3. **No uncommitted changes** - Clean working tree
4. **Remote reachable** - Network connectivity
5. **Branch is live and in sync** - When continuing work on a branch that already
   has a PR, invoke `/git:pr-sync-check` first. A `pr_merged` verdict means the
   work belongs on a fresh branch off the updated default, not here; a `behind`
   verdict means reconcile (`git pull --rebase`) before pushing. The
   `check-branch-sync-on-push.sh` hook also nudges automatically. See
   `.claude/rules/pr-branch-sync.md`.

### Main Branch Push Behavior

```bash
branch=$(git branch --show-current)
if [ "$branch" = "main" ] || [ "$branch" = "master" ]; then
  # Main-branch development: push to remote feature branch for PRs
  # git push origin main:<feature-branch>  ← expected workflow

  # Direct push to remote main: warn unless explicitly requested
  # git push origin main  ← requires confirmation
fi
```

## Composability

This skill **pushes commits only**. For full workflows:

| User Intent | Skills Invoked |
|-------------|----------------|
| "push" | git-push only |
| "commit and push" | git-commit → git-push |
| "push and create PR" | git-push → git-pr |
| "commit, push, and PR" | git-commit → git-push → git-pr |
| "create PR" (on main) | git-pr handles push + PR creation automatically |

## Output

On success, report:
```
Pushed to origin/feature-branch
Commits pushed: 3
Branch is now up to date with remote

Ready for: create PR, continue working, or merge
```

## Error Handling

**No upstream configured:**
```
Branch has no upstream. Setting upstream to origin/<branch>
```

**Remote has diverged:**
```
Push rejected: remote contains commits not in local branch.
Options:
1. Pull and merge: git pull
2. Pull and rebase: git pull --rebase
3. Force push (loses remote commits): git push --force-with-lease
```

**Remote unreachable:**
```
Cannot reach remote 'origin'. Check network connection.
```

**Protected branch rejection:**
```
Push rejected: branch 'main' is protected.
Create a feature branch and submit a pull request instead.
```

## Quick Reference

| Scenario | Command |
|----------|---------|
| Standard push | `git push` |
| Main to remote feature branch | `git push origin main:<branch-name>` |
| Commit range to remote branch | `git push origin <start>^..<end>:<branch>` |
| New branch (same local/remote name) | `git push -u origin $(git branch --show-current)` |
| With tags | `git push --follow-tags` |
| After rebase | `git push --force-with-lease` |
| Check ahead count | `git rev-list --count @{upstream}..HEAD` |
| Check tracking | `git branch -vv` |

## Best Practices

1. **Push frequently** - Smaller, incremental pushes are safer
2. **Never force push shared branches** - Coordinate with team first
3. **Use feature branches** - Keep main/master clean
4. **Verify before force push** - Always use `--force-with-lease`
5. **Check CI after push** - Ensure tests pass on remote