branch-protection

name	branch-protection
description	Activate when performing git operations. MANDATORY by default - prevents direct commits to main/master, blocks destructive operations (force push, reset --hard). Enforces dev-first workflow where all changes go to dev before main. Assumes branch protection enabled unless disabled in settings.

Branch Protection Skill

MANDATORY by default. Branch protection is assumed enabled unless explicitly disabled.

Branch Hierarchy (CRITICAL)

main     ← STABLE RELEASE ONLY (production-ready)
  ↑
dev      ← INTEGRATION BRANCH (all features merge here first)
  ↑
feature/* ← DEVELOPMENT (where work happens)
fix/*
chore/*

Workflow Rules

From	To	Method	When
feature/*	dev	PR	When feature is complete and tested
fix/*	dev	PR	When fix is ready
dev	main	PR	When dev is stable and release-ready

NEVER merge directly to main from feature branches.

Default Behavior

Branch protection is ON unless git.branch_protection=false in icc.config.json:

{
  "git": {
    "branch_protection": false
  }
}

Protected Branches

• main - Stable releases only (from dev PRs)
• dev - Integration branch (from feature PRs)
• Configurable via git.default_branch setting

Rules

NEVER Do (Unless User Explicitly Requests)

# Direct commit to protected branch
git checkout main && git commit
git checkout dev && git commit

# Force push
git push --force

# Destructive operations
git reset --hard
git checkout .
git restore .
git clean -f
git branch -D

# PR directly to main (WRONG!)
gh pr create --base main   # Only for releases!

ALWAYS Do

# Work on feature branch
git checkout -b feature/my-change

# Commit to feature branch
git commit -m "feat: Add feature"

# Push feature branch
git push -u origin feature/my-change

# Create PR to DEV (not main!)
gh pr create --base dev

Commit Workflow

1. Create branch: git checkout -b feature/description
2. Make changes: Edit files
3. Test: Run tests
4. Commit: git commit -m "type: description"
5. Push: git push -u origin feature/description
6. PR to dev: gh pr create --base dev
7. Merge to dev: Via PR after approval
8. Release to main: Separate PR from dev → main (when stable)

Self-Check Before Git Operations

1. Am I on a feature branch? → If on main/dev, create branch first
2. Is this destructive? → Only proceed if user explicitly requested
3. Am I PRing to main? → Should this go to dev first?
4. Is this a release? → Only then PR to main

Release Process

Only create PRs to main when:

1. Dev branch is stable and tested
2. All features for release are merged to dev
3. User explicitly requests a release

# Release workflow (dev → main)
git checkout dev
git pull origin dev
git checkout -b release/v10.2.0
gh pr create --base main --title "release: v10.2.0"

Integration

Works with:

• git-privacy skill - No AI attribution in commits
• commit-pr skill - Commit message formatting, defaults PR to dev
• process skill - Development workflow phases (including Phase 4: Release)