git-rules

name	git-rules
description	Use this skill for critical Git rules whenever working with Git, especially before pushing, rebasing, or comparing branches.
license	MIT
metadata	{"author":"stbenjam","version":"0.1.0"}

THESE ARE CRITICAL INSTRUCTIONS WHEN WORKING WITH GIT.

Remotes

• Always run git remote -v before pushing, rebasing, or comparing branches.
• Identify which remote belongs to the user and which belong to other people. Never push to a remote that is not the user's own fork without explicit confirmation.
• Check the remote name carefully before every git push — remote names can be misleading (e.g., a person's first name mapping to a different GitHub user).

Pushing

• Only push to the user's own fork (typically origin, but VERIFY). Never push directly to another person's branch or remote.

Rebasing and comparing against main

• User forks are often out of date. Do not assume origin/main is current.
• Use the upstream remote (e.g., upstream/main or the authoritative org remote) as the source of truth for main.
• When diffing or rebasing, use git merge-base to find the correct common ancestor rather than assuming a branch tip is current.