| name | gitlab-create-branch |
| description | Create a GitLab feature branch for a story. Use when the user says 'create a branch', 'start a branch for story X', or 'create feature branch' in a GitLab project. |
GitLab — Create Feature Branch
Goal
Create a feature branch for a story using the configured naming pattern. Always checks if a branch already exists first before creating.
Prerequisite Check
Check integrations.gitlab in _superml/config.yml. If missing: "Run gitlab-connect first."
Step 1: Identify Story
Ask: "Which story is this branch for?" (accept S-ID, title, or GitLab issue number)
Load the story and extract:
- Issue or ticket reference:
{ref}
- Story title slug: lowercase, hyphens, max 40 chars
Step 2: Compute Branch Name
Apply the configured branch pattern:
branch_name = "feature/{ref}-{slug}"
e.g., "feature/42-add-user-authentication"
Step 3: Conflict Check
git fetch --all --quiet
git branch -a | grep -i "{branch_name}"
Or via CLI:
glab api "projects/:fullpath/repository/branches/{branch_name}" 2>/dev/null | jq '.name'
If found:
"⚠️ Branch {branch_name} already exists. Confirm before proceeding."
⏸️ STOP — ask for confirmation.
Step 4: Create Branch
Ensure default branch is up to date:
git checkout {default_branch}
git pull origin {default_branch}
Create and push:
git checkout -b {branch_name}
git push -u origin {branch_name}
Or via CLI:
glab api -X POST "projects/:fullpath/repository/branches" \
-F "branch={branch_name}" \
-F "ref={default_branch}"
Step 5: Update Story File
Add branch reference to story frontmatter:
gitlab_branch: "{branch_name}"
branch_created: "{date}"
Done
✅ Branch {branch_name} created and pushed to GitLab.
