| name | active-rebaser |
| description | Use when local main has just been updated — pulled, fast-forwarded, merged a PR, or reset — and the other branches and worktrees are now behind it. Also use when asked to "rebase everything", "catch the branches up", or "run the active rebaser". |
Active rebaser
Rebase every local branch and worktree onto the new main, one at a time, then report and ask which rebased branches to push. Never push anything without explicit per-branch approval, and never push with anything other than --force-with-lease.
Enumerate
git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
git branch --format='%(refname:short)'
git worktree list --porcelain
Record each branch's pre-rebase SHA (git rev-parse <branch>) before touching it — that SHA is the undo button.
Skip a branch and mark it up to date when git merge-base --is-ancestor main <branch> succeeds.
Rebase, one branch at a time
- A branch checked out in a worktree is rebased inside that worktree:
git -C <worktree-path> rebase main. A dirty worktree is skipped and reported — never stash someone's work-in-progress.
- Any other branch is rebased in the primary worktree with
git rebase main <branch> if it is clean, or in a throwaway git worktree add under the scratchpad if it is not. Return to the original branch when the loop ends.
Conflicts: resolve small, abort big
A conflict is simple only when every conflicted file (2 files at most) is one of:
- a lockfile or generated file — regenerate it instead of merging text
- both sides added independent lines to the same list (imports, exports, table rows) — keep the union
- a version or date bump — keep the newer value
- one side is a strict superset of the other — keep the superset
Anything else — overlapping logic edits, a moved function, 3+ conflicted files, or any doubt at all — is huge: git rebase --abort, record the conflicted paths for the report, move to the next branch. Never write new code inside a conflict hunk; resolution picks between what the two sides already wrote.
After any hand-resolved rebase, run bun run system-check on that branch. If it fails, git reset --hard <pre-rebase SHA> and report the branch as restored, with the failing output.
Report
When the loop finishes, show one table — every branch appears, no silent skips:
| Branch | Result | Details |
|---|
| foo | rebased clean | 3 commits replayed |
| bar | rebased — conflicts resolved | lockfile regenerated; check pass |
| baz | aborted — conflict too big | src/data/progress.ts + 4 more |
| qux | up to date | already contains main |
Approval, then push
Ask which successfully rebased branches to push (one multi-select question listing only the rebased ones — aborted and up-to-date branches are not offered). Then, for each approved branch only:
git push --force-with-lease origin <branch>
A --force-with-lease rejection means the remote moved since the last fetch — report it and stop; do not retry with --force.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Consequence |
|---|
| Pushing without asking, or batching approval | The whole point of the report is per-branch consent. Ask first. |
--force after a --force-with-lease rejection | Overwrites remote work the lease just protected. Report instead. |
| "This conflict is only medium-sized" | The simple list is exhaustive. Not on it → abort. There is no medium. |
| Inventing code to satisfy a conflict hunk | That is authoring changes nobody reviewed. Abort instead. |
| Stashing a dirty worktree to force the rebase | Someone's WIP is not yours to shelve. Skip and report. |
| Losing the pre-rebase SHA | No clean undo when system-check fails. Record it before every rebase. |
