git-workflow

name	git-workflow
description	Apply consistent git practices for branch hygiene, safe commits, and recovery from common mishaps (lost commits, bad merges, accidental pushes). Use when authoring or reviewing a git workflow, recovering broken local state, or sequencing a commit/push that needs explicit user approval before destructive steps.
lastReviewed	2026-08-15T00:00:00.000Z

Git Workflow Skill

Consistent git practices, recovery patterns, and safe operations.

⚠️ Staleness Warning

Git core is stable, but GitHub features (Actions, CLI, Copilot integration) evolve.

Refresh triggers:

• GitHub CLI major updates
• GitHub Actions runner changes
• New git features (e.g., git switch, git restore)
• GitHub Copilot CLI integration

Last reviewed: August 2026. Verify installed Git and GitHub CLI behavior before a risky operation rather than relying on a version claim in this guide.

Check current state: Git Release Notes, GitHub CLI

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Decision Table

Scenario	Command	Notes
Undo last commit, keep changes	git reset --soft HEAD~1	Safe, preserves work
Restore single file	git checkout HEAD -- path/to/file	Discards file changes
Restore entire folder	git checkout HEAD -- .github/	Discards folder changes
Before risky operation	git status --short; git diff --check	Propose a checkpoint; commit or tag only after explicit user approval
Discard all uncommitted	git reset --hard HEAD	Destructive, no recovery
Reset to remote state	git reset --hard origin/main	Destructive, syncs to remote
Save work temporarily	git stash → git stash pop	For quick context switch
Isolated experimental work	git worktree add ../feature branch	Agent-friendly isolation

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Commit Message Convention

type(scope): brief description

- Detail 1
- Detail 2

Types: feat, fix, refactor, docs, chore, test, style

Examples:

feat(skills): add git-workflow skill
fix(sync): resolve race condition in background sync
refactor(skills): migrate domain-knowledge to skills architecture
docs(readme): update installation instructions
chore(deps): bump typescript to 5.3

Before Risky Operations

# Inspect the current state first
git status --short
git diff --check

After explicit user approval, create a scoped checkpoint commit or tag before a risky operation. Do not stage unrelated work or create a checkpoint by default.

Three rules that hold regardless of the operation:

1. Never force-push to a shared branch (main, develop, any branch someone else tracks). Rewriting history under a collaborator is not recoverable by them.
2. With explicit user approval, create a scoped checkpoint or tag before rebase, reset, or filter operations. Do not include unrelated work in the checkpoint.
3. Run --dry-run first when unsure. git clean, git push, and git rm all support it. Read the output before dropping the flag.

Tag-Move-Forward (Pre-Push Only)

When a small follow-on change lands after a release tag but before the tag is pushed, move the tag forward rather than cutting a redundant patch release. Two requirements: (1) the tag must not yet exist on origin, (2) the follow-on belongs in the same release narrative (typo, doc fix, orphan removal — not new behaviour).

# Verify tag is local-only first
git ls-remote --tags origin v3.2.1   # must return empty

# Force-move the annotated tag to the new HEAD
git tag -d v3.2.1
git tag -a v3.2.1 -m "release notes..."
git log -4 --oneline                 # confirm tag now on HEAD

# Push main + tag together
git push origin main
git push origin v3.2.1

Never force-move a pushed tag. Once git push origin v<x> succeeded, the only safe move is a new patch (v<x>+1). Heir clones may already have fetched the old SHA; rewriting under them breaks reproducibility and CI provenance.

Recovery Patterns

Undo Last Commit (keep changes)

git reset --soft HEAD~1

Restore Single File

git checkout HEAD -- path/to/file

Restore Folder

git checkout HEAD -- .github/

Hard Reset to Known Good State

git reset --hard HEAD           # Discard all uncommitted changes
git reset --hard origin/main    # Reset to remote state
git reset --hard <tag-name>     # Reset to tagged state

Find Last Good Commit

git log --oneline -20           # Recent history
git log --oneline .github/ -10  # History for specific folder

Recover an Unreachable Commit

git log only walks commits reachable from a ref. A commit orphaned by reset --hard, a bad rebase, or a deleted branch is invisible to it. reflog records where HEAD has actually been:

git reflog                      # Every HEAD position, newest first
git reflog show <branch>        # Movements of one branch
git reset --hard <sha-from-reflog>   # Return to that state
git cherry-pick <sha-from-reflog>    # Or lift just that commit

Reflog is local-only and expires (90 days by default for reachable entries, 30 for unreachable). It cannot recover work that was never committed.

Undo a Pushed Commit

git revert <sha>    # New commit that inverts the change; safe on shared branches

Prefer revert over reset once a commit is on origin — see the force-push rule above.

Branching Strategy

main
 └── feature/short-description
 └── fix/issue-number
 └── release/v3.7.0

Rules:

• main is always deployable
• Feature branches for experimental work
• Merge via PR when possible, direct commit for small fixes
• Delete branches after merge

Conflict Resolution

1. Pull before push: git pull --rebase origin main
2. If conflicts: Resolve in editor, then git add . + git rebase --continue
3. If stuck: git rebase --abort to start over

Stashing

git stash                       # Save work-in-progress
git stash pop                   # Restore and delete stash
git stash list                  # See all stashes
git stash drop                  # Delete top stash

Worktrees (Agent Isolation)

VS Code background agents use git worktree to isolate changes. Understanding worktrees is useful when debugging agent sessions.

# Create a worktree for isolated work
git worktree add ../project-feature feature-branch

# List all worktrees
git worktree list

# Remove a worktree (prune stale links)
git worktree remove ../project-feature
git worktree prune

VS Code integration (1.109+):

• git.worktreeIncludeFiles — copy gitignored files (e.g., .env) into agent worktrees
• Background agents auto-commit at end of each turn within their worktree
• Check Agent Sessions view to see which worktree an agent is using

Anti-Patterns

• ❌ git push --force on shared branches
• ❌ Committing secrets or credentials
• ❌ Giant commits with unrelated changes
• ❌ Vague messages like "fix stuff" or "update"

Would Revise If

Revise if the recovery patterns produce data loss in a real recovery scenario, or if the 'safe operations' classification labels a destructive op as safe and that op runs without confirmation.