| name | merge-branch-into-current |
| description | Merge a specified branch into the current branch with a merge commit. Use this when the user wants to merge one branch into the current branch, or when Codex should auto-detect the source branch that has commits after the current branch. The skill checks whether the source branch and target branch have uncommitted work in any active git worktree, and resolves merge conflicts autonomously by default. |
Merge Branch Into Current
Scope
Use this skill inside a Git repository when the goal is to merge one branch into the current branch and keep an explicit merge commit.
Default behavior:
- Target branch: the current branch
- Source branch: the branch explicitly provided by the user
- Merge strategy:
git merge --no-ff
- Dirty-check scope: the current worktree plus any active worktree that is currently checked out on the source or target branch
- Conflict handling: resolve merge conflicts autonomously unless the user explicitly wants to review them first or the repository context is insufficient to choose a safe resolution
Do not use squash merge or rebase unless the user explicitly overrides the request.
Workflow
1. Resolve branch names
Collect:
- source branch, called "specified branch"
- target branch, called "current branch"
If the user gave both names, use them directly after verifying they exist.
If the user did not give names, inspect the repository:
git branch --show-current
git branch --format='%(refname:short)'
When resolving the specified branch automatically, inspect local branches relative to the current branch:
- it is not the current branch
- it is not merged into the current branch
git rev-list --count CURRENT_BRANCH..BRANCH is at least 1
If there are multiple unmerged branches in the repository, narrow them to the branches that have commits after the current branch by using the CURRENT_BRANCH..BRANCH ahead count above.
If exactly one local branch satisfies these conditions, auto-select it as the source branch and continue without asking:
- source branch = that branch
- target branch = current branch
If more than one branch has commits after the current branch, stop and ask the user to specify which one should be the source branch. Target branch remains the current branch unless the user states otherwise.
If no branch has commits after the current branch, stop and ask the user for the source branch name.
2. Preflight checks
Verify the repository and branch state before merging:
git rev-parse --show-toplevel
git branch --show-current
git show-ref --verify --quiet refs/heads/<source-branch>
git show-ref --verify --quiet refs/heads/<target-branch>
The merge must run from a worktree currently checked out on the target branch. If the current worktree is not on the target branch, stop and tell the user to switch first.
3. Dirty-check both branches
Run the bundled script:
scripts/merge_branch_into_current.sh [source-branch] [target-branch]
The script must:
- inspect
git worktree list --porcelain
- find any active worktree checked out on the source or target branch
- run
git status --short inside each matching worktree
- abort if either branch has uncommitted tracked or untracked changes
If a matching branch has no active worktree, treat it as clean because Git cannot hold uncommitted state for that branch without a checked-out worktree.
When a matching branch is dirty, handle it based on the user's wording:
- If the user explicitly requested "提交并合并分支 xxx", do not stop at dirty-check failure. First perform a commit flow for the dirty branch worktree, then re-run the dirty-check and continue to merge.
- If the user only requested "合并分支 xxx" (without "提交"), stop and ask whether to commit first (or otherwise stash/clean) before merging.
When stopping, clearly report which branch and which worktree path is dirty.
Commit flow requirements when the user requested "提交并合并":
- stage changes in the dirty branch worktree (tracked and untracked) with
git add -A
- create a commit with a concise message aligned to the branch purpose (or user-provided message)
- after commit, re-run
scripts/merge_branch_into_current.sh [source-branch] [target-branch] to ensure both branches are clean before merge
- if commit fails (for example, nothing to commit or hook failure), stop and report the exact reason
4. Merge
If both branches are clean, run:
git merge --no-ff <source-branch>
This preserves a merge commit even when fast-forward would be possible.
If merge conflicts occur:
- do not ask the user for permission by default
- report the conflicted files from
git status --short and git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U
- inspect the conflicting hunks, preserve user changes already present in the worktree, and integrate both branches when the intended result is clear from repository context
- avoid blind
ours / theirs resolution unless the user explicitly requested that policy or the repository already enforces it for the affected files
- run targeted validation when feasible after resolving the files
- stage the resolved files and finish the merge with
git commit --no-edit or git merge --continue
- only stop and ask the user when multiple plausible semantic resolutions remain and the repository does not provide enough evidence to choose safely
5. Report result
On success, report:
- source branch
- target branch
- resulting merge commit SHA from
git rev-parse HEAD
Resources
scripts/
merge_branch_into_current.sh: resolves branches when possible, checks worktree cleanliness for the source and target branches, runs git merge --no-ff, and reports conflicts so the caller can continue autonomous resolution.
