Skip to main content

git-fix-pr-branching

When a PR is open and needs a fix, push to the same branch or wait for merge before branching. Never branch off the open PR's branch directly -- squash-merge will leave you with a phantom conflict.

Jump to install

Source facts

Repository
joshrotenberg/agent-tools
Last source activity
June 3, 2026 at 22:19
Detected SKILL.md language
English
Stars
0
Forks
0

Install options

The review-first prompt is selected by default. You can switch to a direct command or download a local copy.

Review the source files

Read SKILL.md and any companion files shown by SkillsMP before deciding whether to install.

Showing SKILL.md

SKILL.md
Source instructions · Read-only preview
name
git-fix-pr-branching
description
When a PR is open and needs a fix, push to the same branch or wait for merge before branching. Never branch off the open PR's branch directly -- squash-merge will leave you with a phantom conflict.
# Git fix-PR branching If an open PR needs a fix, do **one** of: 1. **Push to the same branch.** The fix commit extends the PR. Reviewer sees the whole context. 2. **Wait for the open PR to merge, then branch fresh from `main`.** Cleanest when the project squash-merges (closer matches the eventual history). Do **NOT** branch off the open PR's feature branch to make a separate fix PR. ## Why If the open PR squash-merges, the squash commit and the original branch's commits have the same content but different SHAs. Any branch that carries those original commits will conflict against main even though the content matches. The fix branch then needs to be rebased onto main to drop the duplicate commits, which is more work than either option above. Concrete: caught on roba 2026-05-27. After PR #24 (`test/live-perms`) merged with squash, the standalone fix PR #25 conflicted with main because its branch still carried PR #24's original (pre-squash) commit. Rebasing the fix branch onto main resolved it by dropping the duplicate. ## When to apply When you have a bug, typo, or small change to make against a PR that is currently open OR was just merged. ## How to apply Before branching to fix a freshly opened PR, check the PR's state: ```bash gh pr view <PR> # or gh pr list --state open ``` - **PR open / not merged:** check out its branch, push the fix to it. - **PR merged:** `git checkout main && git pull --ff-only && git checkout -b fix/<short-description>`. Never branch from the now- closed feature branch. ## Related - [`git-branch-pr-workflow`](../git-branch-pr-workflow/SKILL.md) -- the general "branch off main + PR" discipline.
View on GitHub