git-workflow-guide

name	git-workflow-guide
scope	universal
description	Guide Git branching strategies, branch naming, and merge operations. Use when: creating branches, merging, pull requests, Git workflow questions. Keywords: branch, merge, PR, pull request, GitFlow, GitHub Flow.

Git Workflow Guide

Language: English | 繁體中文

Version: 1.0.0 Last Updated: 2025-12-24 Applicability: Claude Code Skills

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Core Standard: This skill implements Git Workflow. For comprehensive methodology documentation, refer to the core standard.

Purpose

This skill provides guidance on Git branching strategies, branch naming conventions, and merge operations.

Quick Reference

Workflow Strategy Selection

Deployment Frequency	Recommended Strategy
Multiple times/day	Trunk-Based Development
Weekly to bi-weekly	GitHub Flow
Monthly or longer	GitFlow

Branch Naming Convention

<type>/<short-description>

Type	Usage	Example
feature/	New functionality	feature/oauth-login
fix/ or bugfix/	Bug fixes	fix/memory-leak
hotfix/	Urgent production fixes	hotfix/security-patch
refactor/	Code refactoring	refactor/extract-service
docs/	Documentation only	docs/api-reference
test/	Test additions	test/integration-tests
chore/	Maintenance tasks	chore/update-dependencies
release/	Release preparation	release/v1.2.0

Naming Rules

1. Use lowercase
2. Use hyphens for spaces
3. Be descriptive but concise

Detailed Guidelines

For complete standards, see:

• Git Workflow Strategies
• Branch Naming Reference

AI-Optimized Format (Token-Efficient)

For AI assistants, use the YAML format files for reduced token usage:

• Base standard: ai/standards/git-workflow.ai.yaml
• Workflow options:
  • GitHub Flow: ai/options/git-workflow/github-flow.ai.yaml
  • GitFlow: ai/options/git-workflow/gitflow.ai.yaml
  • Trunk-Based: ai/options/git-workflow/trunk-based.ai.yaml
• Merge strategy options:
  • Squash Merge: ai/options/git-workflow/squash-merge.ai.yaml
  • Merge Commit: ai/options/git-workflow/merge-commit.ai.yaml
  • Rebase + FF: ai/options/git-workflow/rebase-ff.ai.yaml

Pre-branch Checklist

Before creating a new branch:

1. Check for unmerged branches

   git branch --no-merged main
   

2. Sync latest code

   git checkout main
   git pull origin main
   

3. Verify tests pass

   npm test  # or your project's test command
   

4. Create branch with proper naming

   git checkout -b feature/description
   

Merge Strategy Quick Guide

Strategy	When to Use
Merge Commit (--no-ff)	Long-lived features, GitFlow releases
Squash Merge	Feature branches, clean history
Rebase + FF	Trunk-Based, short-lived branches

Examples

Creating a Feature Branch

# Good
git checkout -b feature/user-authentication
git checkout -b fix/null-pointer-in-payment
git checkout -b hotfix/critical-data-loss

# Bad
git checkout -b 123              # Not descriptive
git checkout -b Fix-Bug          # Not lowercase
git checkout -b myFeature        # No type prefix

Merge Workflow (GitHub Flow)

# 1. Create branch from main
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b feature/user-profile

# 2. Make changes and commit
git add .
git commit -m "feat(profile): add avatar upload"
git push -u origin feature/user-profile

# 3. Create PR and merge via GitHub/GitLab UI

# 4. Delete branch after merge
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git branch -d feature/user-profile

Handling Merge Conflicts

# 1. Update your branch with main
git checkout feature/my-feature
git fetch origin
git merge origin/main

# 2. Resolve conflicts in files
# <<<<<<< HEAD
# Your changes
# =======
# Incoming changes
# >>>>>>> origin/main

# 3. Stage resolved files
git add resolved-file.js

# 4. Complete merge
git commit -m "chore: resolve merge conflicts with main"

# 5. Test and push
npm test
git push origin feature/my-feature

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Configuration Detection

This skill supports project-specific workflow configuration.

Detection Order

1. Check CONTRIBUTING.md for "Git Workflow" or "Branching Strategy" section
2. If found, use the specified strategy (GitFlow / GitHub Flow / Trunk-Based)
3. If not found, default to GitHub Flow for simplicity

First-Time Setup

If no configuration found:

1. Ask the user: "This project hasn't configured a Git workflow strategy. Which would you prefer? (GitFlow / GitHub Flow / Trunk-Based)"
2. After selection, suggest documenting in CONTRIBUTING.md:

## Git Workflow

### Branching Strategy
This project uses **[chosen option]**.

### Branch Naming
Format: `<type>/<description>`
Example: `feature/oauth-login`, `fix/memory-leak`

### Merge Strategy
- Feature branches: **[Squash / Merge commit / Rebase]**

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Next Steps Guidance | 下一步引導

After /git-flow completes, the AI assistant should suggest:

Git 工作流程已設定。建議下一步 / Git workflow configured. Suggested next steps:

• 執行 git checkout -b feature/<描述> 建立功能分支開始開發 ⭐ Recommended / 推薦 — 立即套用所選的分支策略 / Apply the chosen branching strategy immediately
• 執行 /commit 學習提交訊息規範 — 確保提交訊息格式一致 / Ensure consistent commit message format
• 執行 /checkin 了解簽入品質門檻 — 在提交前確保程式碼品質 / Ensure code quality before commits

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Related Standards

• Git Workflow - Core Git workflow standard
• Commit Message Guide - Commit message conventions
• Checkin Standards - Pre-commit quality gates

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Version History

Version	Date	Changes
1.0.0	2025-12-24	Added: Standard sections (Purpose, Related Standards, Version History, License)

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License

This skill is released under CC BY 4.0.

Source: universal-dev-standards