plan-branch-strategy

name	plan-branch-strategy
description	Ensures work is on a named branch before edits. Use at session start when on main, at planning time before implementation, or when the feature-branch hook blocks edits on main.

Plan branch strategy

When to use

• First action in a coding session (after cloning context): if the repo is on main, create a branch before modifying files.
• Start of Phase 2 (plan) per docs/technical/AGENTS.md.
• Any time you notice git branch --show-current is main and you intend to commit.

Why

branch-policy.mdc and merge-via-pr: deliverable work merges to main only via pull request. Commits made directly on main bypass that workflow.

Instructions

1. Show current branch: git branch --show-current.
2. If the result is main (or you are in detached HEAD), update and branch:

   git checkout main
   git pull origin main
   git checkout -b feature/NNN-short-slug
   

   Use feature/, task/, chore/, or docs/ per issue type; include the GitHub issue number when there is one (e.g. feature/128-api-v1-implementation).
3. If you already changed files on main but have not committed, run only:

   git checkout -b feature/NNN-short-slug
   

   Git keeps your working tree; new commits go on the new branch.
4. Verify: git branch --show-current is not main.

Naming

See CLAUDE.md § Git workflow and github-integration.mdc.

Integration

• Runs before implementation-heavy skills (e.g. test after code changes).
• Pairs with merge-via-pr for push and PR.

Note on Cursor skills

This repository gitignores .cursor/skills (see SKILLS_SETUP.md). This file is the committed copy for Claude Code; keep it in sync with any sibling plan-branch-strategy skill in your global Cursor skills pack.