git-practices

name	git-practices
description	Enforce Git best practices — branch naming, commit message conventions, and workflow rules. Use when working on any code change that should be committed.

Git Practices

Branch Rules

• Never commit directly to main. Always create a branch first.
• Use the appropriate branch prefix:

Prefix	When to use
feature/	New functionality
bugfix/	Fixing a bug
refactor/	Code restructuring without behavior change
docs/	Documentation-only changes
chore/	Tooling, config, dependency updates

• Branch names should be lowercase, hyphen-separated, and descriptive.
  Example: feature/add-comment-likes, bugfix/fix-null-post-id

Commit Message Conventions

Use Conventional Commits:

<type>: <short imperative description>

Types:

Type	When to use
feat:	New feature
fix:	Bug fix
docs:	Documentation change
refactor:	Code change that neither fixes a bug nor adds a feature
test:	Adding or updating tests
chore:	Tooling, config, CI, dependency updates
style:	Formatting, whitespace (no logic change)

Rules:

• Keep the subject line under 72 characters
• Use imperative mood: "add feature" not "added feature" or "adds feature"
• No period at the end of the subject line
• Do not include issue numbers unless the project convention requires it

Examples:

feat: add like button to comment cards
fix: return 404 when post not found
refactor: extract comment query into helper
docs: update API endpoint table in README
chore: bump pgx to v5.7

Commit Frequency

• Commit after each logical, self-contained unit of work
• Do not bundle unrelated changes in one commit
• Prefer many small commits over one large commit at the end
• A commit should leave the codebase in a working state

Workflow Checklist

Before starting any work:

1. Confirm you are not on main — if you are, create a branch first
2. Choose the right prefix for the branch
3. Name the branch after the change being made

While working: 4. Commit frequently as you complete logical steps 5. Each commit message must start with the correct type prefix

Before finishing: 6. Review staged changes — only include what belongs in this commit 7. Verify the branch has not diverged unexpectedly from main