| name | new-branch |
| description | Create a strategy-compliant git branch. TRIGGER when the user says "create a branch for X", "start a feature branch", "new fix branch", "cut a release branch", "start a hotfix", "branch for bug in Y", "make a branch named X", "/nyann:branch". DISAMBIGUATION: if the user mentions BOTH branch creation AND committing in the same message (e.g. "branch and commit", "start a branch and commit this"), this skill wins — create the branch first, then suggest `/nyann:commit` (or the commit skill) as the follow-up. Do NOT trigger on informational questions about branches ("what branch am I on?") or on general git-history questions.
|
new-branch
You are creating a git branch that matches the repo's active profile.
Never run git branch or git checkout -b directly — route through
bin/new-branch.sh so the branching strategy, base branch, and name
pattern stay consistent.
1. Infer purpose
Read the user's phrasing. Purpose inference:
| User says something like... | Purpose |
|---|
| "new feature for X", "landing page", "add X" | feature |
| "bug in checkout", "fix Y", "bugfix" | bugfix |
| "release v1.2", "cut a release" | release |
| "hotfix production", "emergency fix" | hotfix |
If the phrasing is ambiguous ("I want a branch for the auth work"),
you MUST call the AskUserQuestion tool (not plain text):
{
"questions": [
{
"question": "What kind of branch do you need?",
"header": "Purpose",
"multiSelect": false,
"options": [
{ "label": "Feature", "description": "New functionality or enhancement" },
{ "label": "Bugfix", "description": "Fix for an existing issue" },
{ "label": "Release", "description": "Cut a release branch" },
{ "label": "Hotfix", "description": "Emergency fix against a tagged version" }
]
}
]
}
Don't guess when stakes are non-trivial (release vs hotfix especially).
2. Derive a slug
Short, lowercase-kebab, no spaces. Map the user's words:
- "bug in the checkout button" →
checkout-button
- "add a landing page" →
landing-page
- "v1.2.0" release → slug is
1.2.0, use --version 1.2.0 (see below).
Enforce the regex ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9._-]*$. If the user's phrasing
doesn't reduce to a clean slug, propose one and ask for confirmation.
3. Release / hotfix version flag
release and hotfix patterns in GitFlow use {version} not {slug}.
For those purposes, ask the user which version (unless they already
said), then pass --version <x.y.z> to the orchestrator.
4. Invoke the orchestrator
bin/new-branch.sh \
--target <cwd> \
--profile <active-profile-name> \
--purpose <feature|bugfix|release|hotfix> \
--slug <slug> \
[--version <x.y.z>] \
--checkout
Exit codes you should expect:
| Code | Meaning | What to do |
|---|
| 0 | created (and checked out if --checkout) | Report the new branch name |
| 2 | profile not found | Ask user to run bootstrap, or pick a different profile |
| 3 | purpose not supported by strategy / placeholder left | Tell user (e.g. GitHub Flow has no release) |
| 4 | slug invalid | Tell user + proposed fix |
| 5 | branch already exists, no --checkout | Offer to switch or suggest a different slug |
5. Report
On success, print:
- The new branch name.
- The base branch it was created from.
- One-line "next step" suggestion (e.g. "start making your changes, then
run
/nyann:commit").
When something goes wrong
- Strategy doesn't support the purpose (e.g. GitHub Flow +
release) →
tell the user; suggest creating a release tag instead if that's their
intent.
main/master doesn't resolve → the repo wasn't bootstrapped; run
/nyann:bootstrap first to seed.
- Slug collision on a prior PR → suggest
-v2 or a more specific slug
rather than silently appending.
When to hand off
- "Now commit my changes" →
commit skill.
- "Open a PR from this branch" →
pr skill (PR only) or ship skill
(PR + merge).
- "Sync this branch with main" →
sync skill.