create-issue-branch

name	create-issue-branch
description	Creates a new git branch for a GitHub issue following naming conventions with issue number as prefix.

Create Issue Branch

When to use this skill

Use this skill when asked to create a new git branch for a GitHub issue, start work on an issue, or check out a new feature/fix branch tied to an issue.

Branch naming convention

Branches must follow this pattern:

<issue-number>-<short-description>

• <issue-number> — the GitHub issue number (integer, no leading zeros)
• <short-description> — kebab-case summary of the work (3–6 words, no punctuation)

Examples

Issue	Description	Branch name
#42	Add dark mode toggle	42-add-dark-mode-toggle
#101	Header overlaps on mobile	101-header-overlaps-on-mobile
#7	Update contributor guide	7-update-contributor-guide
#55	Upgrade SvelteKit to v2	55-upgrade-sveltekit-v2
#88	Extract search utils	88-extract-search-utils

Rules

• Always prefix with the issue number so the branch is traceable to the GitHub issue.
• Use lowercase only — no uppercase letters.
• Use hyphens (-) to separate words inside the description — never underscores or spaces.
• Keep the description short and meaningful (≤ 50 characters total for the whole branch name is ideal).
• Do not include # in the branch name.
• Do not include the issue title verbatim if it is long — shorten it.

Steps

1. Identify the issue number

Before creating the branch, confirm:

• The GitHub issue number (e.g., 42)
• A short kebab-case description of the change

2. Ensure the base branch is up to date

git checkout develop
git pull origin develop

The default base branch for this project is develop (not main).

3. Create and switch to the new branch

git checkout -b <issue-number>-<short-description>

Example:

git checkout -b 42-add-dark-mode-toggle

4. Verify the branch was created

git branch --show-current

The output should match the pattern exactly.

5. Push the branch to the remote (optional — do only when ready to open a PR)

git push -u origin <branch-name>

Do not push an empty branch. Make at least one commit first.

Commit message convention

Once on the branch, commits should follow Conventional Commits:

<type>(<scope>): <short summary>

Example:

feat(ui): add dark mode toggle to header

Reference the issue in the commit body or footer when relevant:

feat(ui): add dark mode toggle to header

Closes #42

Checklist

• Branch name starts with the issue number
• Description is kebab-case, lowercase, and concise
• Branch was created from an up-to-date develop base
• Branch name verified with git branch --show-current