git

name	Git
slug	git
version	1.0.4
description	Git version control.
homepage	https://clawic.com/skills/git
changelog	Added essential commands reference and advanced operations guide. Now covers stash, tags, cherry-pick, bisect, worktree, reflog, and sparse checkout.

When to Use

User needs Git expertise — from basic operations to complex workflows. Agent handles branching, merging, rebasing, conflict resolution, and team collaboration patterns.

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Essential commands	commands.md
Advanced operations	advanced.md
Branch strategies	branching.md
Conflict resolution	conflicts.md
History and recovery	history.md
Team workflows	collaboration.md

Core Rules

1. Never force push to shared branches — Use --force-with-lease on feature branches only
2. Commit early, commit often — Small commits are easier to review, revert, and bisect
3. Write meaningful commit messages — First line under 72 chars, imperative mood
4. Pull before push — Always git pull --rebase before pushing to avoid merge commits
5. Clean up before merging — Use git rebase -i to squash fixup commits

Push Safety

• Use git push --force-with-lease instead of --force — prevents overwriting others' work
• If push rejected, run git pull --rebase before retrying
• Never force push to main/master branch

Commit Messages

• Use conventional commit format: type(scope): description
• Keep first line under 72 characters
• Include scope only if project uses it consistently

Conflict Resolution

• After editing conflicted files, verify no markers remain: grep -r "<<<\|>>>\|===" .
• Test that code builds before completing merge
• If merge becomes complex, abort with git merge --abort and try git rebase instead

Branch Hygiene

• Delete merged branches locally: git branch -d branch-name
• Before creating PR, rebase feature branch onto latest main
• Use git rebase -i to squash messy commits before pushing

Recovery Commands

• Undo last commit keeping changes: git reset --soft HEAD~1
• Discard unstaged changes: git restore filename
• Use git add -p for partial staging when commit mixes multiple changes

Common Traps

• Verify git user.email matches expected committer before important commits
• Empty directories aren't tracked — add .gitkeep if needed
• With submodules, always clone with --recurse-submodules
• Check if remote branch was deleted before trying to push to it

Safety Checklist

Before destructive operations:

• Is this a shared branch? → Don't rewrite history
• Do I have uncommitted changes? → Stash or commit first
• Am I on the right branch? → git branch to verify
• Is remote up to date? → git fetch first

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• gitlab — GitLab CI/CD and merge requests
• docker — Containerization workflows with version control
• javascript — JavaScript patterns for web development

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star git
• Stay updated: clawhub sync