git-safe-pr-workflow

name

git-safe-pr-workflow

description

Safe GitHub pull request workflow for low-experience Git users. Use when pulling, syncing a feature branch with `main`, resolving conflicts, undoing mistakes, recovering from a bad rebase, or deciding how to merge a PR while keeping `main` clean. Triggers on: "update my branch", "rebase my branch", "resolve git conflicts", "recover from rebase", "undo pushed commit", "keep main clean", "squash merge".

Git Safe Pr Workflow

Overview

Guide users through a GitHub-first PR workflow that keeps main clean without requiring frequent local rebases. Prefer short-lived feature branches, merge origin/main into the feature branch when syncing, and land changes with Squash and merge.

Bias toward safety over elegance. Choose reversible operations, avoid rewriting shared history, and teach the user in small steps while you work.

Safe Defaults

• Treat main and master as shared, sensitive branches.
• Use a short-lived feature branch for every task.
• Assume a pushed branch or open PR may already be shared.
• Prefer git fetch before any sync, merge, or recovery action.
• Prefer merging origin/main into a feature branch over rebasing it.
• Prefer git revert over rewriting history when commits may already be pushed.
• Prefer Squash and merge to keep main clean.

Inspect First

Before any Git operation that changes history, branches, or remote state, inspect:

• current branch and whether it is the default branch
• clean vs dirty working tree
• upstream tracking branch and whether local commits are pushed
• whether the branch has an open PR or appears shared
• staged and unstaged diff when undoing or syncing work

If you cannot determine whether a branch is shared, assume it is shared and choose the safer path.

Standard Workflow

Use this as the default GitHub workflow for low-experience users:

1. Branch from main.
2. Commit locally on the feature branch in small logical steps.
3. Open a PR early.
4. When the branch falls behind main, merge origin/main into the feature branch.
5. Resolve conflicts carefully and verify the final code, not just the merge markers.
6. Push the updated branch.
7. Merge with Squash and merge.
8. Delete the feature branch after merge.

Do not teach users to routinely rebase pushed PR branches just to get the latest main. That workflow is where many novices re-introduce old code or lose work.

Opening PRs

When helping a user open a PR, treat the PR title as the likely final squash-merge commit.

• Write the title so it reads well on main after Squash and merge.
• Use a concise Conventional Commit style title when the repo uses that convention.
• Describe the final outcome, not the implementation journey or review process.
• Avoid titles like WIP, fix stuff, address comments, or update branch.

Good default patterns:

• feat: add <skill-name> skill
• feat(<skill-name>): add <capability>
• fix(<skill-name>): correct <problem>
• docs: document <policy or workflow>

For the PR body:

• briefly state what changed
• briefly state why it changed
• mention testing or validation if relevant

If the repo uses GitHub squash merges, prefer the PR title as the default squash commit message.

Sync Decision Tree

• Need the latest main on a feature branch? Use fetch, then merge origin/main into the feature branch.
• Need a clean main history? Rely on Squash and merge, not local rebasing of the feature branch.
• Need to clean up unpublished local commits? Rebase is acceptable only if the branch is clearly private, unpublished, and not under review.
• Need to undo pushed work? Use revert.
• Need to discard local-only work? Use the least destructive local undo that matches the goal.

If a user asks to rebase a pushed branch, explain why that is risky and propose merging origin/main instead.

Conflict Resolution Rules

• Resolve conflicts to the desired final code state, not by blindly taking both sides.
• Assume old bugs can be reintroduced during conflict resolution.
• After resolving conflicts, inspect the affected files and summarize what changed.
• Run targeted verification after conflicts: tests, build, or focused checks in the touched area.
• If the resolution is non-obvious, explain it briefly to the user while making the change.

For detailed conflict-handling steps and examples, read references/conflict-resolution.md.

Recovery Rules

• If a merge is in progress and the user wants to stop, abort the merge rather than improvising.
• If a rebase is in progress and has gone wrong, stop and recover with reflog or rebase abort.
• If the wrong commit was pushed, prefer revert.
• If work was committed to the wrong branch, preserve it and move it rather than deleting it.
• When recovering history, explain what reference point you are returning to and why.

For recovery playbooks, read references/recovery.md.

Refuse or Warn Hard

• Do not commit directly to main unless the user explicitly asks and the repo policy allows it.
• Do not force-push main or other protected branches.
• Do not rebase a pushed/shared branch by default.
• Do not use git reset --hard, git clean -fd, branch deletion, or tag deletion unless the user clearly wants destructive cleanup.
• Do not bypass branch protections, required checks, or required review flows.

If the user explicitly wants a risky operation, explain the safer alternative first. Only proceed when the request is clear and the branch is not a protected/shared branch.

Teaching Behavior

Teach in short, repeatable notes while working:

• State what you are about to do and why it is the safer path.
• When rejecting rebase, explain that rebase rewrites commit history and is easy to misuse once a branch is pushed.
• When merging origin/main, explain that this preserves the branch's existing commits and is easier to recover from.
• After recovery, explain what went wrong, how you recovered, and what safer habit to use next time.
• Avoid long Git lectures. Teach the next decision, not the whole tool.

GitHub Settings To Recommend

When asked how to support this workflow at the repo level, recommend:

• protect main
• require pull requests before merge
• require status checks
• require at least one review
• enable Squash and merge
• disable Rebase and merge
• optionally disable regular merge commits if the team wants squash-only history
• set the default squash commit message to Pull request title
• auto-delete head branches after merge

For repo policy details, read references/repo-settings.md.

Quick Checklist

Before syncing a feature branch:

• confirm you are on the feature branch, not main
• fetch remote changes
• check for uncommitted work
• merge origin/main, do not rebase by default
• inspect and verify conflict resolutions

Before pushing:

• review status and diff
• confirm no accidental changes to unrelated files
• explain any conflict resolution that changed behavior

Before undoing:

• determine whether the commits are pushed
• choose revert for pushed work
• use local-only undo only for unpublished work