branch-name

name	branch-name
description	Use when naming or renaming the current git branch from its contents. Triggers: name this branch, rename branch, or working on default branch (main) with uncommitted work.

Branch Name

Generate a descriptive branch name from the branch's contents and rename the current branch.

What to analyze

These commands run automatically when the skill loads — their output replaces each line below. Use whatever has content.

• Staged file list: !git diff --cached --stat
• Staged diff: !git diff --cached
• Unstaged file list: !git diff --stat
• Unstaged diff: !git diff
• Branch commits: !git log main..HEAD --oneline 2>/dev/null || git log master..HEAD --oneline 2>/dev/null || true
• Commit messages: !git log main..HEAD --format="%B" 2>/dev/null || git log master..HEAD --format="%B" 2>/dev/null || true

If on main/master with uncommitted changes, only the diff output will be useful.

Naming rules

• Format: <type>/<short-description> where type is feat, fix, refactor, chore, docs, test, ci, or perf
• Use lowercase kebab-case for the description
• Keep total length under 50 characters
• Be specific: feat/add-user-avatar-upload not feat/update-users
• Use imperative mood: fix/handle-null-response not fix/handled-null-response
• No issue numbers unless the user asks for them

Procedure

1. Analyze the branch contents (diffs and/or commits as above).
2. Determine the primary type from the changes.
3. Generate the branch name.
4. Present the name and rename:

git branch -m <new-name>

5. After renaming, check if the old branch had a remote tracking branch:

git for-each-ref --format='%(upstream:short)' refs/heads/<new-name>

If a remote tracking branch exists, rename the remote branch using GitHub's API (this preserves any open PRs):

gh api -X POST repos/{owner}/{repo}/branches/<old-name>/rename -f new_name="<new-name>"
git branch -u origin/<new-name>

If the gh command fails (e.g. not a GitHub repo), fall back to:

git push -u origin <new-name> && git push origin :<old-name>

Edge cases

• No changes and no commits: Use the current conversation context (task description, discussed goals) to derive the branch name. If there is no conversation context either, report "nothing to name — no context available" and stop.
• On main/master: Create a new branch instead of renaming: git checkout -b <name>
• Already on a well-named branch: Suggest keeping it, or offer the new name as an alternative.
• Detached HEAD: Report error — must be on a branch to rename.
• Mixed change types: Use the dominant type. If truly split, suggest the user commit separately and name after the primary purpose.