git-branching

name: git-branching description: Creates Git branches following naming conventions (feature/PROJ-123-desc, fix/PROJ-123-desc, refactor/PROJ-123-desc). This skill should be used when creating branches for assigned work, starting work on tickets/issues, or establishing branch naming patterns for feature, fix, refactor, hotfix, docs, or chore branches.

Git Branch Creation

Automatically create properly named Git branches following project conventions.

Use Cases

Why use standardized branch names:

• Team consistency - Everyone follows same pattern; no confusion about branch purpose
• Automation-friendly - CI/CD pipelines can trigger based on prefix (feature/, fix/)
• Traceability - Branch name links directly to ticket/issue for context
• Clear intent - fix/ vs feature/ vs refactor/ signals what changed
• Convention over memory - No need to remember project standards; skill enforces them

When to invoke:

• Starting work on assigned tickets
• Creating branches for features, fixes, refactors
• Need to follow team/project naming standards
• Integrating with worktree-manager for full automation

Branch Naming Conventions

Format Patterns

• Features: feature/PROJ-123-short-description
  • Example: feature/AUTH-101-user-login
• Bug Fixes: fix/PROJ-123-short-description
  • Example: fix/AUTH-105-session-timeout
• Refactoring: refactor/PROJ-123-short-description
  • Example: refactor/AUTH-108-simplify-api
• Hotfixes: hotfix/PROJ-123-short-description
  • Example: hotfix/PROD-999-critical-security
• Documentation: docs/short-description
  • Example: docs/setup-guide
• Chores: chore/short-description
  • Example: chore/update-deps

Naming Rules

• Use lowercase only
• Separate words with hyphens (kebab-case)
• Keep descriptions concise but meaningful (3-5 words max)
• Always include ticket number when applicable
• Limit total length to 50 characters

Instructions

When invoked with $ARGUMENTS:

1. Parse the Input

   • Extract ticket number (PROJ-123, JIRA-456, etc.)
   • Identify work type (feature, fix, refactor, hotfix, docs, chore)
   • Extract description keywords

2. Determine Branch Type

   • If unclear, ask: "Is this a feature, fix, or refactor?"
   • Default to feature/ if adding new functionality
   • Use fix/ for bug fixes
   • Use refactor/ for code improvements without behavior changes

3. Create Branch Name

   • Format: TYPE/TICKET-description
   • Convert description to lowercase with hyphens
   • Validate length (50 characters max)

4. Verify Current State

   git status
   git branch --show-current
   

5. Create and Switch to Branch

   git checkout -b TYPE/TICKET-description
   

6. Confirm Creation

   git branch --show-current
   

Examples

Input: "PROJ-123 add user authentication"

git checkout -b feature/PROJ-123-user-authentication

Input: "fix bug JIRA-456 login redirect"

git checkout -b fix/JIRA-456-login-redirect

Input: "refactor AUTH-789 simplify token validation"

git checkout -b refactor/AUTH-789-simplify-token-validation

Error Handling

• Branch already exists: Inform and offer to switch or create with suffix
• Not on main/master: Warn and ask whether to switch first
• Uncommitted changes: Suggest stashing or committing first