Git Workflows

Comprehensive git workflow skill for commits, pull requests, branching, and changelog generation.

Commit Message Format

Conventional Commits

Part Purpose Example

Type Category of change feat , fix , docs

Scope Affected component (auth) , (api)

Subject Brief description add OAuth2 login

Body Details (optional) Why + what changed

Footer References Closes #123

Commit Types

Type When to Use

feat New feature

fix Bug fix

docs Documentation only

style Formatting (no code change)

refactor Code restructuring

test Adding/updating tests

chore Maintenance, deps

perf Performance improvement

Commit Analysis Workflow

• Run git diff --staged to see changes

• Identify change type (feat, fix, etc.)

• Determine scope (affected component)

• Write concise subject (< 50 chars)

• Add body if context needed

Pull Request Structure

PR Template Elements

Section Content

Summary What this PR does (1-2 sentences)

Changes Bullet list of specific changes

Testing How changes were tested

Screenshots If UI changes

Checklist Tests pass, docs updated

PR Analysis Workflow

• List commits: git log main..HEAD --oneline

• Identify themes across commits

• Note any breaking changes

• Check test coverage

• Review documentation needs

Branch Strategies

Git Flow

Branch Purpose

main Production code

develop Integration branch

feature/ New features

release/ Release preparation

hotfix/ Production fixes

GitHub Flow

Branch Purpose

main Always deployable

feature branches Short-lived work

Trunk-Based

Branch Purpose

main All development

Short branches < 1 day

Feature flags Incomplete work

Branch Naming

Pattern Example

Feature feature/ABC-123-add-user-auth

Bugfix bugfix/ABC-456-fix-login

Hotfix hotfix/critical-security-patch

Release release/v1.2.0

Changelog Format

Keep a Changelog Structure

Section Content

Added New features

Changed Changes in existing functionality

Deprecated Soon-to-be removed features

Removed Removed features

Fixed Bug fixes

Security Security fixes

Changelog Generation Workflow

• Get commits since last release tag

• Parse commit messages for type/scope

• Group by category (Added, Fixed, etc.)

• Format with links to issues/PRs

Best Practices

Commits

Practice Why

Atomic commits One logical change per commit

Clear messages Explain why, not just what

Reference issues Link to related tickets

Sign commits GPG verification

Pull Requests

Practice Why

Small PRs < 400 lines ideal for review

Clear title Summarize the change

Self-review first Check diff before requesting

Respond promptly Address feedback quickly

Branches

Practice Why

Short-lived Merge within days

Up to date Rebase regularly

Clean history Squash before merge

Delete after merge Keep repo clean

Merge Strategies

Strategy When to Use Result

Merge commit Preserve history Merge commit node

Squash Clean up messy history Single commit

Rebase Linear history No merge commit

Fast-forward Simple, linear No merge commit

Key concept: Squash for feature branches with messy commits. Rebase for clean linear history. Merge commit when branch history matters.

Common Git Commands

Pre-Commit

Command Purpose

git status

See staged/unstaged changes

git diff --staged

Review what will be committed

git add -p

Interactive staging

Commit

Command Purpose

git commit -m "msg"

Commit with message

git commit --amend

Fix last commit (before push)

Branch Management

Command Purpose

git branch -d name

Delete merged branch

git fetch --prune

Remove stale remotes

git rebase main

Update branch with main

PR Workflow

Command Purpose

git push -u origin branch

Push and set upstream

gh pr create

Create PR via CLI

gh pr merge

Merge PR via CLI

Resources

• Conventional Commits: https://www.conventionalcommits.org/

• Keep a Changelog: https://keepachangelog.com/

• Git Book: https://git-scm.com/book