reimplement-branch

Reimplement the current branch on a new branch with a clean, narrative-quality git commit history. Use when the user wants to clean up messy commits, create a tutorial-style commit history, or prepare a branch for review with logical, self-contained commits. Triggers on requests like "clean up my commits", "reimplement this branch", "create a clean history", or "make my commits reviewable".

Reimplement Branch

Create a new branch with a clean, narrative-quality commit history from an existing branch's changes.

Gather Context

Run these commands to understand the current state:

git branch --show-current          # Source branch
git status --short                 # Uncommitted changes
git log main..HEAD --oneline       # Commits since main
git diff main...HEAD --stat        # Full diff summary

Workflow

1. Validate source branch

Ensure no uncommitted changes or merge conflicts
Confirm branch is up to date with main

2. Analyze the diff

Study all changes between source branch and main. Form a clear understanding of the final intended state.

3. Create clean branch

git checkout main
git checkout -b <new-branch-name>

Use the user-provided branch name, or {source-branch}-clean if none provided.

4. Plan commit storyline

Break the implementation into self-contained logical steps. Each step should reflect a stage of development—as if writing a tutorial.

5. Reimplement the work

Recreate changes in the clean branch, committing step by step. Each commit must:

Introduce a single coherent idea
Include a clear commit message and description

Use git commit --no-verify for intermediate commits. Pre-commit hooks check tests, types, and imports that may not pass until full implementation is complete.

6. Verify correctness

Confirm final state exactly matches source branch: git diff <source-branch>
Run final commit without --no-verify to ensure all checks pass

7. Open PR

Use the /pr skill to create a pull request. Include a link to the original branch in the PR description.

Rules

Never add yourself as author or contributor
Never include "Generated with Claude Code" or "Co-Authored-By" lines
End state of clean branch must be identical to source branch