Git Workflow Best Practices
Purpose
This skill provides guidance on Git workflow best practices to ensure clean commit history, effective collaboration, and maintainable version control in your projects.
When to Use This Skill
Auto-activates when:
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Mentions of "git", "commit", "branch", "merge", "pull request"
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Working with version control operations
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Creating or reviewing commits
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Managing branches and releases
Commit Messages
Conventional Commits Format
Follow the Conventional Commits specification:
<type>(<scope>): <subject>
<body>
<footer>
Types:
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feat : New feature
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fix : Bug fix
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docs : Documentation only
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style : Code style changes (formatting, no logic change)
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refactor : Code refactoring (no feature or bug fix)
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perf : Performance improvements
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test : Adding or updating tests
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build : Build system or dependency changes
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ci : CI/CD configuration changes
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chore : Other changes (tooling, maintenance)
Examples:
feat(auth): add OAuth2 authentication support
Implement OAuth2 authentication flow using the authorization code grant type. Supports Google and GitHub providers.
Closes #123
fix(api): handle null response from database query
Previously, null responses would cause the API to crash. Now returns 404 with appropriate error message.
Fixes #456
Commit Message Best Practices
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Use imperative mood in subject line: "Add feature" not "Added feature"
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Keep subject line under 50 characters
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Capitalize subject line
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No period at end of subject line
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Separate subject from body with blank line
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Wrap body at 72 characters
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Explain what and why, not how
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Reference issues/tickets in footer
Branching Strategy
Branch Naming Convention
Use descriptive, hierarchical branch names:
<type>/<issue-number>-<short-description>
Examples:
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feature/123-oauth-authentication
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fix/456-null-pointer-crash
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docs/789-api-documentation
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refactor/321-simplify-parser
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hotfix/999-security-vulnerability
Git Flow Strategy
Common branching model:
main (production) ├── develop (integration) │ ├── feature/123-new-feature │ ├── feature/456-another-feature │ └── fix/789-bug-fix ├── release/1.2.0 └── hotfix/critical-security-fix
Branch purposes:
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main : Production-ready code
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develop : Integration branch for features
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feature/* : New features
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fix/* : Bug fixes
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release/* : Release preparation
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hotfix/* : Critical production fixes
Branch Management
Creating a feature branch:
git checkout develop git pull origin develop git checkout -b feature/123-new-feature
Keeping branch up to date:
git checkout develop git pull origin develop git checkout feature/123-new-feature git rebase develop
Cleaning up merged branches:
git branch -d feature/123-new-feature # Local git push origin --delete feature/123-new-feature # Remote
Pull Requests
Pull Request Description Template
Summary
Brief description of what this PR does and why.
Changes
- Add new authentication module
- Update user model with OAuth fields
- Add tests for OAuth flow
Testing
- Unit tests pass
- Integration tests pass
- Manual testing completed
Related Issues
Closes #123 Relates to #456
Checklist
- Code follows project style guidelines
- Self-review completed
- Documentation updated
- Tests added/updated
- All tests passing
PR Best Practices
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Keep PRs small and focused: One feature/fix per PR
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Write clear descriptions: Explain what, why, and how
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Self-review before requesting review: Catch obvious issues
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Add tests: Every PR should include relevant tests
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Update documentation: Keep docs in sync with code
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Respond to feedback promptly: Address review comments quickly
Common Operations
Amending Last Commit
Add changes to previous commit
git add . git commit --amend --no-edit
Update commit message
git commit --amend -m "Updated commit message"
Warning: Only amend commits that haven't been pushed!
Interactive Rebase
Clean up commit history:
git rebase -i HEAD~3 # Last 3 commits
Commands:
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pick : Keep commit as-is
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reword : Change commit message
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squash : Combine with previous commit
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fixup : Like squash, but discard message
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drop : Remove commit
Stashing Changes
Save changes
git stash push -m "WIP: working on feature"
List stashes
git stash list
Apply and remove latest stash
git stash pop
Apply specific stash
git stash apply stash@{0}
Cherry-Picking Commits
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>
Multiple commits
git cherry-pick <commit-hash1> <commit-hash2>
Range of commits
git cherry-pick <start-hash>^..<end-hash>
Undoing Changes
Discard uncommitted changes:
git restore <file> # Unstaged changes git restore --staged <file> # Staged changes git reset --hard HEAD # All changes (DESTRUCTIVE!)
Undo commits:
Keep changes, undo commit
git reset --soft HEAD~1
Keep changes in working directory, unstage
git reset HEAD~1
Discard changes completely (DESTRUCTIVE!)
git reset --hard HEAD~1
Revert commit (safe for shared branches):
git revert <commit-hash> # Creates new commit that undoes changes
Collaboration Patterns
Keeping Fork Updated
Add upstream remote (one time)
git remote add upstream <original-repo-url>
Fetch and merge upstream changes
git fetch upstream git checkout main git merge upstream/main git push origin main
Resolving Merge Conflicts
Start merge/rebase
git merge develop # or git rebase develop
Edit files to resolve conflicts marked by Git
Mark as resolved
git add <resolved-file>
Complete merge
git commit # for merge
or
git rebase --continue # for rebase
Git Configuration
Essential Git Config
User information
git config --global user.name "Your Name" git config --global user.email "your.email@example.com"
Default branch name
git config --global init.defaultBranch main
Rebase by default on pull
git config --global pull.rebase true
Better log format
git config --global alias.lg "log --graph --pretty=format:'%Cred%h%Creset -%C(yellow)%d%Creset %s %Cgreen(%cr) %C(bold blue)<%an>%Creset' --abbrev-commit"
Useful Aliases
Common shortcuts
git config --global alias.st status git config --global alias.ci commit git config --global alias.co checkout git config --global alias.br branch
Undo last commit (keep changes)
git config --global alias.undo "reset --soft HEAD~1"
Delete merged branches
git config --global alias.cleanup "!git branch --merged | grep -v '\*\|main\|develop' | xargs -n 1 git branch -d"
Security Best Practices
Avoiding Sensitive Data
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Never commit secrets: API keys, passwords, tokens
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Use .gitignore: Exclude sensitive files
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Use environment variables: Store secrets outside repo
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Use git-secrets: Tool to prevent committing secrets
Install git-secrets
brew install git-secrets # macOS
Initialize in repo
git secrets --install git secrets --register-aws
Scan for secrets
git secrets --scan-history
Signing Commits
Generate GPG key
gpg --gen-key
Configure Git to use GPG
git config --global user.signingkey <key-id> git config --global commit.gpgsign true
Sign commit
git commit -S -m "Signed commit message"
.gitignore Best Practices
Common Patterns
Operating System
.DS_Store Thumbs.db
IDE/Editor
.vscode/ .idea/ *.swp
Language-specific
pycache/ *.pyc node_modules/ *.class target/
Build artifacts
dist/ build/ *.egg-info/
Environment
.env .env.local venv/ env/
Logs
*.log logs/
Temporary files
*.tmp .cache/
gitignore Tips
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Use ** for recursive directory matching
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Use ! to negate patterns (whitelist files)
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Use # for comments
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Test patterns: git check-ignore -v <file>
Key Takeaways
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Write clear, conventional commit messages
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Use descriptive branch names with type prefixes
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Keep pull requests small and focused
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Rebase feature branches to keep history clean
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Never commit sensitive data
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Use .gitignore effectively
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Review code thoughtfully and constructively
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Keep branches up to date with main/develop
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Sign commits for security
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Configure Git aliases for efficiency