Git Branch Manager Skill

Git Branch Manager

Instructions

When to Invoke This Skill

Creating a new feature/fix/chore branch
Switching between branches
Cleaning up merged branches
Handling uncommitted changes before branch operations
Validating current branch state

Core Capabilities

Branch Creation - Create properly named branches from main
Branch Switching - Safe branch changes with uncommitted change handling
Branch Cleanup - Remove local branches after merge
Branch Validation - Verify branch state and history

Standard Workflows

Creating a New Branch

Check Repository State Invoke the git-state-validator skill to verify:
- Current branch status
- Uncommitted changes
- Working directory state
Handle Uncommitted Changes If changes exist, ask user:
- Stash: git stash push -m "WIP: switching to new branch"
- Commit: Guide through commit process first
- Abort: Cancel branch creation
Ensure Latest Default Branch Invoke the git-sync skill to pull the latest changes from the default branch.
Determine Branch Prefix Based on work type:
- feat/ - New features
- fix/ - Bug fixes
- chore/ - Maintenance, tooling
- docs/ - Documentation
- refactor/ - Code refactoring
- test/ - Test additions/fixes
- perf/ - Performance improvements
Create Branch
```
git checkout -b <prefix>/<description>
```
Branch name format:
- Use kebab-case
- Maximum 50 characters
- Descriptive but concise
- Example: feat/add-user-authentication

Switching Branches

Check Repository State Invoke the git-state-validator skill to verify:
- Current branch name
- Uncommitted changes
- Working directory status
Handle Changes (if any)
- Offer to stash, commit, or abort
- If stash: git stash push -m "WIP: switching from <current> to <target>"
Switch Branch
```
git checkout <branch-name>
```
Restore Stash (if applicable) After switching, if user stashed:
```
git stash list
git stash pop
```

Cleaning Up Branches

Verify Branch is Merged
```
git branch --merged main
```
Switch to Main (if on the branch being deleted)
```
git checkout main
```
Check Branch Exists Before Deletion
```
git branch --list <branch-name>
```
If no output, branch doesn't exist - skip deletion
Delete Local Branch (only if exists)
```
git branch -d <branch-name>
```
Use -D (force delete) only if user explicitly confirms:
```
git branch -D <branch-name>
```
Verify Deletion
```
git branch --list <branch-name>
```

Safe Branch Deletion Helper

CRITICAL: Always check if branch exists before attempting deletion to avoid errors.

Safe Deletion Pattern:

# Check if branch exists
if git branch --list <branch-name> | grep -q <branch-name>; then
  git branch -d <branch-name>
  echo "Branch deleted"
else
  echo "Branch does not exist, skipping"
fi

Why This Matters:

Prevents "branch not found" errors in automated workflows
Handles cases where remote deletion already removed local tracking branch
Makes cleanup scripts idempotent (safe to run multiple times)

Branch Naming Conventions

Good Examples:

feat/user-profile-page
fix/login-validation-error
chore/update-dependencies
docs/api-endpoint-guide

Bad Examples:

my-branch (no type prefix)
feat/ThisIsMyNewFeature (not kebab-case)
feat/add-the-new-user-profile-page-with-authentication-and-settings (too long)

Error Handling

Branch Already Exists: Ask user to:

Switch to existing: git checkout <branch-name>
Delete and recreate: git branch -D <branch-name> && git checkout -b <branch-name>
Choose different name

Uncommitted Changes Conflict:

error: Your local changes to the following files would be overwritten by checkout

Must stash or commit changes first
Cannot proceed without handling changes

Merge Conflicts When Pulling:

error: Merge conflict in <file>

Must resolve conflicts before creating branch
Guide user through conflict resolution

Cannot Delete Current Branch:

error: Cannot delete branch '<name>' checked out at '<path>'

Must switch to different branch first
Run: git checkout main then retry delete

Examples

Example 1: Create feature branch for issue

Context: Working on issue #42 to add dark mode
Action:
1. Check uncommitted changes (none found)
2. Switch to main: git checkout main
3. Update main: git pull origin main
4. Create branch: git checkout -b feat/add-dark-mode-toggle
Output: "Created and switched to feat/add-dark-mode-toggle"

Example 2: Switch branches with uncommitted work

Context: User has uncommitted changes, wants to switch branches
Action:
1. Detect uncommitted changes
2. Ask user: "You have uncommitted changes. Stash, commit, or abort?"
3. User chooses stash
4. Run: git stash push -m "WIP: switching branches"
5. Switch: git checkout other-branch
6. Offer to pop stash if returning later

Example 3: Clean up after merge

Context: PR merged, need to clean up local branch
Action:
1. Verify branch is merged: git branch --merged main
2. Switch to main: git checkout main
3. Check if branch exists: git branch --list feat/old-feature
4. Delete branch (if exists): git branch -d feat/old-feature
5. Update main: git pull origin main
Output: "Branch cleaned up, main is up to date"

Example 4: Handle branch naming

Context: User wants to fix a bug in login validation
Action:
1. Determine type: "fix" (bug fix)
2. Extract description: "login validation"
3. Format: fix/login-validation-error
4. Create: git checkout -b fix/login-validation-error

Agent Skills: Git Branch Manager

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files