name	git-workflow
description	Quick reference for common Git commands and workflows. Use when working with version control, committing changes, managing branches, or resolving Git issues. Covers daily Git operations, branching strategies, and troubleshooting.

Git Workflow

Overview

A concise reference for common Git commands and workflows used in daily development. This skill provides quick access to frequently-used Git operations without searching documentation.

Daily Workflow

Check Status and Changes

# View current status
git status

# View changes in working directory
git diff

# View staged changes
git diff --cached

# View commit history
git log --oneline --graph --all

Staging and Committing

# Stage specific files
git add <file1> <file2>

# Stage all changes
git add .

# Stage only modified files (not new files)
git add -u

# Commit staged changes
git commit -m "Commit message"

# Add and commit in one step
git commit -am "Commit message"

# Amend last commit
git commit --amend

Syncing with Remote

# Fetch changes from remote
git fetch origin

# Pull changes (fetch + merge)
git pull origin main

# Push commits to remote
git push origin main

# Push new branch to remote
git push -u origin <branch-name>

Branching

Creating and Switching Branches

# Create new branch
git branch <branch-name>

# Switch to branch
git checkout <branch-name>

# Create and switch in one step
git checkout -b <branch-name>

# Switch to previous branch
git checkout -

# List all branches
git branch -a

Merging and Rebasing

# Merge branch into current branch
git merge <branch-name>

# Rebase current branch onto main
git rebase main

# Interactive rebase (squash, reorder commits)
git rebase -i HEAD~3

# Abort merge/rebase
git merge --abort
git rebase --abort

Deleting Branches

# Delete local branch
git branch -d <branch-name>

# Force delete local branch
git branch -D <branch-name>

# Delete remote branch
git push origin --delete <branch-name>

Undoing Changes

Unstage and Discard

# Unstage file (keep changes)
git restore --staged <file>

# Discard changes in working directory
git restore <file>

# Discard all local changes
git restore .

Reverting Commits

# Revert specific commit (creates new commit)
git revert <commit-hash>

# Reset to previous commit (soft - keep changes)
git reset --soft HEAD~1

# Reset to previous commit (hard - discard changes)
git reset --hard HEAD~1

# Reset to specific commit
git reset --hard <commit-hash>

Stashing

# Stash current changes
git stash

# Stash with message
git stash save "Work in progress"

# List stashes
git stash list

# Apply most recent stash
git stash apply

# Apply and remove stash
git stash pop

# Apply specific stash
git stash apply stash@{2}

# Delete stash
git stash drop stash@{0}

# Clear all stashes
git stash clear

Repository Setup

Initializing and Cloning

# Initialize new repository
git init

# Clone repository
git clone <url>

# Clone to specific directory
git clone <url> <directory>

# Clone specific branch
git clone -b <branch-name> <url>

Remote Management

# Add remote
git remote add origin <url>

# View remotes
git remote -v

# Change remote URL
git remote set-url origin <new-url>

# Remove remote
git remote remove origin

Troubleshooting

Conflict Resolution

# View files with conflicts
git status

# After resolving conflicts manually
git add <resolved-file>
git commit

# Abort merge and start over
git merge --abort

Finding and Inspecting

# Search for text in commits
git log -S "search term"

# View specific commit
git show <commit-hash>

# View file at specific commit
git show <commit-hash>:<file-path>

# Find who changed a line
git blame <file>

# View reflog (history of HEAD)
git reflog

Cleaning Up

# Remove untracked files (dry run)
git clean -n

# Remove untracked files
git clean -f

# Remove untracked files and directories
git clean -fd

Best Practices

Commit Messages

# Good commit message format:
# <type>: <subject>
#
# <body>

# Examples:
git commit -m "feat: Add user authentication"
git commit -m "fix: Resolve login redirect bug"
git commit -m "docs: Update API documentation"
git commit -m "refactor: Simplify validation logic"

Branch Naming

feature/<feature-name>    # New features
bugfix/<bug-name>         # Bug fixes
hotfix/<issue>            # Urgent fixes
release/<version>         # Release preparation

Common Workflows

Feature Branch Workflow:

# 1. Create feature branch
git checkout -b feature/new-feature

# 2. Work and commit
git add .
git commit -m "feat: Implement new feature"

# 3. Push to remote
git push -u origin feature/new-feature

# 4. After review, merge to main
git checkout main
git pull origin main
git merge feature/new-feature
git push origin main

# 5. Delete feature branch
git branch -d feature/new-feature
git push origin --delete feature/new-feature

Quick Tips

Undo last commit but keep changes: git reset --soft HEAD~1
View graphical log: git log --oneline --graph --all --decorate
Cherry-pick specific commit: git cherry-pick <commit-hash>
Create tag: git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Version 1.0.0"
View diff between branches: git diff branch1..branch2
Update last commit message: git commit --amend -m "New message"
List files in commit: git show --name-only <commit-hash>

git-workflow

Install Skill

SKILL.md