Git Workflows

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name: git-workflows-pro

description: Handle advanced git workflows and recovery tasks. Use when the user needs help with interactive rebase, commit cleanup, conflict resolution, reflog recovery, cherry-pick, stash, worktree, bisect, submodule vs subtree decisions, sparse checkout, branch archaeology, or undoing dangerous history mistakes in real repositories.

---

# Git Workflows

Use this skill for non-trivial git work where safety, history clarity, or repository structure matters more than a single command.

Keep the main thread focused on the user’s goal. Prefer the smallest safe sequence of git operations.

Core approach

Before suggesting commands, determine:

1. the user’s goal

2. whether history is already shared with others

3. whether the task changes commits, refs, working tree, or repository structure

4. whether recovery should be prepared first

If a step is destructive or hard to reverse, create a safety point first.

Default safety rules

Recovery-first moves

Use these patterns early when risk is high:

git status
git branch backup/$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)-preop

For history recovery, inspect before changing anything:

git reflog --date=local --decorate -n 30
git log --oneline --graph --decorate -n 30

Read `references/recovery.md` for reflog-based recovery, reset recovery, branch recovery, and force-push mistakes.

Common task families

History cleanup

Use for:

Prefer interactive rebase for local or not-yet-shared history.

Bug origin hunting

Use `git bisect` when the user knows a good state and a bad state and needs to find the introducing commit.

Parallel branch work

Use `git worktree` when the user needs two branches checked out at once, wants cleaner hotfix flow, or wants to avoid stashing.

Conflict handling

Resolve carefully when rebasing, merging, cherry-picking, or applying stashes. Preserve user intent, not just file merge success.

Repository archaeology

Use blame, pickaxe, grep, log graph, and path history when the user needs to answer:

Repository shape changes

Use extra care for:

Read `references/advanced-patterns.md` when the task involves repository topology rather than simple day-to-day commits.

Decision rules

Rebase vs merge

Subtree vs submodule

Worktree vs stash

Reset vs restore vs revert

Operating style

When guiding the user:

1. say what state to inspect first

2. state the safest command sequence

3. note whether history is being rewritten

4. give the rollback path when risk is non-trivial

Keep command sets short. Do not dump every git option unless needed.

When to read references

Output template

When responding on a git workflow task, prefer this structure: