Git Branch Manager

• Current branch status
• Uncommitted changes
• Working directory state

Switching Branches

1. Check Repository State Invoke the git-state-validator skill to verify:

   • Current branch name
   • Uncommitted changes
   • Working directory status

2. Handle Changes (if any)

   • Offer to stash, commit, or abort
   • If stash: git stash push -m "WIP: switching from <current> to <target>"

3. Switch Branch

   git checkout <branch-name>
   

4. Restore Stash (if applicable) After switching, if user stashed:

   git stash list
   git stash pop
   

Cleaning Up Branches

1. Verify Branch is Merged

   git branch --merged main
   

2. Switch to Main (if on the branch being deleted)

   git checkout main
   

3. Check Branch Exists Before Deletion

   git branch --list <branch-name>
   

   If no output, branch doesn't exist - skip deletion

4. 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>
   

5. 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: