# git-branches

Manage the full lifecycle of git branches — create, switch, delete, rename, track, merge, and compare feature/hotfix/release branches under GitHub Flow or Gitflow.

## What it does

This skill handles branch operations within the git workflow suite. It creates branches following GitHub Flow or Gitflow conventions (configurable), switches and tracks branches, handles safe deletion with unmerged-work checks, and retrieves branch intent metadata for use by other skills (e.g., commit message context). It returns structured results suitable for agent composition.

## Usage

```
/git-branches
```

Describe your branch task: create a feature/hotfix/release branch, switch, delete, rename, track, merge, or compare two branches. The skill will determine the branching pattern (GitHub Flow or Gitflow) from config or repo state and handle safety checks for destructive operations.

## Files

| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| `SKILL.md` | Skill instructions for agents |
| `references/branch-patterns.md` | Loaded when a branch's base, name prefix, or merge rule depends on GitHub Flow vs. Gitflow |
| `references/branch-operations.md` | Loaded when running a create/switch/delete/rename/track/list/stash action, or resolving `get-intent` |
| `references/merging.md` | Loaded when merging one branch into another or resolving merge conflicts |
| `references/comparing-branches.md` | Loaded when comparing two branches or finding where they diverged |
| `references/orchestrator-contract.md` | Loaded when `git-orchestrate` or another calling agent supplies a structured request rather than prose |
| `references/sources.md` | Research sources backing the branching/gitflow guidance |

## Composition

`git-orchestrate` calls this skill for the branch step of a multi-step workflow and parses its
structured result. Revert is `git-history`'s; commit authoring, rebase, reset and cherry-pick are
`git-commits`'; deleting a remote branch is `git-remotes`'; branch operations against a
Gitea-hosted remote are `gitea-branches`'.