#Branch Operations Guide

Master Git branch management and commit operations through natural language commands in your GitHub repositories.

#🌿 Branch Management

#Listing Branches

View all branches in your repository:

"Show me all branches" "List the active branches" "What branches exist in this repository?" "Display both local and remote branches"

#Branch Information

"What's the default branch?" "Show me the most recently created branches" "Which branches are active?" "Display branch creation dates"

#Branch Comparison

"Compare main branch with develop" "What's different between my-feature and main?" "Show me changes in the feature branch" "Compare this branch with the base branch"

#Branch Status

"Which branches are ahead of main?" "Show me branches that are behind main" "What branches have unmerged changes?" "Display stale branches that can be deleted"

#🆕 Creating Branches

#Basic Branch Creation

Create new branches for features and fixes:

"Create a new branch called 'user-authentication'" "Make a branch for the shopping cart feature" "Create a hotfix branch for the login bug" "Start a new branch for API improvements"

#Smart Branch Creation

"Create a feature branch for implementing dark mode" "Make a branch for fixing the payment processing issue" "Create a branch for the user profile redesign" "Start a new branch for the mobile optimization work"

#Branch Naming Conventions

The AI follows common naming patterns:

Feature branches: feature/description or feat/description
Bug fixes: fix/description or bugfix/description
Hotfixes: hotfix/description
Releases: release/version
Experiments: experiment/description

#Branch from Specific Points

"Create a branch from the last stable release" "Make a branch from commit abc123" "Create a branch from the v2.0 tag" "Start a branch from the production branch"

#📝 Commit History and Analysis

#Viewing Commit History

"Show me the recent commits" "Display the commit history for this branch" "What are the last 10 commits?" "Show me commits from the last week"

#Commit Details

"Show me details of commit abc123" "What changed in the last commit?" "Display the commit message and author" "Show me the files changed in this commit"

#Commit Search

"Find commits mentioning 'authentication'" "Show me commits by author 'john.doe'" "Find commits that modified the user service" "Search for commits with bug fixes"

#Commit Analysis

"What's the commit frequency over time?" "Who are the most active contributors?" "Show me the commit patterns" "Display commit statistics by author"

#🔍 Commit Content Analysis

#File Changes in Commits

"What files were changed in the last commit?" "Show me the diff for commit abc123" "Display the changes in the authentication module" "What was modified in the user interface?"

#Code Change Impact

"How many lines were added/removed in this commit?" "What's the impact of the recent changes?" "Show me the scope of changes in this branch" "Display the change summary"

#Commit Quality Assessment

"Are the commit messages following conventions?" "Check if commits are properly formatted" "Analyze the commit history for quality" "Show me commits that might need better messages"

#🎯 Advanced Branch Operations

#Branch Merging Status

"Which branches are ready to merge?" "Show me branches that need to be merged" "What branches have been merged?" "Display the merge status of all branches"

#Branch Dependencies

"What branches depend on this one?" "Show me the branch dependency tree" "Which branches are blocking this merge?" "Display related branches for this feature"

#Branch Cleanup

"What branches can be safely deleted?" "Show me stale branches" "Which merged branches should be cleaned up?" "Display branches that are no longer needed"

#Branch Protection

"What protection rules are on the main branch?" "Show me the branch protection settings" "What checks are required before merging?" "Display the branch permissions"

#📊 Branch Analytics

#Branch Activity

"Show me branch activity over time" "What's the most active branch?" "Display branch creation and deletion patterns" "Show me the branch lifecycle"

#Developer Activity

"Who works on which branches?" "Show me branch ownership patterns" "Display developer activity by branch" "What's the collaboration pattern on branches?"

#Branch Health

"Are there any problematic branches?" "Show me branches with merge conflicts" "Display branches that are far behind main" "What branches need attention?"

#🔄 Branch Workflows

#Feature Branch Workflow

"Help me set up a feature branch workflow" "What's the recommended branching strategy?" "Show me how to manage feature branches" "Guide me through the branch lifecycle"

#Git Flow Integration

"Set up Git Flow for this repository" "Show me the Git Flow branch structure" "Help me follow Git Flow conventions" "What's the current Git Flow status?"

#Release Branch Management

"Create a release branch for version 2.1" "What should go in the release branch?" "Show me the release branch workflow" "Help me manage the release process"

#🚀 Branch Deployment

#Deployment Tracking

"What branches are deployed to production?" "Show me the deployment status by branch" "Which branch is in staging?" "Display the deployment pipeline status"

#Environment Branches

"What branch is deployed to each environment?" "Show me the environment-specific branches" "Which branches are ready for deployment?" "Display the promotion pipeline"

#Rollback Planning

"What's the rollback plan for this branch?" "Show me the previous stable branch" "Which commit should we rollback to?" "Display the rollback options"

#🎨 Branch Visualization

#Branch Trees

"Show me the branch tree structure" "Display the branch hierarchy" "What's the relationship between branches?" "Show me the branch network"

#Merge History

"Display the merge history" "Show me how branches were integrated" "What's the merge pattern for this repository?" "Display the branch merge timeline"

#Visual Diff

"Show me a visual diff between branches" "Display the changes graphically" "What's the visual comparison of branches?" "Show me the branch comparison chart"

#🔧 Branch Maintenance

#Synchronization

"Keep this branch in sync with main" "Update the feature branch with latest changes" "Sync all branches with the main branch" "Show me branches that need syncing"

#Conflict Resolution

"This branch has merge conflicts, help me resolve them" "Show me the conflicting files" "What's causing the branch conflicts?" "Help me merge the conflicting changes"

#Branch Optimization

"Optimize the branch structure" "Clean up unnecessary branches" "Suggest branch improvements" "Help me reorganize the branches"

#📋 Branch Policies and Rules

#Branch Protection Rules

"Set up branch protection for main" "What rules should I apply to the main branch?" "Configure required reviews for merging" "Set up status checks for branches"

#Naming Conventions

"Enforce branch naming conventions" "What's the recommended naming pattern?" "Set up automatic branch naming" "Validate branch names against conventions"

#Access Control

"Who can create branches?" "Set up branch access permissions" "Control who can merge to main" "Configure branch administrator roles"

#🎯 Branch Best Practices

#Naming Strategies

Be descriptive: Use clear, meaningful names
Follow conventions: Stick to team naming patterns
Include context: Add issue numbers or feature names
Keep it short: Avoid overly long branch names
Use separators: Hyphens or slashes for readability

#Branch Lifecycle

Create from main: Start branches from the latest main
Stay current: Regularly sync with main
Small changes: Keep branches focused
Regular commits: Commit frequently with good messages
Clean up: Delete merged branches

#Collaboration Tips

Communicate about long-running branches
Use descriptive commit messages
Rebase vs. merge based on team preference
Keep branches up to date with main
Review before merging

#🚨 Common Branch Issues

#Merge Conflicts

"Why do I have merge conflicts?" "How do I resolve branch conflicts?" "What's the best way to handle conflicts?" "Show me the conflicting changes"

#Branch Sync Issues

"My branch is behind main, how do I catch up?" "How do I update my branch with latest changes?" "What's the safest way to sync branches?" "Help me resolve sync conflicts"

#Lost Branches

"I can't find my branch, where did it go?" "How do I recover a deleted branch?" "Show me all branches including deleted ones" "Help me restore my work"

#Permission Problems

"Why can't I create a branch?" "I don't have permission to merge, why?" "How do I get branch access?" "What permissions do I need?"

#🔍 Branch Troubleshooting

#Diagnostic Commands

"Diagnose branch issues" "Check branch health" "Validate branch status" "Show me branch problems"

#Recovery Operations

"Recover lost commits" "Restore deleted branch" "Fix corrupted branch" "Recover from failed merge"

#Performance Issues

"Why is branch switching slow?" "Optimize branch performance" "Clean up branch references" "Fix branch sync issues"

#✨ Pro Tips for Branch Management

Regular cleanup: Delete merged branches regularly
Consistent naming: Follow team conventions
Keep current: Sync with main frequently
Small branches: Focus on single features or fixes
Good commits: Write descriptive commit messages
Test before merge: Ensure branches work correctly
Use pull requests: Don't merge directly to main
Document decisions: Explain complex branching decisions

Branch Operations Guide | Github Tools