Claude Git Branching

Master Git workflows optimized for Claude Code development sessions with intelligent branching, retry logic, and automated PR creation.

Overview

This skill provides battle-tested Git workflows specifically designed for Claude Code sessions, including:

• Claude-specific branch naming conventions
• Automatic push retry with exponential backoff
• Multi-repository coordination
• Conflict-free collaboration patterns
• Automated PR creation and management

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Starting a new Claude Code development session
• Managing multiple feature branches across sessions
• Dealing with intermittent network issues during push
• Creating PRs from Claude-generated code
• Coordinating work across multiple repositories
• Following team Git conventions for AI-assisted development
• Handling merge conflicts in long-running sessions

Branch Naming Conventions

Claude Code Standard Format

# Standard format
claude/[feature-name]-[session-id]

# Examples
claude/harvest-claude-skills-01MtCwKhDQhWyZCgwfkhdVG5
claude/fix-auth-bug-01NAB2cDE3FgHiJ4KlM5NoPq
claude/add-api-endpoints-01PQRsT6UvWxY7ZaBcD8EfGh

Format requirements:

• Prefix: Must start with claude/
• Feature name: Kebab-case description of work
• Session ID: Unique identifier for the session
• Maximum length: 100 characters recommended

Why this format?

• ✅ Clear AI-assisted development marker
• ✅ Prevents conflicts with human developer branches
• ✅ Traceable to specific session
• ✅ Easy to filter and manage
• ✅ Works with GitHub access controls (required for push)

Alternative Formats

# Team-based
claude/[team]/[feature]-[session-id]
claude/backend/api-optimization-01ABC

# Priority-based
claude/[priority]/[feature]-[session-id]
claude/urgent/security-patch-01DEF

# Issue-based
claude/issue-[number]-[session-id]
claude/issue-1234-01GHI

Branch Creation Workflow

Step 1: Check Current State

# Verify current branch
git branch --show-current

# Check status
git status

# View recent branches
git branch -a | grep "claude/" | head -10

Step 2: Create Feature Branch

# From main/master
git checkout main
git pull origin main

# Create Claude branch
FEATURE="add-user-authentication"
SESSION_ID="01MtCwKhDQhWyZCgwfkhdVG5"
BRANCH="claude/${FEATURE}-${SESSION_ID}"

git checkout -b "$BRANCH"
echo "Created branch: $BRANCH"

Step 3: Verify Branch Name

# Ensure proper format
CURRENT_BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)

if [[ ! "$CURRENT_BRANCH" =~ ^claude/.+-[0-9A-Za-z]{20,}$ ]]; then
    echo "⚠️  Warning: Branch name doesn't match Claude format"
    echo "Expected: claude/[feature-name]-[session-id]"
    echo "Got: $CURRENT_BRANCH"
fi

Push with Retry Logic

Standard Push Pattern

#!/bin/bash
# push-with-retry.sh - Push with exponential backoff

BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
MAX_RETRIES=4
RETRY_COUNT=0
DELAYS=(2 4 8 16)  # Exponential backoff in seconds

echo "Pushing branch: $BRANCH"

while [ $RETRY_COUNT -lt $MAX_RETRIES ]; do
    if git push -u origin "$BRANCH"; then
        echo "✓ Successfully pushed to origin/$BRANCH"
        exit 0
    else
        EXIT_CODE=$?
        RETRY_COUNT=$((RETRY_COUNT + 1))

        # Check if it's a 403 error (branch name issue)
        if git push -u origin "$BRANCH" 2>&1 | grep -q "403"; then
            echo "✗ Push failed with 403 - Check branch naming convention"
            echo "Branch must start with 'claude/' and end with session ID"
            exit 1
        fi

        if [ $RETRY_COUNT -lt $MAX_RETRIES ]; then
            DELAY=${DELAYS[$RETRY_COUNT-1]}
            echo "⚠️  Push failed (attempt $RETRY_COUNT/$MAX_RETRIES)"
            echo "Retrying in ${DELAY}s..."
            sleep $DELAY
        fi
    fi
done

echo "✗ Push failed after $MAX_RETRIES attempts"
exit 1

Usage:

chmod +x push-with-retry.sh
./push-with-retry.sh

Inline Retry Pattern

# Quick inline version
for i in {1..4}; do
    if git push -u origin $(git branch --show-current); then
        echo "✓ Pushed successfully"
        break
    else
        [ $i -lt 4 ] && echo "Retry $i/4..." && sleep $((2**i))
    fi
done

Commit Best Practices

Atomic Commits

# Make focused, atomic commits
git add src/auth/login.ts
git commit -m "feat: Add JWT-based login authentication"

git add src/auth/middleware.ts
git commit -m "feat: Add auth middleware for protected routes"

git add tests/auth.test.ts
git commit -m "test: Add authentication test suite"

Commit Message Format

# Format: <type>: <description>
# Types: feat, fix, docs, refactor, test, chore, style, perf

git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
feat: Add user authentication system

- Implement JWT-based authentication
- Add login/logout endpoints
- Create auth middleware
- Add session management

Closes #123
EOF
)"

Conventional Commits

# Feature
git commit -m

...