git-advanced-workflows
Master advanced Git workflows including rebasing, cherry-picking, bisect, worktrees, and reflog to maintain clean history and recover from any situation. Use when managing complex Git histories, collaborating on feature branches, or troubleshooting repository issues.
SKILL.md
Full skill instructions
Git Advanced Workflows
Advanced Git techniques for clean history, effective collaboration, and confident recovery.
Triggers
| Trigger Phrase | Operation |
|---|---|
rebase my branch | Interactive or standard rebase guidance |
cherry-pick a commit | Cherry-pick with conflict resolution |
find the breaking commit | Git bisect workflow |
recover lost commits | Reflog exploration and recovery |
use git worktrees | Worktree setup and management |
Process
Phase 1: Assess the Situation
- Identify which workflow applies (rebase, cherry-pick, bisect, worktree, recovery)
- Check current branch state:
git status,git log --oneline -10 - Create a safety branch before any destructive operation:
git branch backup-<timestamp>- macOS/Linux (bash/zsh):
git branch backup-$(date +%s) - Windows PowerShell:
git branch backup-$(Get-Date -UFormat %s)
- macOS/Linux (bash/zsh):
Phase 2: Execute the Workflow
Rebase: Clean Up Feature Branch Before PR
git checkout feature/user-auth
git rebase -i main
# Squash "fix typo" commits, reword messages, reorder logically
git push --force-with-lease origin feature/user-auth
Rebase operations: pick (keep), reword (change message), edit (amend content), squash (combine keeping message), fixup (combine discarding message), drop (remove).
Autosquash pattern:
git commit --fixup HEAD # Mark as fixup for previous commit
git rebase -i --autosquash main # Auto-marks fixup commits
Split a commit:
git rebase -i HEAD~3 # Mark commit with 'edit'
git reset HEAD^ # Reset commit, keep changes in working tree (unstaged)
git add file1.py && git commit -m "feat: add validation"
git add file2.py && git commit -m "feat: add error handling"
git rebase --continue
Cherry-Pick: Apply Hotfix to Multiple Releases
git checkout main
git commit -m "fix: critical security patch"
git checkout release/2.0
git cherry-pick abc123
git checkout release/1.9
git cherry-pick abc123
# On conflict: fix files, git add, git cherry-pick --continue
Partial cherry-pick (specific files only):
git show --name-only abc123
git restore --staged --worktree --source=abc123 -- path/to/file1.py path/to/file2.py # --staged stages the changes so the following commit captures them
git commit -m "cherry-pick: apply specific changes from abc123"
Bisect: Find Bug Introduction
git bisect start
git bisect bad HEAD
git bisect good v2.1.0
# Git checks out middle commit. Run tests, mark good/bad, repeat.
git bisect reset # When done
Automated bisect:
git bisect start HEAD v2.1.0
git bisect run ./test.sh
# test.sh: exit 0 = good, 125 = skip, any other non-zero = bad
Worktree: Multi-Branch Development
git worktree add ~/worktrees/myapp-hotfix hotfix/critical-bug
# Work in the new worktree using the -C flag to avoid changing the current directory.
# e.g., git -C ~/worktrees/myapp-hotfix commit -a -m "fix: critical bug"
git worktree remove ~/worktrees/myapp-hotfix # Clean up when done
git worktree prune # Remove stale entries
Move-safe caveat: moving a worktree after uv created .venv leaves the
absolute-path shebangs in .venv/bin/* (POSIX) or .venv/Scripts/* (Windows)
stale, so direct .venv/bin/pytest calls fail with "bad interpreter". Run
scripts/maintenance/repair_worktree_venv.py with uv run python (or run
uv sync --frozen --extra dev --reinstall) to rewrite them, and prefer
uv run python -m pytest for move-safe validation. Each flag earns its place:
--reinstall recreates the launchers (a plain --frozen sync no-ops when the
packages already appear installed and leaves the stale shebangs unrewritten),
--extra dev keeps pytest/ruff/mypy in the repaired venv, and --frozen
reproduces uv.lock without re-resolving so the result matches CI.
Recovery: Undo Mistakes with Reflog
git reflog # Find lost commit hash
git reset --hard def456 # Restore to that state
# Or create branch: git branch recovery def456
Abort operations in progress:
git rebase --abort
git merge --abort
git cherry-pick --abort
git bisect reset
Other recovery commands:
git restore --source=abc123 path/to/file # Restore file from commit
git reset --soft HEAD^ # Undo commit, keep changes staged
git reflog # 1. Find the hash of the desired commit
git branch recovered abc123 # 2. Create a branch from that hash (within reflog retention; ~90 days by default, configurable)
Phase 3: Verify and Clean Up
- Confirm working tree is clean:
git status - Validate history:
git log --onelinematches expectations - Run tests after any history rewrite
- Remove worktrees if created:
git worktree list
Decision Guide
Rebase vs Merge
| Use Rebase | Use Merge |
|---|---|
| Cleaning local commits before push | Integrating completed features into main |
| Keeping feature branch current with main | Preserving exact collaboration history |
| Creating linear history for review | Public branches used by others |
Anti-Patterns
| Avoid | Why | Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Rebasing shared branches | Rewrites history for all collaborators | Merge for shared branches |
--force without --force-with-lease | Overwrites teammates' work | Always --force-with-lease |
| Bisecting on dirty working tree | Checkout fails with uncommitted changes | Commit or stash first |
| Orphaned worktrees | Consume disk space silently | Remove after use |
| No backup before complex rebase | No recovery path if rebase fails | Create safety branch first |
Verification
- Working tree is clean (
git status) - Branch history matches expectations (
git log --oneline) - Tests pass after history rewrite
- Force push used
--force-with-lease - Worktrees cleaned up (
git worktree list)