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/branch Command

Create a new git branch following AIKit naming conventions.

Usage

# Create a feature branch
/branch feat/new-feature

# Create a bug fix branch
/branch fix/authentication-bug

# Create a refactor branch
/branch refactor/user-service

Arguments

ArgumentTypeRequiredDescription
<name>stringNoBranch name with type prefix

Branch Naming Conventions

# Feature branches
feat/<feature-name>
feat/user-authentication
feat/product-list-page

# Bug fix branches
fix/<bug-description>
fix/login-timeout
fix/api-response-error

# Refactor branches
refactor/<what-why>
refactor/extract-auth-service
refactor/cleanup-auth-middleware

# Documentation branches
docs/<what-changed>
docs/update-api-guide
docs/add-readme

# Test branches
test/<what-testing>
test/add-user-tests
test/test-api-integration

# Hotfix branches (urgent production fixes)
hotfix/<critical-issue>
hotfix/security-vulnerability

# Chore branches
chore/<what-task>
chore/update-dependencies
chore/cleanup-imports

Workflow

1. Ensure Clean State

# Check current status
git status

# Stash or commit changes
git stash  # If you want to save work
# or
git add . && git commit -m "WIP: save work"

2. Update Main Branch

# Switch to main
git checkout main

# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main

# Verify you're up to date
git status

3. Create New Branch

# Create branch and switch
git checkout -b feat/new-feature

# Verify new branch
git branch
# Shows: * feat/new-feature

Examples

Feature Development

# Start new feature
/branch feat/user-profiles

# Work on feature
# ... commit changes ...

# Merge back to main
# (See: /merge)

Bug Fix

# Fix a bug
/branch fix/authentication-timeout

# Implement fix
# ... implement fix ...

# Test and merge
git checkout main
git merge fix/authentication-timeout

Refactoring

# Refactor code
/branch refactor/extract-auth-service

# Restructure while keeping tests green
# ... make changes ...

# Merge refactor
git checkout main
git merge refactor/extract-auth-service

Hotfix (Production Issue)

# Urgent production fix
/branch hotfix/security-vulnerability

# Fix immediately
# ... implement fix ...

# Merge quickly
git checkout main
git merge --no-ff hotfix/security-vulnerability
# Tag and push
git tag v1.0.1-hotfix
git push origin main --tags

Best Practices

Branch Names

✅ DO:

  • Use descriptive names
  • Follow type prefix conventions
  • Keep names short (< 50 characters)
  • Use kebab-case (hyphens not underscores)
  • Be specific about what the branch does

❌ DON'T:

  • Use generic names (e.g., "branch-1", "wip")
  • Skip type prefix
  • Use uppercase or spaces
  • Create branches without purpose

Branch Lifecycle

✅ DO:

  • Keep branches short-lived (< 2-3 days)
  • Merge frequently to reduce conflicts
  • Delete branches after merging
  • Don't let branches linger

❌ DON'T:

  • Let branches sit for days/weeks
  • Create long-lived feature branches
  • Keep merged branches around
  • Let branches diverge heavily from main

Branch Management

# List branches
git branch -a

# Delete local branch
git branch -d feat/old-feature

# Delete remote branch
git push origin --delete feat/old-feature

# Track remote branches
git fetch origin
git branch -r