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/rebase Command

Rebase current branch onto another branch to rewrite history or integrate changes.

Usage

# Rebase current branch onto main
/rebase main

# Rebase with interactive mode
/rebase main --interactive

# Rebase specific number of commits
/rebase HEAD~5

Arguments

ArgumentTypeRequiredDefaultDescription
<upstream>stringNo-Branch to rebase onto
--interactiveflagNofalseInteractive rebase mode
--ontostringNo-New base for commits

Rebase Types

Simple Rebase

# Rebase current branch onto main
/rebase main

# Example:
git checkout feature-branch
git rebase main

# Result: All commits on feature-branch are replayed on top of main

When to use:

  • Feature branch has diverged from main
  • Want linear history
  • Main has moved forward

Interactive Rebase

# Interactive rebase (edit, squash, drop, reword)
/rebase main --interactive

# Opens editor with each commit:
pick abc1234 Implement feature
pick def5678 Fix bug
pick ghi8901 Add tests

Commands available:

  • pick - Use commit as-is
  • reword - Edit commit message
  • edit - Edit commit content
  • squash - Merge with previous commit
  • drop - Remove commit

When to use:

  • Clean up messy commit history
  • Combine related commits
  • Fix typos in commit messages
  • Remove WIP commits

Rebase Onto

# Rebase commits onto different branch
/rebase upstream-branch --onto new-base

# Example:
git rebase upstream-branch --onto new-base

When to use:

  • Transplant commits to new base
  • Rebase branch structure
  • Different branch organization

Workflow

Simple Rebase

# 1. Update local main
git checkout main
git pull origin main

# 2. Switch back to feature branch
git checkout feature-branch

# 3. Rebase
git rebase main

# 4. Handle conflicts (if any)
# Resolve conflicts as they appear
git add .
git rebase --continue

# 5. Push (force rebase)
git push origin feature-branch --force

Interactive Rebase

# 1. Start interactive rebase
git rebase main --interactive

# 2. Edit commands in editor
# Change 'pick' to 'squash' for related commits
# Change 'pick' to 'drop' for WIP commits

# 3. Save and continue
# Git processes rebase

# 4. If stopped for conflict:
# Resolve conflict
git add .
git rebase --continue

# 5. Force push after rebase
git push origin feature-branch --force

Conflict Resolution

During Rebase

# Rebase stops at conflict
# Resolve conflict:
# 1. Edit conflicting file
# 2. Resolve conflict markers
# 3. Stage file: git add .
# 4. Continue: git rebase --continue

# If you want to abort:
git rebase --abort

# If you want to skip this commit:
git rebase --skip

Example

# Rebase stops with conflict in user-auth.ts

# File shows:
<<<<<<< HEAD
function login(email: string, password: string): Promise<User> {
  const user = await User.findByEmail(email);
  return user.login(password);
}
=======
function login(email: string, password: string): Promise<User> {
  const user = await User.findByEmail(email);
  const session = await Session.create(user);
  return session;
}
>>>>>>> feature-auth

# Resolve:
function login(email: string, password: string): Promise<User> {
  const user = await User.findByEmail(email);
  const session = await Session.create(user);
  return session;
}

Best Practices

When to Rebase

✅ DO:

  • Rebase local branches only (not shared)
  • Use interactive rebase to clean up history
  • Rebase small changes frequently
  • Test after rebase before pushing

❌ DON'T:

  • Rebase pushed/shared branches (without coordination)
  • Rebase large histories (100+ commits)
  • Skip testing after rebase
  • Leave rebase in mid-conflict

Interactive Rebase

✅ DO:

  • Squash related commits
  • Drop WIP/debug commits
  • Reword unclear commit messages
  • Keep commits logically organized

❌ DON'T:

  • Squash unrelated commits
  • Drop important commits
  • Make rebase too complex
  • Skip reviewing all commits

Rebase Safety

# Before rebasing:
git rebase main --dry-run  # See what will happen

# If rebase goes wrong:
git rebase --abort        # Abort and return to before state
git reflog expire --expire=now  # Clean up reflog

# Force push carefully:
git push origin feature-branch --force-with-lease

Common Scenarios

Clean Up Feature Branch

# Feature branch has 10 WIP commits
git rebase main --interactive

# Edit to squash related work:
pick abc123 Initial implementation
squash def5678 Add error handling
squash ghi8901 Add tests
squash jkl0123 Fix bug

# Result: One clean commit instead of 4

Fix Commit Messages

# Fix typos in commit messages
git rebase main --interactive

# Reword typos:
reword abc1234 Impelment feature
reword def5678 Fix bug in auth

# Result: Correct commit messages

Remove Private/Sensitive Data

# Accidentally committed API key
git rebase -i main

# Drop the commit with sensitive data
drop xyz789 Add API key

# Result: API key removed from history