name: git-workflow
description: Handle squashing multiple commits and rebasing feature branches safely. Use when consolidating commits into a single commit, or rebasing feature branches onto updated development branches. Falls back from jj when not available.

Git Workflow

Safe, non-interactive approaches for squashing commits and rebasing feature branches.

Tip: If jj is available (jj root succeeds), prefer jj-workflow—it's simpler and has automatic safety via oplog.

Squash N Commits

git reset --soft HEAD~3
git commit -m "Your consolidated message"

That's it. The --soft flag keeps your changes staged and ready to commit.

Rebase Feature Branch

Update dev first, then rebase:

git fetch origin dev && git checkout dev && git pull
git checkout my-feature
git rebase --committer-date-is-author-date dev
git push -f origin my-feature

The --committer-date-is-author-date flag puts your feature commits on top chronologically.

Key Safety Rules

• Never rebase shared branches — only rebase local feature branches
• Check git status first — ensure no uncommitted changes
• Create a backup branch: git branch backup-$(date +%s)
• Review changes before committing: git diff --cached

Pre-Commit Hook Changes

If hooks modify files during commit, stage and amend:

git add .
git commit --amend --no-edit

When Things Go Wrong

git rebase --abort              # Stop rebase, go back
git reflog                      # See recent commits
git reset --hard <commit-hash>  # Recovery

See REFERENCE.md for detailed workflows and troubleshooting.