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.
- Installs
- 19.5K
- Last 24h
- +48
- Trending rank
- #3469
- Security
- Warn
Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill git-advanced-workflows- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads git-advanced-workflows automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
Security audits
Independent scans of the skill's instructions and bundled files.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Git Advanced Workflows
Master advanced Git techniques to maintain clean history, collaborate effectively, and recover from any situation with confidence.
When to Use This Skill
- Cleaning up commit history before merging
- Applying specific commits across branches
- Finding commits that introduced bugs
- Working on multiple features simultaneously
- Recovering from Git mistakes or lost commits
- Managing complex branch workflows
- Preparing clean PRs for review
- Synchronizing diverged branches
Core Concepts
1. Interactive Rebase
Interactive rebase is the Swiss Army knife of Git history editing.
Common Operations:
pick: Keep commit as-isreword: Change commit messageedit: Amend commit contentsquash: Combine with previous commitfixup: Like squash but discard messagedrop: Remove commit entirely
Basic Usage:
# Rebase last 5 commits
git rebase -i HEAD~5
# Rebase all commits on current branch
git rebase -i $(git merge-base HEAD main)
# Rebase onto specific commit
git rebase -i abc123
2. Cherry-Picking
Apply specific commits from one branch to another without merging entire branches.
# Cherry-pick single commit
git cherry-pick abc123
# Cherry-pick range of commits (exclusive start)
git cherry-pick abc123..def456
# Cherry-pick without committing (stage changes only)
git cherry-pick -n abc123
# Cherry-pick and edit commit message
git cherry-pick -e abc123
3. Git Bisect
Binary search through commit history to find the commit that introduced a bug.
# Start bisect
git bisect start
# Mark current commit as bad
git bisect bad
# Mark known good commit
git bisect good v1.0.0
# Git will checkout middle commit - test it
# Then mark as good or bad
git bisect good # or: git bisect bad
# Continue until bug found
# When done
git bisect reset
Automated Bisect:
# Use script to test automatically
git bisect start HEAD v1.0.0
git bisect run ./test.sh
# test.sh should exit 0 for good, 1-127 (except 125) for bad
4. Worktrees
Work on multiple branches simultaneously without stashing or switching.
# List existing worktrees
git worktree list
# Add new worktree for feature branch
git worktree add ../project-feature feature/new-feature
# Add worktree and create new branch
git worktree add -b bugfix/urgent ../project-hotfix main
# Remove worktree
git worktree remove ../project-feature
# Prune stale worktrees
git worktree prune
5. Reflog
Your safety net - tracks all ref movements, even deleted commits.
# View reflog
git reflog
# View reflog for specific branch
git reflog show feature/branch
# Restore deleted commit
git reflog
# Find commit hash
git checkout abc123
git branch recovered-branch
# Restore deleted branch
git reflog
git branch deleted-branch abc123
Detailed patterns and worked examples
Detailed pattern documentation lives in references/details.md. Read that file when the navigation tier above is insufficient.
Best Practices
- Always Use --force-with-lease: Safer than --force, prevents overwriting others' work
- Rebase Only Local Commits: Don't rebase commits that have been pushed and shared
- Descriptive Commit Messages: Future you will thank present you
- Atomic Commits: Each commit should be a single logical change
- Test Before Force Push: Ensure history rewrite didn't break anything
- Keep Reflog Aware: Reflog is your safety net, but entries for commits not reachable from the current tip expire after 30 days by default (
gc.reflogExpireUnreachable), and reachable entries after 90 days (gc.reflogExpire) - Branch Before Risky Operations: Create backup branch before complex rebases
# Safe force push
git push --force-with-lease origin feature/branch
# Create backup before risky operation
git branch backup-branch
git rebase -i main
# If something goes wrong
git reset --hard backup-branch
Common Pitfalls
- Rebasing Public Branches: Causes history conflicts for collaborators
- Force Pushing Without Lease: Can overwrite teammate's work
- Losing Work in Rebase: Resolve conflicts carefully, test after rebase
- Forgetting Worktree Cleanup: Orphaned worktrees consume disk space
- Not Backing Up Before Experiment: Always create safety branch
- Bisect on Dirty Working Directory: Commit or stash before bisecting
Recovery Commands
# Abort operations in progress
git rebase --abort
git merge --abort
git cherry-pick --abort
git bisect reset
# Restore file to version from specific commit
git restore --source=abc123 path/to/file
# Undo last commit but keep changes
git reset --soft HEAD^
# Undo last commit and discard changes
# WARNING: --hard also deletes uncommitted changes (staged and unstaged),
# and the reflog cannot recover them. Check `git status` and stash first.
git reset --hard HEAD^
# Recover a deleted branch soon. By default, git gc can prune HEAD's reflog
# entries for unmerged commits once they're 30 days old, counted from when
# each entry was recorded, not from the deletion
# Deleting a branch also deletes its own reflog; search HEAD's reflog
git reflog
git branch recovered-branch abc123
FAQ
What does the git-advanced-workflows skill do?
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.
How do I install git-advanced-workflows?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill git-advanced-workflows in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/git-advanced-workflows/ (personal) or .claude/skills/git-advanced-workflows/ (project).
Which AI agents can use git-advanced-workflows?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is git-advanced-workflows safe to install?
Security partners have reviewed it: Gen Agent Trust Hub passed; Socket passed; Snyk passed; Runlayer flagged items to review; ZeroLeaks passed. As with any skill, read the SKILL.md and bundled scripts before installing.
Who maintains git-advanced-workflows?
It is published by wshobson in wshobson/agents. It has 19,483 recorded installs.
More from wshobson/agents
typescript-advanced-types
wshobson/agents
Master TypeScript's advanced type system including generics, conditional types, mapped types, template literals, and utility types for building type-safe applications. Use when implementing complex type logic, creating reusable type utilities, or ensuring compile-time type safety in TypeScript projects.
tailwind-design-system
wshobson/agents
Build scalable design systems with Tailwind CSS v4, design tokens, component libraries, and responsive patterns. Use when creating component libraries, implementing design systems, or standardizing UI patterns.
nodejs-backend-patterns
wshobson/agents
Build production-ready Node.js backend services with Express/Fastify, implementing middleware patterns, error handling, authentication, database integration, and API design best practices. Use when creating Node.js servers, REST APIs, GraphQL backends, or microservices architectures.
brand-landingpage
wshobson/agents
Brand-first landing page designer — runs a brand-identity interview (colors, typography, shape language), then generates and iterates on a polished landing page via Stitch with deployment-ready HTML. Use when the user asks to create, design, or build a landing page, homepage, or marketing page and has no established visual direction. Skip when they have a design mockup, need a dashboard or app UI, are working at component level, building a multi-page app, or restyling with known design tokens — use frontend-design instead.
python-testing-patterns
wshobson/agents
Implement comprehensive testing strategies with pytest, fixtures, mocking, and test-driven development. Use when writing Python tests, setting up test suites, or implementing testing best practices.
python-performance-optimization
wshobson/agents
Profile and optimize Python code using cProfile, memory profilers, and performance best practices. Use when debugging slow Python code, optimizing bottlenecks, or improving application performance.
Popular code quality & workflow skills
grill-me
mattpocock/skills
A relentless interview to sharpen a plan or design.
improve-codebase-architecture
mattpocock/skills
Scan a codebase for deepening opportunities, present them as a visual HTML report, then grill through whichever one you pick.
handoff
mattpocock/skills
Compact the current conversation into a handoff document for another agent to pick up.
domain-modeling
mattpocock/skills
Build and sharpen a project's domain model. Use when discussing codebase terminology, writing or editing a GLOSSARY.md, or recording or editing an ADR.
codebase-design
mattpocock/skills
Shared vocabulary for designing deep modules. Use when the user wants to design or improve a module's interface, find deepening opportunities, decide where a seam goes, make code more testable or AI-navigable, or when another skill needs the deep-module vocabulary.
diagnosing-bugs
mattpocock/skills
Diagnosis loop for hard bugs and performance regressions. Use when the user says "diagnose"/"debug this", or reports something broken/throwing/failing/slow.