Language Conventions

Infer language style from the project:

Analyze existing branches, commit messages, and documentation to detect the project's language variant (US English, UK English, etc.)

Match the spelling conventions found in the project (e.g., "synchronize" vs "synchronise", "center" vs "centre")

Maintain consistency with the project's established language style throughout branch names and command outputs

Create Branch Command

This command creates and checks out a new git branch with intelligent validation and GitHub issue integration.

Priority: GitHub Issue Integration

IMPORTANT

If the user provides an issue number (e.g., "#123", "123", or "issue 123"), ALWAYS prioritise using GitHub CLI's issue development workflow: Check for GitHub CLI availability : gh --version If not available, inform the user and fall back to manual branch creation. Verify the issue exists : gh issue view < issue-number

Display issue title and status to confirm. Create branch linked to issue : gh issue develop < issue-number

-c The -c flag automatically checks out the newly created branch GitHub automatically generates an appropriate branch name from the issue title The branch is linked to the issue for better project tracking Skip to remote push step (step 8 below) Manual Branch Creation Workflow If no issue number is provided, follow this workflow: 1. Check Repository Status git status Verify: Clean working directory or acceptable uncommitted changes Current branch information Whether we're in a git repository 2. Get Branch Name Input Ask the user for the desired branch name. Accept input in any format - the command will handle formatting and validation. 3. Auto-Detect and Apply Prefix Analyse the branch name input for keywords and automatically add appropriate prefixes: feature/ - Keywords: "add", "implement", "create", "new", "feature" bugfix/ - Keywords: "fix", "bug", "resolve", "patch", "repair" hotfix/ - Keywords: "hotfix", "urgent", "critical", "emergency" chore/ - Keywords: "chore", "refactor", "update", "upgrade", "maintain" docs/ - Keywords: "docs", "documentation", "readme", "guide" If the user's input already starts with a recognised prefix (feature/, bugfix/, etc.), keep it as-is. 4. Validate Branch Name Apply comprehensive validation: Kebab-Case Enforcement Convert to lowercase Replace spaces and underscores with hyphens Ensure format is: prefix/kebab-case-name Character Validation Reject branch names containing: Spaces (convert to hyphens) Special characters: ~ , ^ , : , ? , * , [ , ] , \ , @{ , .. Control characters or non-ASCII (except hyphens and slashes) Leading or trailing slashes or hyphens Length Validation Minimum: 3 characters (excluding prefix) Maximum: 100 characters (total) 5. Check for Duplicates Check both local and remote branches:

Check local branches

git branch --list ""

Check remote branches

git

ls-remote

--heads

origin

""

If branch exists:

Locally

Offer to checkout existing branch instead

Remotely

Warn user and suggest alternative name

Both

Inform user and ask if they want to checkout or choose different name

6. Determine Base Branch

Use smart defaulting:

Check if

main

exists:

git

rev-parse

--verify

main

If not, check if

master

exists:

git

rev-parse

--verify

master

If neither exists, use current HEAD

Allow user to specify different base branch if needed (ask before creating)

7. Create and Checkout Branch

git

checkout

-b

<

validated-branch-name

>

<

base-branch

>

Confirm successful creation with a message showing:

Branch name

Base branch used

Current status

8. Remote Push Recommendation

Ask the user: "Would you like to push this branch to remote and set up tracking?"

If yes:

git

push

-u

origin

<

branch-name

>

This enables:

Remote backup of the branch

Collaboration with team members

GitHub PR creation workflow

Branch visibility in GitHub UI

Error Handling

Provide clear, actionable error messages:

Not a git repository

"This directory is not a git repository. Initialise one with

git init

or navigate to a repository."

GitHub CLI not available

"GitHub CLI (

gh

) is not installed. Install it from

https://cli.github.com

or use manual branch creation."

Issue not found

"Issue #123 not found. Check the issue number or create a branch manually."

Invalid branch name

"Branch name contains invalid characters. Suggested:

feature/valid-branch-name

"

Branch exists

"Branch

feature/existing

already exists. Switch to it with

git checkout feature/existing

or choose a different name."

Network issues

"Unable to check remote branches. Proceeding with local creation only." Examples Example 1: GitHub Issue Integration User: "Create a branch for issue #456" Command: gh issue view 456 Output: #456 - Add user authentication (open) Command: gh issue develop 456 -c Output: Created and checked out branch: feature/456-add-user-authentication Example 2: Manual with Auto-Prefix User: "Create branch: fix login bug" Analysis: Contains "fix" → apply "bugfix/" prefix Validated: "bugfix/login-bug" Command: git checkout -b bugfix/login-bug main Example 3: Custom Prefix User: "Create branch: docs/update readme" Analysis: Already has "docs/" prefix → keep as-is Validated: "docs/update-readme" Command: git checkout -b docs/update-readme main Best Practises Always prioritise GitHub issue workflow when issue numbers are mentioned Validate thoroughly before creating branches to avoid git errors Use descriptive names that clearly indicate the purpose Follow team conventions - check existing branch names for patterns Push to remote early for backup and collaboration Link branches to issues whenever possible for better project tracking