commit

Commit, PR, and Merge

Stage changes, commit with a descriptive message, create a PR, and merge to main.

Steps

1. Check current state:

git status
git diff --stat
git log --oneline -5

2. Create a branch from the current state:

git checkout -b <short-descriptive-branch-name>

3. Stage files -- add specific files (never use git add -A):

git add <file1> <file2> ...

Do NOT stage .claude/settings.local.json or any files containing secrets.

4. Commit with a descriptive message:

If $ARGUMENTS is provided, use it as the commit message. Otherwise, analyze the staged changes and write a message that explains why, not just what.

git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
<commit message here>
EOF
)"

5. Check for remote: run git remote -v to determine the merge path.

Path A: Remote exists

6. Push and create PR:

git push -u origin <branch-name>
gh pr create --title "<short title>" --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
<1-3 bullet points>

## Test plan
<checklist>

Generated with [Claude Code](https://claude.com/claude-code)
EOF
)"

7. Merge and clean up:

gh pr merge <pr-number> --squash --delete-branch
git checkout main
git pull

8. Report the PR URL and what was merged.

Path B: No remote

6. Squash merge locally:

git checkout main
git merge --squash <branch-name>
git commit -m "$(cat <<'EOF'
<same commit message>
EOF
)"

7. Clean up branch (use -D because squash merge breaks ancestry):

git branch -D <branch-name>

8. Report the commit hash and what was merged.

Important

• Always create a NEW branch -- never commit directly to main
• Exclude settings.local.json and sensitive files from staging
• Use --squash (not --merge or --rebase) unless asked otherwise
• If the commit message from $ARGUMENTS is provided, use it exactly