Commit, PR, and Merge

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

Steps

•Check current state:

bash

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

Staleness check: If a root Makefile exists, run make -n to check for stale targets. If stale targets exist, warn the user before proceeding (soft gate -- warn, don't block).

•Create a branch from the current state:

bash

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

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

bash

git add <file1> <file2> ...

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

•Commit with a descriptive message:

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

bash

git commit -m "<commit message>"

•Push and create PR:

bash

git push -u origin <branch-name>
gh pr create --title "<short title>" --body "<summary and test plan>"

•Merge and clean up:

bash

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

•Report the PR URL and what was merged.

Important

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