Rebase Assistant

Guide and execute git rebase operations safely.

Workflow

1. •Assess the current state:
   • •git status — ensure working tree is clean (stash if needed).
   • •git log --oneline -20 — show recent history.
   • •git branch -vv — identify tracking branch.
2. •Determine the rebase target:
   • •If user says "squash last N commits" → use HEAD~N.
   • •If user says "rebase onto main" → use main (or master).
   • •If user says "clean up" → find the merge base with the default branch.
3. •Plan the rebase:
   • •Show the user exactly which commits will be affected.
   • •Propose a plan (pick, squash, fixup, reword, drop).
   • •Get user confirmation before executing.
4. •Execute:
   • •For squashing: use git rebase with the appropriate flags.
   • •For rebase onto branch: git rebase <target>.
   • •IMPORTANT: never use -i flag as it requires interactive input. Instead use git rebase with --autosquash, environment variables like GIT_SEQUENCE_EDITOR, or sequential cherry-pick operations.
5. •Handle conflicts:
   • •Show conflicting files with git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U.
   • •Show each conflict with context.
   • •Suggest resolutions and apply with user approval.
   • •git add <file> then git rebase --continue.
6. •Verify the result:
   • •git log --oneline to show the new history.
   • •git diff <original-ref>..HEAD to confirm no content was lost.

Safety Rules

• •Always create a backup ref: git branch backup-<branch>-<date> before rebasing.
• •Never force-push without explicit user permission.
• •Warn if rebasing commits that are already pushed to a shared branch.
• •If rebase goes wrong, guide recovery with git rebase --abort or the backup branch.

Common Patterns

Squash last N into one:

git reset --soft HEAD~N && git commit

Rebase onto updated main:

git fetch origin && git rebase origin/main

Fixup a specific commit:

git commit --fixup=<sha> && GIT_SEQUENCE_EDITOR=: git rebase --autosquash <sha>~1