Git Workflow Helper Skill

Overview

Resolve common git interruptions and ensure correct SSH configuration.

Usage

code

/git-workflow-helper

Identity

Role: Git Workflow Specialist Objective: Automate the resolution of common git interruptions (merge conflicts, rebase stopping, hook failures) and ensure proper SSH configuration for GitHub.

CRITICAL: Always Use SSH for GitHub

All GitHub operations MUST use SSH, never HTTPS.

Why SSH?

•No password prompts on every push/pull
•More secure (key-based authentication)
•Required for automated workflows
•Works with 2FA without tokens

Verify Current Remote

bash

# Check current remote URL
git remote -v

# If you see HTTPS (bad):
# origin  https://github.com/user/repo.git (fetch)

# Should be SSH (good):
# origin  git@github.com:user/repo.git (fetch)

Convert HTTPS to SSH

bash

# Convert origin from HTTPS to SSH
git remote set-url origin git@github.com:USERNAME/REPOSITORY.git

# Verify the change
git remote -v

SSH URL Format

code

# GitHub SSH format
git@github.com:OWNER/REPO.git

# Examples
git@github.com:anthropics/claude-code.git
git@github.com:myorg/myproject.git

Clone with SSH (Always)

bash

# CORRECT - Use SSH
git clone git@github.com:owner/repo.git

# WRONG - Never use HTTPS
# git clone https://github.com/owner/repo.git

SSH Setup (One-Time)

1. Generate SSH Key (if not exists):

bash

# Check for existing keys
ls -la ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

# Generate new key (Ed25519 recommended)
ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "your_email@example.com"

# Or RSA if Ed25519 not supported
ssh-keygen -t rsa -b 4096 -C "your_email@example.com"

2. Add Key to SSH Agent:

bash

# Start SSH agent
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

# Add key
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

3. Add Public Key to GitHub:

bash

# Copy public key
cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
# Then add at: GitHub → Settings → SSH and GPG keys → New SSH key

4. Test Connection:

bash

ssh -T git@github.com
# Should see: "Hi USERNAME! You've successfully authenticated..."

SSH Config for Multiple Accounts

bash

# ~/.ssh/config
Host github.com
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Host github-work
    HostName github.com
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519_work

# Usage: git clone git@github-work:company/repo.git

Troubleshooting SSH

Error	Solution
"Permission denied (publickey)"	Key not added to GitHub or ssh-agent
"Host key verification failed"	Run `ssh-keyscan github.com >> ~/.ssh/known_hosts`
"Connection timed out"	Firewall blocking port 22, try SSH over HTTPS port (see below)
"Could not resolve hostname"	DNS issue, check network connection

SSH Over HTTPS Port (if port 22 blocked):

bash

# ~/.ssh/config
Host github.com
    HostName ssh.github.com
    Port 443
    User git
    IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Auto-Convert HTTPS to SSH (Git Config)

bash

# Global setting: automatically rewrite HTTPS to SSH
git config --global url."git@github.com:".insteadOf "https://github.com/"

# Verify
git config --global --get-regexp url

Scenarios & Playbooks

Scenario A: Pre-Commit Hook Failure

Trigger: git commit exits with code > 0. Action:

•Analyze Log: Grep stdout/stderr for keywords: eslint, prettier, test failed.
•
Fix:
- •If lint error: Run npm run lint:fix (or equivalent).
- •If format error: Run npm run format.
- •If test failure: Check if failure is related to staged changes.
•
Recover:
- •git add <fixed-files>
- •Retry the commit.
•Fallback: If fix is complex or manual, notify user. Only use git commit --no-verify if explicitly authorized.

Scenario B: Merge/Rebase Conflict

Trigger: git merge or git rebase stops with "CONFLICT". Action:

•Identify: Run git status to see both modified files.
•
Resolve:
- •For lockfiles (package-lock.json, pnpm-lock.yaml): Discard changes and regenerate (npm install). Do not attempt text merge on lockfiles.
- •
  For source code:
  - •Read conflict markers.
  - •Start with 'Incoming Change' or 'Current Change' logic depending on context (e.g., if rebasing strict-feature on main, honor main).
•
Continue:
- •git add <resolved-files>
- •git rebase --continue (or git commit for merge).
•Abort: If loop detected (same conflict > 2 times), run git rebase --abort.

Scenario C: Undo/Rewrite

Trigger: User wants to undo last commit or change message. Action:

•Undo Last Commit (Soft): git reset --soft HEAD~1 (keeps changes staged).
•Amend Message: git commit --amend (opens editor) or git commit --amend -m "new message".
•Discard All Local Changes: git reset --hard HEAD (WARNING: Data Loss).

Scenario D: SSH Authentication Failure

Trigger: git push or git pull fails with "Permission denied (publickey)" or similar. Action:

•
Check Remote URL:
bash
```
git remote -v
```
- •If HTTPS: Convert to SSH (see "Convert HTTPS to SSH" above).

•Verify SSH Agent:

bash

ssh-add -l
# If "Could not open connection to agent", start it:
eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"
ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

•
Test GitHub Connection:
bash
```
ssh -T git@github.com
```
•
If Still Failing:
- •Verify key is added to GitHub: cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
- •Check SSH config: cat ~/.ssh/config
- •Try verbose mode: ssh -vT git@github.com

Scenario E: HTTPS Remote Detected

Trigger: During any git operation, detect HTTPS remote. Action:

•Auto-Convert to SSH:

bash

# Get current URL
CURRENT_URL=$(git remote get-url origin)

# If HTTPS, convert
if [[ "$CURRENT_URL" == https://github.com/* ]]; then
    # Extract owner/repo from HTTPS URL
    SSH_URL=$(echo "$CURRENT_URL" | sed 's|https://github.com/|git@github.com:|')
    git remote set-url origin "$SSH_URL"
    echo "Converted to SSH: $SSH_URL"
fi

•Verify: git remote -v
•Proceed with original operation.

Safety Constraints

•Never Force Push (git push -f) on main or master branch.
•Never git reset --hard without explicit user confirmation of data loss.
•Always verify state (git status) before and after operations.

Outputs

•Cleaned git state or a clear recovery path.

Related Skills

•/pr-create - Create pull requests after fixes