branch-guard

Branch Guard Skill

Ensures all code changes happen on feature branches and completed work is automatically pushed and turned into a Pull Request.

This skill is silently activated for any workflow that modifies source code. It works alongside git-master (commit style) and frontend-ui-ux (design sensibility).

Branch Protection Protocol

At Work Start (Before Any Code Changes)

MANDATORY: Before making ANY source code changes, check the current branch:

CURRENT_BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)

If on main or master:

1. Create a feature branch immediately:

# Derive branch name from task description
# Format: omc/<slug> (e.g., omc/add-user-auth, omc/fix-login-bug)
git checkout -b "omc/<task-slug>"

2. Branch naming rules:

   • Prefix: omc/ (for discoverability)
   • Slug: lowercase, hyphens, derived from task description
   • Max 50 chars for the slug portion
   • Examples:
     • "Add user authentication" → omc/add-user-auth
     • "Fix login redirect bug" → omc/fix-login-redirect-bug
     • "Refactor database layer" → omc/refactor-database-layer
     • PRD mode with branch name → use the PRD's branchName field

3. Announce to user:

   "Created branch omc/<slug> — all changes will be made here."

If already on a feature branch (not main/master):

• Continue working on the current branch. Do not create a new one.

During Work

• All commits go to the feature branch
• Follow git-master rules for atomic commits and style detection
• Never switch back to main/master during work

At Completion (After Architect Verification)

MANDATORY: After Architect verification passes and before outputting the completion promise:

Step 1: Push Branch

git push -u origin "$(git branch --show-current)"

Step 2: Create Pull Request

# Get the default branch name
DEFAULT_BRANCH=$(git remote show origin 2>/dev/null | grep 'HEAD branch' | awk '{print $NF}')
DEFAULT_BRANCH=${DEFAULT_BRANCH:-main}

gh pr create \
  --base "$DEFAULT_BRANCH" \
  --title "<PR title derived from task>" \
  --body "$(cat <<'EOF'
## Summary
<bullet points summarizing what was built/changed>

## Changes
<list of key files/components modified>

## Test Plan
<how to verify the changes work>

---
Generated by [oh-my-claudecode](https://github.com/anthropics/oh-my-claudecode) autopilot
EOF
)"

Step 3: Report to User

"PR created: . Branch omc/<slug> is ready for review."

Error Handling

Scenario	Action
gh CLI not installed	Warn user: "Install gh CLI to enable auto-PR. Branch pushed to origin."
gh not authenticated	Warn user: "Run gh auth login to enable auto-PR. Branch pushed to origin."
Push fails (no remote)	Warn user: "No remote configured. Changes committed on local branch omc/<slug>."
PR already exists	Skip PR creation, report existing PR URL
On a detached HEAD	Create branch from current commit, then proceed normally

When to Skip

• No code changes made (e.g., research-only, analysis-only tasks)
• User explicitly says "work on main" or "no branch"
• Already has a PR for the current branch

Integration Points

This skill integrates with the completion flow of every code-modifying workflow:

Workflow	Branch Creation	PR Creation
Orchestrate	Phase 2B start	Phase 3 completion
Autopilot	Phase 0.5 (before execution)	Phase 4.5 (after validation)
Ralph	Loop start	After Architect verification
Ultrawork	Activation	After verification checklist
Ecomode	Activation	After verification
Ultrapilot	Before worker dispatch	After integration

PR Content Guidelines

Title

• Use conventional commit style if detected in repo
• Otherwise: concise description of what was done
• Examples:
  • feat: add user authentication with JWT
  • fix: resolve login redirect loop
  • refactor: extract database connection pool

Body

• Summary: 1-3 bullet points of what changed
• Changes: Key files/components modified
• Test Plan: How to verify (build, test commands, manual steps)
• Reference original issue/task if applicable