Complete GitButler Virtual Branch

Virtual branch ready → snapshot → merge to main → cleanup → return.

<when_to_use>

• Virtual branch work is complete and ready to ship
• Tests pass and code is reviewed (if required)
• Ready to merge changes into main branch
• Need to clean up completed branches

NOT for: ongoing work, branches needing more development, stacks (complete bottom-to-top) </when_to_use>

<prerequisites> **Before completing any branch:** - [ ] GitButler initialized (`but --version` succeeds) - [ ] Virtual branch exists with committed changes - [ ] Main branch tracked as base - [ ] No uncommitted changes (or changes assigned to branches) - [ ] Tests passing </prerequisites>

<quick_start>

Quick Start (7 Steps)

# 1. Verify branch state
but status
but log

# 2. Create safety snapshot
but snapshot --message "Before integrating feature-auth"

# 3. Switch to main
git checkout main

# 4. Update main from remote
git pull origin main

# 5. Merge virtual branch
git merge --no-ff refs/gitbutler/feature-auth -m "feat: add user authentication"

# 6. Push to remote
git push origin main

# 7. Clean up and return
but branch rm feature-auth
git checkout gitbutler/workspace

</quick_start>

<pre_flight>

Pre-Integration Checklist

# All work committed?
but status  # Your branch should show committed changes

# Tests passing?
bun test  # or npm test, cargo test, etc.

# Branch up to date with main?
but base update

# No uncommitted changes?
but status  # Should show no unassigned files
git status  # Should be clean or show only .gitbutler/ changes

# Safety snapshot created?
but snapshot --message "Before integrating feature-auth"

</pre_flight>

<workflows> ## Integration Workflows

A. Direct Merge to Main

# 1. Verify branch state
but status
but log

# 2. Create snapshot
but snapshot --message "Before integrating feature-auth"

# 3. Switch to main
git checkout main

# 4. Update main
git pull origin main

# 5. Merge with --no-ff (preserves history)
git merge --no-ff refs/gitbutler/feature-auth -m "feat: add user authentication"

# 6. Push
git push origin main

# 7. Clean up
but branch rm feature-auth
git checkout gitbutler/workspace

B. Pull Request Workflow

# 1. Push branch to remote
git push origin refs/gitbutler/feature-auth:refs/heads/feature-auth

# 2. Create PR
gh pr create --base main --head feature-auth \
  --title "feat: add user authentication" \
  --body "Description..."

# 3. Wait for review and approval

# 4. Merge PR (via GitHub UI or CLI)
gh pr merge feature-auth --squash

# 5. Update main and clean up
git checkout main
git pull origin main
but branch rm feature-auth
git checkout gitbutler/workspace

C. Stacked Branches (Bottom-Up)

# Must merge in order: base → dependent → final

# 1. Merge base branch first
git checkout main && git pull
git merge --no-ff refs/gitbutler/feature-base -m "feat: base feature"
git push origin main
but branch rm feature-base
git checkout gitbutler/workspace

# 2. Update remaining branches
but base update

# 3. Merge next level
git checkout main && git pull
git merge --no-ff refs/gitbutler/feature-api -m "feat: API feature"
git push origin main
but branch rm feature-api
git checkout gitbutler/workspace

# 4. Repeat for remaining stack levels

</workflows> <recovery> ## Error Recovery

Merge Conflicts

# View conflicted files
git status

# Resolve conflicts manually

# Stage resolved files
git add src/auth.ts

# Complete merge
git commit

# Verify and push
git push origin main

# Clean up
but branch rm feature-auth
git checkout gitbutler/workspace

Push Rejected (Main Moved Ahead)

git pull origin main
# Resolve any conflicts if main diverged
git push origin main

Undo Integration (Not Pushed Yet)

git reset --hard HEAD~1
git checkout gitbutler/workspace

Undo Integration (Already Pushed)

git revert -m 1 HEAD
git push origin main

</recovery> <cleanup> ## Post-Integration Cleanup

# Delete integrated virtual branch
but branch rm feature-auth

# Clean up remote branch (if created for PR)
git push origin --delete feature-auth

# Verify workspace is clean
but status  # Should show remaining active branches only
but log     # Branch should be gone

</cleanup> <rules> ALWAYS: - Create snapshot before integration: `but snapshot --message "..."` - Use `--no-ff` flag to preserve branch history - Return to workspace after git operations: `git checkout gitbutler/workspace` - Run tests before integrating - Complete stacked branches bottom-to-top

NEVER:

• Merge without snapshot backup
• Skip updating main first (git pull)
• Forget to return to gitbutler/workspace
• Merge middle of stack before base
• Force push to main without explicit confirmation </rules>

<troubleshooting> ## Common Issues

Symptom	Cause	Solution
Merge conflicts	Diverged from main	Resolve conflicts, stage, commit
Push rejected	Main moved ahead	git pull, resolve, push
Branch not found	Wrong ref path	Use refs/gitbutler/<name>
Can't return to workspace	Integration branch issue	git checkout gitbutler/workspace

Emergency Recovery

# If integration went wrong
but oplog
but undo  # Restores pre-integration state

# If stuck after git operations
git checkout gitbutler/workspace

</troubleshooting>

<best_practices>

Best Practices

Keep branches small:

• Small branches = easier merges
• Aim for single responsibility per branch

Update base regularly:

but base update

Test before integrating:

• Always run full test suite before merging

Meaningful merge commits:

# Good: Describes what and why
git merge --no-ff feature-auth -m "feat: add JWT-based user authentication"

# Bad: Generic message
git merge --no-ff feature-auth -m "Merge branch"

</best_practices>

<references> - [version-control skill](../version-control/SKILL.md) — core GitButler workflows - [stack-workflows skill](../stack-workflows/SKILL.md) — stacked branches - [REFERENCE.md](../version-control/REFERENCE.md) — CLI reference and troubleshooting </references>