Language Conventions

• Analyze existing branches, commit messages, and documentation to detect the project's language variant (US English, UK English, etc.)
• Match the spelling conventions found in the project (e.g., "synchronize" vs "synchronise", "center" vs "centre")
• Maintain consistency with the project's established language style throughout branch names and command outputs

Create Branch Command

Priority: GitHub Issue Integration

1. Check for GitHub CLI availability:
   bash

   gh --version

   If not available, inform the user and fall back to manual branch creation.
2. Verify the issue exists:
   bash

   gh issue view <issue-number>

   Display issue title and status to confirm.
3. Create branch linked to issue:
   bash

   gh issue develop <issue-number> -c

   • The

     -c

     flag automatically checks out the newly created branch
   • GitHub automatically generates an appropriate branch name from the issue title
   • The branch is linked to the issue for better project tracking
4. Skip to remote push step (step 8 below)

Manual Branch Creation Workflow

1. Check Repository Status

git status

• Clean working directory or acceptable uncommitted changes
• Current branch information
• Whether we're in a git repository

2. Get Branch Name Input

3. Auto-Detect and Apply Prefix

• feature/ - Keywords: "add", "implement", "create", "new", "feature"
• bugfix/ - Keywords: "fix", "bug", "resolve", "patch", "repair"
• hotfix/ - Keywords: "hotfix", "urgent", "critical", "emergency"
• chore/ - Keywords: "chore", "refactor", "update", "upgrade", "maintain"
• docs/ - Keywords: "docs", "documentation", "readme", "guide"

4. Validate Branch Name

Kebab-Case Enforcement

• Convert to lowercase
• Replace spaces and underscores with hyphens
• Ensure format is:

  prefix/kebab-case-name

Character Validation

• Spaces (convert to hyphens)
• Special characters:

  ~

  ,

  ^

  ,

  :

  ,

  ?

  ,

  *

  ,

  [

  ,

  ]

  ,

  \

  ,

  @{

  ,

  ..

• Control characters or non-ASCII (except hyphens and slashes)
• Leading or trailing slashes or hyphens

Length Validation

• Minimum: 3 characters (excluding prefix)
• Maximum: 100 characters (total)

5. Check for Duplicates

# Check local branches
git branch --list "<branch-name>"

# Check remote branches
git ls-remote --heads origin "<branch-name>"

• Locally: Offer to checkout existing branch instead
• Remotely: Warn user and suggest alternative name
• Both: Inform user and ask if they want to checkout or choose different name

6. Determine Base Branch

1. Check if

   main

   exists:
   bash

   git rev-parse --verify main

2. If not, check if

   master

   exists:
   bash

   git rev-parse --verify master

3. If neither exists, use current HEAD
4. Allow user to specify different base branch if needed (ask before creating)

7. Create and Checkout Branch

git checkout -b <validated-branch-name> <base-branch>

• Branch name
• Base branch used
• Current status

8. Remote Push Recommendation

git push -u origin <branch-name>

• Remote backup of the branch
• Collaboration with team members
• GitHub PR creation workflow
• Branch visibility in GitHub UI

Error Handling

• Not a git repository: "This directory is not a git repository. Initialise one with

  git init

  or navigate to a repository."
• GitHub CLI not available: "GitHub CLI (

  gh

  ) is not installed. Install it from https://cli.github.com or use manual branch creation."
• Issue not found: "Issue #123 not found. Check the issue number or create a branch manually."
• Invalid branch name: "Branch name contains invalid characters. Suggested:

  feature/valid-branch-name

  "
• Branch exists: "Branch

  feature/existing

  already exists. Switch to it with

  git checkout feature/existing

  or choose a different name."
• Network issues: "Unable to check remote branches. Proceeding with local creation only."

Examples

Example 1: GitHub Issue Integration

User: "Create a branch for issue #456"
Command: gh issue view 456
Output: #456 - Add user authentication (open)
Command: gh issue develop 456 -c
Output: Created and checked out branch: feature/456-add-user-authentication

Example 2: Manual with Auto-Prefix

User: "Create branch: fix login bug"
Analysis: Contains "fix" → apply "bugfix/" prefix
Validated: "bugfix/login-bug"
Command: git checkout -b bugfix/login-bug main

Example 3: Custom Prefix

User: "Create branch: docs/update readme"
Analysis: Already has "docs/" prefix → keep as-is
Validated: "docs/update-readme"
Command: git checkout -b docs/update-readme main

Best Practises

1. Always prioritise GitHub issue workflow when issue numbers are mentioned
2. Validate thoroughly before creating branches to avoid git errors
3. Use descriptive names that clearly indicate the purpose
4. Follow team conventions - check existing branch names for patterns
5. Push to remote early for backup and collaboration
6. Link branches to issues whenever possible for better project tracking