Conventional Branch Names

Branch names use the same type vocabulary as conventional commits:

<type>/<short-kebab-description>

Examples: feat/user-auth, fix/login-crash, refactor/api-client, chore/update-deps.

Rules

1. Type — the conventional-commit type the dominant commit on this branch would have: feat, fix, refactor, perf, docs, test, build, ci, chore, revert.
2. Description — 2–4 words, kebab-case, specific: what the branch delivers, not how. Lowercase only, no spaces.
3. Ticket IDs — if the work has a ticket, put its ID after the type: feat/lin-123-user-auth.
4. No agent-branded prefixes — never codex/..., claude/..., or agent/.... The branch describes the work, not the tool that wrote it.
5. Base — use the user's requested starting point. Otherwise prefer the up-to-date default branch, except when the task clearly continues current branch work. Inspect repository state before choosing it; preserve uncommitted work.

Procedure

If the user only asks for a branch name, propose the name without changing repository state. Use the creation steps when creating a branch is within the requested work.

1. Derive type and description from the requested work (or "$ARGUMENTS" if provided).
2. Validate: git check-ref-format --branch <name>.
3. Inspect git status --short --branch and the available refs. Resolve the requested base; if a fresh remote base is needed, fetch that ref and verify it before proceeding. Do not assume the current checkout is the default branch or up to date.
4. Create with git switch -c <name> <verified-base>; omit the base only when intentionally branching from current HEAD. If switching would disturb unrelated edits, use an isolated worktree when appropriate or ask for the unresolved starting-point decision. Do not stash, discard, reset, or overwrite work implicitly.