/checkout

description: Smart branch creation and switching with conventional naming
allowed-tools: Bash(git:*), Read
category: workflow
argument-hint: "<branch-type/branch-name | branch-name>"

Git Checkout: Smart Branch Management

Create or switch to branches with intelligent naming conventions and setup.

Current Branch Status

!`git branch --show-current 2>/dev/null || echo "(no branch)"`

Available Branches

!`git branch -a 2>/dev/null | head -20`

Branch Creation Task

Based on the arguments provided: `$ARGUMENTS`

Parse the branch specification and create/switch to the appropriate branch.

Supported Branch Types

• `feature/` - New features and enhancements
• `bugfix/` - Bug fixes (non-critical)
• `hotfix/` - Urgent production fixes
• `release/` - Release preparation branches
• `chore/` - Maintenance and cleanup tasks
• `experiment/` - Experimental features
• `docs/` - Documentation updates
• `test/` - Test-related changes
• `refactor/` - Code refactoring

Branch Naming Rules

1. If argument contains `/`, use as-is (e.g., `feature/user-auth`) 2. If argument is single word, suggest adding a prefix 3. Convert spaces to hyphens 4. Lowercase all characters 5. Remove special characters except hyphens and slashes 6. Validate branch name is git-compatible

Workflow

1. **Parse the branch argument**:

• If empty, show current branch and available branches
• If contains `/`, treat as type/name format
• If single word without `/`, ask for branch type or suggest `feature/`

2. **Validate branch name**:

• Check if branch already exists locally
• Check if branch exists on remote
• Ensure name follows git conventions
• Warn if name is too long (>50 chars)

3. **Create or switch branch**:

• If branch exists locally: `git checkout <branch>`
• If branch exists only on remote: `git checkout -b <branch> origin/<branch>`
• If new branch: `git checkout -b <branch>`

4. **Set up branch configuration**:

• For hotfix branches: Base off main/master
• For feature branches: Base off current branch or develop
• For release branches: Base off develop or main

5. **Report status**:

• Confirm branch switch/creation
• Show upstream tracking status
• Suggest next steps (e.g., "Ready to start working. Use /git:push to set upstream when ready to push.")

Examples

# Create feature branch
/git:checkout feature/user-authentication

# Create hotfix from main
/git:checkout hotfix/security-patch

# Switch to existing branch
/git:checkout develop

# Create branch without prefix (will prompt)
/git:checkout payment-integration

Special Handling

For hotfix branches:

• Automatically checkout from main/master first
• Set high priority indicator
• Suggest immediate push after fix

For feature branches:

• Check if develop branch exists, use as base
• Otherwise use current branch as base

For release branches:

• Validate version format if provided (e.g., release/v1.2.0)
• Set up from develop or main

Error Handling

• If branch name is invalid, suggest corrections
• If checkout fails, show git error and provide guidance
• If working directory is dirty, warn and suggest stashing or committing