rrt branch

rrt branch

Branch command helpers and utilities for conventional branches.

Overview

The rrt branch command family provides a suite of helpers for managing semantic, conventionally-named Git branches. By enforcing a consistent naming structure—such as feat/add-parser or fix/config-loader—the tool ensures that the repository’s branch history remains searchable, readable, and aligned with standard conventional-commits policies.

These helpers are particularly useful for teams practicing trunk-based development, where branch names often serve as the primary signal for automated release notes and CI workflow routing.

Responsibilities

• validate branch names against project-specific prefix and slug rules
• scaffold new branches using the canonical <type>/<kebab-slug> format
• automate the renaming of branches while preserving description context
• “rescue” uncommitted work or divergent commits into new, semantic branches
• provide actionable suggestions when a branch name violates repository policy

Standard Format

<type>/[<scope>-]<kebab-case-description>

Example branches:

• feat/add-config-discovery
• fix/handle-tag-workflows
• docs/split-readme-into-docs

Built-in branch types

Conventional branch types are accepted out of the box:

• feat, fix, chore, docs, refactor, test, ci, perf, style, build

Special names

These branch names are also valid:

• main, master, develop
• release/v<semver> (validated as a semver-aware special case)

AI helper and Bot branches

Branches created by assistant-driven workflows or dependency bots are accepted with these prefixes:

• claude/..., codex/..., copilot/...
• dependabot/..., renovate/...

Custom prefixes can be added via the extra_branch_types config key.

Behavior

• new: Creates and switches to a new branch. Moves dirty changes if requested.
• rename: Rebuilds the current branch name based on new type, scope, or description.
• rescue: Moves commits ahead of upstream to a fresh semantic branch.
• dry-run: Previews all Git operations without modifying the repository.

Examples

• rrt branch new feat "add parser"
• rrt branch new fix "repair config loader" --scope api
• rrt branch rename --type fix --scope api "fix config loader"
• rrt branch rescue feat "rescue work in progress"

Caveats

• Branch slugs are limited to 60 characters by default.
• Custom branch types can be added via configuration.