git-rebase

Git Rebase with Intelligent Conflict Resolution

Quick Start

For most rebases with multiple commits, use the squash-first strategy to resolve conflicts only once:

# Step 1: Backup current state
bash scripts/pre-rebase-backup.sh

# Step 2: Squash commits (interactive rebase on current branch)
git rebase -i $(git merge-base HEAD origin/main)

# Step 3: Rebase onto target
git rebase origin/main

# Step 4: If conflicts, resolve them once (see workflow below)
# Then continue: git rebase --continue

# Step 5: Force push safely
git push origin $(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD) --force-with-lease

This approach resolves conflicts once instead of per-commit, saving time and mental overhead.

Core Workflow: Conflict Analysis & Resolution

Copy this checklist and mark progress:

Rebase Workflow:
- [ ] Step 1: Create safety backup
- [ ] Step 2: Fetch latest from target branch
- [ ] Step 3: Analyze conflict scope
- [ ] Step 4: Choose resolution strategy
- [ ] Step 5: Apply conflict resolutions
- [ ] Step 6: Validate merged code
- [ ] Step 7: Run tests
- [ ] Step 8: Force push safely

Step 1: Create Safety Backup

ALWAYS do this first. If rebase goes wrong, you can recover:

# Use the bundled script
bash scripts/pre-rebase-backup.sh

# Or manually create timestamped backup branch
TIMESTAMP=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
git branch backup-rebase-$TIMESTAMP

# Alternative: Create temporary ref to your current commit
git reflog  # Note your current HEAD SHA for manual recovery

This costs nothing and saves hours of work if something goes wrong.

Step 2: Fetch Latest Changes

Ensure you have the most recent remote state:

# Fetch without modifying local branches
git fetch origin

# View the divergence
git log --oneline origin/main..HEAD  # Your commits
git log --oneline HEAD..origin/main  # New commits on main

Understand how many commits you're rebasing and how much main has changed.

Step 3: Analyze Conflict Scope

Before starting the rebase, predict conflicts: