Batch PR Rebase

Overview

When to Use This Skill

Use this workflow when:

• ✅ Multiple open PRs need rebasing against updated main branch
• ✅ PRs have merge conflicts from the same file (e.g., config file updated on main)
• ✅ PRs have CI failures due to outdated workflow files
• ✅ You need to clean up commit history (remove redundant "retrigger CI" commits)
• ✅ Some PRs are in worktrees, others are not

Don't use when:

• ❌ Only 1-2 PRs need rebasing (use standard git rebase workflow)
• ❌ PRs have complex multi-file conflicts requiring manual resolution
• ❌ PRs are from external contributors (coordinate with them first)

Verified Workflow

Step 1: Prepare - Fetch and Update Main

# Fetch latest from remote
git fetch origin

# Update local main branch
git checkout main && git pull origin main

Why this works: Ensures your local main has the latest changes before rebasing PRs.

Step 2: Identify Meaningful Commits

For each PR, identify which commits contain actual work vs. CI fixes:

# View commits unique to PR branch
git log --oneline origin/main..<branch-name>

# Example output:
# 391a2912 chore: retrigger CI          ❌ Drop this
# d38c6663 fix(ci): add .gitleaks.toml  ❌ Drop this (superseded by main)
# bdbb3d71 fix(data): replace Optional  ✅ Keep this (meaningful work)

Pattern: Drop commits that:

• Are labeled "chore: retrigger CI"
• Add files that main already has (like .gitleaks.toml)
• Only exist to fix CI on the old branch

Step 3: Rebase Using Cherry-Pick (Cleanest Method)

For PRs with conflicts, use the cherry-pick approach:

# Find the meaningful commit hash
git log --oneline --all | grep "<search-term>"
# Example: git log --oneline --all | grep "fix(data): replace Optional"

# Recreate branch from main
git checkout main
git checkout -B <branch-name> origin/main

# Cherry-pick only the meaningful commit
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>

# Verify only meaningful commit remains
git log --oneline origin/main..HEAD

# Force push (safe because we recreated from main)
git push --force-with-lease origin <branch-name>

Why this works:

• Creates clean history without conflict markers
• Automatically drops superseded commits
• Safer than interactive rebase for complex conflicts

Step 4: Handle Worktrees

If a PR branch exists in a worktree:

# Check for worktree error
git checkout <branch-name>
# Error: 'branch-name' is already used by worktree at '/path/to/worktree'

# Work in the worktree instead
cd /path/to/worktree

# Remove untracked conflict files
rm .gitleaks.toml  # Or any other untracked files causing conflicts

# Rebase normally
git rebase origin/main

# Push from worktree
git push --force-with-lease origin <branch-name>

Why this works: Git prevents checking out a branch in multiple locations; worktrees require in-place operations.

Step 5: Verify Results

After rebasing all PRs:

# Check PR status
for pr in 3118 3117 3116 3115 3114; do
  echo "=== PR #$pr ==="
  gh pr view $pr --json number,title,mergeable,statusCheckRollup \
    --jq '{number, title, mergeable, failing_checks: [.statusCheckRollup[] | select(.conclusion == "FAILURE") | .name]}'
  echo ""
done

Success criteria:

• mergeable: "MERGEABLE" for all PRs
• secret-scan and security-report failures resolved
• Commit history clean (only meaningful commits)

Failed Attempts & Lessons Learned

❌ Failed: Interactive Rebase Kept Wrong Commits

What I tried:

git rebase -i origin/main
# In editor: kept all 3 commits, then manually skipped conflict

What happened: After skipping the .gitleaks.toml conflict, the "chore: retrigger CI" commit remained.

Why it failed: Interactive rebase applies commits sequentially; skipping one doesn't skip dependent commits.

What I learned: For complex conflict scenarios, cherry-pick is cleaner than interactive rebase.

❌ Failed: Git Reset Hard Blocked by Safety Net

What I tried:

git reset --hard origin/main && git cherry-pick bdbb3d71

What happened: Safety Net hook blocked the command.

Why it failed: git reset --hard destroys uncommitted changes; hook correctly prevented it.

What I learned: Use git checkout -B instead of reset for recreating branches.

❌ Failed: Rebasing in Main Repo When Worktree Exists

What I tried:

git checkout skill/architecture/dtype-native-migration
# Error: already used by worktree at '/path/to/worktree'

What happened: Git prevents multiple checkouts of the same branch.

Why it failed: Worktrees lock branches to prevent conflicts.

What I learned: Always check for worktrees first; work in the worktree if it exists.

⚠️ Partial Success: Removing Untracked Conflict Files

What I tried:

cd /path/to/worktree
git rebase origin/main
# Error: untracked .gitleaks.toml would be overwritten

Solution:

rm .gitleaks.toml
git rebase origin/main  # Now succeeds

Why it worked: The file was untracked (from a previous conflict resolution), not part of the branch.

What I learned: Always check for untracked files before rebasing in worktrees.

Results & Parameters

Final PR Status

Key Metrics

• Total PRs rebased: 5
• Conflicts resolved: 3 (all .gitleaks.toml)
• Commits cleaned: 6 (dropped redundant CI fixes)
• CI failures fixed: 10 (secret-scan + security-report on all 5 PRs)
• Success rate: 100% (all mergeable, conflicts resolved)
• Time taken: ~15 minutes for 5 PRs

Commands Used

# 1. Preparation
git fetch origin
git checkout main && git pull origin main

# 2. Rebase with cherry-pick (for conflicting PRs)
git checkout main
git checkout -B <branch> origin/main
git cherry-pick <meaningful-commit-hash>
git push --force-with-lease origin <branch>

# 3. Rebase in worktree (for non-conflicting PRs)
cd /path/to/worktree
rm .gitleaks.toml  # Remove untracked conflict files
git rebase origin/main
git push --force-with-lease origin <branch>

# 4. Verification
gh pr view <number> --json mergeable,statusCheckRollup

Best Practices

1. Always fetch first: git fetch origin before starting
2. Identify meaningful commits: Use git log --oneline origin/main..HEAD
3. Prefer cherry-pick for conflicts: Cleaner than interactive rebase
4. Check for worktrees: Use worktree if branch already checked out there
5. Remove untracked files: rm any untracked conflict files before rebasing
6. Force-push safely: Use --force-with-lease instead of --force
7. Verify immediately: Check gh pr view after each rebase

Related Skills

• worktree-sync - Syncing worktrees with main
• gh-fix-pr-feedback - Addressing PR review comments
• fix-ci-failures - Diagnosing and fixing CI issues

References

• Session: 2026-02-08 batch PR rebase
• PRs: #3114-#3118
• Context: PR #3119 gitleaks fix merged to main