dev-update-working-branch

Update the current working branch with the latest changes from main. Fetches origin/main, fast-forwards local main, and merges main into the current feature branch.

When to use

• Before pushing fixes during /dev-review-pr when the branch is behind
• Before running /dev-resolve-feedback (must update before resolving)
• Any time GitHub shows the branch is behind main
• Before creating a PR to minimize merge conflicts

Workflow

1. Verify on a feature branch

BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)

If on main, report "Already on main — use git pull instead" and stop.

Check for uncommitted or untracked changes:

test -z "$(git status --porcelain=v1 --untracked-files=all)"

If the output is non-empty, report "Uncommitted changes detected — commit or stash before updating" and stop. This catches tracked modifications, staged changes, and untracked files (which can cause "would be overwritten by merge" errors).

2. Fetch and update local main

git fetch origin main
git branch -f main origin/main

This updates local main to match origin/main without switching branches. The -f flag forces the update (safe because we are not on main).

3. Merge main into the current branch

git merge main --no-edit

If there are merge conflicts, report them and stop — the user must resolve manually.

4. Report result

Updated <branch-name> with latest main.
- Fetched origin/main
- Local main updated to <commit>
- Merged into <branch-name>
- <N> new commits from main

Push when ready: git push

If the merge was a no-op (already up to date), report that instead.

What it does NOT do

• It does NOT push — the user decides when to push
• It does NOT switch to main — stays on the current branch
• It does NOT rebase (merge preserves history and avoids force-push)
• It does NOT resolve conflicts — reports them for manual resolution

Safety

• Refuses to run if on main (nothing to merge into)
• Refuses to run if there are uncommitted changes (merge would fail)
• Uses merge, not rebase, so no force-push is needed
• Does not modify remote state