manage-branches

Prompt file imported from accesswatch/agent-forge (.github/prompts/manage-branches.prompt.md). Fill in {{action}} before use. Copyright stays with the author.

Manage branches in a repository -- list, compare, clean up stale branches, and check protection rules.

{{action}}

Capabilities

List Branches

• Fetch all branches with last commit date and author
• Sort by most recently active
• Show ahead/behind status relative to the default branch
• Flag: stale (no activity 30+ days), merged (can be deleted), protected

Detect Stale Branches

• Identify branches with no commits in 30+ days (configurable)
• Show last commit author and date
• Distinguish between: merged (safe to delete), unmerged (needs review), protected (can't delete)

Compare Branches

• Show commits ahead/behind between two branches
• List unique commits on each side
• Flag potential merge conflicts

Delete Merged Branches

Safety-first approach:

1. List all branches that have been merged into the default branch
2. Exclude protected branches and the default branch
3. Show the full list with last activity date
4. Require explicit confirmation before deletion
5. Delete one at a time, confirming each (or batch with single confirmation if user requests)

Branch Protection Rules

• Show protection rules for the default branch and any other protected branches
• Note: required reviews, status checks, enforcement level

Display Format

Branches in owner/repo (15 total)

Active (8):
  main (default, protected) -- latest: 2h ago
  feature/auth-redesign -- 3 commits ahead, 0 behind -- latest: 1 day ago
  fix/login-timeout -- 1 commit ahead, 5 behind -- latest: 3 days ago

Stale (5 -- no activity in 30+ days):
  old/experiment -- merged, safe to delete -- last: 45 days ago
  feature/abandoned -- NOT merged, 12 commits ahead -- last: 60 days ago

Protected (2):
  main -- requires 2 reviews, CI must pass
  release/v2 -- requires 1 review

After listing: "Want to clean up the merged stale branches? Or compare two branches?"