Claude Code Git Workflow Guide

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The Problem

You want Claude Code to handle git operations like creating branches, writing commit messages, resolving merge conflicts, and opening pull requests, but you need to configure permissions correctly and understand what Claude can do safely.

Quick Fix

Pre-approve safe git commands and add your git workflow to CLAUDE.md:

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Bash(git status)",
      "Bash(git diff *)",
      "Bash(git log *)",
      "Bash(git add *)",
      "Bash(git commit *)",
      "Bash(git checkout *)",
      "Bash(git branch *)"
    ],
    "deny": [
      "Bash(git push --force *)",
      "Bash(git reset --hard *)"
    ]
  }
}

What’s Happening

Claude Code includes built-in git instructions in its system prompt by default. These instructions tell Claude how to create commits, write PR descriptions, check status, and handle common git operations. Claude prefers creating new commits over amending existing ones, stages specific files rather than using git add -A, and never skips hooks or force pushes unless explicitly asked.

You can customize or disable these built-in instructions with the includeGitInstructions setting.

Step-by-Step Fix

Step 1: Configure git command permissions

Add safe git commands to your allow list. Block destructive commands:

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Bash(git status)",
      "Bash(git diff *)",
      "Bash(git log *)",
      "Bash(git add *)",
      "Bash(git commit *)",
      "Bash(git checkout *)",
      "Bash(git branch *)",
      "Bash(git merge *)",
      "Bash(git rebase *)",
      "Bash(git stash *)",
      "Bash(git fetch *)",
      "Bash(git pull *)"
    ],
    "deny": [
      "Bash(git push --force *)",
      "Bash(git reset --hard *)",
      "Bash(git clean -f *)"
    ]
  }
}

Note: git push without --force can be in either allow or ask depending on your preference.

Step 2: Add git workflow to CLAUDE.md

# Git Workflow
- Branch naming: feature/TICKET-description, fix/TICKET-description
- Commit messages: conventional commits (feat:, fix:, refactor:, test:, docs:)
- Always run `pnpm test` before committing
- Create feature branches from `main`
- Never commit directly to `main`

Step 3: Let Claude create commits

Ask Claude to commit with a descriptive message:

Stage and commit the changes with a descriptive commit message

Claude will:

  1. Run git status to see changes
  2. Run git diff to understand what changed
  3. Stage specific files (not git add -A)
  4. Write a commit message based on the changes
  5. Create the commit

Step 4: Create pull requests

Claude can use the gh CLI to create pull requests:

Create a PR for this branch with a summary of all changes

Pre-approve the gh command:

{
  "permissions": {
    "allow": [
      "Bash(gh pr create *)",
      "Bash(gh pr view *)",
      "Bash(gh issue view *)"
    ]
  }
}

Step 5: Resolve merge conflicts

Merge main into this branch and resolve any conflicts

Claude will:

  1. Run git merge main
  2. Identify conflicting files
  3. Read each conflict
  4. Resolve conflicts based on the intent of both changes
  5. Stage and commit the resolution

Step 6: Interactive rebase and cleanup

Squash the last 3 commits into one with a clean commit message

Note: Claude avoids interactive flags (-i) since they require terminal interaction. It uses non-interactive alternatives like git rebase --onto or git reset --soft followed by a new commit.

Step 7: Configure attribution

Claude Code adds a co-authored-by line to commits by default. Customize this:

{
  "attribution": {
    "commit": "Generated with Claude Code",
    "pr": ""
  }
}

Set "pr": "" to skip attribution in PR descriptions.

Step 8: Disable built-in git instructions

If you use your own git workflow skills, disable the built-in instructions:

{
  "includeGitInstructions": false
}

This removes the built-in commit and PR workflow instructions from Claude’s system prompt.

Prevention

Always deny git push --force and git reset --hard in your permission rules. These destructive commands should require explicit human approval. Pre-approve read-only git commands (status, diff, log) for frictionless workflow.

Add your team’s git conventions to CLAUDE.md so Claude creates commits and branches that match your standards.

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