GitFlow Kubis1982

Use this command to install GitFlow with WinGet:

winget install --id=Kubis1982.GitFlow -e

GitFlow is a .NET-based command-line tool designed to simplify and automate the implementation of the GitFlow branching model. This model provides a structured approach for managing feature development, releases, hotfixes, and bug fixes in Git repositories.

Key Features:

Branch Management: Supports feature, bugfix, release, and hotfix branches with clear workflows for starting, publishing, updating, finishing, and deleting branches.
Configuration Customization: Allows users to define branch names, prefixes, merge strategies, and version tag conventions to align with team preferences.
Git Integration: Operates seamlessly within existing Git repositories, enabling teams to adopt the GitFlow model without disrupting their workflow.

Audience & Benefit:

Ideal for developers and development teams using Git who seek a standardized approach to branch management. By implementing the GitFlow branching model, teams can reduce merge conflicts, maintain a clear commit history, and streamline collaboration across projects.

GitFlow can be installed via winget, making it easy to integrate into your development environment.

GitFlow

GitFlow - Git workflow management tool implementing the GitFlow branching model.

Installation

Install as .NET Tool (Recommended)

Install globally using .NET CLI:

dotnet tool install --global Kubis1982.GitFlow

Update to the latest version:

dotnet tool update --global Kubis1982.GitFlow

Install specific prerelease version (for testing):

dotnet tool install --global Kubis1982.GitFlow --version 2.0.0-dev.20260507163000+a1b2c3d

Uninstall:

dotnet tool uninstall --global Kubis1982.GitFlow

Build from Source

Build the project:

dotnet build

Run the tool:

dotnet run --project src/GitFlow

Usage

Initialize GitFlow

GitFlow must be initialized in each repository before use. The initialization process has three scenarios:

Scenario 1: Initialize with Global Template

If you have a global template configured, initialize with defaults:

gitflow config init

This displays the global template configuration and asks for confirmation:

Answer Y to accept all settings
Answer n to customize individual settings

Scenario 2: Initialize from Scratch

If no global template exists, configure all settings interactively:

gitflow config init

You'll be prompted for:

Production branch (default: main)
Development branch (default: develop)
Feature branch prefix (default: feature/)
Release branch prefix (default: release/)
Hotfix branch prefix (default: hotfix/)
Bugfix branch prefix (default: bugfix/)
Version tag prefix (default: v or none)
Merge strategy (default: --no-ff)

Scenario 3: Reconfigure Existing Setup

To override existing local configuration:

gitflow config init -f

Options:

-f, --force - Overwrite existing local configuration

Example session:

$ gitflow config init

GitFlow Configuration

Production branch [main]: 
Development branch [develop]: 

Branch Prefixes

Feature branch prefix [feature/]: 
Release branch prefix [release/]: 
Hotfix branch prefix [hotfix/]: 
Bugfix branch prefix [bugfix/]: 

Version Prefix

Select version tag prefix:
  1)  (e.g., 1.0.0)
  2) v (e.g., v1.0.0)
Choice [1]: 2

Merge Strategy

Select merge strategy:
  1) --no-ff (recommended - always create merge commit)
  2) --ff (fast-forward if possible)
  3) --ff-only (only fast-forward, fail otherwise)
Choice [1]: 

✓ GitFlow initialized (local config)
  Production branch: main
  Development branch: develop
  Feature prefix: feature/
  Release prefix: release/
  Hotfix prefix: hotfix/
  Bugfix prefix: bugfix/
  Version prefix: v
  Merge strategy: --no-ff

Configure Global Template

Create a global configuration template for reuse across repositories:

gitflow config template

This configures:

Production branch (default: main)
Development branch (default: develop)
Version tag prefix (v or none)
Merge strategy (--no-ff, --ff, or --ff-only)

Note: Branch prefixes are fixed as feature/, release/, hotfix/, bugfix/ in the template.

To override existing global template:

gitflow config template -f

Feature Branches

Features are created from the development branch.

# Start a new feature
gitflow feature start 

# Publish feature to remote
gitflow feature publish 

# Checkout feature branch
gitflow feature checkout 

# Update feature with latest development changes
gitflow feature update 

# Finish feature (merge to development and delete)
gitflow feature finish 

# Delete feature branch
gitflow feature delete 

# List all feature branches
gitflow feature list

Example:

gitflow feature start PIQ-234
gitflow feature publish PIQ-234
gitflow feature finish PIQ-234

Bugfix Branches

Bugfixes work the same as features (created from development).

gitflow bugfix start 
gitflow bugfix publish 
gitflow bugfix checkout 
gitflow bugfix update 
gitflow bugfix finish 
gitflow bugfix delete 
gitflow bugfix list

Release Branches

Releases are created from development and merged to both production and development.

# Start a new release
gitflow release start 

# Publish release to remote
gitflow release publish 

# Checkout release branch
gitflow release checkout 

# Update release with latest development changes
gitflow release update 

# Finish release (merge to production and development, create tag, delete branch)
gitflow release finish 

# Delete release branch
gitflow release delete 

# List all release branches
gitflow release list

Example:

gitflow release start 1.0.0
gitflow release finish 1.0.0  # Creates tag v1.0.0

Hotfix Branches

Hotfixes are created from production (not development!) and merged to both production and development.

# Start a new hotfix (from production)
gitflow hotfix start 

# Publish hotfix to remote
gitflow hotfix publish 

# Checkout hotfix branch
gitflow hotfix checkout 

# Update hotfix with latest production changes
gitflow hotfix update 

# Finish hotfix (merge to production and development, create tag, delete branch)
gitflow hotfix finish 

# Delete hotfix branch
gitflow hotfix delete 

# List all hotfix branches
gitflow hotfix list

Example:

gitflow hotfix start 1.0.1
gitflow hotfix finish 1.0.1  # Creates tag v1.0.1

GitFlow Model

Branch Types

Production (main): Production-ready code
Development (develop): Integration branch for features
Feature (feature/*): New features for upcoming releases
Bugfix (bugfix/*): Bug fixes for upcoming releases
Release (release/*): Preparation for production release
Hotfix (hotfix/*): Emergency fixes for production

Workflow

Features/Bugfixes: Develop → Feature → Develop
Releases: Develop → Release → Production + Development (with tag)
Hotfixes: Production → Hotfix → Production + Development (with tag)

Configuration

GitFlow requires local configuration in each repository. Configuration is stored in git config.

Local Configuration

Local configuration is stored in .git/config:

[gitflow]
    production = main
    development = develop
    prefix.feature = feature/
    prefix.release = release/
    prefix.hotfix = hotfix/
    prefix.bugfix = bugfix/
    prefix.version = v
    merge.strategy = --no-ff

Important: All GitFlow commands (start, finish, publish, etc.) require local configuration. Run gitflow config init first.

Global Template

Global template is stored in ~/.gitconfig and used as defaults during gitflow config init:

gitflow config template  # Create global template

The template simplifies initialization across multiple repositories by providing default values.

Configuration Priority

Local configuration (.git/config) - used by all GitFlow commands
Global template (~/.gitconfig) - used as defaults during initialization

Hooks

GitFlow supports C# hooks that can be executed at various stages of the workflow. Hooks are optional scripts that automate custom actions during GitFlow operations.

Available Hooks

Release Hooks

gitflow-release-start-pre.cs - Executed BEFORE creating a release branch
gitflow-release-start-post.cs - Executed AFTER creating a release branch

Hotfix Hooks

gitflow-hotfix-start-pre.cs - Executed BEFORE creating a hotfix branch
gitflow-hotfix-start-post.cs - Executed AFTER creating a hotfix branch

Feature & Bugfix Hooks

gitflow-feature-start-pre.cs / gitflow-feature-start-post.cs - Feature branch hooks
gitflow-bugfix-start-pre.cs / gitflow-bugfix-start-post.cs - Bugfix branch hooks

All hook types follow the same pattern and receive the full branch name as argument.

Hook Installation

Create .git/hooks/ directory if it doesn't exist
Copy hook scripts from docs/hooks/ to .git/hooks/
Customize for your project needs

Example:

# Copy example hooks
cp docs/hooks/gitflow-release-start-post.cs .git/hooks/
cp docs/hooks/gitflow-hotfix-start-post.cs .git/hooks/

Hook Behavior

Parameters: Hooks receive the full branch name (e.g., release/1.0.0)
Exit codes: Return 0 for success, non-zero to abort operation
Auto-commit: POST hooks' file changes are automatically committed by GitFlow
Optional: Hooks are optional - GitFlow works without them
Per-repository: Hooks are stored in .git/hooks/ and not committed to version control

Installing Hooks

To install pre-built hook templates, use the hooks apply command:

# Apply hooks for .NET projects (updates Directory.Build.props)
gitflow hooks apply dotnet

# Apply hooks for Node.js/npm projects (updates package.json)
gitflow hooks apply nodejs

# Force overwrite existing hooks
gitflow hooks apply dotnet --force

This command:

Downloads the latest hook templates from GitHub
Extracts hooks to .git/hooks/ directory
Skips existing hooks by default (use --force to overwrite)
Shows summary of applied/skipped/failed hooks

Available Templates:

dotnet - Installs hooks for .NET projects (updates version in Directory.Build.props)
nodejs - Installs hooks for Node.js/npm projects (updates version in package.json)

Note: Requires internet connection to download hooks from GitHub.

For complete hook documentation and examples, see docs/hooks/README.md.

Requirements

.NET 10.0
Git repository
LibGit2Sharp
System.CommandLine

License

MIT

GitFlow

GitFlow - Git workflow management tool implementing the GitFlow branching model.

Installation

Install as .NET Tool (Recommended)

Install globally using .NET CLI:

dotnet tool install --global Kubis1982.GitFlow

Update to the latest version:

dotnet tool update --global Kubis1982.GitFlow

Install specific prerelease version (for testing):

dotnet tool install --global Kubis1982.GitFlow --version 2.0.0-dev.20260507163000+a1b2c3d

Uninstall:

dotnet tool uninstall --global Kubis1982.GitFlow

Build from Source

Build the project:

dotnet build

Run the tool:

dotnet run --project src/GitFlow

Usage

Initialize GitFlow

GitFlow must be initialized in each repository before use. The initialization process has three scenarios:

Scenario 1: Initialize with Global Template

If you have a global template configured, initialize with defaults:

gitflow config init

This displays the global template configuration and asks for confirmation:

Answer Y to accept all settings
Answer n to customize individual settings

Scenario 2: Initialize from Scratch

If no global template exists, configure all settings interactively:

gitflow config init

You'll be prompted for:

Production branch (default: main)
Development branch (default: develop)
Feature branch prefix (default: feature/)
Release branch prefix (default: release/)
Hotfix branch prefix (default: hotfix/)
Bugfix branch prefix (default: bugfix/)
Version tag prefix (default: v or none)
Merge strategy (default: --no-ff)

Scenario 3: Reconfigure Existing Setup

To override existing local configuration:

gitflow config init -f

Options:

-f, --force - Overwrite existing local configuration

Example session:

$ gitflow config init

GitFlow Configuration

Production branch [main]: 
Development branch [develop]: 

Branch Prefixes

Feature branch prefix [feature/]: 
Release branch prefix [release/]: 
Hotfix branch prefix [hotfix/]: 
Bugfix branch prefix [bugfix/]: 

Version Prefix

Select version tag prefix:
  1)  (e.g., 1.0.0)
  2) v (e.g., v1.0.0)
Choice [1]: 2

Merge Strategy

Select merge strategy:
  1) --no-ff (recommended - always create merge commit)
  2) --ff (fast-forward if possible)
  3) --ff-only (only fast-forward, fail otherwise)
Choice [1]: 

✓ GitFlow initialized (local config)
  Production branch: main
  Development branch: develop
  Feature prefix: feature/
  Release prefix: release/
  Hotfix prefix: hotfix/
  Bugfix prefix: bugfix/
  Version prefix: v
  Merge strategy: --no-ff

Configure Global Template

Create a global configuration template for reuse across repositories:

gitflow config template

This configures:

Production branch (default: main)
Development branch (default: develop)
Version tag prefix (v or none)
Merge strategy (--no-ff, --ff, or --ff-only)

Note: Branch prefixes are fixed as feature/, release/, hotfix/, bugfix/ in the template.

To override existing global template:

gitflow config template -f

Feature Branches

Features are created from the development branch.

# Start a new feature
gitflow feature start 

# Publish feature to remote
gitflow feature publish 

# Checkout feature branch
gitflow feature checkout 

# Update feature with latest development changes
gitflow feature update 

# Finish feature (merge to development and delete)
gitflow feature finish 

# Delete feature branch
gitflow feature delete 

# List all feature branches
gitflow feature list

Example:

gitflow feature start PIQ-234
gitflow feature publish PIQ-234
gitflow feature finish PIQ-234

Bugfix Branches

Bugfixes work the same as features (created from development).

gitflow bugfix start 
gitflow bugfix publish 
gitflow bugfix checkout 
gitflow bugfix update 
gitflow bugfix finish 
gitflow bugfix delete 
gitflow bugfix list

Release Branches

Releases are created from development and merged to both production and development.

# Start a new release
gitflow release start 

# Publish release to remote
gitflow release publish 

# Checkout release branch
gitflow release checkout 

# Update release with latest development changes
gitflow release update 

# Finish release (merge to production and development, create tag, delete branch)
gitflow release finish 

# Delete release branch
gitflow release delete 

# List all release branches
gitflow release list

Example:

gitflow release start 1.0.0
gitflow release finish 1.0.0  # Creates tag v1.0.0

Hotfix Branches

Hotfixes are created from production (not development!) and merged to both production and development.

# Start a new hotfix (from production)
gitflow hotfix start 

# Publish hotfix to remote
gitflow hotfix publish 

# Checkout hotfix branch
gitflow hotfix checkout 

# Update hotfix with latest production changes
gitflow hotfix update 

# Finish hotfix (merge to production and development, create tag, delete branch)
gitflow hotfix finish 

# Delete hotfix branch
gitflow hotfix delete 

# List all hotfix branches
gitflow hotfix list

Example:

gitflow hotfix start 1.0.1
gitflow hotfix finish 1.0.1  # Creates tag v1.0.1

GitFlow Model

Branch Types

Production (main): Production-ready code
Development (develop): Integration branch for features
Feature (feature/*): New features for upcoming releases
Bugfix (bugfix/*): Bug fixes for upcoming releases
Release (release/*): Preparation for production release
Hotfix (hotfix/*): Emergency fixes for production

Workflow

Features/Bugfixes: Develop → Feature → Develop
Releases: Develop → Release → Production + Development (with tag)
Hotfixes: Production → Hotfix → Production + Development (with tag)

Configuration

GitFlow requires local configuration in each repository. Configuration is stored in git config.

Local Configuration

Local configuration is stored in .git/config:

[gitflow]
    production = main
    development = develop
    prefix.feature = feature/
    prefix.release = release/
    prefix.hotfix = hotfix/
    prefix.bugfix = bugfix/
    prefix.version = v
    merge.strategy = --no-ff

Important: All GitFlow commands (start, finish, publish, etc.) require local configuration. Run gitflow config init first.

Global Template

Global template is stored in ~/.gitconfig and used as defaults during gitflow config init:

gitflow config template  # Create global template

The template simplifies initialization across multiple repositories by providing default values.

Configuration Priority

Local configuration (.git/config) - used by all GitFlow commands
Global template (~/.gitconfig) - used as defaults during initialization

Hooks

GitFlow supports C# hooks that can be executed at various stages of the workflow. Hooks are optional scripts that automate custom actions during GitFlow operations.

Available Hooks

Release Hooks

gitflow-release-start-pre.cs - Executed BEFORE creating a release branch
gitflow-release-start-post.cs - Executed AFTER creating a release branch

Hotfix Hooks

gitflow-hotfix-start-pre.cs - Executed BEFORE creating a hotfix branch
gitflow-hotfix-start-post.cs - Executed AFTER creating a hotfix branch

Feature & Bugfix Hooks

gitflow-feature-start-pre.cs / gitflow-feature-start-post.cs - Feature branch hooks
gitflow-bugfix-start-pre.cs / gitflow-bugfix-start-post.cs - Bugfix branch hooks

All hook types follow the same pattern and receive the full branch name as argument.

Hook Installation

Create .git/hooks/ directory if it doesn't exist
Copy hook scripts from docs/hooks/ to .git/hooks/
Customize for your project needs

Example:

# Copy example hooks
cp docs/hooks/gitflow-release-start-post.cs .git/hooks/
cp docs/hooks/gitflow-hotfix-start-post.cs .git/hooks/

Hook Behavior

Parameters: Hooks receive the full branch name (e.g., release/1.0.0)
Exit codes: Return 0 for success, non-zero to abort operation
Auto-commit: POST hooks' file changes are automatically committed by GitFlow
Optional: Hooks are optional - GitFlow works without them
Per-repository: Hooks are stored in .git/hooks/ and not committed to version control

Installing Hooks

To install pre-built hook templates, use the hooks apply command:

# Apply hooks for .NET projects (updates Directory.Build.props)
gitflow hooks apply dotnet

# Apply hooks for Node.js/npm projects (updates package.json)
gitflow hooks apply nodejs

# Force overwrite existing hooks
gitflow hooks apply dotnet --force

This command:

Downloads the latest hook templates from GitHub
Extracts hooks to .git/hooks/ directory
Skips existing hooks by default (use --force to overwrite)
Shows summary of applied/skipped/failed hooks

Available Templates:

dotnet - Installs hooks for .NET projects (updates version in Directory.Build.props)
nodejs - Installs hooks for Node.js/npm projects (updates version in package.json)

Note: Requires internet connection to download hooks from GitHub.

For complete hook documentation and examples, see docs/hooks/README.md.

Requirements

.NET 10.0
Git repository
LibGit2Sharp
System.CommandLine

License

MIT