Git Branching Workflow Extension

Git repository initialization, feature branch creation, numbering (sequential/timestamp), validation, remote detection, and auto-commit for Spec Kit.

Overview

This extension provides Git operations as an optional, self-contained module. It manages:

Repository initialization with configurable commit messages
Feature branch creation with sequential (001-feature-name) or timestamp (20260319-143022-feature-name) numbering
Branch validation to ensure branches follow naming conventions
Git remote detection for GitHub integration (e.g., issue creation)
Auto-commit after core commands (configurable per-command with custom messages)

Commands

Command	Description
`speckit.git.initialize`	Initialize a Git repository with a configurable commit message
`speckit.git.feature`	Create a feature branch with sequential or timestamp numbering
`speckit.git.validate`	Validate current branch follows feature branch naming conventions
`speckit.git.remote`	Detect Git remote URL for GitHub integration
`speckit.git.commit`	Auto-commit changes (configurable per-command enable/disable and messages)

Hooks

Event	Command	Optional	Description
`before_constitution`	`speckit.git.initialize`	No	Init git repo before constitution
`before_specify`	`speckit.git.feature`	No	Create feature branch before specification
`before_clarify`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Commit outstanding changes before clarification
`before_plan`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Commit outstanding changes before planning
`before_tasks`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Commit outstanding changes before task generation
`before_implement`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Commit outstanding changes before implementation
`before_checklist`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Commit outstanding changes before checklist
`before_analyze`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Commit outstanding changes before analysis
`before_taskstoissues`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Commit outstanding changes before issue sync
`after_constitution`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Auto-commit after constitution update
`after_specify`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Auto-commit after specification
`after_clarify`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Auto-commit after clarification
`after_plan`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Auto-commit after planning
`after_tasks`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Auto-commit after task generation
`after_implement`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Auto-commit after implementation
`after_checklist`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Auto-commit after checklist
`after_analyze`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Auto-commit after analysis
`after_taskstoissues`	`speckit.git.commit`	Yes	Auto-commit after issue sync

Configuration

Configuration is stored in .specify/extensions/git/git-config.yml:

yaml

# Branch numbering strategy: "sequential" or "timestamp"
branch_numbering: sequential

# Custom commit message for git init
init_commit_message: "[Spec Kit] Initial commit"

# Auto-commit per command (all disabled by default)
# Example: enable auto-commit after specify
auto_commit:
  default: false
  after_specify:
    enabled: true
    message: "[Spec Kit] Add specification"

Installation

bash

# Install the bundled git extension (no network required)
specify extension add git

Disabling

bash

# Disable the git extension (spec creation continues without branching)
specify extension disable git

# Re-enable it
specify extension enable git

Graceful Degradation

When Git is not installed or the directory is not a Git repository:

Spec directories are still created under specs/
Branch creation is skipped with a warning
Branch validation is skipped with a warning
Remote detection returns empty results

Scripts

The extension bundles cross-platform scripts:

scripts/bash/create-new-feature.sh — Bash implementation
scripts/bash/git-common.sh — Shared Git utilities (Bash)
scripts/powershell/create-new-feature.ps1 — PowerShell implementation
scripts/powershell/git-common.ps1 — Shared Git utilities (PowerShell)