The Git Workflow Every Solo Developer Needs (2026)

Stop committing directly to main. This system prevents 90% of "oh crap" moments.

The Problem

We've all done it:

# Quick fix, no time for branches
git add -A
git commit -m "fixed bug"
git push origin main

# ... 2 hours later ...
# Oh no, that broke something else

When you're solo, there's no code review partner. You need your own process to be your safety net.

My Workflow

Branch Strategy

main (protected — never push directly)
  ├── feature/xxx     (new features)
  ├── fix/xxx         (bug fixes)
  └── refactor/xxx    (code cleanup)

Pre-Push Hook (My #1 Safety Net)

#!/bin/sh
# .git/hooks/pre-push — runs before every push

# 1. Block direct pushes to main/develop
BRANCH=$(git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD)
if [ "$BRANCH" = "main" ] || [ "$BRANCH" = "master" ]; then
  echo "❌ Direct pushes to '$BRANCH' are blocked!"
  echo "   Create a feature branch and merge instead."
  exit 1
fi

# 2. Check for secrets
if git diff --cached --name-only | grep -qiE '\.env$|credentials|secret'; then
  echo "⚠️  Possible secret file detected!"
  exit 1
fi

# 3. Run tests if available
if [ -f "package.json" ] && grep -q '"test"' package.json; then
  npm test || { echo "❌ Tests failed"; exit 1; }
fi

echo "✅ All checks passed"
exit 0

Make executable: chmod +x .git/hooks/pre-push

Useful Aliases

# ~/.gitconfig
[alias]
  s = status -sb
  lg = log --oneline --graph --decorate
  undo = reset --soft HEAD~1
  amend = commit --amend --no-edit
  save = stash push -u -m 'WIP'
  pop = stash pop
  clean-branches = "!git branch --merged | grep -v '\\*\\|main\\|master' | xargs git branch -d"

Handling Mistakes

"I pushed broken code to main"

# Option 1: Revert (safe, preserves history)
git revert HEAD
git push origin main

# Option 2: If you MUST rewrite history
git reset --hard HEAD~1
git push --force-with-lease origin main

"I committed to the wrong branch"

git branch new-branch
git reset --hard HEAD~N  # N = number of commits to move back
git checkout new-branch   # Your work is here now

Release Workflow

npm version patch/minor/major  # Updates package.json, creates tag
git push --follow-tags        # Pushes commits and tags
npm publish                   # Publishes to registry

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