git-merge-to-dev

Git Merge to Dev

Overview

Variant of git-merge-to-main with target = dev (preferred) or develop (fallback). Merges the current branch into the dev branch, then safely deletes the source branch unless the source is protected.

Announce at start: "I'm using the git-merge-to-dev skill to merge <source-branch> into <target> and delete it unless it is protected."

Target Branch Resolution

Resolve which branch to merge into, in order:

1. If dev exists locally → target = dev
2. Else if develop exists locally → target = develop
3. Else → abort: "No dev or develop branch found locally. Create one or use git-merge-to-main."

if git rev-parse --verify dev >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  target=dev
elif git rev-parse --verify develop >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  target=develop
else
  echo "No dev or develop branch found locally; aborting." >&2
  exit 1
fi

State the resolved target out loud before proceeding so the user can correct you.

Workflow

Before starting, Read the main git-merge-to-main SKILL.md at <plugin-root>/skills/git-merge-to-main/SKILL.md. Follow that workflow exactly, substituting the resolved $target wherever it says main. The preconditions, plan/confirm step, protected source branch handling, conflict handling, safe-delete rule (git branch -d, never -D), and post-merge summary all apply identically.

Protected source branches are: main, master, dev, develop, development, stg, stage, staging, root. If src is a protected source branch, merge after confirmation but skip the local delete instead of running git branch -d "$src".

Key substitutions:

In git-merge-to-main	In this skill
Precondition 3: current branch ≠ main	current branch ≠ $target
Precondition 5: main exists locally	$target (dev or develop) exists locally
git checkout main	git checkout "$target"
git merge "$src" (into main)	git merge "$src" (into $target)
git fetch origin main (divergence check)	git fetch origin "$target" (divergence check)

The merge-conflict rule, -d-not--D rule, no-auto-push rule, and Red Flags list are identical.

When showing the plan, include the delete step only for non-protected source branches. For a protected source branch, show:

  3. skip the local delete for protected source branch $src

Worked Example

User: dev에 머지해줘

Resolution: dev exists → target = dev
Source: feature/payments

Plan:
  1. git checkout dev
  2. git merge feature/payments
  3. git branch -d feature/payments

User confirms.
→ checkout dev, merge succeeds (fast-forward), delete branch.
→ Remind user to push dev when ready.

Protected source branch example:

User: staging을 dev에 머지해줘

Resolution: dev exists → target = dev
Source: staging (protected)

Plan:
  1. git checkout dev
  2. git merge staging
  3. skip the local delete for protected source branch staging

User confirms.
→ checkout dev, merge succeeds, keep staging locally.
→ Remind user to push dev when ready.

Red Flags

Same Never/Always lists as git-merge-to-main. In particular:

• Never -D (force delete) — only -d (safe delete)
• Never delete a protected source branch (main, master, dev, develop, development, stg, stage, staging, root)
• Never auto-resolve merge conflicts
• Never auto-push or auto-pull the target branch
• Always state which target was resolved (dev vs develop) before merging
• Always show the plan and wait for confirmation
• Always identify protected source branches and skip the local delete

Integration

Pairs with:

• git-commit / git-commit-push — commit working-tree changes first
• git-merge-to-main — same pattern, target = main
• git-branch-cleanup — bulk-delete other branches already merged into the dev branch

Called by: Manual user invocation only. Never auto-run during another skill's workflow.