Git History Rewrite Skill

Git History Rewrite is a Codex skill for safely planning or performing local branch history rewrites by change intent. It uses Git Intent Audit evidence, creates backup branches, preserves attribution, and never force-pushes by default.

Companion skills:

• Auto Git: https://gist.github.com/PatrickJS/2d858aca3211451a0cad7282971beb90
• Git Intent Audit: https://gist.github.com/PatrickJS/b65dd814cde5d9c380b26ecdeba883d4

Files

This gist is flat so it can be copied around easily. Install it with this layout:

git-history-rewrite/
  SKILL.md
  agents/
    openai.yaml
  references/
    rewrite-workflow.md
    attribution.md

Gist file mapping:

What It Does

• Starts from a Git Intent Audit report unless fresh equivalent evidence is already available.
• Splits oversized commits by change intent.
• Corrects misleading commit messages using diff evidence.
• Builds replay plans with source commits, paths, authors, and co-author trailers.
• Creates backup branch and rewritten local branch only in explicit local-branch mode.
• Requires tree equality and range-diff review before any later remote update.

Safety Boundary

This skill may plan a rewrite by default. It may create a local backup and rewritten branch only after explicit user approval in the current request. It must never force-push by default.

Example Prompts

$git-history-rewrite audit and plan a rewrite of this branch by change intent

$git-history-rewrite split the large commits in this branch, preserve authors, and emit a local replay script

$git-history-rewrite create a local rewritten branch after using git-intent-audit evidence

Install Notes

For Codex, place the files under your skills directory using the layout above. If your Codex install uses CODEX_HOME, use $CODEX_HOME/skills/git-history-rewrite; otherwise use your personal skills directory.

Validate after copying:

python3 path/to/quick_validate.py path/to/skills/git-history-rewrite