Git workflow

Make a new repository

Create the repository in the organisation before you write code, so the app lives there from day one.

GitHub website

1. Open https://github.com/superbonfire-lab and click New repository.
2. Set the owner to superbonfire-lab. Name the repository with the rules below.
3. Set the visibility to Private.
4. Optional: add a README and a .gitignore template for your language.
5. Click Create repository, then clone it:

git clone https://github.com/superbonfire-lab/client-portal.git
cd client-portal

GitHub CLI

gh repo create superbonfire-lab/client-portal --private --clone
cd client-portal

Naming rules

• Use kebab-case: client-portal, invoice-api, staff-dashboard.
• Do not use spaces, capitals, underscores, or dots.
• Use the same name for the repository, the Coolify resource, and the subdomain. Example: client-portal → client-portal.cp.superbonfire.tech.

Move a zip app into Git

If an app exists only as zip files, move it into Git once. After that, do not use zips to deploy.

unzip latest-version.zip -d my-app
cd my-app
git init
git branch -M main

# Ignore secrets and build output BEFORE the first commit
cat > .gitignore << 'GITIGNORE'
node_modules/
.env
.env.*
!.env.example
dist/
build/
.next/
__pycache__/
*.pyc
.venv/
.DS_Store
GITIGNORE

git add .
git commit -m "chore: initial import from zip v1.0"
gh repo create superbonfire-lab/my-app --private --source=. --push

PowerShell has no unzip or heredoc. Use these two commands instead, and run the other steps as shown:

Expand-Archive -Path latest-version.zip -DestinationPath my-app
@"
node_modules/
.env
.env.*
!.env.example
dist/
build/
.next/
__pycache__/
*.pyc
.venv/
.DS_Store
"@ | Set-Content -Encoding utf8 .gitignore

Check that no secret was committed:

git ls-files | grep -iE '\.env|secret|key|token|password' || echo "clean"

Commit messages

Use Conventional Commits: type: short description. Write in lowercase and in the imperative ("add", not "added"). Do not end with a full stop.

Add a scope when it helps: feat(auth): add password reset. For a breaking change, add ! after the type (feat!: drop v1 API) and explain it in the commit body.

Branches and pull requests

Nobody commits straight to main. Every change goes through a branch and a pull request.

Branch names use the commit type and a kebab-case description: feat/add-invoice-export, fix/login-loop.

git checkout main
git pull origin main
git checkout -b feat/add-invoice-export
# make changes
git add -A
git commit -m "feat: add invoice export to CSV"
git push -u origin feat/add-invoice-export
gh pr create --fill --base main

A reviewer approves on GitHub. Merge with Squash and merge, then delete the branch.

• Keep each pull request small: one feature or one fix.
• Write the pull request title as a Conventional Commit. Squash merge uses it as the commit on main.
• Get at least one review before you merge.
• AI agents follow the same rules. The agent creates the branch, the commits, and the pull request. A person reviews and merges.

Day-to-day flow

1. git checkout -b feat/x          one branch per feature
2. commit                          feat:, fix:, docs:, ...
3. push and open a pull request    gh pr create --fill
4. review, then Squash and merge   someone else approves
5. Coolify redeploys               automatic with Auto Deploy
6. check the logs in Coolify       confirm the app is healthy