android_cast/docs/GIT_FLOW.md

Android Cast — Git flow (green master)

This document defines how we develop, integrate, release, and hotfix. Cursor agents and humans follow the same rules.

Field	Value
Version	1.3
Published	2026-05-23
Author(s)	Anton Afanaasyeu
Markdown source	docs/GIT_FLOW.md
PDF	docs/GIT_FLOW.pdf
Diagram sources	docs/_pdf_build/git_flow_diagram_*.mmd (render via build_git_flow_pdf.py)

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Table of contents

• 1. Goals
• 2. Branches
• 3. Branch diagram (steady state)
• 4. Daily development
• 5. Release: next → master
• 6. Hotfixes — chosen strategy
  • Default: hotfix from master (option 1) ✓
  • Exception: fix only on next (option 2)
• 7. Protection rules (CI + policy)
  • 7.1 How to protect branches (not local hooks alone)
• 8. Sync cheat sheet
• 9. Agent / Cursor checklist
• 10. Comparison to classic Git Flow
• 11. First-time setup (maintainer)
• 12. Private primary + GitHub publish (dual remote)
  • 12.1 Add GitHub without replacing origin
  • 12.2 What to push where
  • 12.3 Daily habit
  • 12.4 Where branch protection lives
  • 12.5 One-way mirror (optional automation)
  • 12.6 Suggested order of operations (your situation)
• Related

Documentation index: README.md

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1. Goals

Goal	How
Always shippable master	Only merges that passed CI/tests; tagged releases point here
Safe integration	Day-to-day work lands on next first
Simple mental model	Two long-lived branches + short-lived topic branches
Recoverable hotfixes	Production fixes branch from what users actually run

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2. Branches

Branch	Role	Direct commits?
master	Production line; green (build + tests pass); release tags (v0.1.2)	No — merge only
next	Integration / release candidate; absorbs features until a release is approved	No — merge only
feature/*, fix/*, topic/*	Short-lived work; fork next	Yes (normal dev)
hotfix/*	Urgent fix for released code	Yes; merge target master first

Naming: feature/cast-resolution-presets, fix/crash-upload-500, hotfix/v0.1.1-pin-crash.

If next does not exist yet on the remote:

git checkout master
git pull
git checkout -b next
git push -u origin next

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3. Branch diagram (steady state)

flowchart LR
  subgraph long["Long-lived"]
    M[master\nshippable + tagged]
    N[next\nintegration]
  end
  F[feature/*\nfix/*]
  H[hotfix/*]

  F -->|PR / merge after CI| N
  N -->|release merge after CI| M
  H -->|merge after CI| M
  M -->|sync after release or hotfix| N

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4. Daily development

1. Start from next: git fetch && git checkout next && git pull
2. Create topic branch: git checkout -b feature/my-change
3. Commit in small logical chunks on the topic branch.
4. Before merge: run project checks (Android: ./gradlew :app:testDebugUnitTest or CI equivalent; backend: relevant tests/lint).
5. Merge to next: prefer merge commit or squash per team habit; do not merge unfinished work.
6. Topic branch cleanup: optional locally (git branch -d feature/...). On the server, prefer delete branch on merge (Gitea/GitLab/GitHub) so merged feature/* / fix/* are removed on origin automatically.

sequenceDiagram
  participant Dev as Developer / agent
  participant F as feature/*
  participant N as next
  participant CI as CI / local tests

  Dev->>F: branch from next
  Dev->>F: commits
  Dev->>CI: test
  CI-->>Dev: green
  Dev->>N: merge feature → next
  Dev->>F: delete branch

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5. Release: next → master

When: next is feature-complete for the version, soak/QA agreed, CI green.

1. Ensure next is up to date and all tests pass.

2. Merge next → master (merge commit recommended for traceability).

3. On master: final smoke / CI.

4. Tag on master: git tag -a v0.1.2 -m "Release v0.1.2" then git push origin master --tags.

5. Sync next with master so both lines share the release commit and any last-minute release fixes:

   git checkout next
   git merge master   # fast-forward or merge commit
   git push origin next
   

6. Continue new work: branch feature/* from next again.

sequenceDiagram
  participant N as next
  participant M as master
  participant T as tag v0.1.x

  Note over N: CI green, QA ok
  N->>M: merge next → master
  M->>M: CI / smoke
  M->>T: annotated tag
  M->>N: merge master → next (sync)

Versioning: tags on master only (vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH). Bump per SemVer conventions you adopt for the app.

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6. Hotfixes — chosen strategy

Default: hotfix from master (option 1) ✓

Use when the bug affects what is already released (code on master / latest tag).

1. git checkout master && git pull
2. git checkout -b hotfix/v0.1.2-crash-on-stop
3. Fix + tests
4. Merge hotfix/* → master, CI green
5. Tag patch on master: e.g. v0.1.3
6. git checkout next && git merge master — bring hotfix into integration (resolve conflicts if next diverged)
7. Push master, next, tags; delete hotfix/*

Why not hotfix only on next (option 2)?
next often contains unreleased features. Fixing there delays shipping the patch and risks dragging unrelated commits into production when you later merge next → master.

Exception: fix only on next (option 2)

Use when the bug does not exist on master (introduced on next only).

1. git checkout -b fix/... from next
2. Merge to next only
3. No tag until the normal release merge next → master

flowchart TD
  Q{BUG IN RELEASED\nmaster / tag?}
  Q -->|Yes| H[hotfix/* from master]
  H --> M[merge → master]
  M --> T[tag patch on master]
  T --> S[merge master → next]
  Q -->|No, next only| F[fix/* from next]
  F --> N[merge → next]

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7. Protection rules (CI + policy)

Rule	master	next	topic branches
Required CI (build + tests) before merge	✓	✓	✓ (before PR/merge)
No direct pushes of WIP	✓	✓	—
Only maintainers merge to master	✓	optional	—
Tag only on master	✓	—	—
Force-push	never	maintainer only, rare	allowed on topic branches

See §7.1 How to protect branches below.

7.1 How to protect branches (not local hooks alone)

Short answer: use server-side rules on f0xx.org (or whatever hosts origin). Local git hooks on your laptop are optional helpers only — they do not stop you or someone else from pushing bad history from another machine.

Layer	Where it runs	Stops bad pushes?	Good for
Hosting UI / branch protection	Git server (GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, …)	Yes	Most teams; use this if available
Server git hooks (pre-receive / update)	Bare repo on server	Yes	Self-hosted git:// / SSH without a web UI
Local hooks (.git/hooks/pre-push)	Your PC only	No (easy to skip)	Personal reminders, format/tests before push
CI (build on push/PR)	CI runner	Indirect	Prove tests passed; pair with “required check” on server

What to enable on master and next

1. master: never allow force-push — production history must not be rewritten.
2. next: force-push off by default — enable only for maintainers when you intentionally clean integration history (squash/rebase of already-merged work). Prefer fixing history on feature/* before merging to next. After a rare next force-push, anyone with a clone must reset: git fetch origin && git reset --hard origin/next.
3. Delete branch on merge on the server — merged feature/* / fix/* disappear from origin without a manual delete step.
4. No direct push (optional but strong): changes only via merge from feature/* or from PR/MR.
5. Require CI green before merge (if you have Actions/GitLab CI/Gitea Actions).
6. Restrict who can push to you (and CI deploy key if needed).

feature/* branches stay unprotected — push freely.

If your host has a web UI (Gitea / GitLab / GitHub)

Look for Branch protection / Protected branches:

• Add rules for master and next.
• Enable: prevent force-push, require pull request (optional), require status checks.

No git internals required — the server rejects illegal pushes.

If you only have bare git on a server (git:// / SSH)

Ask whoever administers git://f0xx.org/android_cast to install server-side hooks in the bare repository (not in your clone):

• hooks/pre-receive or hooks/update — script receives branch name + old/new SHA; exit 1 to reject (e.g. block direct push to refs/heads/master unless user is deploy; block all force-push to master/next).

Example policy in words: “reject push if ref is master or next and user is not in allowlist” or “reject non-fast-forward updates to master/next”.

Local clone hooks live in .git/hooks/ and are not copied when others clone — so they are not team protection.

Local hooks (optional, for you only)

Useful on your machine, not security:

# .git/hooks/pre-push (chmod +x) — example: warn before pushing to master
protected_regex='^(refs/heads/)?(master|next)$'
while read local_ref local_sha remote_ref remote_sha; do
  if echo "$remote_ref" | grep -qE "$protected_regex"; then
    echo "Blocked: push to master/next — use feature branch + merge (see docs/GIT_FLOW.md)"
    exit 1
  fi
done

Skip with git push --no-verify — another reason server rules matter.

CI without branch UI

Run tests on every push; you still choose not to merge until green. Branch protection + “required check” automates that on modern hosts.

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8. Sync cheat sheet

Event	Action
After release (next → master + tag)	git checkout next && git merge master && git push
After hotfix to master + tag	Same: merge master → next
Feature finished	merge topic → next only
Started wrong base	rebase topic onto latest next (coordinate if already shared)

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9. Agent / Cursor checklist

Agents working in this repo must:

1. Never commit or push directly to master or next unless the user explicitly asks for that merge/release step.
2. Branch from next for features and non-production fixes (feature/*, fix/*).
3. Run tests (or state clearly if not run) before recommending merge to next.
4. Releases: only describe merging next → master and tagging after user confirms QA.
5. Hotfixes on released code: branch from master, merge back to master, tag, then merge master into next.
6. Set active branch metadata when using a named topic branch (project convention).
7. Do not force-push master; avoid force-push on next unless the user explicitly requests integration history rewrite.

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10. Comparison to classic Git Flow

Git Flow	This repo
main	master (green, tagged)
develop	next
feature/*	same, base = next
release/*	optional short branch; default = test on next then merge to master
hotfix/*	from master, merge to master, sync to next

We intentionally avoid a permanently divergent develop without a green production branch: master is always releasable.

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11. First-time setup (maintainer)

# Ensure next exists and tracks origin
git checkout master && git pull
git checkout -b next 2>/dev/null || git checkout next
git push -u origin next

# Optional: protect branches on hosting (GitHub example)
# gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/branches/master/protection ...

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12. Private primary + GitHub publish (dual remote)

Canonical repo: your server — today origin → git://f0xx.org/android_cast.
Daily work: always git push / git pull against origin first.
GitHub: secondary remote for visibility, issues, and (optional) GitHub Actions — not the source of truth unless you decide otherwise.

12.1 Add GitHub without replacing origin

# Create empty repo on GitHub (no README if you already have history)
git remote add github git@github.com:YOUR_USER/android-cast.git
# origin stays: git://f0xx.org/android_cast
git remote -v

Keep origin = private server. Name the public remote github (or publish) so commands stay obvious.

12.2 What to push where

Ref	Private origin	GitHub github
feature/*, WIP	✓ always	optional (omit for cleaner public)
next	✓ always	your choice: public integration or keep private
master + tags	✓ always	✓ publish releases you want visible
Secrets, local.properties, logs	never in either	never

Typical OSS-style: push everything to origin; push only master and tags to github until you are ready to open next.

# After merge to master on private server
git push origin master --tags
git push github master --tags

Push next to GitHub only when you want public integration:

git push origin next
git push github next

12.3 Daily habit

git fetch origin
git checkout next && git pull origin next
# ... work on feature/foo ...
git push -u origin feature/foo
# merge to next on origin (PR or local merge + push)
git push origin next

# When ready to publish a release line to GitHub
git push github master --tags

Set upstream on topic branches to origin, not github:

git push -u origin feature/my-change

12.4 Where branch protection lives

Server	Protect
f0xx.org (origin)	master, next — server hooks or admin UI (primary enforcement)
GitHub (github)	master (and next if public) — Settings → Branch protection

GitHub rules only affect pushes to GitHub. They do not protect your private server unless you also configure origin.

12.5 One-way mirror (optional automation)

On the private server (cron or post-receive hook), after a successful push to origin:

git push --prune github +refs/heads/master:refs/heads/master +refs/tags/*:refs/tags/*

Or use GitHub’s “mirror repository” importers only for initial import; ongoing sync is usually git push github … from CI or hook.

Avoid git push github --mirror unless GitHub is a full duplicate of private history — it copies all branches and deletes remote branches you deleted locally.

12.6 Suggested order of operations (your situation)

1. On f0xx.org: create next from master, push origin next.
2. On f0xx.org: enable server protection for master / next (admin).
3. Create GitHub repo; git remote add github ….
4. First publish: git push github master and tags you want public.
5. Enable GitHub branch protection on master (block force-push).
6. Continue feature flow on origin only; publish to GitHub when you merge/tag on master.

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Related

• README.md — documentation index (all guides)
• ROADMAP.md — product tracks
• .cursor/rules/git-flow.mdc — agent enforcement
• docs/_pdf_build/build_git_flow_pdf.py — PDF generator