Problem
What problem this solves
Git drift accumulates quietly: stale local branches, feature branches behind base, unpruned refs, and Dependabot pull requests that sit open until upgrades become harder and riskier.
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Operate & Ship
Skill Detail
sg-github-hygiene
Clean up git and GitHub drift before it turns into release friction.
A git/GitHub hygiene skill for sync drift, stale branches, PR drift, and Dependabot backlog triage with bounded safe fixes.
Outcome
What changes when it works
You get a bounded hygiene pass that classifies sync drift, stale branches, PR lag, and Dependabot backlog, then applies only safe repairs or routes the risky cases to the right owner skill.
Why It Matters
What this changes for a solo founder
Repository hygiene is one of those operational habits that feels optional until a hotfix, release, or dependency update is blocked by avoidable branch drift.
When to use it
- When you want to know whether a repo or workspace is actually up to date
- When old merged branches, deleted upstreams, or stale refs are piling up
- When open pull requests or Dependabot updates are behind base or blocked
- When you want a safe git maintenance lane without jumping straight to destructive cleanup
What you give it
- The current repo or the workspace scope
- Whether you want a read-only audit or bounded fixes
- Any GitHub context that matters, such as open PRs or Dependabot lanes
What you get back
- A hygiene classification for sync drift, stale branches, PR drift, and Dependabot backlog
- Safe fixes such as fetch/prune, remote prune, fully merged local branch cleanup, or fast-forward pulls when appropriate
- Explicit blocks when a branch is dirty, diverged, protected, sensitive, or needs human approval
- Routing to dependency, migration, CI, or ship skills when hygiene is not the real owner lane
Typical examples
- /sg-github-hygiene audit
- /sg-github-hygiene branches workspace
- /sg-github-hygiene dependabot
- /sg-github-hygiene fix current repo
Limits
- It does not replace sg-ship for commits and pushes
- It does not replace sg-technical deps for dependency risk analysis
- It routes major upgrade lanes to sg-technical migrate instead of auto-merging them
- It blocks dirty, diverged, protected, sensitive, or conflict-prone branch actions instead of forcing them through
- It does not silently delete branches with unique local commits or bypass GitHub protections
Arguments
Some arguments change the workflow, not just the wording.
These are the argument switches documented for this skill. For the general rule behind skill arguments, read the skill modes tutorial.
audit
Runs a read-only hygiene diagnosis for the current repo or selected workspace repos.
Consequence
Best default when you want the state made clear before any mutation.
branches
Focuses on sync drift, stale refs, merged branches, orphaned upstreams, and PR branch lag.
Consequence
Useful when branch cleanup is the main concern.
dependabot
Focuses on Dependabot coverage, open Dependabot PRs, stale update lanes, and safe merge boundaries.
Consequence
Useful when dependency automation exists but is not moving cleanly.
fix
Applies only bounded safe hygiene repairs after the audit classifies the repo state.
Consequence
Useful when you want help cleaning the easy cases without hiding the risky ones.
Related Skills
See the rest of the loop around this move.
Operate & Ship
sg-status
Get a fast git-based project dashboard instead of manually checking every repo by hand.
A read-only status skill for seeing branches, changes, sync state, and recent activity across the current project or workspace.
Open skill page Operate & Ship
sg-maintain
Run project maintenance from triage through delegated fixes, verification, and ship routing.
A master maintenance lifecycle skill for reviewing project health, creating or continuing specs when needed, delegating remediation, verifying results, and routing ship or deploy.
Open skill page Audit & Improve
sg-technical
Use one explicit technical mode for code risk, dependencies, performance, or a breaking migration.
A unified technical entrypoint with four bounded modes and evidence limits that match the work.
Open skill page Operate & Ship
sg-ship
Commit and push quickly when the work is actually ready, instead of stretching closure into another vague step.
A shipping skill for moving finished work through the final commit-and-push path and recording the shipping result when a chantier spec is in scope.
Open skill pageGo Deeper
This public page explains the move. The repository explains the execution contract.
Use the public catalog for education and workflow selection. Move to the docs and GitHub when you want the operator-grade execution details behind the skill system.