Claude Code integrates natively with Git. Today, we’ll explore how to use this integration for professional development workflows.
Automatic Commits with Attribution
Commit Configuration
In .claude/settings.json:
{
"commit": {
"templates": "feat: $MESSAGE",
"trailers": {
"Co-authored-by": "Claude Code <claude@anthropic.com>"
}
}
}
Asking Claude to Commit
> Commit these changes with a descriptive message
Claude will:
- Analyze modified files (
git diff) - Understand the context of changes
- Generate an appropriate commit message
- Execute the commit with configured attribution
Example Generated Commit
git commit -m "feat: add rate limiting middleware for auth endpoints
- Implement express-rate-limit for /api/auth/*
- Add configuration for max attempts (5) and window (15min)
- Log blocked requests for security monitoring
Co-authored-by: Claude Code <claude@anthropic.com>"
Conventional Commits
Claude naturally respects Conventional Commits (see my detailed article on this topic):
| Prefix | Usage |
|---|---|
feat: |
New feature |
fix: |
Bug fix |
docs: |
Documentation |
style: |
Formatting (no code change) |
refactor: |
Refactoring |
test: |
Adding tests |
chore: |
Maintenance |
Creating Pull Requests
Asking Claude for a PR
> Create a PR for these changes to the main branch
PR Configuration
{
"pr": {
"attribution": "Generated by Claude Code"
}
}
Complete PR Workflow
# 1. Create a branch
> Create a branch feature/rate-limiting and switch to it
# 2. Implement
> Implement rate limiting on auth endpoints
# 3. Test
> Run the tests: !`npm test 2>&1`
# 4. Commit
> Commit these changes
# 5. Create the PR
> Push and create a PR to main with a summary of changes
Generated PR Structure
## Summary
- Added rate limiting middleware for authentication endpoints
- Configured 5 attempts per 15-minute window
- Added logging for blocked requests
## Changes
- `src/middleware/rateLimit.ts` (new)
- `src/routes/auth.ts` (modified)
- `tests/middleware/rateLimit.test.ts` (new)
## Test plan
- [ ] Unit tests pass
- [ ] Manual testing with curl
- [ ] Load testing completed
---
Generated by Claude Code
Using Checkpoints with Git
Checkpoints were introduced in Day 5 - here we see how they integrate with Git.
The Perfect Duo
Claude Code Checkpoints → Quick changes, experimentation
+
Git → Permanent history, collaboration
Recommended Workflow
# 1. Before a major modification
git add -A && git commit -m "checkpoint: before auth refactoring"
# 2. Work with Claude
> Refactor the authentication system
# 3. If satisfied → final commit
> Commit with a descriptive message
# 4. If not satisfied → options
# Option A: Claude rewind (Esc Esc)
# Option B: Git reset
git reset --hard HEAD
Checkpoints vs Git Comparison
| Aspect | Checkpoints | Git |
|---|---|---|
| Granularity | Each prompt | Manual choice |
| Persistence | Session | Permanent |
| Collaboration | No | Yes |
| Bash files | Not tracked | Tracked |
| Branches | No | Yes |
GitHub Actions with Claude Code
For more advanced CI/CD patterns, see Day 15: CI/CD and Headless Mode.
CI/CD Integration
# .github/workflows/claude-review.yml
name: Claude Code Review
on:
pull_request:
types: [opened, synchronize]
jobs:
review:
runs-on: ubuntu-latest
steps:
- uses: actions/checkout@v4
- uses: anthropics/claude-code-action@v1
with:
anthropic_api_key: $
prompt: |
Review this PR for:
1. Security vulnerabilities
2. Performance issues
3. Code style violations
Be concise and actionable.
max_turns: 5
Mention @claude in PRs
With the action configured, you can mention Claude in PR comments:
@claude Can you review the error handling in this file?
Claude will respond with an analysis.
Multi-Claude Workflows
The Concept
Use multiple instances of Claude Code for different tasks:
┌─────────────────┐ ┌─────────────────┐
│ Claude 1 │ │ Claude 2 │
│ (Implementation)│ │ (Review) │
└────────┬────────┘ └────────┬────────┘
│ │
└───────────┬───────────┘
│
┌──────▼──────┐
│ Git Repo │
└─────────────┘
Configuration with Git Worktrees
# Create a worktree for review
git worktree add ../project-review feature-branch
# Terminal 1: Implementation
cd project
claude
> Implement feature X
# Terminal 2: Review
cd ../project-review
claude
> Review the changes in src/features/X
Advantages
- Separate contexts
- No interference between tasks
- Cross-verification of code
- Work parallelization
Git Best Practices with Claude
1. Atomic Commits
> Commit only the files related to rate limiting,
not the formatting modifications
2. Don’t Commit Secrets
Claude automatically refuses to commit sensitive files:
> Commit all files
Claude: I cannot commit .env as it contains
secrets. Do you want to exclude it?
3. Descriptive Branches
> Create a branch for this feature
# Claude creates: feature/add-rate-limiting-auth-endpoints
# Not: feature/update or branch1
4. Review Before Push
> Show me the diff of what we're going to push
! git diff origin/main...HEAD
Recovering from a Git Error
Undo the Last Commit (Not Pushed)
> Undo the last commit but keep the files
! git reset --soft HEAD~1
Modify the Last Commit Message
> Change the last commit message to be more descriptive
Recover a Deleted File
> Recover the file src/utils/helpers.ts deleted in the previous commit
! git checkout HEAD~1 -- src/utils/helpers.ts
Daily Workflow Template
# Morning: Start of day
git pull origin main
claude
# 1. See the state
! git status
> Summarize what's left to do on the current feature
# 2. Work in small increments
> Implement [task 1]
> Commit
> Implement [task 2]
> Commit
# 3. Before break/end of day
> Create a draft PR with a progress summary
# OR
> Push the changes to the feature branch
# 4. End of session
/cost
# Add notes to CLAUDE.md if needed
What’s Coming Tomorrow
In Day 7, we’ll see permissions and security in Claude Code: how to protect your sensitive files and control what Claude can do.
This article is part of the “Master Claude Code in 20 Days” series. Day 5: Context and Memory Management
📚 Related Articles
