blue/.blue/docs/spikes/2026-01-25-develop-branch-workflow.md

Spike: Develop Branch Workflow

Status	Complete
Date	2026-01-25

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Question

How should we implement the develop branch workflow for Blue, and what's needed to enforce it consistently?

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Findings

Current State

Branch	Location	Purpose
main	forgejo, origin	Only branch - contains all production code
git-forge-integration	forgejo	RFC 0013 feature branch
mcp-workflow-guidance	forgejo	RFC 0011 feature branch

Problem: blue_pr_create defaults to develop base and rejects main/master, but no develop branch exists. Feature branches can't be merged.

The Workflow Model

main (production releases only)
  ↑ merge when releasing
develop (integration branch)
  ↑ PRs merge here
feature branches (rfc/*, feature/*)

Why this matters:

• main stays stable - only receives tested, integrated code
• develop is where features integrate before release
• Prevents accidental direct commits to production
• Enables release management (develop → main when ready)

What's Needed

1. Create develop branch from current main
2. Push to forgejo
3. Update forgejo settings - set default branch to develop
4. Rebase existing feature branches onto develop
5. Add blue_release_create tool for develop → main merges

Tool Enforcement (Already Done)

blue_pr_create in pr.rs:59-71:

• Defaults base to develop
• Rejects main/master with helpful message
• This is correct - just needs the branch to exist

Recommendation

Proceed. Create the develop branch now. This is a one-time setup:

# From main branch
git checkout main
git checkout -b develop
git push forgejo develop

# On Forgejo: Settings → Branches → Default Branch → develop

Then existing feature branches can create PRs targeting develop.

Outcome

Proceed with implementation - create develop branch and update forgejo settings.