tbdflow

tbdflow, a Trunk-Based Development CLI

tbdflow is a lightweight command-line tool that helps you (and your team) stay in flow with Trunk-Based Development (TBD).

This CLI supports both the default commit-to-main workflow and the structured handling of short-lived branches for features, releases, and hotfixes.

Status & history

This project is the result of an iterative development journey. It began as an F# application (tbdflow-fs) which was a great learning exercise in functional programming.

The current and actively developed version is the Rust implementation (tbdflow-rs). It was ported to Rust to create a leaner, faster, and more portable single-binary executable, making it easier for others to use and contribute to. The F# version is no longer maintained but remains in the repository as a functional prototype.

Philosophy

This tool is built around a specific philosophy of Trunk-Based Development:

• Main is the default. The commit command is your everyday go-to. It automates pulling the latest changes, committing, and pushing directly to main, promoting small, frequent integrations.
• Branches are the exception. While feature, release, and hotfix branches are supported, they’re treated as short-lived exceptions and not the norm.
• Cleanup is automatic. The complete command enforces branch short-livedness by merging and automatically tagging (release/hotfix) and deleting completed branches, helping keep your repo tidy.
• Conventional Commits encouraged. Commit messages follow Conventional Commits for clarity and consistency.

Why not just use Git?

This CLI isn’t a replacement for Git. You’ll still reach for raw git when doing advanced work like rebasing, cherry-picking, or running git bisect.

This tool is as a workflow assistant, tbdflow encapsulates a repeatable, opinionated process to support your day-to-day development.

It offers three main benefits:

1. Consistency across the team Everyone follows the same steps for common tasks. Commits, branches, and releases are handled the same way every time, keeping your Git history clean and predictable.

2. Less to remember No need to recall the exact flags or sequences (like pull --rebase, merge --no-ff, or commit message formats). The CLI handles that, so you can stay focused on writing code.

3. It supports "the TBD way" This tool makes the preferred approach easy by providing a smooth, safe, and efficient path for 80% of everyday tasks. For the other 20%, you can always use Git directly.

Configuration

tbdflow is configurable via two optional files in the root of your repository. To get started quickly, run tbdflow init to generate default versions of these files.

.tbdflow.yml This file controls the core workflow of the tool. You can customize:

• The name of your main branch (e.g., main, trunk).
• Branch name prefixes (e.g. feat- instead of feature_).
• The threshold for stale branch warnings.
• Automatic tagging formats.

.dod.yml This file controls the interactive Definition of Done checklist for the commit command.

The Definition of Done (DoD) Check

To move beyond just automating process, tbdflow integrates an optional pre-commit quality check. If a .dod.yml file is present in your repository, the commit command will present an interactive checklist to ensure your work meets the team's agreed-upon standards.

Example .dod.yml:

# .dod.yml in your project root

# If true, requires an --issue <ID> flag on the commit command.
issue_reference_required: true

checklist:
  - "All relevant automated tests pass successfully."
  - "New features or fixes are covered by new tests."
  - "Security implications of this change have been considered."
  - "Relevant documentation (code comments, READMEs) is updated."

If you try to proceed without checking all items, the tool will offer to add a TODO list to your commit message footer, ensuring the incomplete work is tracked directly in your Git history.

Global options

Commands

1. commit

This is the primary command for daily work.

Commits staged changes using a Conventional Commits message. This command is context-aware:

• On main: It runs the full TBD workflow: pulls the latest changes with rebase, commits, and pushes.
• On any other branch: It simply commits and pushes, allowing you to save work-in-progress.

Usage:

tbdflow commit [options]

Options:

Example:

# A new feature
tbdflow commit -t "feat" -s "auth" -m "Add password reset endpoint"

# A bug fix with a breaking change
tbdflow commit -t "fix" -m "Correct user permission logic" -b
tbdflow commit -t "refactor" -m "Rename internal API" --breaking --breaking-description "The `getUser` function has been renamed to `fetchUser`."

# A bug fix with a new tag
tbdflow commit -t "fix" -m "Correct user permission logic" --tag "v1.1.1"

2.feature / release / hotfix

Creates a new, short-lived branch from the latest version of `main.

Usage:

# For features or hotfixes
tbdflow <feature|hotfix> --name <branch-name>

# For releases
tbdflow release --version <version-number> [options]

Options (release):

Examples:

# Create a feature branch
tbdflow feature -n "user-profile-page"

# Create a release branch
tbdflow release -v "2.1.0"

# Create a release branch from a specific commit
tbdflow release -v "2.1.0" -f "39b68b5"

# Create a hotfix branch
tbdflow hotfix -n "critical-auth-bug"

3. complete

Merges a short-lived branch back into main, then deletes the local and remote copies of the branch.

Automatic Tagging:

• When completing a release branch, a tag (e.g., v1.2.0) is automatically created and pushed.
• When completing a hotfix branch, a tag (e.g., hotfix/name-of-fix) is automatically created and pushed.

Usage:

tbdflow complete --type <branch-type> --name <branch-name>

Options:

Examples:

# Complete a feature branch
tbdflow complete -t "feature" -n "user-profile-page"

# Complete a release branch (this will be tagged v2.1.0)
tbdflow complete -t "release" -n "2.1.0"

4. Misc commands

tbdflow has a couple of commands that can be beneficial to use but they are not part of the workflow, they are for inspecting the state of the repository.

Examples:

# Does a pull, shows latest changes to main branch, and warns about stale branches.
tbdflow sync

# Checks the status of the working dir
tbdflow status

# Shows the current branch name
tbdflow current-branch

# Explicitly checks for local branches older than one day.
tbdflow check-branches