no-mistakes — Git Push Safety Guard

Introduction

no-mistakes is a lightweight Go CLI that wraps git push with configurable safety checks. It prevents common mistakes like pushing to protected branches, pushing uncommitted changes, or force-pushing without confirmation, acting as a guardrail for teams and solo developers.

What no-mistakes Does

• Intercepts git push and runs configurable pre-push validations
• Blocks pushes to protected branches (main, master, production)
• Requires confirmation for force pushes and branch deletions
• Validates commit messages against configurable patterns
• Checks for uncommitted changes and untracked sensitive files

Architecture Overview

no-mistakes installs as a git hook wrapper in Go. When a push is initiated, it intercepts the command, runs the configured validation chain, and either allows or blocks the operation with a clear error message. Configuration is stored in a project-level YAML file or global config, and the tool operates entirely locally with zero network dependency.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Install via go install or download a pre-built binary
• Run no-mistakes init in a repository to set up git hooks
• Configure protected branches in .no-mistakes.yaml at the repo root
• Global rules can be set in ~/.config/no-mistakes/config.yaml
• Works alongside existing git hooks without conflicts

Key Features

• Zero-dependency single binary written in Go
• Protects against accidental pushes to sensitive branches
• Configurable commit message validation patterns
• Force-push confirmation with explicit acknowledgment
• Sensitive file detection (prevents pushing .env, credentials)

Comparison with Similar Tools

• Husky — JS git hooks manager; no-mistakes is language-agnostic and focused on push safety
• pre-commit — general hook framework; no-mistakes is specialized for push protection
• Lefthook — fast hook runner; no-mistakes adds branch protection and sensitive file detection
• git-secrets — AWS secret scanning; no-mistakes covers broader push safety beyond secrets

FAQ

Q: Does it work with all git hosting platforms? A: Yes, it operates at the local git level and is platform-agnostic.

Q: Can I bypass the checks in an emergency? A: Yes, an explicit flag allows bypassing with a warning logged.

Q: Does it slow down normal pushes? A: Checks run in milliseconds; there is no noticeable delay for standard pushes.

Q: Can teams share configuration? A: Yes, commit .no-mistakes.yaml to the repository for shared team rules.

Sources

• https://github.com/kunchenguid/no-mistakes
• https://github.com/kunchenguid/no-mistakes/blob/main/README.md