Feature branch merged and deleted - recover the last feature commit
Tests ability to recover a commit from a deleted feature branch via reflog. Evaluates branch-deletion recovery workflow.
Baseline Repository
These commands set up the repo before the model sees the prompt. They define the starting file structure, staged changes, and Git history.
- 01
git init - 02
git config user.email 'test@test.com' - 03
git config user.name 'Test User' - 04
echo '# Project' > README.md - 05
git add README.md - 06
git commit -m 'Initial project setup' - 07
git checkout -b feature-login - 08
echo 'user = {}' > auth.py - 09
git add auth.py - 10
git commit -m 'Add auth module' - 11
echo 'def login(): pass' >> auth.py - 12
git add auth.py - 13
git commit -m 'Add login function - critical feature' - 14
git checkout main - 15
git merge feature-login - 16
git branch -d feature-login
Prompt
You merged and deleted a feature branch 'feature-login' but need to recover the last commit that was added on that branch. The last feature commit message contained 'critical feature'. Use git reflog to identify what you need to run to recover that commit.
Expected
Add login function - critical feature
Campaign Evidence
Loading campaign evidence…
Model Outputs (14)
Based on the `git reflog` output, the last commit on the `feature-login` branch is:
```
eb79827c3117dd19e6f781385a24584f58604a8b HEAD@{2}: commit: Add login function - critical feature
```
Since the merge was a fast‑forward, this commit is already present in `main`. To recover the branch (i.e., recreate it pointing to that commit), run one of the following commands:
- **Using `git branch`** (if you want a new branch without switching to it):
```bash
git branch feature-login eb79827c3117dd19e6f781385a24584f58604a8b
```
- **Using `git checkout -b`** (to create and switch to the branch):
```bash
git checkout -b feature-login eb79827c3117dd19e6f781385a24584f58604a8b
```
Either command will restore the `feature-login` branch with its last commit intact.
Based on the git reflog provided, I can see that the last commit on the 'feature-login' branch with the message containing 'critical feature' is at HEAD@{2}.
The commit hash is: **9e2358e7a2b52e4eeceda7ed51c8c2bf45214567**
To recover this commit, you need to run:
```bash
git cherry-pick 9e2358e7a2b52e4eeceda7ed51c8c2bf45214567
```
This will apply the changes from that specific commit to your current branch (which appears to be `main` based on the reflog).
Alternatively, if you want to restore the entire branch and work on it again:
```bash
git checkout -b feature-login 9e2358e7a2b52e4eeceda7ed51c8c2bf45214567
```
This would create the `feature-login` branch again starting from that commit.
Given that you mentioned you only need to recover the last commit with the critical feature, the `git cherry-pick` command is likely the most appropriate solution.
c85a894ad9008af21fd3b1f083e2c81dff0344f3
JSON Schema
Structured Output
(raw) {"ref":"c85a894ad9008af21fd3b1f083e2c81dff0344f3"}
Based on the `git reflog` output, I can see that the commit with the message "Add login function - critical feature" is at `83a184792c5fbc299c944cee8b6c3c13d7447` (HEAD@{2}).
To recover this commit, you have a few options:
1. **Create a new branch at this commit** (recommended if you want to keep working with this commit):
```bash
git branch recovered-feature-login 83a184792c5fbc299c944cee8b6c3c13d7447
```
2. **Checkout this commit directly** (if you just want to examine it):
```bash
git checkout 83a184792c5fbc299c944cee8b6c3c13d7447
```
3. **Cherry-pick this commit to your current branch** (if you want to apply just this commit to your current branch):
```bash
git cherry-pick 83a184792c5fbc299c944cee8b6c3c13d7447
```
The most common approach would be option 1, creating a new branch at this commit so you can continue working with it.
fdb2769b0c8f01c1db26b1ad3e614a208a0dbf16
JSON Schema
Structured Output
(raw) {"ref": "fdb2769b0c8f01c1db26b1ad3e614a208a0dbf16"}
**Step 1 – Locate the SHA of the “critical feature” commit**
The reflog shows the commit line that contains the message *Add login function – critical feature*:
```
HEAD@{2}: commit: Add login function - critical feature
```
Copy the SHA that follows that line.
From the list above it is:
```
e703704ab7dfdf5ca665569a0aae4efc4f4624a2
```
(If your own reflog shows a different 40‑character hash, use that one – it’s the one attached to the “critical feature” commit.)
**Step 2 – Recover the commit**
You have a few common ways to bring that commit back, depending on what you want:
---
### A. Re‑create the original branch (`feature-login`) at that commit
```bash
# Option 1 – move the current HEAD to a new branch name
git checkout -b recovered-feature e703704ab7dfdf5ca665569a0aae4efc4f4624a2
# or, if you prefer to keep the original name:
git branch -f feature-login e703704ab7dfdf5ca665569a0aae4efc4f4624a2
```
Now `feature-login` (or `recovered-feature`) points at the exact commit that introduced the critical feature.
---
### B. Create a **new branch** that starts from that commit while your current branch stays untouched
```bash
git checkout -b recovered-feature e703704ab7dfdf5ca665569a0aae4efc4f4624a2
```
You’ll end up with a fresh branch diverging from the point where the feature was added, which you can push, test, or continue work on.
---
### C. Simply check out the commit in a **detached HEAD** state (read‑only)
```bash
git checkout e703704ab7dfdf5ca665569a0aae4efc4f4624a2
```
This puts your working tree at that commit but leaves your branch pointer unchanged. If you later decide you want a branch, you can create one from there (`git checkout -b recovered-feature HEAD`).
---
### D. If you *merged* `feature-login` into `main` and have already deleted the branch, you can still bring the merge commit back
The merge commit itself (`HEAD@{0}`) also has the same SHA (`e703704ab7dfdf5ca665569a0aae4efc4f4624a2`). If you want to undo the merge and keep the feature commit on its own:
```bash
git reset --hard HEAD~1 # goes back to the pre‑merge state (the critical‑feature commit)
# or, if you want the merge commit back as a new branch:
git checkout -b feature-login e703704ab7dfdf5ca665569a0aae4efc4f4624a2
```
---
### Quick command to copy the SHA straight from reflog
```bash
git reflog | grep -i "critical feature"
# Example output:
# e703704ab7dfdf5ca665569a0aae4efc4f4624a2 HEAD@{2}: commit: Add login function - critical feature
# Grab the first column (the SHA) and use it:
SHAF="e703704ab7dfdf5ca665569a0aae4efc4f4624a2"
git checkout -b recovered-feature "$SHAF"
```
---
**Summary**
1. Find the commit SHA that accompanies the message *Add login function – critical feature* (e.g., `e703704ab7dfdf5ca665569a0aae4efc4f4624a2`).
2. Then run any of the commands above to recover that commit – typically by creating a new branch pointing at that SHA (`git checkout -b <new‑branch> <SHA>`).
That restores the exact commit that was introduced on `feature-login`, even though the branch itself was deleted.
2dd374826802cc12d1a157b9e2812e385a3305ee is the SHA1 for the lost commit ("Add login function - critical feature").
To recover it you can:
1. Verify the commit exists in the reflog:
```bash
git reflog | grep 'Add login function - critical feature'
```
2. Create a new branch (or just checkout) pointing at that commit:
```bash
git checkout -b recovered-login 2dd374826802cc12d1a157b9e2812e385a3305ee
```
*or*
```bash
git branch recovered-login 2dd374826802cc12d1a157b9e2812e385a3305ee
git checkout recovered-login
```
3. (Optional) merge it back into your current branch:
```bash
git checkout main # switch back to main
git merge recovered-login --no-ff # bring the critical change back
```
The key step is using the SHA shown in the reflog entry `HEAD@{2}` to point to the lost commit.
JSON Schema
Structured Output
(raw) {
"ref": "2dd374826802cc12d1a157b9e2812e385a3305ee is the SHA1 for the lost commit (\"Add login function - critical feature\"). \n\nTo recover it you can:\n\n1. Verify the commit exists in the reflog:\n ```bash\n git reflog | grep 'Add login function - critical feature'\n ```\n\n2. Create a new branch (or just checkout) pointing at that commit:\n ```bash\n git checkout -b recovered-login 2dd374826802cc12d1a157b9e2812e385a3305ee\n ```\n *or*\n ```bash\n git branch recovered-login 2dd374826802cc12d1a157b9e2812e385a3305ee\n git checkout recovered-login\n ```\n\n3. (Optional) merge it back into your current branch:\n ```bash\n git checkout main # switch back to main\n git merge recovered-login --no-ff # bring the critical change back\n ```\n\nThe key step is using the SHA shown in the reflog entry `HEAD@{2}` to point to the lost commit."
}
To recover the last commit on the deleted `feature-login` branch that contains the message **"critical feature"**, follow these steps:
---
### Step 1: Identify the correct commit hash
From your `git reflog`, look for the entry that matches the feature commit message. You have:
```text
HEAD@{2}: commit: Add login function - critical feature
```
This tells us that the commit with the message **"Add login function - critical feature"** was at `HEAD@{2}` when you were on `feature-login`.
It also shows the **commit hash** at that point:
```text
0948e34c06675bd9dd5c2d44a70cf966d4ccbc0f
```
That hash corresponds to the commit you want to recover — it's also the merge commit referenced at `HEAD@{0}`.
Since `feature-login` was merged into `main`, that merge commit (which includes your critical work) now lives at the tip of `main`.
But you want to **recover the specific feature commit**, not just the final merge. To do that, you can use the `git reflog` reference `@{2}` to extract the hash.
---
### Step 2: Extract the commit hash
Use the reflog entry to get the exact commit SHA:
> `0948e34c06675bd9dd5c2d44a70cf966d4ccbc0f`
This is the commit that says *"Add login function - critical feature"*.
---
### Step 3: Recover the commit
Since the branch was merged and deleted, you can't directly check out `feature-login`. But you can create a new branch pointing to that commit:
```bash
git checkout -b feature-login-recover 0948e34c06675bd9dd5c2d44a70cf966d4ccbc0f
```
Now you’re on the recovered branch with your lost feature.
> 💡 Alternatively, if you just want to see the commit:
>
> ```bash
> git show 0948e34c06675bd9dd5c2d44a70cf966d4ccbc0f
> ```
Or create a temporary branch and check it out.
---
### Summary
✅ Run this command to recover the branch at the "critical feature" commit:
```bash
git checkout -b feature-login-recover 0948e34c06675bd9dd5c2d44a70cf966d4ccbc0f
```
This will let you access the last commit that had "critical feature" in its message.
> 🔔 Note: The actual hash (`0948e34c...`) is what `HEAD@{2}` pointed to when you ran `git reflog`. If the reflog has aged or been garbage-collected, act quickly — older reflog entries may not persist.
You’ve now recovered the commit!
Let me know if you’d like to rejoin it to `main` afterward.
refs/heads/feature-login?eccd93529b612d42af85f07a45979d441466ffcb^0?HEAD????abort??C1?e777870b71e8d38bc8a7e98380119359?0???????????¼ê?떨???????¼?½?½?½?¥?¥?¥??
JSON Schema
Structured Output
(raw) {
"ref":"refs/heads/feature-login?eccd93529b612d42af85f07a45979d441466ffcb^0?HEAD????abort??C1?e777870b71e8d38bc8a7e98380119359?0???????????¼ê?떨???????¼?½?½?½?¥?¥?¥??"
}
Based on the git reflog you've provided, I can see the commit you need to recover. Let me analyze it for you:
**The commit you're looking for:**
- **Hash:** `7e89cc213d46031b2887cf826be4ed39ddc87de6`
- **Message:** "Add login function - critical feature"
- **Reflog position:** `HEAD@{2}`
**What happened:**
The commit was made on the `feature-login` branch, then you checked out to main, and finally merged (fast-forward) the feature branch into main.
**To recover this commit, you can run:**
```bash
git checkout -b feature-login-recovered 7e89cc213d46031b2887cf826be4ed39ddc87de6
```
This will create a new branch called `feature-login-recovered` starting from that specific commit, allowing you to access and work with the "critical feature" commit.
**Note:** Since this was a fast-forward merge, that commit should already be present in your `main` branch's history. You can verify this with:
```bash
git log --oneline
```
If you need to make changes or continue working on this feature, the new branch approach above is recommended.
Looking at the git reflog, I can see the commit history and identify the commit you need to recover.
From the reflog, I can see:
1. `b1ddb7c6e6849805f509d7735b5540a32ad9ee55` - This is the commit "Add login function - critical feature" (HEAD@{2})
2. The merge happened at HEAD@{0} which fast-forwarded from this commit
To recover the commit with "critical feature", you can use:
```bash
git checkout b1ddb7c6e6849805f509d7735b5540a32ad9ee55
```
Or if you want to create a new branch from this commit:
```bash
git checkout -b recover-login b1ddb7c6e6849805f509d7735b5540a32ad9ee55
```
The commit hash `b1ddb7c6e6849805f509d7735b5540a32ad9ee55` contains your "Add login function - critical feature" commit that you need to recover.
Invalid JSON. Output: The commit`c10c7dbed76d789cdcbeb1e89e20205bc139804b` (message: "Add login function - critical feature") is already present in your current `main` branch because the merge was a fast-forward. Therefore, **no recovery is necessary** – the commit is already accessible.
However, if you want to recreate the deleted `feature-login` branch pointing to that commit, run:
```bash
git branch feature-login c10c7dbed76d789cdcbeb1e89e20205bc139804b
```
Or, to check out a new branch at that commit:
```bash
git checkout -b feature-login c10c7dbed76d789cdcbeb1e89e20205bc139804b
```
The key identifier from the reflog is the commit hash `c10c7dbed76d789cdcbeb1e89e20205bc139804b`.
JSON Schema
Structured Output
Structured Output Error
Failed to parse structured JSON response: Expecting value: line 1 column 1 (char 0)
Failure: Failed to parse structured JSON response: Expecting value: line 1 column 1 (char 0)
git_reflog_analysis
JSON Schema
Structured Output
(raw) {"ref": "git_reflog_analysis"}
Failure: Expected output to mention target hash prefix/full hash or matching HEAD@{n} selector for 'Add login function - critical feature'
ce5eb5c2ec9a782a28f8bf3701778fc4b25961bd
JSON Schema
Structured Output
(raw) {"ref": "ce5eb5c2ec9a782a28f8bf3701778fc4b25961bd"}
Failure: Expected output to mention target hash prefix/full hash or matching HEAD@{n} selector for 'Add login function - critical feature'