Sync Upstream

microsoft/sync-upstream

Update a stale session branch by rebasing onto the latest origin. Use when the upstream has moved significantly and the session needs to catch up, resolving conflicts by preserving upstream changes and adapting session work to fit.

345 tokens

context cost

the whole folder, loaded on every use

files

instructions only

copies elsewhere

how many repositories repackaged it

188278

stars on the repo

on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository

npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/vscode --skill sync-upstream

The instruction itself

4 sections, as written by the author

Update Branch

Rebase the current session branch onto the latest upstream so the work stays grounded in origin.

Workflow

If there are uncommitted changes, use the /commit skill to commit them first.
Fetch the latest upstream and rebase onto it:

   git fetch origin
   git rebase origin/main

Use the appropriate base branch if it is not main.

Conflict Resolution

When conflicts arise, upstream always wins:

Never alter upstream logic, APIs, or patterns to accommodate session changes.
Adapt session work to fit the new upstream — rename, restructure, or rewrite as needed while preserving the session's goals.
After resolving each conflict, git add the files and git rebase --continue.

Validation

After the rebase completes, verify the result still compiles and meets the session's objectives. If session changes no longer make sense against the updated upstream, explain what changed and propose a revised approach.

How to use it

Copy the folder

Take microsoft/sync-upstream from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.

Check the name does not clash

The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.