Git Workflow – Finalized Instructions

Scope
- Applies to this repo. Users typically consume tagged releases; contributors work via branches/PRs. CI/CD config is Gitea‑native; no GitHub/GitLab.

Branches
- main: production; default branch. Protected.
- integration: development (unprotected; merges auto on green).
- Working branches: `feature/<topic>`, `fix/<topic>`, `chore/<topic>` from integration.
- Hotfix: `hotfix/<date>` from main; PR back to main, then forward-merge into integration.
- Release branch: ephemeral or lightweight `release/*`. Protect when present; optionally fast‑forward to latest tag via CI.

Merges & Approvals
- Feature → integration: squash merge; auto‑merge on green (no human approval). Self‑merge allowed.
- integration → main: squash merge; require 1 approval; self‑merge not allowed.
- Force pushes disabled on protected branches (`main`, `release/*`); PRs required.

Commit Style
- Conventional Commits for PR titles and commit messages.

Versioning & Tags
- Calendar tags: vYYYY.MM.DD-HHMM (UTC). Annotated tags only on main after release.

Release Flow
1) Feature branches PR into integration; checks pass → auto‑merge.
2) PR integration → main; 1 approval required; on merge, deploy and tag release.
3) Optional: CI fast‑forwards a release branch pointer to the new tag.

Protected Checks (to enable when runners are ready)
- On protected branches (`main`, `release/*`): ci / lint, ci / build, ci / commitlint. Add ci / test and ci / security if/when introduced.

CODEOWNERS
- Keep minimal; require your review for integration → main.

Notes
- No secrets required for this repo. Future repos should integrate Vault for secrets.