+
+#----- subroutines for setup
+
+sub create_and_switch ($) {
+ my ($branchref) = @_;
+ run_git(qw(update-ref -m), "tb-create base", $branchref, 'HEAD');
+ run_git(qw(symbolic-ref HEAD), $branchref);
+}
+
+sub stage_meta ($) {
+ my ($file) = @_;
+ run_git(qw(add), ".topbloke/$file");
+}
+
+sub meta_and_stage ($$) {
+ my ($file, $contents) = @_;
+ wf_contents(".topbloke/$file", $contents);
+ stage_meta($file);
+}
+
+#----- create the base branch
+
+if (lstat '.topbloke') {
+ -d _ or die;
+} else {
+ mkdir('.topbloke') or die "create .topbloke: $!\n";
+}
+
+my $baseref = "refs/topbloke-bases/$newbranch";
+create_and_switch($baseref);
+
+run_git(qw(update-ref -m), "tb-create base", $baseref, 'HEAD');
+run_git(qw(symbolic-ref HEAD), $baseref);
+
+meta_and_stage('msg', "# not applicable\n");
+meta_and_stage('deps', "# not applicable\n");
+meta_and_stage('flags', '');
+
+if ($current->{Kind} eq 'foreign') {
+ meta_and_stage('included', $current->{DepSpec});
+ meta_and_stage('pflags', '');
+}
+
+run_git(qw(commit -q -m), "create base branch $spec->{Nick}\n$newbranch\n");
+
+#----- create the tip branch
+
+my $tipref = "refs/topbloke-tips/$newbranch";
+create_and_switch($tipref);
+
+my $nm = wf_start('.topbloke/msg');
+wf($nm, "From: $author\n");
+foreach my $h (qw(To CC BCC)) {
+ my $estatus;
+ run_git(\$estatus, sub { wf($nm, "$h: $_") or die $!; },
+ qw(config), "topbloke.".lc $h);
+ die "$h $estatus" unless $estatus==0 || $estatus==256;
+}
+wf($nm, <<END) or die $!;
+Subject: [${subjprefix}PATCH] $spec->{Nick}
+
+<patch description>
+
+Signed-off-by: $author
+END
+wf_done($nm);
+stage_meta('msg');
+
+meta_and_stage('deps', "$current->{DepSpec}\n");
+# we inherit empty flags from the base branch
+
+open I, '>>', ".topbloke/included" or die $!;
+print I "$newbranch\n";
+close I or die $!;
+stage_meta('included');
+
+run_git(qw(commit -q -m), "create branch $spec->{Nick}\n$newbranch\n");
+
+
+INCLUDED IS WRONG MISSING NEWLINE