deevus-jujutsu

name	deevus-jujutsu
description	Use when working in a Jujutsu repository with pushed bookmarks, open pull requests, rebases, or merge/rebase conflicts.

Jujutsu Workflow

Workflow overlay for jj repositories: when this conflicts with generic jj guidance, follow this skill.

Core rule

Treat pushed bookmarks as append-only by default.

For any follow-up change on a branch, reviewed or not:

jj new -m "<message>"
# edit files
jj bookmark move <bookmark> --to @
jj git push --dry-run -b <bookmark>
# only if dry-run does NOT say "move sideways"
jj git push -b <bookmark>

Amend, squash, absorb, or rebase only when explicitly asked to rewrite history. Extra commits cost nothing because the merge squashes them.

The jj trap

When @ is the bookmark commit, editing files amends that commit silently. Amending is jj's default behaviour, so the next push is a sideways/force push unless the remote already points at the rewritten commit.

The tell is dry-run output like:

move sideways from X to Y

That is a force push. If a dry-run shows this and it was not explicitly requested, do not run the real push. Recover before doing anything else:

jj undo
jj st
jj --no-pager bookmark list

Then recreate the follow-up as a child commit before dry-running the push again.

Before pushing an open PR

Do not edit or rewrite the bookmarked commit. Start follow-up work from a child commit before pushing:

jj new -m "<message>"
# edit files
jj bookmark move <bookmark> --to @
jj git push --dry-run -b <bookmark>
# only if dry-run does NOT say "move sideways"
jj git push -b <bookmark>

GitHub example for checking review state:

gh pr view <number> --json reviews

If the dry-run prints move sideways from X to Y, use the jj undo recovery above instead of pushing.

Do not try to pass Git flags such as --no-force through jj git push -o. -o/--option sends Git push options to the remote server; it does not make jj fast-forward-only.

Rebasing

Use native jj workspaces for rebasing jj-backed repos instead of git checkout/rebase.

jj workspace add ../rebase-work
cd ../rebase-work
jj rebase -d <destination>

Do not switch into git checkout/rebase workflows for jj repositories unless the user explicitly asks for that.

Conflicts

Resolve merge/rebase conflicts with targeted conflict-region edits. Preserve unrelated file content and surrounding history context.

Do not rewrite whole files to resolve conflicts.

Common mistakes

• Following generic jj "commits are mutable" advice on a pushed bookmark.
• Editing the bookmark commit directly, then treating the push as routine.
• Skipping jj git push --dry-run before a real push.
• Missing move sideways from X to Y in dry-run output.
• Checking review state after pushing instead of before pushing.
• Using git checkout/rebase in a jj-backed repo.
• Replacing whole conflicted files instead of editing only conflict regions.