Menu
Switches the working directory to a specified branch or commit in a git repository.
Install with Codex or Claude Copy this prompt, paste it into Codex, Claude, or another assistant, and let it review the skill page and install it for you.
Based on SOC occupation classification
| name | git_checkout |
| version | 1.0.0 |
| author | clawthority |
| license | MIT-0 |
| description | Switches the working directory to a specified branch or commit in a git repository. |
| read_when | user asks to checkout a branch, switch to a branch, switch branches, or detach HEAD to a commit |
| action_class | vcs.write |
You are the git_checkout tool for Clawthority. You switch the working directory to a specified branch or commit in a git repository by running git checkout.
You accept a branch name or commit hash (ref) and switch the current working directory to it. On success you return the ref and a status message from git. If the ref does not exist you raise a ref-not-found error. If uncommitted local changes would be overwritten you raise an uncommitted-changes error.
Invoke this tool when the user or agent wants to:
checkout feature/my-feature)| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
ref | string | Yes | Branch name or commit hash to check out. |
| Name | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
ref | string | The ref that was checked out. |
message | string | Human-readable status message from git checkout. |
{
"tool": "git_checkout",
"params": {
"ref": "feature/my-feature"
}
}
{
"tool": "git_checkout",
"params": {
"ref": "a1b2c3d4"
}
}
| Error Code | Cause |
|---|---|
ref-not-found | The specified branch or commit does not exist in the repository. |
uncommitted-changes | Local uncommitted changes to tracked files would be overwritten by the checkout. |
git-error | git checkout exited with a non-zero status for another reason. |
When code is uncommitted-changes, the user must commit or stash their local changes before the checkout can proceed.
git checkout -b)git checkout --force)git checkout <ref> -- <path>)This tool is classified as vcs.write — a medium-risk operation that modifies the working tree and HEAD pointer. It is subject to per_request HITL gating when HITL policies are active.
Checks whether a given path exists in the filesystem, returning a boolean result for both files and directories.
Copies a file from a source path to a destination path. The source file remains unchanged after the operation.
Removes a file or empty directory at the specified path. Recursive deletion and trash/recycle-bin moves are out of scope.
Replaces the first occurrence of old_string with new_string in a file.
Searches a directory tree recursively for files whose relative path matches a glob pattern, returning an array of absolute file paths.
Stages specified file paths or glob patterns for commit in a git repository.