np-core-sync

name	np-core-sync
description	Sync ~/Code/nervepack with origin/main using strict-safe semantics (fast-forward only; never auto-rebase or autostash). Use when the user says "sync nervepack", "pull nervepack", "what's new in nervepack", when starting work after a known cron run, or when the SessionStart status file reports anything other than "up to date".

np-core-sync

Behavior contract

The underlying script (~/Code/nervepack/engine/setup/40-sync-nervepack.sh) is intentionally defensive: it never modifies a dirty working tree, never autostashes, and never rebases. Every run produces one of five outcomes, written to ~/.cache/np-core-sync-status:

Outcome	Meaning	What this skill does
up to date	local == origin/main	report and stop
fast-forwarded N commit(s)	safe pull happened	report what changed
local is N ahead of origin/main	unpushed local commits	push (auto-approved)
SKIPPED (dirty)	uncommitted edits block sync	surface diff, suggest commit/stash
DIVERGED	local and remote both have unique commits	surface both sides, ask user how to resolve

The SessionStart hook calls the script silently in the background, so its output only lives in the status file. This skill's job is to surface that state and act on it.

When to invoke

• Explicit: user says "sync nervepack", "pull nervepack", "update my AI context"
• Reactive: the status file's last line is not "up to date"
• Pre-write: before [[np-core-contribute]] commits, to avoid creating a fork

Steps

1. Read the status file first — cheaper than running the script and tells you exactly what the background hook just did:

   cat ~/.cache/np-core-sync-status 2>/dev/null || echo "no status yet"
   

2. Run the sync (idempotent, writes a fresh status):

   ~/Code/nervepack/engine/setup/40-sync-nervepack.sh --verbose
   

3. Branch on the outcome.

up to date

Report and stop.

fast-forwarded N commit(s)

Show the user git -C ~/Code/nervepack log <prev>..HEAD --oneline so they see what landed. The linker already ran inside the script, and (as of #106) so has every 5[0-9]-install-*.sh hook installer — a pulled change to a hook's registered command (e.g. a stdout/stderr redirect fix) reaches ~/.claude/settings.json in the same sync, not on some later manual re-install. No further action.

local is N ahead

Show the unpushed commits with git -C ~/Code/nervepack log @{u}..HEAD --oneline, then push without asking — Pat set a standing preference (2026-06-03): always auto-approve nervepack sync pushes (already-committed local state), no per-push confirmation. New content writes still go through [[np-core-contribute]]'s push gate. Push the current branch to its tracking remote; if it's a main-tracking branch, fast-forward-push the pinned SHA to origin/main per the concurrency protocol. Never force-push; on non-fast-forward, surface it.

SKIPPED (dirty)

Run git -C ~/Code/nervepack status --short. Show the user. Suggest the right next step based on intent:

• "I'm done with these changes" → invoke [[np-core-contribute]] to commit + push
• "I'm not done" → suggest git -C ~/Code/nervepack stash, then re-run sync, then git stash pop

DIVERGED

Surface both sides:

git -C ~/Code/nervepack log @{u}..HEAD --oneline       # local-only commits
git -C ~/Code/nervepack log HEAD..@{u} --oneline       # remote-only commits

Do NOT auto-resolve. Ask the user how to proceed. Defaults:

• If the divergence is just lint/format from the cron agent on files the user also edited → git -C ~/Code/nervepack pull --rebase --autostash and walk conflicts with the user.
• If the divergence is a real edit collision → consider whether the user wants to keep both sides; surface the diffs.

What this skill does NOT do

• Does not silently rebase, autostash, or merge-with-strategy. The whole point is predictability.
• Does not push except in the local is N ahead outcome (the standing auto-approval above). Pushing new content happens via [[np-core-contribute]] or explicit user ask.
• Does not re-run non-hook engine/setup/*.sh scripts. If a one-off setup script changed (e.g. 00-apt-baseline.sh added a new package), surface that to the user — only 30-link-skills.sh and every 5[0-9]-install-*.sh hook installer auto-run on a fast-forward (see above; #106).
• Does edit ~/.claude/settings.json as a side effect of the fast-forward case above (since #106) — if a hook installer's registered command changed, the live settings.json is updated in the same sync, no separate step needed. Before #106 this was a real gap: a merged hook fix could sync clean while settings.json ran the stale command for days (symptom: "we fixed this yesterday" for any hook-command change, or unexplained SessionStart delays from an un-redirected backgrounded hook). If you ever see that symptom again, check the live settings.json hook strings against the installer source — they can only diverge for setup scripts outside the 5[0-9]-install-*.sh glob (e.g. 61-install-resume-hook.sh), which still need a manual re-run.

Why this is safe across many session starts before cron runs

Because nothing in the auto path ever touches a dirty working tree or rewrites local history. Your in-progress edits are inert to the hook. The only autopilot action is fast-forward, which is mathematically a no-op for divergent state. If the cron and you both edit the same files, the second session start sees DIVERGED, refuses to merge, and waits for you to invoke this skill interactively.