homogenize

name	homogenize
description	Make a set of things (code, prose, config, docs) consistent along a dimension the user names, by picking a canonical form and conforming every member to it.
argument-hint	<the dimension of consistency> [files or text to homogenize]

Make a set of things consistent along one dimension: identify the set's members, pick a canonical form for the dimension the user named, and conform every member to it without changing what any member means or does.

Target

jj show --git

Arguments: $ARGUMENTS

The arguments name the dimension of consistency (e.g. "error message wording", "test naming", "heading capitalization") and optionally the files or text that form the set. Operate on the set named in the arguments if given; otherwise the things changed in the current commit shown above. If the dimension is missing, infer it from the conversation. If you still cannot determine the set or the dimension, ask the user and stop.

Principles

• One dimension per pass. Conform only the dimension the user named. Other inconsistencies you notice go in the report, not in the edits; mixing dimensions makes the change hard to review and easy to get wrong.
• Consistency must preserve meaning. Rewording a message, renaming a test, or reordering keys must not change behavior or a claim. If conforming a member would change its meaning, it is a deliberate exception: leave it and say why.
• The canonical form comes from the set, not from taste (see "Choosing the canonical form"). Invent a new form only when no existing member is fit to copy, and say so in the report.
• Membership is a judgment call for borderline things. A thing that superficially resembles the set but serves a different purpose is not a member; conforming it couples unrelated things. When unsure, leave it out and note it.

These aren't exhaustive. Reason from first principles when none fits cleanly.

Workflow

1. Determine the dimension and the set from the arguments and conversation (see "Target"). State both in one sentence before editing, so the user can catch a wrong guess early.
2. List every member with its current form. Search beyond the obvious files: a set defined by purpose (all error messages, all CLI flags, all section headings) is usually scattered.
3. Pick the canonical form (see "Choosing the canonical form"). If two forms are equally defensible and the choice matters, ask the user which to use and stop; otherwise pick and note the choice in the report.
4. If every member already matches, tell the user and stop. Don't manufacture edits.
5. Conform each member to the canonical form:
   • In prose, comments, and config, edit the wording or structure in place.
   • For identifiers, treat each change as a behavior-preserving rename: update every reference, and never break a name that callers outside the set depend on.
6. If any code changed, run the covering tests or a typecheck to confirm behavior is unchanged. Pure prose edits need no test run.
7. Report: the dimension and canonical form, each member changed (from what to what), members left as deliberate exceptions and why, borderline non-members you excluded, and other inconsistent dimensions you noticed but did not touch.

Choosing the canonical form

• Count first. When most members already agree, the majority form is canonical unless the user said otherwise; conforming the few to the many is the smallest, safest change.
• On a tie, prefer the form that is clearest on its own terms: the one a newcomer would understand without seeing the others.
• A prescribed form wins even when it is the minority: follow the user's guidance over the majority and report the scale of the resulting change.
• If the best form needs vocabulary the project doesn't use consistently, stop and suggest /ubiquitize-language instead of forking the project's terms.

Fixing mistakes

• A test or typecheck breaks after a rename: you missed a reference or the name is used outside the set. Find the other references or restore the original name.
• A conformed member now says something false or does something different: the member was a borderline non-member or an exception. Revert it and move it to the exceptions in the report.