working-with-jujutsu-version-control

name	Working with Jujutsu Version Control
description	Understand and work with Jujutsu (jj) version control system. Use when the user mentions commits, changes, version control, or working with jj repositories. Helps with stack-based commit workflows, change curation, and jj best practices.
allowed-tools	Bash(jj status:*), Bash(jj log:*), Bash(jj show:*), Bash(jj diff:*)

Working with Jujutsu Version Control

Core Concepts

Jujutsu (jj) - Git-compatible VCS with:

• Change-based: Unique IDs persist through rewrites
• Auto-snapshotting: Working copy snapshotted before each operation
• Stack-based: Build commits in a stack
• Undoable: All ops in jj op log, use jj op restore to time travel

vs Git: No staging area, edit any commit (jj edit), conflicts stored in commits

Working Copy (@)

Current commit is always @:

• jj log -r @ - Current commit
• jj log -r @- - Parent commit
• jj log -r 'ancestors(@, 5)' - Recent stack

State:

• Empty, no description → Ready for changes
• Has changes, no description → Needs description
• Has description + changes → Can stack with jj new
• Has description, no changes → Ready for new work

Stack-Based Workflow

1. Make changes in @ (new files tracked automatically via /jj:commit)
2. Describe: jj describe -m "message" or /jj:commit
3. Stack: jj new
4. Repeat

Why stack: Individual review, easy reordering, incremental shipping, clean history

Plan-Driven Workflow

1. Start: Create "plan:" commit describing intent
2. Work: Implement the plan
3. End: Replace "plan:" with actual work using /jj:commit

TodoWrite: One commit per major todo, jj new between todos

Automatic Snapshotting

Every jj command auto-snapshots. Use jj op log, jj undo, or jj op restore <id> for time travel.

When to Suggest Commands

Viewing state: jj status, jj log, jj show, jj diff

Creating commits:

• Use /jj:commit (not jj describe directly)
• Suggest when user has substantial changes or plan needs updating

Organizing commits:

• /jj:split <pattern> when mixing concerns (tests+code)
• /jj:squash for multiple WIP commits
• Don't suggest for simple, focused changes

Undoing: jj undo, jj op restore, jj abandon

Slash Commands

• /jj:commit [message] - Stack commit with message generation
• /jj:split <pattern> - Split by pattern (test, docs, config)
• /jj:squash [revision] - Merge commits
• /jj:cleanup - Remove empty workspaces

Git Translation

Repository blocks git write commands via hook. Prefer jj equivalents:

• git status → jj status
• git commit → /jj:commit
• git log → jj log
• git checkout → jj new

Best Practices

Do: Stack commits, describe clearly (what/why), use plan-driven workflow, leverage jj op log, split mixed concerns

Don't: Mix git/jj, leave work undescribed, create monolithic commits, forget everything is undoable