git-spotlight

name	git-spotlight
description	Use this skill to make the main clone of a repo reflect the current HEAD of a worktree branch for review. Use when you want to spotlight a worktree, make the main clone reflect a worktree's HEAD, or browse worktree work in your editor.
trigger_phrases	["spotlight worktree","git spotlight"]
tags	["git","worktree"]

Git Spotlight

The spotlight technique points the main clone's spotlight branch at the current HEAD of a worktree, so you can browse and review the work in your editor without disturbing your own branch.

Prerequisites

• You must know the absolute path to the worktree directory.
• You must know the absolute path to the main clone directory (the repo root, not the worktree).

Step 1 - Confirm worktree is fully committed

# workdir: <WORKTREE_PATH>
git status

Must show nothing to commit, working tree clean. If not, commit or stash all changes before continuing.

Step 2 - Check main clone state

# workdir: <MAIN_CLONE_PATH>
git status

Stop and ask the user what to do if the main clone is dirty. Do not proceed until the main clone is clean.

Step 3 - Get the worktree HEAD SHA

# workdir: <WORKTREE_PATH>
git rev-parse HEAD

Save this SHA for the next step.

Step 4 - Check out the spotlight branch in the main clone

# workdir: <MAIN_CLONE_PATH>
git branch --list spotlight

• If the branch does not exist: git checkout -b spotlight
• If the branch already exists: git checkout spotlight

Then reset it to the worktree HEAD:

# workdir: <MAIN_CLONE_PATH>
git reset --hard <SHA>

Step 5 - Verify

# workdir: <MAIN_CLONE_PATH>
git log --oneline -1
git status

Confirm the top commit matches the worktree HEAD and the tree is clean.

Tell the user

Inform the user that the spotlight is set.

Notes

• The spotlight branch is a plain local branch. It is never pushed to the remote.
• reset --hard is safe here because spotlight is dedicated to this purpose and has no independent history worth preserving.
• If the worktree gains new commits later, re-run this procedure to advance spotlight to the new HEAD.