Jujutsu (jj) Version Control

Use jj instead of git for all version control operations.

Key Differences from Git

• jj automatically commits changes (working copy is always a commit)
• Use jj describe to update commit messages instead of git commit --amend
• No staging area - all changes are part of working copy commit
• jj new creates a new commit on top, making previous commit immutable

Non-Interactive Usage (Required)

Always use non-interactive forms - interactive commands open editors/diff tools.

Commands That Require -m Flag

# CORRECT:
jj describe -m "message"
jj commit -m "message"

# BLOCKED (opens editor):
jj describe
jj commit

Commands to Avoid

Blocked Command	Alternative
jj diffedit	jj restore or jj squash
jj split (no filesets)	jj split -m "msg" <files>
jj resolve	jj resolve --list then edit conflict markers
jj squash -i	jj squash (non-interactive)
jj restore -i	jj restore <files>
Any command with --tool	Use non-interactive alternatives

Splitting Commits

# CORRECT - provide filesets:
jj split -m "first part" src/file1.ts src/file2.ts

# BLOCKED - no filesets opens diff editor:
jj split
jj split -m "message"

Resolving Conflicts

# View conflicts:
jj resolve --list

# Then edit conflict markers directly in files and run:
jj squash

Common Commands

View Status and Changes

jj status                    # Show working copy status
jj log                       # View commit history
jj diff                      # Show changes in working copy
jj show                      # Show a specific commit

Making Changes

jj describe -m "message"     # Update current commit description
jj new                       # Create new commit on top of current
jj commit -m "message"       # Create new commit with current changes
jj squash                    # Squash changes into parent commit

Working with Bookmarks/Branches

jj bookmark create name      # Create new bookmark
jj bookmark set name         # Move bookmark to current commit
jj bookmark list             # List all bookmarks
jj bookmark delete name      # Delete a bookmark

Navigating History

jj edit <commit>             # Edit a specific commit
jj next                      # Move to child commit
jj prev                      # Move to parent commit

Syncing with Remote

jj git fetch                 # Fetch from remote
jj git push                  # Push to remote

Undoing Changes

jj undo                      # Undo last operation
jj restore <files>           # Restore files from parent commit

Custom Aliases

These are configured in ~/.config/jj/config.toml:

jj overview                  # Show diff stats and last 3 commits
jj l                         # Log last 15 commits with color
jj tug                       # Move bookmark from closest to parent
jj pull                      # Git fetch (alias)
jj push                      # Git push (alias)
jj sync                      # Fetch from all remotes
jj c                         # Commit (short)
jj ci                        # Commit (short for jj commit)
jj e                         # Edit (short)
jj s                         # Status (short)
jj parents                   # Show parents of current commit
jj merge <bookmark>          # Create merge commit

Workspaces

Workspaces allow multiple working copies backed by a single .jj repo. Each workspace can have a different commit checked out.

Commands

# Create a workspace
jj workspace add <path> --name <name>
jj workspace add ../feature-x --name feature-x
jj workspace add ../experiment --revision main  # Start from specific commit

# List workspaces
jj workspace list

# Find current workspace root
jj workspace root

# Delete a workspace (two steps)
jj workspace forget <name>  # Remove from jj tracking
rm -rf <path>               # Delete files manually

# Fix stale workspace (after external changes)
jj workspace update-stale

Switching Workspaces

There's no jj workspace switch command - just cd into the workspace directory:

cd ../feature-x
jj log  # Shows feature_x@ for current workspace

Critical Gotcha: Untracked Files

Workspaces only share version-controlled files. Files in .gitignore are NOT automatically present:

• .env files
• node_modules/
• Build artifacts (dist/, build/, .next/)
• IDE settings (.idea/, .vscode/ if ignored)

You must manually copy or symlink these to new workspaces:

# After creating workspace
cd ../new-workspace
cp ../main/.env .env
# Or symlink node_modules if compatible
ln -s ../main/node_modules node_modules

Use Cases

1. Run tests while developing - One workspace runs long tests, another for active development
2. Parallel features - Work on multiple features without stashing
3. Quick experiments - Throwaway workspace for "what if" scenarios

Rewriting History (Squashing Related Commits)

When commits contain intermediate refactors, fixes, or iterations that should be consolidated:

Review Recent History First

jj log --limit 15            # See recent commits
jj log -r "..@"              # All ancestors of current commit

Squash Commits Together

# Squash current commit into parent:
jj squash

# Squash specific commit into another:
jj squash --from <source-rev> --into <target-rev>

# Squash range of commits into one:
jj squash --from <oldest>::<newest> --into <target>

Edit Any Commit in History

# Change message of any commit:
jj describe -r <rev> -m "new message"

# Edit content of a commit (moves working copy there):
jj edit <rev>
# ... make changes ...
jj new                       # Return to new work

Workflow: Clean Up Feature Branch

When you have intermediate commits like refactors, fixes, iterations:

# 1. Review what you have
jj log --limit 10

# 2. Identify logical groupings (e.g., all loop-related work)
# 3. Squash related commits into the main feature commit:
jj squash --from <refactor-rev> --into <feature-rev>
jj squash --from <fix-rev> --into <feature-rev>

# 4. Update the final commit message to reflect all changes:
jj describe -r <feature-rev> -m "feat: complete feature with cleanup"

Example: Consolidate Iterative Work

If you have:

• abc123: feat: implement feature
• def456: refactor: clean up feature
• ghi789: fix: edge case in feature

Squash them:

jj squash --from ghi789 --into abc123
jj squash --from def456 --into abc123
jj describe -r abc123 -m "feat: implement feature (cleaned up)"

Typical Workflow

# Start work
jj new                       # Create new change
# ... edit files ...
jj describe -m "feat: add feature"

# Review and push
jj overview                  # Check status
jj push                      # Push to remote

# Update from remote
jj sync                      # Fetch all remotes