Jujutsu Troubleshooting

Solutions to common jj problems, error messages, and recovery scenarios. Invoke manually with /jj-troubleshoot or reference when encountering issues.

Quick Diagnostics

Run these commands to gather information:

bash

jj status              # Current state
jj log -n 10           # Recent history
jj op log -n 5         # Recent operations
jj bookmark list       # Bookmark status

Common Error Messages

"Bookmark is conflicted"

Error: Refused to push a conflicted bookmark

Solution:

bash

# 1. List bookmarks to see conflict
jj bookmark list       # Look for ?? marker

# 2. View commits involved
jj log

# 3. Move bookmark to correct commit
jj bookmark move main --to <correct-commit-id>

# 4. Push
jj git push --bookmark main

"Divergent changes"

Warning: Added working copy commit as ... (divergent)

Explanation: Two visible commits share the same change ID (usually harmless).

Solutions:

bash

# Option 1: Squash to merge
jj squash -r <one-id> --into <other-id>

# Option 2: Abandon one
jj abandon <unwanted-id>

# Option 3: Continue working (often fine)

"Stale working copy"

Error: Working copy is stale

Solution:

bash

jj workspace update-stale
# or
jj status  # Triggers snapshot

"Non-fast-forward push rejected"

Error: Remote has moved forward

Solution:

bash

# 1. Fetch updates
jj git fetch

# 2. Rebase your changes
jj rebase -s <your-first-commit> -d main@origin

# 3. Push again
jj git push --bookmark main

Common Problems

Accidentally Undid After Push

Problem: Ran jj undo after jj git push

Solution:

bash

# Option 1: Redo (if just did undo)
jj redo

# Option 2: Re-push
jj git push --bookmark <name> --force

# Option 3: Fetch and reconcile
jj git fetch
jj bookmark move <name> --to <name>@origin

Prevention: Don't undo after push operations.

Mixed Git and jj Commands

Problem: Used both tools, now state is weird

Solution:

bash

# Import Git state to jj
jj git import

# Check for conflicts
jj bookmark list
jj log

# Resolve any conflicts

Prevention: Stick to one tool at a time.

Can't Find Recent Changes

Likely causes:

•

Not snapshotted:

bash

jj status  # Triggers snapshot
jj diff    # Now shows changes

•

Looking at wrong commit:

bash

jj log     # Find working copy (marked @)

•
Changes were committed:
bash
```
jj show @-  # Check parent
```

Bookmark Not Moving

Problem: Making commits but bookmark stays on old commit

Explanation: This is expected! Bookmarks don't auto-advance in jj.

Solution:

bash

# Move bookmark manually
jj bookmark move <name> --to @

Better pattern: Create bookmarks only when ready to push.

Too Many Commits in Log

Problem: jj log shows overwhelming history

Solutions:

bash

# Show only ancestors of working copy
jj log -r ::@

# Show last 10 commits
jj log -n 10

# Show commits between main and @
jj log -r main::@

# Configure default
jj config set --user revsets.log '::@ | @::'

Lost Commits

Problem: Commits seem to have disappeared

Solution using operation log:

bash

# 1. View operation history
jj op log

# 2. Find operation before commits disappeared
# 3. View repo at that operation
jj --at-op=<operation-id> log

# 4. Restore if commits are there
jj op restore <operation-id>

# 5. Or undo recent operations
jj undo

File Deletion Not Tracked

Problem: Deleted files outside jj, not showing in diff

Solution:

bash

jj status  # Triggers snapshot
jj diff    # Now shows deletion

Prevention: Run jj status after manual file operations.

Conflict Resolution

Identifying Conflicts

bash

jj log     # Look for × marker
jj status  # May show "conflict" markers

Understanding Conflict Markers

code

<<<<<<< Conflict 1 of 1
+++++++ Contents of side #1
changes from first parent
------- Contents of base
original content
+++++++ Contents of side #2
changes from second parent
>>>>>>> Conflict 1 of 1 ends

Step-by-Step Resolution

bash

# 1. Create working copy on conflict
jj new <conflicted-change-id>

# 2. Edit files to resolve (remove markers, keep desired content)

# 3. Review resolution
jj diff

# 4. Squash resolution into conflicted commit
jj squash

# 5. Verify conflict resolved
jj log  # × marker should be gone

Alternative: Abandon and Redo

If conflict is too complex:

bash

jj abandon <conflicted-change-id>
# Redo operation more carefully

Recovery Scenarios

Completely Lost - Start Over

bash

# 1. Save current state
jj op log > ~/jj-op-log-backup.txt

# 2. Find good state
jj op log

# 3. Restore to known good operation
jj op restore <good-operation-id>

Accidentally Force Pushed Wrong Thing

If you have local operation log:

bash

# 1. Find operation before bad push
jj op log

# 2. Restore
jj op restore <operation-id>

# 3. Re-push correctly
jj git push --bookmark <name> --force

Full Documentation

For comprehensive troubleshooting:

•TROUBLESHOOTING.md - Complete guide with all error messages and solutions

When to Use Other Skills

•/jj - Return to normal operations after resolving issues
•/jj-migrate - If issues stem from Git mental model confusion

Diagnostic Commands

When reporting issues, provide:

bash

jj --version
jj status
jj log -n 10
jj op log -n 5
jj bookmark list