Git Checkpoint Protocol

When to Commit

FREQUENCY: After every meaningful change

•After completing each task
•Before switching between repos
•After fixing a bug
•Before reporting back to boss
•Every 10-15 minutes during long tasks

Commit Message Format

Use structured commit messages with brief subject and detailed body:

bash

git commit -m "brief summary of changes

Detailed description of all amendments:
- Specific change 1 and why
- Specific change 2 and impact
- Edge cases handled
- Any breaking changes or notes"

Format rules:

•First line: Brief summary (50 chars or less), imperative mood ("Add" not "Added")
•Blank line after summary
•Body: Detailed bullet list of all changes, unfolds when viewing git log
•Each bullet should explain what changed and why

Examples:

bash

git commit -m "create HMD slide in week06.tex

- Add new slide covering HMD hardware components
- Shift existing images to images/ folder
- Update week06.tex with new section reference
- Add proper figure captions for accessibility"

bash

git commit -m "fix past members alignment in CSS

- Change flexbox direction from row-reverse to row
- Remove !important from margin-right override
- Add media query for mobile responsiveness
- Verified in Chrome DevTools at 320px-1920px widths"

bash

git commit -m "update opencode agent configuration

- Add new boss-worker-coworker orchestration agents
- Configure worker model for cost-effective task execution
- Set up stronger model for quality verification fallback
- Add 50-step limits to prevent runaway costs"

Checkpoint Commands

Quick Checkpoint

bash

git add .
git commit -m "WIP: task name

- Current progress on feature
- Known issues or blockers
- Next steps needed"

Before Task Switch

bash

git add .
git commit -m "completed: task name

- Summary of all changes made
- Files modified and why
- Testing performed"
git push  # if needed

Recovery Check

If you need to verify last commit:

bash

git log --oneline -5

This shows last 5 commits to verify your checkpoint worked.

Recovery Protocol

When an agent crashes, the boss agent:

•Checks git log to see last commit
•Reads standup.md for last progress marker
•Compares to see what was saved vs lost
•Respawns worker with: "Resume from [last completed task]"

Critical Rule

NEVER work for more than 15 minutes without committing.

If you crash after 2 hours of work with no commits, everything is lost. Frequent commits ensure minimal loss on crashes.