jj (Jujutsu) Version Control

jj is a Git-compatible VCS with a different mental model. Most LLMs are trained primarily on git, so this skill provides the correct jj approach.

Critical differences from git

1. •

   Working copy is always a commit - Every file change automatically amends the current working copy commit. There is no staging area, no git add.

2. •

   Change ID vs Commit ID - Every commit has two identifiers:

   • •Change ID (e.g., kntqzsqt): Stable across rewrites, use this in commands
   • •Commit ID (e.g., d7439b06): Changes when commit is modified (like git's SHA)
3. •

   No staging area - Files are automatically tracked. Use .gitignore (jj uses git's ignore format) and jj file untrack <path> to untrack.

4. •

   Commits are mutable - You can freely rewrite any commit. Rewriting pushed commits requires force push (jj git push handles this automatically with lease protection). Conflicts don't block operations - they're stored in the commit.

5. •

   Bookmarks, not branches - jj uses "bookmarks" instead of git branches. They map 1:1 to git branches when pushing/fetching.

6. •

   Colocated repos - When .jj and .git coexist, every jj command auto-syncs with git. Git stays in detached HEAD state. Tools like gh CLI work normally.

Core workflow

# See current state
jj status  # or jj st
jj log     # view commit graph
jj diff    # see working copy changes

# Describe current commit (set message)
jj describe -m "commit message"

# Create new commit on top of current (signals "I'm done editing this commit")
jj new
jj new -m "message for the new commit"

# Insert a commit BEFORE the current one (children auto-rebase)
jj new -B @ -m "insert before current"

# Squash working copy changes into parent
jj squash

# Squash into a specific ancestor (not just parent)
jj squash --into <change-id>

# Edit an existing commit (makes it the working copy)
jj edit <change-id>

# Auto-distribute working copy changes into the right commits in a stack
jj absorb

# Create a merge commit (multiple parents)
jj new branch1 branch2 -m "merge branches"

Two mental models: Squash vs Edit workflow

Squash workflow (index-like): Describe commit → create empty child → work in child → jj squash into parent. Familiar if you liked git's staging area.

Edit workflow (direct): Work directly in commits → use jj new -B @ to insert commits before → use jj next --edit to navigate. More natural for stack-based development.

See workflows.md for detailed patterns.

Stack workflow with jj absorb

When working on a stack of commits, jj absorb automatically moves each change to the commit where that line was last modified:

# You have a stack and notice bugs in earlier commits
# Make fixes in working copy, then:
jj absorb

# Each fix is moved to the appropriate commit in the stack
# Review what happened:
jj op show -p

Revsets (selecting commits)

Revsets are expressions for selecting commits. Use change IDs, not commit IDs.

Rebase

Use the direct flags, not longwinded approaches:

# Rebase single commit to new destination
jj rebase -r '<revision>' -d '<destination>'

# Rebase commit and all descendants
jj rebase -s '<source>' -d '<destination>'

# Rebase entire branch (all commits reachable from <branch> but not from <destination>)
jj rebase -b '<branch>' -d '<destination>'

Examples:

# Move current commit onto main
jj rebase -r @ -d main

# Move a feature branch onto latest trunk
jj rebase -s feature-start -d trunk()

Filesets (selecting files)

Filesets are expressions for selecting files. Quote file names containing special characters like (), [], ~, &, |, or whitespace.

Operators:

• •~x - Everything except x
• •x & y - Both x and y
• •x | y - Either x or y
• •x ~ y - x but not y

Examples:

# Diff excluding a file
jj diff '~Cargo.lock'

# Files with special characters MUST be quoted
jj diff '"src/foo[1].txt"'
jj diff '"path with spaces/file.rs"'

# Glob patterns
jj diff 'glob:"**/*.test.ts"'

# Split excluding certain files
jj split '~glob:"**/*.generated.*"'

Bookmarks and pushing

Bookmarks are named pointers to commits (like git branches). They auto-move when commits are rewritten, but do not auto-move to new commits after jj new/jj commit (unlike git branches).

Understanding @ vs @- for bookmarks

After jj new or jj commit, your working copy (@) becomes an empty commit sitting on top of your actual changes (@-). When creating bookmarks for PRs:

• •Create bookmarks on @- (the commit with your changes): jj bookmark create feat/foo -r @-
• •Not on @ (the empty working copy)

If you accidentally create a bookmark on @ or try to push @ directly, you'll get errors like "No commits between main and @" because the working copy is empty.

# Create bookmark (typically on @- after jj commit leaves you on empty commit)
jj bookmark create feat/foo -r @-

# List bookmarks
jj bookmark list        # or jj b l

# Move bookmark to different commit
jj bookmark move feat/foo --to <revision>

# Delete bookmark
jj bookmark delete feat/foo

# Push specific bookmark (safest for automation)
jj git push --bookmark feat/foo

# Push and auto-create bookmark from change ID
jj git push -c @-

Shorthand: jj b = jj bookmark, subcommands have single-letter shortcuts (jj b c = jj bookmark create).

Note: jj git push --all pushes all bookmarks, not all commits. Use jj git push -c <change> to auto-create and push a bookmark.

Fetching and updating (no git pull)

There is no jj git pull. Instead, fetch and rebase separately:

# Fetch latest from remote
jj git fetch

# Update your work onto latest main (local bookmark syncs with remote on fetch)
jj rebase -d main

# Or rebase a specific branch
jj rebase -b my-feature -d main

# If starting fresh with no local changes, just create new commit on main
jj new main

Undo and operation log

jj tracks all operations and allows easy undo:

jj undo              # Undo last operation
jj op log            # View operation history
jj op restore <op>   # Restore to specific operation

Important flags for non-interactive use

Always use message flags instead of opening editors:

• •jj describe -m "message" (not jj describe which opens editor)
• •jj new -m "message"
• •jj commit -m "message"

Avoid -i (interactive) flags:

• •Do NOT use jj squash -i (interactive selection)
• •Do NOT use jj split -i

References

For detailed information on specific operations, see the reference files in references/:

• •workflows.md - Squash vs Edit workflows, anonymous branches, multi-parent merges, simultaneous branch editing
• •cli-options.md - Understanding -r, -s, -d, -A, -B, --from, --to flag patterns
• •bookmarks.md - Bookmarks, remote operations, GitHub/GitLab workflows
• •multiple-remotes.md - Fork workflows, upstream integration, tracking configuration
• •troubleshooting.md - Debugging with jj evolog, divergent changes, conflicted bookmarks, recovery patterns
• •git-mapping.md - Git to jj command mapping table
• •advanced-commands.md - Power commands: absorb, revert, duplicate, bisect, next/prev
• •revsets.md - Complete revsets reference with all operators, functions, and patterns