name	core-commands
description	Core command guidelines - prohibited commands and temp file patterns. ALWAYS load this skill at session start.

Core Commands

This skill defines prohibited commands and the temp file pattern for multi-line content.

Before Running Any Command

Check if the command starts with a prohibited prefix:

1. Does it start with git? → Find jj equivalent in table below
2. Does it start with jj log? → Use jj status instead
3. Does it start with jj op? → Not allowed, ask user
4. Does it start with jj abandon? → Use jj new instead
5. Does it start with jj edit? → Not allowed, use jj new instead
6. Does it start with jj prev or jj next? → Ask user first
7. Does it have -i flag? → Not allowed (interactive)
8. Does jj new have any arguments? → Not allowed, use plain jj new only

Prohibited Commands

NEVER use git commands. This repo uses jj exclusively.

Prohibition is prefix-based: Commands matching the start of a prohibited pattern are forbidden (e.g., jj log -r 'all()' matches jj log*).

Prohibited jj Commands (Prefix Patterns)

• jj abandon* - Do not abandon changes
• jj describe before changes are ready and reviewed
• jj edit* - Moves working copy unexpectedly, use jj new instead
• jj git push without explicit user confirmation
• jj log* - Produces incoherent output
• jj new with any arguments - Only plain jj new allowed
• jj op* - Operations commands not allowed
• jj prev* / jj next* - Navigation requires user confirmation
• jj rebase* - Can break change dependencies
• jj squash* - Violates atomic commit history
• jj split* - Breaks atomicity
• Interactive commands with -i flag

Prohibited Actions

• Update git config
• Run destructive commands without explicit request
• Skip hooks without explicit request
• Commit without explicit request
• Push without explicit confirmation
• Commit secrets or credentials
• Expose or log secrets

Command Alternatives

Prohibited Pattern	Why	Use Instead
jj log*	Incoherent output	jj status or jj op log
jj op*	Not allowed	jj status or ask user
jj abandon*	Destructive	Create new change with jj new
jj prev* / jj next*	Needs confirmation	Ask user first
git status	Wrong VCS	jj status
git branch*	Wrong VCS	jj bookmark list
git checkout*	Wrong VCS	jj new
git commit*	Wrong VCS	jj describe
git push*	Wrong VCS	jj git push (with confirmation)
git pull*	Wrong VCS	jj git fetch
git merge*	Wrong VCS	jj merge or rebase approach
git rebase*	Wrong VCS	Use jj's automatic rebasing

Temp File Pattern for Multi-Line Content

NEVER use heredocs (cat <<'EOF') or echo for multi-line content. These patterns have escaping issues and produce unreliable output.

ALWAYS use the mktemp + Write tool pattern:

Each Bash tool invocation runs in an independent shell environment. Variables set in one command do NOT persist to subsequent commands. Therefore:

1. Get temp file path - Run mktemp -p "$PWD" without variable assignment:

   mktemp -p "$PWD"

   The tool returns a path like /path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX.

2. Write content - Use the Write tool with the path from step 1 as a literal string.

3. Pass file to command - Use the same path as a literal string:

   <command> --option "/path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX"

4. Clean up - Remove the file when done:

   rm "/path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX"

Key insight: The temp file path must be captured from the tool output and used as a literal string in all subsequent commands. Do NOT use shell variables.

Examples

Creating GitHub issue:

mktemp -p "$PWD"
# Tool returns: /path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX
# Use Write tool to write issue description to /path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX
gh issue new -t 'Issue title' -F "/path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX"
rm "/path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX"

Describing commit with complex message:

mktemp -p "$PWD"
# Tool returns: /path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX
# Use Write tool to write commit message to /path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX
jj describe --stdin < "/path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX"
rm "/path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX"

Creating PR:

mktemp -p "$PWD"
# Tool returns: /path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX
# Use Write tool to write PR description to /path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX
gh pr create --draft --base main --head username/issue-123 --title "PR title" -F "/path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX"
rm "/path/to/repo/tmp.XXXXXX"

Why This Matters

• Heredocs fail when content contains special characters, variables, or nested quotes
• echo fails with backslashes and special characters
• Write tool handles all escaping correctly and consistently