jk manual

Name changes and check remotes

Create, move, and delete local bookmarks, fetch an explicit remote, and inspect a push dry-run.

Press B from the log to inspect bookmarks. Start with a repository containing a change you want to name. Fetch and push dry-run also require a configured Git remote; the remote can be a local test repository or an existing server.

The list includes local and remote bookmarks, tracking state, deleted local bookmarks, and conflicts. A remote row is not a local bookmark you can move. Native move, delete, and push dry-run require an unambiguous local row with one target.

Inspect the target before changing a name

Move with j/k or the arrows. Press Enter to inspect an available unambiguous target, then Backspace to return. r reloads the list; Esc returns to the previous view. Press ? for bookmark help. The a key opens an invisible workspace-context action menu on this screen. Press Esc to exit that hidden mode if the normal keys stop responding.

A bookmark names a revision. Moving that name does not rebase the revision, edit its description, or switch this workspace’s working copy. Deleting the local name does not abandon its target change.

Create a local bookmark

Press c in the bookmark list.
Type the name. Press Tab to reach the target revision field, which initially contains @.
Keep @ or replace it with the intended revision. Ctrl-u clears the focused field; Tab switches between the name and target.
Press Enter to open the preview, then read the name, target, and command.
Press Enter to create it, or Esc to return from the preview without executing.
Verify the new local row and inspect its target with Enter.

Create and move refresh the list after success without a success message. Check the row and target to confirm the result.

The native create form takes a typed revision expression. It does not automatically take the log’s cursor or marks as its target. Check the target field even when you arrived from the intended change.

Esc closes the input form. Cancelling its preview retains the form so you can correct the fields. An empty name or target is rejected before the command. If jj rejects the name, revision expression, or existing bookmark, inspect C and correct the input before retrying.

Move or delete a local bookmark

Select the local row and press m to move it. The target input starts at @; replace it when another revision is intended. Press Enter to review the command, then Enter to run it. Refresh and open the target to verify the name points at the intended change. jj can reject a move that needs options the native form does not expose; read the diagnostic before deciding how to proceed.

To remove a local bookmark, select its row and press x. Read the destructive preview and press Enter to delete, or Esc to cancel. Verify the local name is removed or shown in its tracked deleted state. The target change remains in the graph. Deleting a local bookmark does not itself contact a remote; a later publication workflow can carry that deletion.

Conflicted, deleted, and remote-only rows cannot be treated as ordinary single-target local rows. Inspect them first. Other bookmark operations, such as track, untrack, rename, and forget, are available through noninteractive command mode, with jj’s semantics. Use the bookmark screen for create, move, and delete; : rejects those command families.

After an unintended local mutation, inspect its operation and use operation recovery. Recovery of repository metadata does not reverse changes already published elsewhere.

Fetch from a chosen remote

Use fetch when the repository should learn a remote’s current state.

Press F in the bookmark list.
Choose a remote with j/k or the arrows. Configured remotes appear even if they have no bookmark rows yet.
Press Enter to preview the fetch. Merely choosing the remote has no network effect.
Check the selected remote, then press Enter again to run fetch.
Read the retained command output. Return to the bookmark list and inspect the refreshed rows.

Esc cancels the remote picker or the preview before fetch. Fetch can contact the selected remote and updates local knowledge of its refs. It does not publish local bookmarks. Names are passed as exact patterns so a wildcard in a name does not silently widen the selection.

If there are no remotes, configure one with jj before retrying. A failed fetch retains stdout, stderr, and status in Command History. Check the remote configuration, connectivity, and authentication outside jk as needed. Commands that need a foreground credential prompt cannot use jk’s captured input. If the list refresh fails after a fetch, jk preserves its last usable snapshot; refresh again before treating it as current.

Preview publication without publishing

Select a local bookmark with one target and press P. Choose the remote, press Enter for the preview, then review the exact bookmark and remote scope. A second Enter runs the push dry-run.

The dry-run may contact that remote and report what jj would push. Remote refs remain unchanged, including when the dry-run succeeds. Read the retained output and inspect C for the exit status. Esc cancels either selection or confirmation before the dry-run starts.

Real push is unavailable in the native interface and rejected by jj command mode, including attempts to enter git push --dry-run there. Leave jk to publish with the jj CLI, then return and refresh. Preserve the bookmark and remote you reviewed; do not replace the scoped operation with a broad push. Native tags, remote management, and publication confirmation remain separate gaps in the coverage map.