Stop Repeated JJ Retries And Localize State
VCS-STOP-REPEATED-JJ-RETRIES-AND-LOCALIZE-STATE
Summary
Stop repeating a failing jj command after a transient retry and inspect relevant state. Diagnosis beats command spam when locks, sparse paths, bookmarks, or remotes disagree.
Rule
Stop repeated jj retries and localize state.
Why
Repeating a failing jj command without new information usually compounds confusion. A lock error, missing bookmark, sparse path, or remote mismatch needs state inspection, not another identical retry.
Helps
- Turns source-control failures into diagnosis instead of command spam.
Limits
One retry can be reasonable for a transient lock after the prior command finishes. After that, inspect the relevant state before mutating.
Agent Instruction
Stop repeated jj retries and localize state because repeating a failing jj command without new
information usually compounds confusion.Mechanisms
Supported by jj status, jj op log, lock-file inspection, jj help, sparse inspection, remote
inspection, and explicit notes about the localized failure.