Use Ignore Working Copy Carefully

VCS-USE-IGNORE-WORKING-COPY-CAREFULLY

Summary

Use --ignore-working-copy only for understood lock-safe inspection or metadata work. It may read stale file state, so do not use it to bypass normal synchronization before edits.

Rule

Use --ignore-working-copy only for lock-safe inspection or intended metadata updates.

Why

--ignore-working-copy can be useful when the working copy is locked or when only metadata is needed, but it also means jj may not snapshot current file changes before answering. Misuse can make commands operate on stale state.

Helps

Avoids stale reads and accidental metadata changes during lock recovery.

Limits

Use it for lock-safe inspection or intentional metadata updates after understanding the tradeoff. Do not use it to skip normal working-copy synchronization before edits or publication.

Agent Instruction

Use `--ignore-working-copy` only for lock-safe inspection or intended metadata work because it may
skip current file snapshots.

Mechanisms

Supported by normal jj status first, targeted --ignore-working-copy use, lock diagnosis, and follow-up status checks once the working copy is available.