Essential Git Commands for AI Programming: worktree, diff, and .gitkeep

Worktree – Parallel AI Tasks

Scenario: run multiple unrelated AI tasks (e.g., bug fix and new feature) without them interfering.

git worktree add ../myproject-feature-a -b feature-a
git worktree add ../myproject-feature-b -b feature-b
cd ../myproject-feature-a && claude
cd ../myproject-feature-b && claude
git worktree list
cd ../myproject && git merge feature-a
git merge feature-b
git worktree remove ../myproject-feature-a
git branch -d feature-a

Conflict Handling

When a merge produces conflicts, start by checking the conflict status: git status Edit conflicted files manually, remove conflict markers (e.g., <<<<<< HEAD … ======= … >>>>>> feature-b), then stage the resolved files:

git add <em>path/to/conflicted-file</em>
git commit

To abort the merge entirely:

git merge --abort

Stash – Temporarily Save In‑Progress Changes

Scenario: you need to switch tasks or change direction without losing current modifications.

git stash
git stash list
git stash pop
git stash drop <em>stash@{0}</em>

Diff – Review What AI Changed

git diff               # unstaged changes
git diff --staged      # staged but uncommitted changes
git diff main feature-a # compare two branches

Log / Reflog – History and “Undo”

git log --oneline --graph --all
git reflog
git reset --hard <em><reflog-hash></em>

If a git reset --hard mistakenly discards work, git reflog can usually recover the lost state.

Amend – Modify the Last Commit

git add <em>path/to/forgotten-file</em>
git commit --amend --no-edit
git commit --amend -m "New commit message"

Only amend commits that have not been pushed; otherwise a forced push is required.

Reset vs. Revert – Two Ways to Undo Changes

Reset keeps changes in the working tree:

git reset --soft HEAD~1   # changes stay staged
git reset --mixed HEAD~1  # changes stay in working directory (default)
git reset --hard HEAD~1   # discard changes completely

Revert creates a new commit that undoes a previous one without rewriting history: git revert <commit-hash> If the problematic commit has already been pushed, prefer git revert over git reset.

Cherry‑Pick – Apply a Single Commit

git log --oneline feature-a   # locate commit hash
git cherry-pick <commit-hash>

Bisect – Binary Search for Bug‑Introducing Commit

git bisect start
git bisect bad
git bisect good <good-hash>
# test each checkout, then:
git bisect good   # or git bisect bad
git bisect reset

Commit Message Conventions

feat:

Add user login feature fix: Resolve worktree merge conflict docs: Update README refactor: Refactor payment module test: Add unit tests chore: Update dependency versions

.gitkeep – Preserve Empty Directories

mkdir logs
touch logs/.gitkeep
git add logs/.gitkeep
git commit -m "chore: keep empty logs folder"

Quick‑Reference Cheat Sheet

Unsure of current state – git status See what AI changed – git diff Merge conflict – git status, edit files, git add, git commit Abort merge – git merge --abort Temporarily switch task – git stash Forgot file / wrong commit – git commit --amend Undo pushed commit – git revert <hash> Recover deleted commit – git reflog Apply a single change – git cherry-pick <hash> Locate bug‑introducing commit –

git bisect start

Official Documentation

Git official site: https://git-scm.com

Full command reference: https://git-scm.com/docs

Pro Git (Chinese edition): https://git-scm.com/book/zh/v2