majiayu000 Git Safety Protocol
Critical rules to prevent accidental data loss from destructive git operations.
Never use git checkout to revert changes
MANDATORY RULES:
- NEVER run
git checkout -- <file>without first examining what you're about to destroy - ALWAYS use
git diff <file>to see exactly what changes will be lost - MANUALLY undo changes by editing files to revert specific problematic sections
- Preserve valuable work - if user says changes are bad, ask which specific parts to revert
git checkoutdestroys ALL changes - this can eliminate hours of valuable progress- When user asks to "undo" changes: Read the current file, identify problematic sections, and manually edit to fix them
Why this matters: Using git checkout blindly can destroy sophisticated implementations, complex prompts, provider-specific logic, and other valuable work that took significant time to develop.
Destructive commands requiring explicit approval
NEVER run these commands without explicit user approval:
| Command | Effect |
|---|---|
git reset --hard |
Destroys uncommitted changes permanently |
git checkout -- . |
Discards all working directory changes |
git clean -fd |
Deletes untracked files permanently |
git stash drop |
Deletes stashed changes |
git push --force |
Overwrites remote history (dangerous for shared branches) |
Before any git operation
- Run
git statusfirst to check for uncommitted changes - If there are uncommitted changes, STOP and ASK the user before proceeding
- Suggest
git stashto preserve changes if needed
Handling revert requests
If user asks to "revert" something:
- First clarify: revert committed changes or uncommitted changes?
- Show what will be affected before doing anything
- Get explicit confirmation for destructive operations
If user says "undo my changes":
- Read the current file
- Identify which specific sections are problematic
- Manually edit to fix those sections
- Preserve everything else
Quick checklist
Before git operations:
- Have I run
git statusfirst? - Are there uncommitted changes I might destroy?
- Have I used
git diffto see what will be affected? - Do I have explicit user approval for any destructive command?
- Am I preserving valuable work?
When asked to revert:
- Did I clarify what specifically should be reverted?
- Am I manually editing instead of using checkout?
- Am I preserving work not mentioned in the revert request?
Why these rules exist
These rules exist because careless git operations can destroy days of work. A single git checkout -- . can eliminate sophisticated implementations, complex logic, and carefully crafted code that took significant time to develop.
When in doubt, ask first.