Parse Git Status

Parse Git Status

Parse git status command output into structured JSON for programmatic analysis.

When to Use

• Pre-flight checks before workflow execution
• Validate clean working directory
• List modified files for commit
• Check for uncommitted changes

Instructions

Step 1: Receive Git Status Output

Accept raw git status output as input.

Expected Input:

• gitStatusOutput: String (raw output from git status --porcelain or regular git status)

Step 2: Parse Branch Information

Extract current branch and tracking information.

Patterns:

• ## branch-name: Current branch
• ## branch-name...origin/branch-name: Tracking branch
• [ahead N] or [behind N]: Ahead/behind commits

Step 3: Categorize Files

Parse file status indicators and categorize.

Status Indicators (porcelain format):

• M : Modified (staged)
• M: Modified (unstaged)
• A : Added (staged)
• D : Deleted (staged)
• R : Renamed (staged)
• ??: Untracked
• !!: Ignored

Step 4: Return Structured Data

Return parsed data as JSON object.

Expected Output:

{
  "branch": "main",
  "tracking": "origin/main",
  "ahead": 0,
  "behind": 0,
  "staged": ["file1.ts", "file2.ts"],
  "modified": ["file3.ts"],
  "deleted": [],
  "renamed": [],
  "untracked": ["file4.ts"],
  "clean": false
}

Error Handling

• Invalid Git Output: Return error describing format issue
• Not a Git Repository: Return error indicating no git repo
• Empty Output: Return clean status with empty arrays

Examples

Example 1: Clean Working Directory

Input:

On branch main
Your branch is up to date with 'origin/main'.

nothing to commit, working tree clean

Output:

{
  "branch": "main",
  "tracking": "origin/main",
  "ahead": 0,
  "behind": 0,
  "staged": [],
  "modified": [],
  "deleted": [],
  "renamed": [],
  "untracked": [],
  "clean": true
}

Example 2: Modified Files

Input (porcelain format):

## main...origin/main [ahead 2]
M  src/utils.ts
 M src/types.ts
A  src/new-feature.ts
?? temp-file.js

Output:

{
  "branch": "main",
  "tracking": "origin/main",
  "ahead": 2,
  "behind": 0,
  "staged": ["src/utils.ts", "src/new-feature.ts"],
  "modified": ["src/types.ts"],
  "deleted": [],
  "renamed": [],
  "untracked": ["temp-file.js"],
  "clean": false
}

Example 3: Detached HEAD

Input:

## HEAD (no branch)
 M README.md

Output:

{
  "branch": "HEAD (detached)",
  "tracking": null,
  "ahead": 0,
  "behind": 0,
  "staged": [],
  "modified": ["README.md"],
  "deleted": [],
  "renamed": [],
  "untracked": [],
  "clean": false
}

Validation

• Parses branch information correctly
• Categorizes files by status
• Handles empty/clean status
• Parses ahead/behind indicators
• Handles detached HEAD state
• Returns clean:true only when appropriate

Supporting Files

None required - pure parsing logic.