Files
orca/docs/reference/git-compatibility.md
T
6e2a4a824d fix(worktrees): stop surfacing prunable git worktrees as live workspaces (#8409)
* fix(worktrees): stop surfacing prunable git worktrees as live workspaces

A worktree still registered in git but whose directory was deleted
(git's `prunable` state) was enumerated as a normal workspace,
producing repeated pty:spawn DaemonProtocolError / fs:readDir ENOENT
loops and a blank pane.

- Parse the `prunable` porcelain field (Git >= 2.36) in both the main
  and relay worktree-list parsers.
- For Git < 2.36 (no `prunable` field), probe each linked worktree
  path for existence on the fallback line-block path, skipping locked
  registrations to mirror git's own prunable rules.
- Omit prunable worktrees from the detected-workspace enumeration only;
  removal/cleanup flows keep seeing them.
- Extend the real-binary compatibility contract with the 2.36
  `prunable` boundary.

Fixes #8389

Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_018Rg1Bpq4GGwmz613hq6RSD

* fix(worktrees): pin the prunable/locked porcelain annotations to their real Git 2.31 boundary

The prunable and locked annotations landed in Git 2.31, five releases
before `worktree list -z` (2.36); only -z defines the capability
fallback boundary. Correct the compatibility contract so a future
matrix entry in the 2.31-2.35 range passes, and reword the fallback
comments: on 2.31-2.35 the annotations still parse and the existence
probe is a backstop; only Git <2.31 relies on it outright.

* fix(worktrees): omit prunable registrations from the Space scan

A prunable registration has no directory to size or reclaim, so Space
rendered it as a dead "Missing" row whose checkbox stayed disabled with
no prune/remove affordance (reported on macOS after a reboot cleared
/private/tmp under 16 registrations). Skip prunable entries in the scan,
matching the workspace enumeration; removal flows list worktrees
separately and still see them.

---------

Co-authored-by: kaynan <kaynan.camargo@terceiro-sky.com.br>
Co-authored-by: Brennan Benson <79079362+brennanb2025@users.noreply.github.com>
2026-07-15 15:24:15 -07:00

3.8 KiB
Raw Blame History

Git Compatibility Policy

Scope

Orca executes the user's Git binary on three kinds of execution host: native, WSL, and SSH. Each host can have a different Git version, so compatibility state must be scoped to the host that actually runs the command.

Git 2.25 is the core-workflow compatibility baseline for command selection. It is the oldest line that covers Orca's baseline use of porcelain v2, branch --show-current, restore, and sparse checkout. Optional features that need a newer Git must degrade safely and cache the missing capability. Orca does not currently block older Git at startup, but new command construction should not assume features introduced after this baseline.

Capability Rules

When a newer Git feature materially improves correctness or performance:

  1. Keep a baseline-compatible command or parser as the fallback.
  2. Detect rejection with a narrow predicate for that option or subcommand.
  3. Run the preferred command through GitCapabilityCache so a rejection is remembered for the native host, WSL distro, or SSH provider that produced it.
  4. Retry after the cache interval so an in-place Git upgrade self-heals without restarting Orca.
  5. Test the first fallback, later calls that skip the rejected probe, concurrent probe coalescing, and execution-host isolation where applicable.

Do not branch only on a parsed git --version. Vendor builds can backport features, and wrappers can report a host version that differs from the binary used inside WSL or SSH. A behavior probe plus a precise fallback is the final authority.

Current Capabilities

Capability Preferred behavior Compatibility behavior
worktree-list-z NUL-delimited worktree paths with prunable marks Line-block parser for Git before worktree list -z (2.36); the prunable/locked annotations still parse on Git 2.312.35, and a path-existence probe restores prunable detection for Git before 2.31
rev-parse-path-format Absolute repo metadata paths Resolve legacy relative output against the scanned repo
for-each-ref-exclude Exclude remote HEAD before the output limit Request extra refs, then filter remote HEAD in Orca
merge-tree-write-tree Derive real-merge conflicts and no-op tree proofs Omit the conflict summary and keep conservative branch cleanup behavior before Git 2.38
merge-tree-merge-base Supply the already-resolved merge base Use the older two-commit merge-tree --write-tree form

Why Not simple-git

simple-git is a process wrapper around the installed Git binary. Its custom options and raw API pass arguments through to Git, so it cannot make a newer flag work on an older binary or choose Orca's semantic fallback automatically. It provides version reporting and subprocess queueing, but Orca already needs its own WSL/SSH routing, cancellation, tracing, redaction, process cleanup, and bounded output handling. Replacing the runner would move—not remove—the capability problem.

CI Contract

PR checks run the capability contract against real Git 2.25.5, 2.38.1, and 2.49.1 binaries. This spans the core-workflow baseline, the transitional merge-tree --write-tree behavior before --merge-base, and current Git.

Keep the unit tests alongside that matrix. They cover concurrent probes, native/WSL/SSH/relay isolation, and error-stream shapes that a single real binary invocation cannot exercise deterministically.