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LazyJJ

Sync with Remote

This tutorial covers syncing your local stack with changes from the remote repository.

Why Sync?

While you work on your feature, others merge changes to main. Syncing:

  • Brings in the latest trunk changes
  • Rebases your stack on top
  • Keeps your PRs mergeable
  • Reduces conflicts by staying current

The Simple Way

One command does everything:

Terminal window
jj stack-sync

This:

  1. Fetches the latest changes from the remote
  2. Rebases your stack onto the updated trunk
  3. Shows you the result

Step-by-Step Breakdown

If you want more control, do it manually:

Terminal window
# Fetch latest from remote
jj git-fetch


# Rebase your stack onto trunk
jj stack-rebase

Handling Conflicts

If syncing creates conflicts, JJ handles them gracefully:

Terminal window
jj stack-sync
# Output might show: "Commit xyz has conflicts"


# View what has conflicts
jj status


# JJ lets you continue working with conflicts present
# Resolve them when you're ready:
jj resolve

Unlike Git, JJ doesn’t block you from continuing work when conflicts exist. You can:

  • Create new commits on top of conflicted ones
  • Resolve conflicts later
  • See exactly which commits have conflicts with jj log

See the Conflicts tutorial for JJ’s first-class conflict handling. This is one of JJ’s superpowers—conflicts don’t stop you.

Why Sync is Easier in JJ

Git workflow: pull → conflicts → blocked → resolve → continue

JJ workflow: sync → conflicts → keep working → resolve when convenient

After a PR Merges

When someone merges your first PR:

Terminal window
# Sync pulls in the merge and rebases remaining stack
jj stack-sync


# The merged PR's commit is now on trunk
# Your remaining commits are rebased on top


# Push the updated stack
jj stack-submit

Pushing Your Updated Stack

After syncing, push your changes:

Terminal window
jj stack-submit

This force-pushes your bookmarks to the remote, updating your PRs.

Complete Sync Workflow

Terminal window
# Sync with trunk
jj stack-sync


# Check for conflicts
jj status


# If conflicts, resolve them
jj resolve      # Opens your conflict resolution tool


# Push updates
jj stack-submit

Viewing Sync Status

Before syncing, see how far behind you are:

Terminal window
# View your stack
jj stack-view


# Fetch without rebasing to see what's new
jj git-fetch
jj log -r "trunk..@"    # See your commits relative to trunk

Tips

Sync Early and Often

Don’t wait until the end. Regular syncing:

  • Keeps conflicts small and manageable
  • Ensures your PRs stay up-to-date
  • Makes final merge easier

Automatic Conflict Markers

JJ uses different conflict markers than Git:

<<<<<<< Conflict 1 of 1
+++++++ Contents of side #1
your changes
%%%%%%% Changes from base to side #2
-old line
+their changes
>>>>>>> Conflict 1 of 1 ends

The %%%%%%% section shows what changed in their version, making it easier to understand the conflict.

Check for Conflicts

After syncing, quickly check if any commits have conflicts:

Terminal window
jj log -r "stack"    # Conflicted commits are marked

When to Sync

Good times to sync:

  • Start of each work session
  • Before creating new commits
  • Before requesting review
  • After a PR in your stack is merged
  • When you see “branch out of date” warnings

Next Steps

Project by Ernesto Jiménez Ernesto Jiménez Bluesky GitHub