ctx-absorb

name: _ctx-absorb description: "Extract and apply deltas between two directories of the same project. Use when merging results from a parallel worktree or separate checkout where git push/pull isn't practical." allowed-tools: Bash(git:), Bash(diff:), Bash(ls:), Bash(patch:), Read

Extract changes from a "future" directory and apply them to the "present" working tree. Complement to ctx-worktree: worktree splits work apart, absorb merges results back.

When to Use

• Merging results from a parallel worktree back into the main checkout
• Applying changes from a separate checkout (different machine, USB copy)
• User says "absorb", "bring changes from", "merge from folder"
• Two copies of the same project need their deltas reconciled

When NOT to Use

• Directories are on a shared git remote — use git pull / git merge
• Worktree is managed by git — exit or delete the worktree directly
• Directories are different projects (no common ancestry)

Pre-flight Checks

1. Validate directories exist:

   ls "<present>" "<future>"
   

2. Same-project fingerprint — at least one must match:

   • Same go.mod module path, or same package.json name
   • Same .context/CONSTITUTION.md exists in both
   • Same basename after stripping worktree suffixes If none match, warn and ask the user to confirm before proceeding.

3. Detect git status in each directory:

   git -C "<present>" rev-parse --git-dir 2>/dev/null && echo "GIT" || echo "NOGIT"
   git -C "<future>" rev-parse --git-dir 2>/dev/null && echo "GIT" || echo "NOGIT"
   

Strategy Selection

Strategy 1: Both Git

# One-shot fetch — no permanent remote
git -C "<present>" fetch "<future>" HEAD --no-tags
# Find common ancestor
MERGE_BASE=$(git -C "<present>" merge-base HEAD FETCH_HEAD)
# Generate diff from merge-base to future HEAD
git -C "<present>" diff "$MERGE_BASE" FETCH_HEAD

If merge-base fails (no common history), fall back to Strategy 2.

Strategy 2: git diff --no-index

git diff --no-index "<present>" "<future>" -- . \
  ':!.git' ':!.git/**'

This works whether either, both, or neither directory has .git/.

Strategy 3: Plain diff

diff -rNu "<present>" "<future>" \
  --exclude='.git' --exclude='node_modules' --exclude='.venv'

Delta Summary

After generating the diff, present a summary before applying:

Delta: <future> → <present>
Strategy: <1|2|3>
Files changed: 12  (+340 / -85)
  modified:  internal/cli/pad.go, docs/getting-started.md, ...
  added:     internal/crypto/aes.go
  deleted:   hack/old-script.sh

Always show this summary and ask for confirmation before applying.

Conflict Check

Cross-reference delta files with uncommitted changes in present:

git -C "<present>" status --porcelain

If any files appear in both the delta and the working tree changes, warn explicitly:

WARNING: These files have local changes AND incoming changes:
  - internal/cli/pad.go (modified locally + modified in delta)
Applying may cause conflicts or overwrite local work.

Ask the user how to proceed: apply anyway, skip conflicting files, or abort.

Applying the Delta

1. Dry-run first (Strategy 1/2):

   git apply --check --stat <patch-file>
   

   For Strategy 3:

   patch --dry-run -p0 < <patch-file>
   

2. Apply (after user confirms):

   git apply <patch-file>       # Strategy 1/2
   patch -p0 < <patch-file>     # Strategy 3
   

3. If apply fails with conflicts, report which hunks failed and offer to apply with --reject so the user can resolve manually.

Selective Application

User can pick specific files. Regenerate the diff scoped to those files:

• Strategy 1: git -C "<present>" diff "$MERGE_BASE" FETCH_HEAD -- file1 file2
• Strategy 2: git diff --no-index "<present>/file1" "<future>/file1"
• Strategy 3: diff -u "<present>/file1" "<future>/file1"

After Applying

Remind the user:

• Review changes with git diff
• Changes are unstaged — commit when satisfied
• If absorbing from a worktree, consider ctx-worktree teardown to clean up

Guardrails

• Always preview — never apply without showing the delta summary first
• No permanent remotes — Strategy 1 uses one-shot fetch, no git remote add
• Respect local work — conflict check before every apply
• Exclude noise — always exclude .git/, node_modules/, .venv/
• Reversible — if present is a git repo, all changes can be reverted with git checkout .

Quality Checklist

• Both directories validated as existing and same project
• Git status detected in both directories
• Correct strategy selected from the table
• Delta summary shown to user before applying
• Conflict check run against local working tree changes
• Dry-run passed before actual apply
• User confirmed before applying changes