{"slug": "show-hn-git-temp-scratchpad-folder-for-ai-agents-doesn-t-clutter-git-status", "title": "Show HN: Git-temp – scratchpad folder for AI agents; doesn't clutter Git status", "summary": "Git-temp, a new open-source tool, creates a local scratchpad folder inside Git repositories that remains visible to editors and AI tools without cluttering git status or risking accidental commits. The tool adds a temp/ directory to .git/info/exclude, keeping temporary files searchable and taggable while avoiding shared .gitignore rules. It offers commands for creating, cleaning, and integrating scratchpad guidelines into agent instruction files.", "body_md": "Purpose: create a local AI scratchpad inside a Git repo without committing it.\n\n`git-temp`\n\nmakes a `temp/`\n\nfolder, adds it to `.git/info/exclude`\n\n, and keeps it visible to editors and AI tools. That means no noisy `git status`\n\n, no accidental commits, and no `.gitignore`\n\nrule that hides files from indexing or `@`\n\ntagging.\n\n```\nnpx git-temp            # creates temp/\nnpx git-temp notes      # creates notes/\nnpx git-temp status     # shows hidden scratchpad contents\nnpx git-temp clean -f   # empties and recreates temp/\nnpx git-temp integrate  # updates existing agent instruction files\n```\n\n`temp/scripts/`\n\nfor one-off scripts`temp/dumps/`\n\nfor JSON, CSV, logs, and payloads`temp/drafts/`\n\nfor notes and draft specs`temp/scratch/`\n\nfor experiments`temp/README.md`\n\nexplaining the folder to humans and AI agents\n\n- Keep scratch work searchable and taggable by AI/editor tooling.\n- Ignore scratch work locally through\n`.git/info/exclude`\n\n, not shared`.gitignore`\n\n. - Avoid committing temporary files by accident.\n- Remove blocking nested\n`temp/.gitignore`\n\nfiles that contain`*`\n\nor`/*`\n\n. - Stay zero-dependency and fast under\n`npx`\n\n.\n\n```\ngit-temp [directory] [--integrate]\n```\n\nCreates the scratchpad, subfolders, README, and local exclude entry.\n\n```\ngit-temp status [directory]\n```\n\nShows file count, directory count, size, and modified times for files Git now hides.\n\n```\ngit-temp clean [directory] [--force]\n```\n\nDeletes scratchpad contents, then recreates the standard structure.\n\n```\ngit-temp integrate [directory]\n```\n\nAppends an AI scratchpad guideline to existing instruction files only:\n\n`AGENTS.md`\n\n`CLAUDE.md`\n\n`.cursorrules`\n\n`.windsurfrules`\n\n`.github/copilot-instructions.md`\n\n- Node.js 18+\n- Git\n- Run inside a Git repository", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-git-temp-scratchpad-folder-for-ai-agents-doesn-t-clutter-git-status", "canonical_source": "https://github.com/sebmellen/git-temp", "published_at": "2026-06-28 02:48:04+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-28 03:04:28.023997+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["developer-tools", "ai-agents", "ai-tools"], "entities": ["git-temp", "Git", "Node.js"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-git-temp-scratchpad-folder-for-ai-agents-doesn-t-clutter-git-status", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-git-temp-scratchpad-folder-for-ai-agents-doesn-t-clutter-git-status.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-git-temp-scratchpad-folder-for-ai-agents-doesn-t-clutter-git-status.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/show-hn-git-temp-scratchpad-folder-for-ai-agents-doesn-t-clutter-git-status.jsonld"}}