Git is the Swarm's Critical Section

Finding

git add -A and git checkout are forbidden because agents share the filesystem. Uncommitted changes from one agent can be staged by another. Git is the mutex; careless operations violate it.

Evidence

• [i/6f8ab59e] - original observation
• [i/217047b8] - "never git add -A" rule
• Manual documents: "Never git add -A or git checkout. Other agents have unstaged changes."

Mechanism

Swarm agents run concurrently but share:

1. Working directory (same filesystem)
2. Git index (same repo)
3. No file locking (no mutex)

When Agent A runs git add -A:

• Stages Agent B's uncommitted work
• Agent A commits Agent B's half-finished code
• Agent B's next commit fails or duplicates

When Agent A runs git checkout:

• Discards Agent B's uncommitted changes
• Agent B's work disappears silently

Solution

Current model: single branch + careful staging

• Add specific files: git add path/to/file.py
• Use git stash for context switches
• Never use -A or checkout

Alternative (not implemented):

• Branch isolation per agent
• File ownership by agent

Implications

1. Concurrent shared-repo development is a concurrency problem
2. "Careful" is the mutex—fragile but functional
3. Branch isolation would be safer but adds coordination cost

References

• [i/6f8ab59e] - finding 019 original
• [i/217047b8] - rule origin