Using Grove

Name: Using Grove
Author: chrisbanes

chrisbanes/grove

9 installs
20 repo stars
Updated February 25, 2026
chrisbanes/grove

Creates an isolated Grove workspace with warm build state via CoW clone, enters it, and verifies the test baseline before feature work.

About

Creates and enters an isolated Grove workspace cloned from the golden copy with warm build state, then verifies the baseline test suite. A developer uses it before starting feature work that needs isolation from the current checkout.

CoW clone preserves warm build cache unlike plain git worktree
Auto-detects and runs the project test command to verify baseline

Using Grove by the numbers

9 all-time installs (skills.sh)
Ranked #1,020 of 1,435 DevOps & CI/CD skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
Data as of Jul 31, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)

npx skills add https://github.com/chrisbanes/grove --skill using-grove

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Installs	9
repo stars	★ 20
Last updated	February 25, 2026
Repository	chrisbanes/grove ↗

What it does

Creates an isolated Grove workspace with warm build state via CoW clone, enters it, and verifies the test baseline before feature work.

Files

SKILL.mdMarkdownGitHub ↗

I'm using the using-grove skill to create an isolated workspace with warm build state.

Workflow

Step 1: Verify Grove is initialized

test -f "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)/.grove/config.json"

If .grove/config.json is not found: Grove is not initialized in this repo. Use the grove:grove-config skill to set it up first.

Step 2: Verify grove CLI is installed

command -v grove

If not found: Grove CLI is not installed. See https://github.com/chrisbanes/grove for installation instructions.

Step 3: Create workspace

grove create --branch <branch-name> --json

Parse the JSON output for path and id:

{
  "id": "abc1",
  "path": "/tmp/grove/myapp/abc1",
  "branch": "agent/fix-login",
  "created_at": "2026-02-17T10:20:00Z",
  "golden_copy": "/Users/chris/dev/myapp"
}

Step 4: Enter the workspace

cd <path-from-json>

Step 5: Verify baseline

Run the project test suite. Auto-detect the test command from marker files:

Marker file	Test command
`go.mod`	`go test ./...`
`package.json`	`npm test`
`Cargo.toml`	`cargo test`
`build.gradle` / `build.gradle.kts`	`./gradlew test`
`pyproject.toml` / `requirements.txt`	`pytest`
`Makefile`	`make test`

If tests fail, report the failures and ask whether to proceed.

Step 6: Report ready

Grove workspace ready.
  Path:        <workspace-path>
  Branch:      <branch-name>
  Build state: warm (cloned from golden copy)

Quick Reference

Command	Purpose
`grove create --branch <name> --json`	Create workspace, get JSON output
`grove list`	List active workspaces
`grove destroy <id>`	Remove a workspace

Common Mistakes

Using plain `git worktree` — worktrees start with a cold build cache. Grove's CoW clone preserves warm build state, making the first build incremental rather than from scratch.
Skipping `--json` flag — the JSON output is required to reliably extract the workspace path and ID for later use.
Not verifying grove initialized — grove create will fail confusingly if .grove/ is absent. Always check first.

Red Flags

grove create errors about uncommitted changes on the golden copy — clean up or commit the golden copy first, or use --force if the changes are intentional.
Tests fail at baseline — the golden copy's build state is stale. Run grove update on the golden copy before creating workspaces.
grove command not found after install — check PATH; grove installs to $GOPATH/bin by default.

Integration

Replaces: superpowers:using-git-worktrees — prefer this skill in any Grove project. Disable using-git-worktrees to avoid conflicts.
Called by: superpowers:brainstorming (Phase 4), superpowers:subagent-driven-development, superpowers:executing-plans
Pairs with: grove:finishing-grove-workspace — use that skill when implementation is complete and the workspace is ready to clean up.