Solving Git's Pain Points with Jujutsu (with Martin von Zweigbergk)

Martin von Zweigbergk explains how Jujutsu reimagines version control with automatic snapshotting, conflict-as-commits, and no staging area.

Git might be the most ubiquitous tool in software development, but that doesn't mean it's perfect. What if we could keep Git compatibility while fixing its most frustrating aspects—painful merges, scary rebases, being stuck in conflict states, and the confusing staging area? This week we're joined by Martin von Zweigbergk, creator of Jujutsu (JJ), a Git-compatible version control system that takes a fundamentally different approach. Starting from a simple idea—automatically snapshotting your working copy—Martin has built a tool that reimagines how we interact with version control. We explore the clever algebra behind Jujutsu's conflict handling that lets you store conflicts as commits and move freely through your repository even when things are broken. We discuss why there's no staging area, how the operation log gives you powerful undo/redo capabilities, and why rebasing becomes trivially easy when you can edit any commit in your history and have changes automatically propagate forward. Whether you're a Git power user frustrated by interactive rebases, someone who's lost work to a botched merge, or just curious about how version control could work differently, this conversation offers fresh perspectives on a tool we all take for granted. And if you're working with large monorepos or game development assets, Martin's vision for the future of Jujutsu might be exactly what you've been waiting for. --- Support Developer Voices on Patreon: patreon.com/DeveloperVoices Support Developer Voices on YouTube: youtube.com/@DeveloperVoices/join Jujutsu (JJ): github.com/martinvonz/jj Jujutsu Documentation: martinvonz.github.io/jj/ Git: git-scm.com/ Mercurial: mercurial-scm.org/ Rust: rust-lang.org/ Watchman: facebook.github.io/watchman/ Google Piper: research.google/pubs/why-google-stores-billions-of-lines-of-… Kris on Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/krisajenkins.bsky.social Kris on Mastodon: mastodon.social/@krisajenkins Kris on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/krisjenkins/ --- 0:00 Intro 2:39 Why Create a New Version Control System? 10:42 Working Copy as a Commit & No Staging Area 20:29 Storing JJ Commits & Change IDs 30:00 Evolution Log & Storing Conflicts 40:07 Git Compatibility & Co-Located Mode 50:08 Target Users & Simpler Workflows 1:00:12 Copy Tracking & Large File Support 1:10:18 Outro