Purpose: create a local AI scratchpad inside a Git repo without committing it.

git-temp makes a temp/ folder, adds it to .git/info/exclude, and keeps it visible to editors and AI tools. That means no noisy git status, no accidental commits, and no .gitignore rule that hides files from indexing or @ tagging.

Use

npx git-temp            # creates temp/
npx git-temp notes      # creates notes/
npx git-temp status     # shows hidden scratchpad contents
npx git-temp clean -f   # empties and recreates temp/
npx git-temp integrate  # updates existing agent instruction files

What it creates

• temp/scripts/ for one-off scripts
• temp/dumps/ for JSON, CSV, logs, and payloads
• temp/drafts/ for notes and draft specs
• temp/scratch/ for experiments
• temp/README.md explaining the folder to humans and AI agents

Intention list

• Keep scratch work searchable and taggable by AI/editor tooling.
• Ignore scratch work locally through .git/info/exclude, not shared .gitignore.
• Avoid committing temporary files by accident.
• Remove blocking nested temp/.gitignore files that contain * or /*.
• Stay zero-dependency and fast under npx.

Commands

Initialize

git-temp [directory] [--integrate]

Creates the scratchpad, subfolders, README, and local exclude entry.

Status

git-temp status [directory]

Shows file count, directory count, size, and modified times for files Git now hides.

Clean

git-temp clean [directory] [--force]

Deletes scratchpad contents, then recreates the standard structure.

Integrate

git-temp integrate [directory]

Appends an AI scratchpad guideline to existing instruction files only:

• AGENTS.md
• CLAUDE.md
• .cursorrules
• .windsurfrules
• .github/copilot-instructions.md

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• Git
• Run inside a Git repository