Git Status for AI Code Changes | Generated by AI

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Question: What is the usage and benefit of running “git status” when working with coding assistants like Claude or Codex, especially in the context of modified and untracked files?

Answer:

Yes — using git status is one of the most effective and lightweight ways to quickly understand what a coding assistant (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, Aider, Codex, etc.) has actually changed in your project.

Typical workflow when using AI coding assistants

1. You ask the AI to implement a feature / fix a bug / refactor something
2. The assistant either:
   • writes code in chat → you copy-paste
   • directly edits files (Claude in IDE, Cursor, Aider, continuedev, etc.)
3. After the AI finishes → immediately run:

git status
# or shorter
git st
# or even
git diff --stat

This gives you instant visibility:

What git status shows	Meaning in AI coding context	Common next action
modified: path/to/file.py	AI changed existing file	git diff path/to/file.py to review
Untracked files: scripts/...	AI created new file(s)	git add if good, or rm if unwanted
deleted: oldfile.js	AI removed file (sometimes by accident)	git restore --staged or git rm --cached
nothing to commit, working tree clean	AI made no file changes (maybe only printed code in chat)	check chat / terminal output

Your concrete example

Changes not staged for commit:
  modified: .claude/settings.local.json

Untracked files:
  scripts/clash/clash_select_provider.py

Interpretation:

• Claude (or a Claude-powered tool) most likely changed its own config → .claude/settings.local.json (very common)
• Claude / you / another tool created a new Python script → scripts/clash/clash_select_provider.py

So the fastest way to verify whether the new script works:

# Review what was created
cat scripts/clash/clash_select_provider.py

# Or open in editor
code scripts/clash/clash_select_provider.py     # VS Code
nvim scripts/clash/clash_select_provider.py     # Neovim

# Run & test
python scripts/clash/clash_select_provider.py
# or
python3 scripts/clash/clash_select_provider.py
# or with arguments if needed
python scripts/clash/clash_select_provider.py --help

Recommended 10-second checklist after AI finishes working

git status -s          # compact view
git diff --stat        # summary of changes
git diff               # if you want to see everything (sometimes too much)

Then decide:

• Good changes → git add . && git commit -m "feat: add clash provider selector (Claude)"
• Bad changes → git restore . or git restore --staged . or even git reset --hard (careful!)
• Only want some files → git add scripts/clash/clash_select_provider.py

So yes — git status is probably the most valuable 5-character command when you frequently use AI assistants to write or modify code.

References:

• None required for this git usage explanation.

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