Why jig?

Why not a full product like Cursor?

Every team is different. Sometimes different repos within a team have different standards. jig doesn’t try to be an everything tool—it’s a lightweight way to bootstrap repositories to fit a parallel-agent workflow.

jig is:

• Malleable — Extend it with your own skills and conventions
• Minimal — A thin layer over git worktrees and tmux
• Terminal-native — Stays out of your way

If you want an integrated IDE experience, use Cursor or Windsurf. If you want a lightweight framework that works with any terminal-based ACA and respects your existing tooling, use jig.

Why not just use git worktrees directly?

You can! jig is mostly conveniences:

• Automatic .jig/ directory for tracking worktrees (gitignored)
• Copying gitignored files (like .env) into new worktrees
• tmux integration for spawning and managing agent sessions
• Scaffolding for documentation and issue tracking

If you only need worktrees, use git worktree directly. jig helps when you’re orchestrating multiple agents and want conventions across your team.

Why terminal-based?

I like working in my terminal. jig is opinionated about the general form of how you work (worktrees, documentation, issues, quality checks) but not how you like to do it.

Use whatever editor you want. Use whatever ACA you want. jig manages the orchestration layer.

See Tips & FAQ for patterns that help agents succeed.