Description 480 -> 248 chars, body 1011 -> 347 words. The single submodules.md splits into setup-and-update, urls-and-config, and removal. Restores three regressions the first pass introduced: 'repointing' as the trigger for the URL branch, which had none while the boundary clause steered those queries to git-remotes; clone and absorbgitdirs in the output enum, which dispatch still routed to; and status --cached, the flag that makes the pre-commit pointer gate verifiable.
git-submodules
Add, initialize, update, pin, inspect, and remove git submodules in multi-repository projects.
What it does
This skill handles submodule operations within the git workflow suite: cloning a superproject with
its nested repositories, adding a dependency as a submodule, initializing and updating with
pinning or branch tracking, parallel and recursive traversal, rebinding URLs and tracked branches,
and the full removal sequence including the .git/modules/ cleanup git leaves behind. It returns
structured results suitable for agent composition.
It sits alongside the other git skills rather than duplicating them: git-worktrees covers
multiple checkouts of a single repository, and git-remotes covers the superproject's own remotes.
Usage
/git-submodules
Describe the submodule task. The skill applies the shared working rules, dispatches to the
reference for that task, and returns structured results (operation, status, per-submodule details,
conflicts, and a recovery next_step when applicable).
Files
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
SKILL.md |
Skill instructions for agents — gotchas, shared working rules, and the task dispatch table |
references/README.md |
Describes contents of references/ |
references/setup-and-update.md |
Loaded when cloning a superproject, adding a submodule, or initializing, updating, or re-pinning one — includes the full add and update flag tables and the pinning workflows |
references/urls-and-config.md |
Loaded when changing where a submodule points or how it is configured — .gitmodules vs .git/config anatomy, both key tables, sync/set-url/set-branch, local mirror overrides, relative URLs, the custom-update security gate, and absorbgitdirs |
references/removal.md |
Loaded when removing or deinitializing a submodule — why deinit is not removal, and the four-step removal sequence |
references/sources.md |
Research sources and provenance |